Chapter 5: Memories and Sacrifice.
...
"So you want to join the military on your own?... I see, so you changed after all... Hah~, look at you, going from a Princess to a soldier. That's utterly surprising if this place is Lescatie."
Francesca didn't utter another word while tying up her leather sack filled with her important belongings.
"If your father were still alive, he wouldn't allow this." Franchia then walks to the side of her youngest daughter and kneeled down, then giving her a worrying look. "Yet, that look of determination of yours reminds me of him when he was young and fierce."
"Mother, the reason I am willing to join the Military is that I don't want to be a nuisance to my sisters and live a life of my own."
The former Queen Franchia widened her eyes to hear Francesca's statement in surprise. She didn't know how to respond to that, nor she heard anything from her other daughters who would dare to speak those words.
"Ever since I was born, I was never loved by anyone when I had an illness, not even from you," Francesca then stuttered with a dark expression as she stood up, thus carrying the leather sack by the shoulders while glaring down to her mother. "Despite my sickness is healed, I tried myself to live a normal life... but it remained the same."
The former princess waited for her mother's reply for a moment, but Franchia remained silent for a while. Francesca turns around and heads to the door to leave her room and opened the doorknob.
"Wait."
Francesca stopped before turning back to her mother and thus, she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her and the former Princess widened her eyes in surprise.
"M-Mother...?"
"Francesca... you were right... please, forgive me. I could've been a good mother to you if it weren't for that illness you were born with!" Francesca then heard a silent sob of her mother, buried under her chest until Francia turns up to her with tears. "I'm sorry, for I haven't told you about this... Because of the reputation of your condition, the Nobility and the Clergy despised you; Thus I was forced to become distant from you and let your older sisters take care of you... that is not until when the Titans came, and when the guards came to rescue you... all I saw is pain within your eyes... I-... I never thought that I could've been more wrong to see you were unfairly treated."
The former princess felt her mother's hands clenched behind her shoulders, and Francesca just stood there without a word until her eyes welled up with tears.
"Mother... you..." Francesca then hiccuped as her entire body was shaken with emotions. "You... cared for me?
"I'm sorry... forgive me, my daughter..." Francia cried while trying to hold back her emotions that swelled her heart. "Listen... Francesca... if you want to come back... I will always be there to support you."
...
"... I promise... I will never leave you because I, as your mother... you are always my daughter."
...
"Mom..." Francesca teared up before wiping off her tears before gazing around, still jogging under the rain, and she just had to make sure that the surrounding cadets never noticed it. Then she clenched her hands. "Don't worry. I can do this!"
But little did she knew; Elt saw the determined former Princess is giving all she got in this rigorous training and he smiled at her. Once the rain stopped, the sun shines in the sky once again after the gray clouds dissipated. The trainees gasped heavily for air before some of them collapsed their knees to the ground. Luciana pull down her hood and looked around before noticing Francesca collapsed to the ground, feeling exhausted.
"Hah~! Ha~ah~! My lungs are burning~" Francesca breathed out before raising her fists in victory. "But still... I did it better than the last time."
"Hey Fancie, here!" Francesca then gazed up and saw Luciana handed her over a flash of water. "Drink, you might get dehydrated."
"Th-Thanks," Francesca uttered weakly before gulping the liquid through her mouth. "Ha~h! That was exhausting..."
Wilmarina watched the two helped each other out before looking up at the skies and saw a couple of birds flying in the air. Which she reminded her of that day which he gave back her freedom to reunite with Elt.
...
ME 1028 / Year 818
The Fortress City of Leiden, Kingdom of Lindeln
...
"Oh, Chief God! Forgive us for all we have sinned!"
"Great Poseidon of the Seas, we plead thee and save us from the menace of these giants!"
"Goddess Ares, grant us your strength!"
In the fortress city of Leiden, hundreds and thousands of praying adherents of gods pleaded their prayers for the deities. Offering their sacrifices to the altars so that their deities can hear them.
"Fallen God... please, save us and take us to Pandemonium. I beg thee!"
But alas, not one voice of deities responded to their plea. Whether they be humans or mamonos, their prayers became more desperate while some spoke up about the Gods severed themselves from the world.
