[An unthinkable future]
The ash fell like winter's snow. The beautiful architecture of the Palace had turned into nothing but a ruin, laid waste by this awful war. A war that was incited for the sake of a better future.
All was quiet within the remaining walls of the Palace's Throne Room. He stood there waiting. He was his enemy, but he waited for him. His enemy cradled his comrade close to him. Her lifeless body laid limp on his arms as his many tears flowed down upon her pale face. He mourned not just her, but also the rest of his comrades who he fought side-by-side until the bitter end.
He understood the sentiment as he turned to see his own fallen comrades. Seeing his friends and loved ones die in front of him... He did not regret his decision. This was the path he chose. He knew that sacrifices needed to be made. And yet, tears flowed down his own cheek.
"You big dummy," his enemy said to the deceased. "You always stayed beside me until the end… I'm sorry you had to put up with me."
He gently put down his comrade onto the rubble-covered floor. "Rest easy… and leave the rest to me." Getting onto his feet and wielding his blade, he locked eyes on him. The look upon his face was not that of anger or hatred. The look was devoid of any life. It was the look of a man who had nothing else to lose.
"Is this what you really wanted?" he asked. "Is this your way to a brighter future?"
"It… was the only way."
"There were other options… We were taught that long ago."
"..."
After a brief moment of silence, his enemy gazed up upon the cracked ceiling of the room. "I wonder what he must be thinking, right now."
He wondered as well. What were his thoughts, right now? He would be watching them preparing to do battle against each other, with only one of them making it out alive. It pained him to think about it, but there was no turning back. Their roads may never cross, but their blades surely will.
They prepare their weapons and magic, springing to life, fueled by their intense desire to claim victory. A victory that will be empty of any satisfaction. There was no time to think about it. They steeled their hearts, hardened their grips on their blades, and breathed one last breath. At last, they charged at each other. With a single clash of their blades, the legendary and tragic battle had reached its climax.
[17th Day of the Lone Moon, Imperial Year 1180]
It was supposed to be easy picking. They had scouted the village, and they just knew that this was going to be a huge score. All the gold, the jewels, the women.
But, no one told them that a bunch of mercenaries were in town! Not just any mercenary group. The mercenary group. Because of them, almost all everyone was either caught or killed. Only four of them were still on the run.
"Boss! What the Hell happened?!"
"You said this was easy pickin'! That we'd be filthy rich after this!"
"No, no, no, no. I didn't want to die. I don't want to die like this!"
"Everyone, SHUT UP!" His underlings were on their last ropes, but he didn't want to hear it. "Right now, we just need to get as far away from here as we can!"
"But boss, where do we run?" one asked.
"What, you got shit in your ears? I said as far away from here as we can!"
"B-but…"
"For crying out loud! What is it?!"
"W-Weren't there 4 of us?"
"Huh?!" Everyone looked around. Sure enough, one was missing.
"W-w-where'd she go?" another asked.
"No way," the sudden realization hit the bandit leader. "They've caught up, already?"
On cue, rustling from the trees was heard around them. Drawing their weapons, the remaining bandits took a defensive position. After a few moments of intense silence, they heard footsteps coming toward them. Turning to the sound, they saw their missing companion. Feeling more at ease, one of the bandits approached her.
"There you are! Don't go running off like t-" he stopped mid-sentence when his companion suddenly collapsed to the ground, revealing a knife lodged onto her back. The bandit had little time to react when a second knife plunged into his neck. He, too, collapsed and drowned in his own blood.
Turning to the direction of where the knife came from, the remaining bandits caught a glimpse of the person responsible for the death of their fallen comrades before disappearing. While the assailant hid within the shadows of the forest, the red eye and white hair were unmistakable.
"T-the Scarlet Phantom! Boss, what do-" another knife silenced him. The bandit leader was the only one left.
"Screw this! I gotta get out of here, and fast!" he dashed away, leaving his fallen underlings behind. He ran as fast as he could, with no certain destination. All he wanted to do is survive.
After what felt like forever, he stopped running. Tired and out of breath, he looked at his surroundings, but all was quiet. "I… I lost them," he sighed in relief.
