Special thanks to:
-Xolef -CrazyLich
I don't own Arknights or type moon content.
Ursus empire's northwestern tundras / year 1083 / snowy
It was just another day for the miners, most of them laboring on as they were tormented by their jailers in the middle of nowhere. Their life was completely uneventful and bleak, most having accepted their fate while some still held on to whatever hope they could muster. However, that changed when a new miner had joined them, a young ursus boy.
Most felt pity for the infected teen, wondering what injustice must have befallen him to be sentenced to such a place, while others tried to interact with him in the hopes of making him feel less isolated.
Many of them could imagine what brought about the hideous scar across his cheek and neck. Their familiarity with the whip wounds made it easy to spot and distinguish them.
The boy sat next to an elderly woman, trying to take care of the wounds riddled across her body, the woman's son sitting anxiously next to him.
"How is it?"
"Not too good, the wounds have been infected, I managed to heal what I could, but she needs to stay away from Originium and get some rest."
The boy looked heartbroken at the news, while the woman sighed in resignation, for neither of the requirements could ever be met in this place.
"Do not despair, miss, have faith."
The young ursus boy laughed weakly at the healer, a hint of mirth and despondency within his voice, as if he heard the worst joke in his life.
"Have faith? You ask us to have faith in this cursed place? There is neither hope or faith to be had in this hellhole, the best case scenario would be just dying and getting it over with, like some of the adults had done."
The healer remained unfazed, he watched as the woman tried to comfort her child, but even she looked to be on her wits' end.
"You never know, hope can be closer than you think."
With those final words, the healer walked away, moving to the next patient that required his aid with a mysterious smile.
The day went by without any hurdles, the new boy proved to be a blessing for most of the group as his aid helped some of them through their day.
It was at night when things took an unexpected turn for them, as the miners stared at the smiling healer with shock and disbelief.
"We're going to leave the mines today? Are you insane, boy?"
"I assure you, I'm fully aware of what I'm saying, and your proof shall be made clear to you in a few minutes."
No one could understand the meaning behind his words, the miners were split between the frustrated, the mirthful and the hopeless, wanting to see the source of the boy's confidence.
It was when some among the miners heard the muffled sounds of commotion, that a sudden realization dawned on them.
Edward smirked as he saw their faces, before he nodded encouragingly at them as weapons materialized in front of the group.
"This place will seal you no longer, now prepare yourselves, the soldiers will probably try to take you hostage to ensure their survival."
None of them could believe what was happening, but even with the sudden emergence of hope, none would pick up arms, for neither hatred nor confidence could best the fear that was branded upon their souls and bodies.
Edward's eyes narrowed, before he turned to the soldiers that appeared at the entrance. Armour formed on his body, and the familiar red mantle covered his arms, the power of a servant coursed through his soul with each step he took towards his enemies.
Thirty magic circuits flared to life, magical energy gathering in his hand and forming two beautiful swords, one black and one white.
Swords made without vanity, with neither purpose nor desire.
Not wasting a moment, Edward dashed towards the soldiers with a burst of speed, the married blades slashing through armor and weapons alike.
For what ordinary sword or armor could hope to match the enchanting edge of Kanshou and Bakuya?
In front of the miners' astonished stares, the sixteen year old cut down soldier after soldier, his unfaltering figure moving with a certain grace between their ranks as he laid waste to whoever was unfortunate enough to be in his path.
With each fallen soldier, the fear in their hearts diminished, the sight before them filled them with rage, the unbending pride of the Ursus people pushing them to action.
"What the hell am I doing? Letting a kid kill for my sake, I'd rather die than stand still."
An ursus man picked a spear with shaky hands and rushed into the fray, stabbing a distracted crossbow user in the back.
A female draco gritted her teeth, before she too picked up a sword and ran to help.
One by one, courage began to blossom inside the miners, be it due to a desire to help their benefactor, or out of their thirst for freedom, each of them picked a weapon and joined the fray.
While the fighting raged on inside the mines, the battle outside was coming to a close, as the rusty guards were no match for the battle-hardened warriors and their leader.
Drones mowed down the enemy ranged combatants as the fighters moved in synchrony, their combined teamwork and experience easily crushing any effort the overseers and their men could muster.
It didn't take much time before Edward and the miners were joined by Patriot and Igor along with their men, the group escorting the miners away from the mines as they commenced looting and checking on the injured.
Edward deactivated the class card as he helped the elderly woman. They stepped out of the caverns, soon they were welcomed by the rest of the forces, most of them resting up after a tiring battle.