"Heretic! No God would abandon their faithful followers!"
A handful of priests threw their belongings to the individuals who spoke such outrageous words. The Giants have rumbled through the entire continent, trampling their lands and brought great cities into ruins while the people were devoured by their gluttonous mouths.
The 15-Year-Old Sasha Fullmoon watched the chaos ensues through the City streets as people of Leiden and the refugees from every kingdom and demons realms quarreled with each other.
Even the Dark Priests of the Fallen Faith and the Bishops of the Order banded together against the badmouthing heretics of Leiden in front of them.
"How dare your words insults our faith! If the Fallen God were here, she will surely change your mind!"
"The Divine Adherents of the Chief God will judge thee into the Abyss!"
"Are you all crazy!? The Gods have abandoned this world and we're fighting among each other while the Giants out there are eating us alive!"
Two groups of protesters quarreled with angry spouts and words before the city guards came in and forcefully disperse them.
Sasha Fullmoon had seen enough. She had been a good girl and a prayer to her faith of the Chief God. But hearing the words from the people of Leiden made her heart fell into a bit of despair. As they were told that the Gods abandoned their world and left alone with the man-eating Giants. She gripped her bag of groceries and leave the area, making her way to Elt and the other orphans.
...
"The unified Army has been wiped out?" Bishop Noscrim widened his eyes in disbelief. "Impossible, there are heroes and the strongest monsters among them! How could this happen!"
"... I'm afraid to tell this, but the battle is a failure." The King of Leiden responded with grief. "Surviving soldiers told us there are giants that possess Anti-Magic capabilities and render the magic barriers useless. Even when a monster spellcaster was caught in their grips, their magic power has been sucked out before they were eaten alive."
"Now this is a problem..." To their side, the King of Welspe stuttered in fear. "Humanity... no, every species of this entire continent will be soon going into extinction."
"I can't believe we were pushed back like this." At the left side of the King of Welspe, an Ogre Chieftain dug her face in her own palms out of pain. "Every warrior I've sent out to join your forces to eradicate the giants was all for naught... don't tell me... all of my brethren had achieved nothing..."
"The Goddess Ares never even heard our prayers..." On the opposite side of the Ogre at the meeting table, an Amazon Chieftess sighed deeply with regret. "Without the help of the Gods and the absence of the Demon Lord and her Lilims... we are truly helpless."
"I truly hate to say this in front of everyone in this room..." King Castor spoke up as he stood from his chair. "I have words that might not sit thee well..."
Bishop Noscrim raised his eyebrow, curious, but he felt a bad feeling. "Your Highness, for what are you trying to say?"
"This world... the gods have abandoned us! For that, I came to realize why did I not know they haven't granted us for their miracles and blessings!" King Castor declared loudly, bringing a shock wave through the room. "We, both human and mamono in this very room, have led our people to dig deep into sin. We did nothing but glorify ourselves with arrogance and power, while the mamono, drenched themselves with unspeakable lust and depravity despite their knowledge of love and the purpose of men!"
The people in the meeting room fell silent. Even Bishop Noscrim went speechless.
"We had both committed sins, and these Giants came." King Castor then paused for a while before looking down. "They.. have brought judgment upon us and seek our very destruction..."
Everyone felt shaken and conflicted by his speech, while one Bunyip trembled after hearing the King's words.
"That can't be true... there's no way that the Gods left us..."
...
After meeting with the King of Leiden and the Kingdom of Lindeln, Bishop Noscrim stepped down from the staircases of the royal castle and exited through the gates before a group of children playing tag went past the Order Priest. He saw how happy the children were, despite the looming crisis which will soon fall upon them. Then he looked up to the skies and see the orange sunsets over the horizon, uncertain of the future that might behold of their lives.
"Judgement, huh... What am I thinking nowadays..." He spoke silently until he heads in an opposite direction. "I wonder... what is Wilmarina doing right now..."
...
City of Leiden, Market Area.
Wilmarina walked through the crowded streets in the Fortress City of Leiden while wearing a ragged cloak. Humans and mamono walked around buying food while most stores around the marketplace just went out of sales.