However, a knife to the shoulder sucked all that relief away. Crying out in pain, the bandit leader collapsed onto a tree as blood poured out of the wound.
"Hm... Missed."
The bandit's blood ran cold, as he heard a voice just above him. Looking up, he spotted a young man sitting on one of the tree's branches. Despite the hood covering most of his face, the moonlight illuminated the piercing red eye. It was the famed Scarlet Phantom.
"No way! H-how?!" he panicked.
The young man did not respond. He seemed more focused on something else. Something that was coming from the direction they came from.
"There's no use in outrunning us," someone behind the bandit spoke.
The bandit leader turned around, only for his blood to run even colder than before. As the footsteps drew closer and closer, another young man appeared. One with teal hair; cold, blue eyes; and an expressionless face.
"Great..." the Scarlet Phantom sighed.
"T-the Ashen Demon?!" he panicked once again.
"Seems like you're out of luck," the Phantom sighed again and leaned his head on the tree, making himself comfortable for what's to come.
There was nowhere to run. The Demon and Phantom had him cornered. If this was going to be his last stand, he was not going down without a fight. From the words of an old friend: "You can't be a bandit if you fear death."
The bandit leader got back up on his feet and readied his axe. With a thunderous cry, he charged at his opponent, ignoring the pain building up on his shoulder. Drawing closer with every step, he lifted his axe over his head and swung down with all the strength he could muster.
"Predictable…"
With a simple sidestep, the attack was easily dodged, and the axe hit the ground with a thunderous thud. Once the dust settled, the bandit yanked it out of the ground then went for a side swing toward his enemy's midsection. This time, however, the attack was easily parried. The axe was sent flying, with the bandit leader's hand along with it. Without a second to process what happened, a stab to the chest sealed his fate. The sword was retracted, and the bandit leader collapsed. This bout ended as fast as it began.
"Hmph," the Phantom jumped off the tree and silently landed right next to the slain bandit leader. He kneeled down to retrieve his knife, which was still embedded into the bandit's shoulder.
"Haru."
"I'm not in the mood for another lecture, By," he said as he cleaned off the blood from the knife. He didn't want to hear it, but those eyes digging holes in the back of his head were hard to ignore.
Standing up, Haruki, the Scarlet Phantom, turned to his brother, Byleth, the Ashen Demon. A duo whose names were well-known throughout the mercenary world.
"What you did was reckless," Byleth continued.
"But it was the logical choice," Haruki retorted. "They would've escaped if I didn't go after them."
"You knew you'd be outnumbered."
"Yeah… And?"
"We can't ignore the possibility of something going wrong, Haru."
"..."
"What would have happened if you got caught before I arrived?"
"..."
"You would have run the risk of-"
"I know, alright?" Haruki interrupted him, staring at his bandaged left arm. "I know…"
"Do you?" Byleth asked, interrupting Akio's thoughts. "Not only would you risk failing the job, but you would risk your life, as well as those around you."
"Hmph. You speak as if I don't know that," Haruki shoved past Byleth.
Byleth remained silent as he saw his younger brother walk away, completely ignoring the corpse they left.
"I've thought about the possibilities logically. There was little doubt I would have succeeded." Haruki stopped and turned to Byleth, again. "But even if something went wrong and I was caught in a bind, I know that you wouldn't be that far behind to bail me out."
That is something he was positive about. Haruki would do it for him tenfold, after all.
"Naturally," Byleth simply said as he walked next to his brother. "Let's go. Father's waiting for us."
"Right… a second scolding."
"Yes… and you have to prepare dinner."
"Hmph."
Haruki and Byleth walked back toward the village to meet their father. Once they were paid for their work and got a well-deserved rest, another was at hand in the Kingdom.
Or that is what they thought would be the case.
AN
Hey, there!
For those starting to read my very first fanfiction, I am very grateful for your time.
Since this is my first fic, it's a bit nerve wracking to say the least, and my skills right now may still be beginner-level. However, I will tackle it head-on and improve myself as a writer. That being said, any feedback about anything about my story of my writing will always be appreciated!
Anyway, thank you again for your time, and I hope you continue to follow Haruki's journey with me!