The magus looked at the miners they saved, most of them overwhelmed by all manner of emotions. He smiled at the woman he was helping, her eyes watering at the feeling of the cold, fresh breeze of spring.
"See? I told you hope was closer than you think, miss."
The woman looked at Edward, before a smile of her own spread across her aged face, she leaned her head and gave him a kiss on his forehead.
"Thank you, young man, you have our gratitude."
"You honor me, miss, there's no need for thanks."
He helped the woman down as one of the medics approached them to give her a check up. Edward walked through the camp, his steps slowing to a halt as he approached Patriot's tent.
He saw the wendigo with Yelena as usual, the two enjoying each other's company, completely lost in their own world. Edward felt happy seeing Yelena smile, he felt that her wounds, as well as that of the other children, have been healing well in the past year.
The same went for the wendigo, the man's affection for the children, especially Yelena, only seemed to grow as time went by. Edward wondered if this was a twist of fate, knowing what the man went through up until now.
Deciding to not intrude, Edward changed his course towards his own little makeshift workshop, ready for today's orders. He found Ofnir already organizing the equipment and sharpening some blades.
The little Vouivre had taken quite well to smithing when he saw Kanshou and Bakuya, eager to learn and diligent in his efforts. It seems he wanted to work hard to make a weapon that can rival the twin blades.
"Hello, Ofnir, so are these today's orders?"
"Hi, Big bro, Lazarus told me there should be more equipment coming our way in a couple of hours."
Edward sighed, opting to crack his knuckles before getting to work on the damaged equipment, wincing at the signs of abuse visible on them.
"They really don't pay attention sometimes, do they?"
"I guess when they're assured that there's someone who will fix them, they start paying less attention to the durability."
Ofnir chuckled at his brother's annoyance, it felt good to see him with expressions other than his indifferent mask of the battlefield he and his siblings heard about from the fighters. The two resumed their work in the midst of their small talk, Edward finishing the majority of the work before he started to watch over Ofnir as he worked, giving him pointers from time to time.
Soon enough, the second wave of equipment came, Lazarus smiling sheepishly at Edward's neutral stare, feeling nervous as he silently took in the signs Ofnir was trying to send him from behind the magus's back.
Deciding to heed whatever warnings the young vouivre was trying to signal, Lazarus carefully had the equipment arranged before escaping with his friends.
The two continued with their duties, soon enough they were joined by the rest of their siblings, minus a certain white rabbit. Edward was used to the cheerful atmosphere, between talking with the kids, working on his magecraft, and teaching Ofnir, it felt relaxing.
At last, all the weapons and armor were fixed, Edward patted Ofnir's shoulder, the boy looked tired and completely spent, despite the victorious grin on his face.
"Come, Ofnir, we should get some sleep."
Noticing Ofnir's fatigue, Edward smiled, before kneeling in front of the young boy, offering his back for a piggyback ride. Not one to miss such a chance, the little wyvern latched on to his big brother, his muscles relaxing as he dozed off with his head leaning on Edward's shoulder.
"You really pushed yourself hard again, you little fool."
Edward didn't know whether to laugh or sigh at the actions of his little siblings, most of them already began their training with the fighters, be it learning tactics, combat drills, or arts usage, while others like Ofnir focused more on things mostly suited their aspirations.
Edward laid Ofnir down before he projected a blanket to cover him, soon laying down in his own place, his eyes watchfully overlooking the children.
He felt strangely sleepy, as if lulled into slumber by a silent lullaby. He didn't resist it, welcoming the opportunity to have some rest after a hard day's work.
The group marched on in the snowy tundras the day after, it was a significant change from the usual marching force, the atmosphere felt more vibrant, between the former miners who were getting accustomed to their new lives and the children playing together as they walked along.
As the travelling group made camp, Edward was taken by surprise as he looked at the kneeling boy in front of him, his mother slightly flustered as she watched.
"Please teach me how to be strong like you."
It wasn't something unexpected per say, but Edward couldn't shake off the discomfort he felt when people started to notice the situation. He crossed his arms and pondered over the proposition.
"What is your name, boy?"
"My name is Viktor, sir."
"Then are you sure about this, Viktor? Any training I give you would be painful, and I'm not one to go easy on anyone."
Viktor felt himself sweating at the chill that radiated from Edward's eyes, they felt nothing like the same healer who gently helped his mother as she walked, more like a strict drill sergeant about to initiate the newest recruit.
The boy gritted his teeth and withstood the invisible pressure he felt on his shoulders, not willing to lose without giving it his best.
"Yes, I'm sure. Whatever it takes."
Edward smirked at the little ursus, glad to see the kid's courage. He turned around and walked towards the outskirts of the camp.