"What do you mean you're out of meat!?"
"I am sorry, sir, but the stock is sold out!"
"The cabbages are rotten!"
"Ma'am, this is all we got."
"I hope those giants won't come this way."
"The fish is sold out!?"
"If it weren't for those damned refugees, we'd still have our stocks for sale!"
"I wished the King would keep them out!"
Wilmarina felt frightened as the people themselves bicker in anger and frustration before she bumped into a couple of soldiers by accident. She yelped while jumping back in fright.
"Oh, be careful there, young lady." Said the guard calmly. "The marketplace is nowadays crowded, you'd better get home."
Wilmarina still stood, surprised for a while, and nodded in response before walking away.
"Jeez, the refugees are getting rowdier." Said a young soldier. "At this rate; the food supply is getting dangerously low."
"Yeah, food shortage is coming soon." Spoke the older soldier with an anxious look. "If the Giants hadn't appeared, this shouldn't have happened."
The young girl watched her steps while avoiding other townsfolk and refugees alike in the crowded street until she bumped into someone. But this time, it's a boy with messy red hair.
"Ow! Watch it!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Wilmarina quickly apologized before standing up to help him. "A-Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." The boy stood up before patting his right shoulder from dust. "This street is crowded, you know?"
"I-... Hold on a second..." Then Wilmarina's eyes widened in surprise. "Elt... is that you?"
"H-Huh!? How did you-... wait," Elt then raised his brow, having the same expression as Wilmarina. "M-... Mary?"
It's been five years. Wilmarina couldn't believe how five years was indeed a long time since that day when her father separated him from her family. The only friend she ever had in her heart and played with has survived throughout the invasion of giants.
Wilmarina felt tears welled up in her eyes, and a great relief washed through her heart.
"Elt... it's really you!"
The young girl jumped on him with a tight hug and crashed to the ground. Her happiness came back after five years after his separation.
"Mary, so you're here too!"
"Elt, I'm so happy that you're still here!" Wilmarina spoke with a shaken voice in tears, yet she's happy to see him again. "It's been five years! How are you and how are your parents?"
"Wil... I guess I have some explaining to do..." Elt couldn't help but sigh with a smile. "I'm alone now."
"A-... Alone?"
"Yeah, my parents died after we got cast out," Elt said while looking down with grief. Wilmarina gasped in shock after hearing the fate of his parents. Then the young boy straightens himself up with a warm smile once more. "But actually... I don't feel like I'm all alone. I still have friends with me so I can keep on living."
"Friends?"
"Yeah. A Nun picked me up from the streets while I was exhausted." Elt then smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck. "I was truly lucky and got new friends along the way."
"I see, then that's good to hear," Wilmarina said in relief while wiping off her tears. "At least, I'm not all alone right now."
"You... didn't get any new friends?"
"I-... well, I didn't," Wilmarina said with an embarrassed look while shyly looking away.
"I see, then don't worry!" Elt said with a brightened expression. "You can visit me and meet up with Sasha, Yuriy, and Eristia!"
"Th-That nice to hear... but." Then her expression went down. "I don't think my father will allow me..."
*BOOOOOM*
At that moment the earth rocked, and the people froze once they felt a shock wave. Then thus, several trails of black smoke emitted outside the walls of Leiden until they heard the bell rang from one of the city towers.
"THE GIANTS ARE COMING!"
...
Noscrim Residence, Middle-class District.
Mr. Noscrim returns to his rented apartment. It wasn't grandiose as those in the richer district. Yet this is how his wealth could afford to fit the bills. Since Lescatie fell, he lost a lot of fortune while fleeing from his homeland, which is now overrun by the Giants for the past two years. He sighed with a tone of regret. He was the most powerful man in the kingdom until the arrival of the giants took everything. From now on, he doesn't live like a Noble which he was once before, and now lived in a life of a middle-class commoner with his only daughter.
"How ironic... I despised the common folk back then." He muttered to himself as if he were talking to the phantoms of dead spirits behind his back. "Now look at me... are you satisfied with this?"
