4 years later
"Four hundred ninety five!"
A butterfly with white wings landed to the flower staring at the boy that is trying to cut down the the biggest tree in the village rulid, the butterfly sips the flower and it descend to the sky.
"Four hundred ninety six!"
There we saw a young boy who seem to be at age eleventh, his hair was blonde and his eyes are green emerald that you can stare all day long. Truly a cute man who will grow to be a handsome one. His name was eugeo his calling is a woodcutter and his task are to cut down the massive tree that was known as a gidas cedar or people of rulid would like to call it "Demon Tree", this tree sucks out all of the natural resources of the land of stacia, essence of terraria and the sun light of solus, the woodcutter eugeo was task to cut the gigas Cedar with his brother kirito who has black hair and onyx eyes and have the same shape of face as his brother eugeo
"Four hundred ninety seven!"
Eugeo swing his axe towards the tree and it nearly hit its weak spot, breathing heavily as he ready to hit the tree once more, his brother kirito was napping on a ground with a sheet of blanket was awoken due to eugeo counting loud intentionally and hitting the tree which make sounds.what a pain. That was his thought as he stand up and prepare to sit, scratching his eye as he watch eugeo continue to hit his target
"Four hundred ninety eight""
Eugeo manage to hit the weak spot, he rest for a moment then prepare his stance to hit the tree, sweat running through his body as he lift the axe and yelled
"Four hundred ninety nine!"
And again he hit the weak spot of the tree, feeling proud, he prepares his final hit, calming all of his senses and focusing into one target, he aim at his target as he swing the axe only to fail as he hit the upper layer of the weak spot, tired of swinging for today, he drop the axe and he falls to the ground, catching his breath as he grab the water container from the basket, he drank it all with no hesitation. This is tiresome. He thought as he put the container back to the basket.
"Well looks like i still hold the record eugeo!"
"I'll catch up to you next time kirito"
Kirito smile, he approach the tree and put his hand in the air, straighting two fingers while folding the other fingers as he draw an "S" to the air and soon enough an "S" appear when he finished it and kirito taps it and it open something- no a stacia window with the color being purple and there are text in the window with it's number of object, durability/life and I'd number, he scan the stacia window hoping both of them manage to deal incredible damage to it
"We only managed to get to 75 huh.."
"Well no can do, it will heal itself again tomorrow"
Kirito scratch his hair with frustration due to the fact that they'll never manage to cut it in time
"At this point we will be woodcutters all of our life!"
"Well considering this is how far we only managed to do, we still need to cut this tree down for...9 more generations"
"How annoying..."
"You know we'll manage to take down this tree someday"
"Well unlike you I'm not gonna cut this tree down all of my entire life!"
"There is some faster way to cut this tree down if we have a stronger axe or possibly a divine object"
"Then only we need to is to get one right?"
"That's impossible too, we don't have the money to buy one let alone carry one"
"Your thinking too negative eugeo!"
Kirito said as he launch himself to eugeo as they battle it out trying to pin each other, both of them eager to win this battle.
"Seriously are you two avoiding your calling again?"
A femine voice talked out to them as both of the boys know this voice very well
"Oh crap"
Both of them say at the same time as they turn towards the voice who seems to belong to one person who has long braid blonde hair, blue eyes and her appearance was a maid blue outfit with the exception of the white apron she wore. These two... That's what she thought alright, this girl's name is alice who is the daughter of the chief of the rulid village, she glare at the two boys with her hands being on her waist, the left hand was holding a basket that contains food and water, she was church in training by the nuns, learning sacred arts and history of the underworld
"H-hey alice... Your here early"
"Hmm you two are slacking off of your calling, if i tell this to dad, i wonder what he will do to you two"
She said with a smirk and kirito and eugeo got shivers down their spine, the last time they were caught us is when last year, both of them are slacking off, playing when the chief caught them and give them an earring, it was painful that day since then, kirito gets off of eugeo and apologies
"Please don't tell the chief please I'm begging you!"
"Alright alright, i was just joking but anyway have one of you finish your one thousand swing?"
"Eugeo is, I'm about to swing another five hundred"
"Well before you continue, let's eat theses foods me and my mom made"
"Alright then!"
Alice sat as she open her basket and it was full of food that was inside of it, eugeo help her immediately getting the food out and kirito was waiting for them to eat, all the food from the basket is out and they started eating, kirito was having a sandwich and eugeo was having a pie and Alice is just eating a pie aswell
"So how's the progress?"
"Same as ever"
"Don't eat with your mouth full kirito, that's bad manners!"
"Your not my mom!"
"Hey guys calm down..."
Kirito and Alice are arguing about manners, eugeo got used to it since they are in each other's throats most of the time, he just sighed. these will never end. Eugeo thought as he watch the two argue, hoping things won't go violent
Ever since they met alice 4 years ago, this was their everyday routine, kirito and Alice arguing, eugeo trying to be reasonable to them but they still go at it, he's not complaining since he wanted to spend time with them especially alice 'just thinking about it makes my heart race' he thought, his face blushed at the thought of it. He listen to both of them whos done arguing and talking about something else
"Anyway if we can manage to make them fresh then we'll be able to eat them afterwards"
"How are we gonna do that kirito?"