For a few moments of silence passed. He went to Wilmarina's room and opened the door.
"Wilmarina... I'm home." He called out, but he didn't see the little girl inside the room. "Oh? Did she went out?"
...
*BOOOOM!*
Mr. Noscrim felt the earth shook until it died down. His heart then felt a pang of panic before going outside of the building and then look up in the skies to see black trails of smoke coming up and the bell rang through the city.
"Oh, no!"
"The Giants are coming!"
Once he heard those words coming from the mouth of a soldier, he went back inside the building until he grabbed a sword from the closet. It was a family heirloom of the Noscrim Family, which dates back to the time of the First Noscrim, a Hero who dedicated to fighting for the Order.
"Wilmarina... I'm coming."
...
City of Leiden, Outskirts.
"Open fire!"
The soldiers on the walls unleashed a volley of cannonballs into a horde of giants while the spellcasters brought up the barrier which surrounds the entire city. That is not until a Soldier-type Titan brought up its arms and its fingers were covered under special hardening, turning it into claws and smashed the barriers with ease like glass. The spellcasters on the field flinched back in fear once they saw the giants broke through the magic barrier and Archer Titans unleashed a volley of massive hardening arrows and pierced through the magic defenses with ease. The massive arrows bombarded the walls, killing a lot of soldiers and taking out the cannons.
Formations of soldiers stood in the outskirts of the walls. They are tightly packed and marched towards the giants with their long pikes pointed forwards.
"March!" One of their captains yelled an order while raising his sword. "Dedicate your hearts! Fight! Fight against these giants!"
The soldiers screamed their war cries as they marched further into the mouths of the devils.
"FIGHT!"
Once they clashed, the first rows of soldiers were immediately crushed under their feet while many others were grabbed and eaten alive. Musket fire and arrows hailed on the gigantic monsters. But it did nothing against them, even when the spellcasters used their magic tore their limbs apart; they grew back within seconds. The Unified Forces began to retreat in a state of panic upon fighting in a losing battle.
The captain looked down and see the soldiers entering through the gates. He raised his hands. "Close the gates! We have to keep them at bay!"
"What!? Are you insane!?" The soldier then turned himself at him with a horrified look. "We can't leave them out there!"
"The command ordered to sacrifice them to bring us some time." The captain replied with a stoic expression. "The evacuation is about to begin."
The soldiers on top of the walls watched as their allies and brothers-in-arms were mercilessly slaughtered at the outskirts of the walls. Many tried to climb up the walls, but it was fruitless.
"What's the meaning of this!?" The Guard Captain then heard the soldiers from below the walls, who screamed at them in panic. "Let us in!"
"Gods! They're slaughtering us out here!"
"Chief God, Help us!"
"Let us in, you bastards!"
"We're being eaten out here! Are your guys out of your minds!?"
The soldier then looks at his captain, who stared back at them as if they were sacrificial lambs to the giants, and noticed his grim expression. He opened his mouth; stating his words to him.
"We... don't have a choice."
...
...
Far behind the city walls, the people fled to piers to wait for the ships while the military planned their evacuation. But it got only worse when the main gates of the city explode by a hardening arrow before Titans came in with their grueling smiles. Ready to eat.
"Fire!"
A group of Dark Elves unleashed their magic arrows and hit against the first Titan, but to their horror, none of them worked before the Titan turned to the source and swiped in one flash swoop that caught a Dark Elf in its hand.
"AAAHH! HELP ME! JAINA!" A Dark Elf screamed in terror to one of her comrades in her hopes to save her until the Titan brought her into its mouth. "NO! PLEASE NO!"
With a sickening crunch, Jaina felt her body stiffened in terror as if more Titans barged through the gates.
"Captain, orders!?" One of the Dark Elves cried out desperately. "At this rate, we're going to be wiped out!"
At this moment, Jaina snapped out of her thoughts and clenched her teeth. "F-Fall back to the second line!"
...
"Mary, come on!"
"E-Elt, there's too many people!"
Elt and Wilmarina sprint their feet throughout the panicked crowd and took a turn to the right. Going into an empty alleyway.
"This way! It's safer!"
Once they reached the end of the alleyway, the two children ended up on an empty street. But their eyes widened to see the street has been ravaged with piles of bloodied corpses littering around. Then they heard a sickening crunch and a feral growl. Elt and Wilmarina turn around and saw a six-meter-tall giant devouring a body of a Minotaur until it rips off her left arm from the main body. They didn't make a move or a sound until the Giant took notice.
The children stood frightened as if their bodies stiffened. The giant made a wide smile as it reaches its hand for its next meal. That is not until another individual intervened.
"STAY AWAY FROM THOSE TWO!"
In a flash, the Titan's hand was cut off from its primary arm. Wilmarina stood in shock until she looks up to see a familiar face of their savior.
"F-Father!?"
The Noscrim Bishop avoided being caught by the Titan's mouth and dug its face into the ground. The man quickly got the two children and ran away from the area as quickly as possible.
"Quick, the docks is this way!"
Elt couldn't believe his eyes as if he was looking up to her father that had rescued them; The sole person who banished his family from the Noscrim Estate. As they ran through the street, Mr. Noscrim's view slowed as he took notice. He turns his head to the left and saw a three-meter giant hiding from a narrow alleyway until it leaps. the Noscrim Bishop pushed the children away from danger until the giant caught his left arm.
Mr. Noscrim screamed in pain before he was thrown against the wall.
"Father!"
The giant heard the little girl's voice and turns around. However, the Noscrim patriarch sends the titan against the wall with its wind spell and breathed out in exhaustion. Wilmarina was still glad that he is still alive but heavily wounded while blood seeped out from his left arm.
"Let's get out of here... quickly." Mr. Noscrim coughed out blood before he was held up by the two children. "There is not enough time... or else, we'll get eaten alive."
...
In the midst of chaos, human soldiers and the mamonos fought against the giants with bravery. But their numbers dwindled while some heroes took kills against a few giants by cleaving their bodies apart in their vertical strikes, but they too were exhausted and depleted of mana until they were overrun.
"Fall back! Fall back!" One hero raised his sword as he ordered among the troops before he got caught by the giant's hand. "ARGH! DAMN YOU!"
The hero jabbed his blade into the Titan's skin, but it didn't budge the monster a bit before he got eaten alive while a werecat, who saw his demise, felt her heart shattered into a million pieces. He was supposed to be her potential mate, and yet his death came quicker than she expected. If the Gods were still there, she wished these giants shouldn't exist to walk in this very world she once called home. Then now, in their absence, all she wanted was to wake up from this nightmare they called reality.
As the soldiers and mamonos ran past her for their lives, the werecat couldn't move before a lumbering giant overshadowed her and grabbed her up with the tail.
"Mother... father..." she uttered as she just lost her mind while tears streamed down and her body is still being numb. "...Ferdi... I'm coming to meet you all."
With her last words, the giant dropped her directly into its mouth, and blood spurted out.
...
In the empty streets of the city, Elt and Wilmarina helped Mr. Noscrim on his feet until he felt his legs felt numb and forced himself to kneel to the ground.
"Father!" Wilmarina cried out. "Don't worry, we're almost there!"
Elt was helping the elder Noscrim to stand on his feet. Since he banished his family from his estate, he should've despised this so-called "Noble" for doing horrible things back in Lescatie. But why shouldn't he hate him now?
Unlike Bishop Noscrim, which Elt knew, he always had a nefarious grin on his face. But seeing in his current state is different and wondered if he had changed over the course of two years. This man has now a selfless and caring look on his face as he struggled with his grievous injuries. Indeed, the once nefarious noble he knew had lost everything since the invasion of the giants began. From that result; he changed. That is not until he snapped out of his thoughts while Mr. Noscrim heard distant sounds of heavy footsteps before turning his head around and saw a group of giants heading in their way. A bunch of two to three meters and a couple of fifteen-meter tall giants marched their way while the shortest ones jogged to their target.
"Elt... grab Wilmarina and go..." Mr. Noscrim said as he pushed the two children away from him. His feet stood up groggily and drew his sword. "I'll distract them, you hear me?"