"Simple by going to high end mountains!"
"But aren't we not allowed to go there?"
"Don't be scared eugeo!"
"I'm not scared, I'm just worried"
"Hmmm it might work..."
"See even alice agrees about!"
"Sighed fine we'll go there"
"Great! Then maybe later or tomorrow?"
"Let's do it tomorrow, let's meet up at 5 okay?"
"Right!"
"Are you coming eugeo?"
"I have a bad feeling about this but sure..."
"All right!"
Tomorrow 6 am of the underworld
The trio are now currently walking towards the high end mountains with a water stream to the side, eugeo still having have a bad feeling things wouldn't go so well for them
"What's the matter eugeo?"
"H-huh it's nothing!"
"Are you alright eugeo? You seem scared"
"Can't blame him, this is the high end mountains were talking about"
"There are rumors that a dragon is in there"
"Yeah the legend bercouli almost died trying to grab the blue rose sword"
"What if we encounter the dragon?"
"Don't worry eugeo, the dragon won't attack us if we don't harm him or steal anything besides ice cubes!"
"I trust you kirito"
"Thats the spirit!"
"Let's keep moving before I get late to my classes"
The trio arrived at the entrance of the high end mountains, the inside is dark and cold, no wonder they called it high end mountains, alice grab something to her pocket and the two boys saw a yellow flower, alice began to enchant sacred arts
"System Call:Generate luminous element-AD here"
The flower lits up and it glowed like the solus sun, the boys are impressed about alice's sacred arts abilities
"Then let's keep moving"
"Right!"
Both of them said and they began to walk towards the tunnel, as to they keep getting closer, they can feel the cold breeze
"It's getting cold!"
Kirito said as he covers his arms, attempting to get some heat
"I think we're getting close, look!"
Alice said as she pointed at the road they were walking to, there can be seen that ice was starting to appear on the ground and Alice also points out on the stream of the water, ice cubes can be seen running down through the exit
"Were close huh then let's go!"
"Hey kirito wait up!"
Kirito ran towards the end of the tunnel as Alice ran behind him, eugeo didn't want to be left alone as he also ran with them. Kirito kept running and running and then he arrive at the cave and kirito was staring, shocked at how big and icy it is, alice manage to catch up to him and was shocked at the cave, eugeo arrive the last as he too was shocked at the cave. The room is icy and it was glowing, ice cubes on the floor and aswell as gold, swords and dragon bones
"This shouldn't be possible, the dragon should be alive, why is it dead?"
"I think we'll get our answers if we keep exploring"
Both blondes nodded as kirito started walking towards the dragon bone statue, there we lots of lots of gold piled in there and some swords too
"Hey I think I found the ice cubes"
"Oh yeah sure go grab them"
Alice began grabbing ice and storing it to her basket as kirito Wonder the dragons bones and going inside of it
"There are a lot of gold here, if we get some then we're going to be rich.."
"We can't steal eugeo, it's against the taboo index remember?"
"Oh yeah right sorry"
"So where's kirito?"
"Over there"
He point out towards his brother who seem to be pulling out something out of the dragon's bones inside, he managed to get it out and he stumbled backwards and ends up falling to the ground
"Ow ow ow, men it's really hard to pull that out"
"Could that be?"
"Yep, it's the blue rose sword!"
The sword was shiny blue, it's sheath symbol was a blue rose that's in circle and the holder is unique for it's design and it can also be said to the guard of it
"I never knew that i get it meet it at person"
"Hey eugeo, let's pull it out of it's sheath!"
"Ah right"
They began pulling out the sword out of the sheath but they didn't manage to do so, they just gave up on doing it
"Sheesh, this one is top as heck!"
"Well we'll come back for it for it later, right now we should be able to go back"
"Right then which way did we get here?"
"I forgot"
"Hmmm"
Kirito tried to remember how they managed to get here but forgot it, eugeo was trying to catch up to them that he forgot where they came from and Alice is also in the same boat as eugeo
"Then let's take this way!"
"Are you sure about this?"
"I think?"
"Sighed i think it's worth a shot"
Right then let's go!"
Kirito started running towards the direction he guess where they came from, eugeo and Alice followed him as they keep running, a light can be seen from the exit
"I can see the exit, i was right!"
Kirito said as they keep getting closer and closer and closer and they stop, the trio saw red clouds with black clouds, the three of them silent until alice spoke
"This is not where we came from and this does not look like the human empire, this place, this land is DARK TERRITORY!"