"Wh-What!?" Wilmarina stiffened in shock. "No! You can't do that!"
"Wilmarina, please... just hear me out, will you?" Mr. Noscrim's eyes then turn calm before turning to Elt. "Also you, hear me along with her."
Elt stood in silence and nodded.
"When I was young... I was a selfless lad who had a dream... A dream about helping people and bringing justice." Mr. Noscrim said with a saddened look on his face. "Until I grew up and understand the world itself; I found out how cruel it was. After having a family and you; Wilmarina, after you were born. My mind has been plagued by my desires of having power... it became the gravest sin I ever had..."
"Then I became to most sickening person ever known in our old kingdom... and I had what I have. Everything, all of it is in my power and even the King himself." Then the Noscrim patriarch made another deep sigh of regret. "That is not until they came. These giants took away what I had... wealth, fame... everything."
"Thus I became a coward and foolish of myself that I didn't even save your mother from the hands of these giants and the servants left us." Mr. Noscrim continued as he chuckled bitterly while his smile remains. "But I was grateful that they took everything I have. I am now pitiful in this state, but I'm still happy with it and you, my daughter, are still spared to this day. Thus I returned to my old self from my younger days; a selfless and a courageous lad I was once before."
The elderly man heard the footsteps became nearer. He turns around and stepped forth to confront the titans.
"There is not much time left. For the great sin I have committed... this is my atonement." Thus, the man's eyes glanced back at the young redhead. "Also, Elt. I am very sorry for what I've done... for banishing your family... I am indeed an evil man that couldn't be forgiven and my actions alone have caused this misfortune of mine... Now go!"
Elt then slowly nodded and held tight on Wilmarina's right wrist before running off without a second thought. The young girl was dumbstruck and in disbelief that her childhood friend was running away with her, without her father. Then she turns her head around and saw her father charged into a group of giants.
"No! There's no way he could be evil!" Wilmarina pleaded while reaching her hand out for him. "Father! Don't leave!"
"Mary! Please! He no longer wanted to be a burden to you!" Elt yelled with tears broke up and tries to hold them back. "That... is what he wanted."
Wilmarina saw her father waved his sword as he sends a three-meter giant against the wall with his last remaining wind spell. Two more giants pushed him down to the ground and got overwhelmed. The young girl stared in horror before looking away as her father was in process of being eaten alive.
Under a pile of giants, the Titans were devouring his limbs apart, but the Noscrim Bishop struggled not to scream. He grunts in pain before looking up to see the fifteen-meter giant looming its jaws over his head like a horizontal guillotine.
'While I lost everything... You, Wilmarina, are innocent.' Mr. Noscrim mentally stated as he closed his eyes, preparing for his death. 'You didn't lose what you see value in your heart... and I know he is everything to you... live on, my daughter...'
Thus the giant snapped its jaws before Mr. Noscrim could only see darkness.
...
City of Leiden, City Harbor.
At the pier, Sasha grew worried that Elt is gone missing while she, Yuriy and Eristia, were standing in line with the refugees until the next ship comes by.
"Elt... where is he?" Sasha uttered while looking around before she caught a glimpse of a red-haired boy. "Elt! There you are!"
"Where have you been, Elt!?" Yuriy yelled out loud, scolding him. "You got us so worried!"
Eristia had been silent until she notices Elt's tears were still present. "Elt, what happened to you?"
"It's just... nothing." Elt sniffed as he wiped off his tears. "I brought a childhood friend of mine..."
Sasha curiously tilts her head aside and saw a white-haired girl was being held by Elt.
"She's Wilmarina Noscrim," Elt told Sasha. "I talked to you about her, remember?"
"Ah! So that's her... But..." Sasha then glimpsed to see her heartbroken expression. "What happened to her?"
"Her father went... to fend them off, to buy us time to escape," Elt said with a sorrowful downcast. "But we know what's going to happen to him."
"Oh, no..." Sasha gasped in horror. "I'm so sorry to hear that."
Wilmarina didn't utter another word and sobbed. Elt then came to her side and hugged her in comfort. Once they got on the ship, the gates of the massive river opened up, and the ships set their sails to leave the city.