"Hey look over there"
Kirito spoke as he point towards the sky, the two blonde look towards the sky to see two individuals are fighting with dragons, one was in white armour and the other is in black, both of them are fighting for death, both of them clashed swords as they keep flying with their dragons, the white one pulled out a bow and an arrow, he aimed at the black knight, the white knight reload the bow with the arrow and fired at the black knight and it hit, the black knight was shot through the chest and the white knights dragon fired a dragon blast aiming for the black dragon there was an explosion as the black knight and his dragon falls to the ground, helpless and injured. The white knight with his dragon flew back to the human empire.
"The black knight was defeated..."
"With an arrow piercing through his chest and upcoming dragon blast..."
Eugeo and kirito spoke in astonishment however alice was staring towards the black knight, the black knight was reaching out to her for help, she unconsciously tried walking towards the black knight as she trips over her footing slowly falls to the ground, kirito saw this and tried to catch her arm to keep her footing but to no avail as he fails to catch her falling down, her hand reaching out for the dark knight was led to a cold black ground as she stare at her, kirito and eugeo stare at it too, those fingers were touching the land of dark territory
"Alice?"
Kirito and eugeo help her to get her back to her footing
"Are you alright alice?"
"I think I'm fine..."
"What will happen now..."
"I don't know, i broke one of the rules in the taboo index therefore I should be punished"
She said quietly, there was a hint of scared in her voice and regrets about what she did, things will not be going the same for them anymore, she knew this. This was her punishment. Therefore she need to face it, she had to... She started crying, she doesn't want to leave everyone here, she can't.
Then something appeard in the sky like a small portal then a head pop up, eugeo and Alice were terrified just by looking at it, the head seem to have no facial expressions nor eyes, just grey skin and it's eyes are pure white, the head spoke but they couldn't understand it since they don't know the language and after it stop talking, it disappears like it was never there.
Alice was scared now, she will get taken to the centoria and kill her, that's her fate the moment she touch that ground, everything is over, the bonds she formed, the things she built, everything is now falling to place, she was powerless and there's no way she can do anything about it, she can only able to delay the inevitable, she started crying, she regret trying to help that man, she regret making her decision to come here, everything is now gone, even her friends will betray her and call her "traitor" too. It was a nice life. This was her thoughts, 'it wasn't all that bad too, it really was-'.
"I won't let them!"
Alice's thoughts were interrupted by kirito, she stared to him, his face was angered. Maybe she's angry at her? She was questioning herself until kirito spoke again
"I won't let them take alice away, I'll absolutely protect anyone that tried to takeaway those who are precious to me!"
He declared as if he can do anything but alice all knew too well that this is kirito's way of protecting anyone, this side of kirito is rare to see and this is the side that she falls in love with.
"What are you talking about kirito?"
"I'm saying that I'm not gonna let them take alice away even if she committed a small crime!"
"But kirito she broke the taboo index and we're just kids, we can't fight them since they are stronger than us!"
"I don't care about that, i'll fight them and keep alice away from them until my heart and soul gives up, if they want alice then they'll have to go through my dead body!"
Alice cried out even more, she felt happiness that her crush kirito will protect her even after a small mistake she did however she knew things would not go against kirito's way and so she accepted her fate.
"Kirito you'll get sent in the ax-"
"Thank you kirito for everything but we all knew that things won't go the same way as we want..."
"Alice are you giving up already?"
"I wished that we would never came to this place and just live like we always do everyday but reality won't give us an easy way so kirito thank you for trying"
She said and smiled at kirito, his efforts for trying to help her will just make her go to axiom church with them and so she won't let it happen, she must protect these two at all cost.
"But- i can't just let you go without giving them a fight, i cant..."
"Kirito..."
Kirito was crying, afraid of losing their only female friend, the one who always make them food, play with them, teach them, everything she did, he just cant...
"Kirito eugeo let's go back!"
She said smiling, her tears are gone, kirito was disappointed that he can't do anything to save alice while eugeo felt powerless, can't even give one reason or help kirito.
The three of them started to head back to rulid, tomorrow is going to be the day where all of them are going to be splitting their way.
"Thank you for your help you two I'll go home now goodbye!"
Alice waved at them as kirito and eugeo waved back she turned around and started walking back to her house but she stopped and turn towards them, both brothers are confused why she was staring at them as she ran towards them and hug both of them. Eugeo blushed madly while kirito blushed a little. She whispered
"Let's meet again someday"
Both of them were stunned by alice's words but both of them knew this meaning behind these words "Chop down the tree and become swordsman!" Those are the meaning behind those words
"Yeah"
"Got it"
"Then before I go home, let's make a vow!"
"A vow?"
"Yeah that were going to see each other someday and die the same year!"
Both of the boys smile, this was their vow that no one can break
"You got it Ma'am!"
"Right!"
She lets go of both of them as she prepares herself to leave
"Then goodbye kirito eugeo!"
"Goodbye Alice!"
Both of them said at unison, Alice smiled and turned back to walk to her house, as she keep walking, her appearance disappeared as she keep walking, eugeo was about to cry when kirito slap his brother's back and said
"Let's keep those vows eugeo!"
Stunned by his brother's words, eugeo smiled and said
"Yeah!"