...
"Your highness, the giants are coming this way!"
Castor heard one of his knights called out and his feet felt faint rumblings on the ground, which clarifies that the giants are coming near. Behind his band of knights are the voluntary citizens of Leiden, who were working up to push the waterwheels to keep it open for the gates so that the ships could sail out from the city's massive waterway. When the first giant, a 3 meter-tall humanoid, came around the corner and faced the Order Knights with its demented smile. The Knights couldn't help but shiver in fear as they raised their polearms to fend off the small giant.
The King of Lescatie expressed his determination and, looking back, thinking about his wife and his daughters were alright. He sighed deeply once he unsheathed his sword and points towards the giants. Then more of their giant enemies arrived as well.
"Men... today, is a good day to die." Castor then spoke out his speech as the Knights listened, still standing firm on their formation. "Those who came all the way here while protecting our people from harm, I am proud that you all make this far."
"As to this day, I am proud to fight along with you." The King continued. Some knights shed their tears while listening to his words. "As the King of our Fallen Kingdom, we shall stand here and fight. We have to ensure the survival of our people ánd never let our sacrifices die here in vain, you all hear?!"
"Yes, your highness!"
The Knights responded with a yell. Their spirits were heightened and sheer determination was burned into their eyes before marching their spears to strike first on the first giant. Then Castor charged in with the others while raising his sword; letting out a war cry among the brave men until their sounds of steel piercing flesh and flesh being ripped apart that fills the air.
Until no scream left was heard.
...
In one of the refugee ships, Francesca looked around in search of her father, yet she didn't find him around the boat until she went back to her mother. She stood dumbfounded while her three eldest sisters tried to comfort the Queen of Lescatie. The youngest princess noticed tears streaming out.
"M-Mother... where's papa?"
Fanchia slowly turns up to Francesca before gently wrapping her arms around the young girl.
"Your father sacrificed for us..." Fanchia cried out in sorrow. "I'm sorry, Francesca... he won't be with us from now on..."
The young princess stood shaking once she heard the fate of her father.
"Wh-... why did father do that?" The Queen then saw the shock in her daughter's eyes until her tears welled up. "WHY!? I thought he's coming with us and lived together, as a family!"
"Because... he's the king of our fallen land," Franchia uttered while patting on her daughter's back, but their emotions of pain and sorrow never left. "He wanted to be left behind and save as many people as possible... "
...
Year 820, Present Day.
75th Trainee Corps, Northern Division Barracks.
...
Francesca slowly opened her eyes and saw a darkened wooden ceiling. She groans while sitting up before looking around.
"Can't sleep?" Francesca yelped in fright before turning around, seeing Wilmarina awake on top of her bunk bed. "I'm sure you're having nightmares."
At this moment, the violet-haired cadet sighed in relief. "Yeah... just a bad dream... you?"
"Kind of... like I'm dreaming of my memory," Wilmarina said while stretching her arms outwards. "I just want to go back to sleep...
"I-I see, then good night."
Francesca then lies down on her bed before Wilmarina gazed her eyes on the wooden ceiling.
"Father... Mother..." Wilmarina uttered. "I hope you're looking after me and Elt..."
Then she closed her eyes with a smile and drifted off to sleep.
...
Chapter 5: Ends
Authors Note: Okay, fuck. Now I can get rid of those Onion Ninjas. While reading this; I recommend you all to hear a few soundtracks while reading this;
Call your name
Before the Lights Out
Call of Silence
I mean, for real; these osts will give off a wave of emotions.
Also, for your understanding what "ME" stands for means "Monster Era". This calendar belonged to the world of Monster Girls and you'd find that in the MGE: Sabbath Grimoire about Runya Runya's introduction where she is born in ME XXX. We're not sure what's the current year in the World of MGE but in my guess that I just wrote ME 1026 to anyone's understandings at which year it began.
And also, sorry for rushing a new update because this chapter is written from a prototype snippet with a plot planned from the scratch. As I stated before since chapter one that I will dump it all here and then go on slowly with the story after chapter 6 is posted.