"Follow me, your training starts today."
Viktor smiled happily, as he was ushered by his mother to follow his new teacher. The two soon stopped near the perimeter of the camp, the eleven year old following the footsteps of the magus as they stretched and warmed up.
After finishing with their preparations, Edward cracked his knuckles as he beckoned Viktor to attack him.
"Now then, let's see what you can do, I'll be defending and counter attacking so you don't have to worry."
Viktor felt awkward as he didn't know how to approach his opponent, he knew there was no way to catch him off guard in their current situation. He tried to look for a way to surprise Edward, but couldn't find any, he didn't have any weapon on him, just his fists.
Edward smiled as he noted his student's awareness. He moved, and his fist landed square in Viktor's chest, driving all the air from his lungs.
His leg swept the boy off his feet, the magus grabbed Viktor's arm and slammed him harshly to the ground, not even acknowledging his visible confusion for an instant as his foot pressed against the boy's cheek.
"First rule in fighting, boy, never take any of your opponent's words to heart."
Stepping away from him, Viktor nodded, before he found himself once more on the floor before he could get up again, feeling even more pain than before.
"Your opponent will never allow you respite and nor should you, Viktor, any delay is just an opportunity for your foe to kill you."
Viktor gritted his teeth, and swiftly got back up again, creating more distance between them as he stepped back to gather his bearings.
"Your situational awareness is subpar and your reaction time is abysmal, but it's better than what I expected, so we need to work on that in the future."
Viktor felt his ears ringing slightly from Edward's stomp, he tried to avoid showing it, although it was visible to the more experienced fighter from the way the boy's feline ears kept twitching.
Deciding to finally go on the offensive, Viktor dashed and aimed for Edward's stomach, his punch was intercepted, and then his leg gave out from Edward's kick, the boy falling to his knees.
"Never glance at your target for too long, I could tell what your intentions were from where your eyes were looking."
Viktor's eyes widened as he saw Edward's next kick coming for his head, he tried to dodge under it, but he was forced back into place with a pull from his captured arm.
The boy brought his free arm in front of his head and braced himself, the kick sent him rolling through the snow a couple of feet, pain flaring in his limb and head.
Disoriented, Viktor's blurry vision made out an approaching figure, his mind racing as he tried to get up again, although his lack of balance led him to fall again.
"That was good thinking, but your execution was mediocre."
Viktor flinched as he saw Edward's approaching hand, before he found himself helped by the magus, standing up on his feet again. Edward allowed the boy a bit of reprieve, before he once again beckoned him.
"Again."
Viktor felt chills run down his spine, but nevertheless nodded as he prepared to continue. As the two were concentrating on the training session, they didn't notice Viktor's mother watching them from afar.
"I see he's testing someone again."
The woman held back a yelp as she turned around, she was met with Patriot, the wendigo's intimidating stature causing her to stutter a bit.
"I apologize for frightening you."
Patriot continued to look at the two boys training, although it looked more like Edward was beating Viktor to a pulp, the old wendigo could tell Edward was simply drilling Viktor in the way he thought was best.
Viktor's mother looked skeptically at the scene before her, she couldn't help the pain she felt when she saw her son being manhandled like that.
"Worry not, Edward would not harm your child."
"Then why is he so ruthless in their first session together?"
"It is his way of shaping your child's mettle, if he can not handle this experience he should not fight at all."
Patriot pointed at the rising Viktor, he could see determination in the boy's eyes, a promising sign for the young boy.
"If Edward truly wished to, he could have ended this fight in an instant. He is using just enough force to cause pain but enough to not overwhelm the boy."
"I see, although it still feels slightly cruel…"
"Don't worry, miss."
The woman looked to Patriot's side, noticing a little girl beside him, smiling as she watched her brother train his new student. Edward dodged Viktor's punch before retaliating with his own, the boy barely managing to avoid getting hit, before he was caught off guard by a kick to his thigh.
"My brother is kind, he could not bring himself to truly injure a kid, he is only trying to give him the impression of what a real fight would be like, me and my siblings all went through this when we first started our training."
"His strikes feel half-hearted as well."
The woman looked doubtful, but the longer the fight went on, the more she felt like what they said was true. No matter how many punches or kicks he received, Viktor was able to get back again to go on.
Edward only stopped the fight once Viktor stopped getting back up, the boy felt sore all over, and not a single part of him was spared the pain Edward inflicted.
The magus sighed as he felt his shoulders pop, before he moved next to the beaten Viktor. His hand placed on the boy's chest, circuits thrumming with magical energy as he relieved Viktor of the pain he was in.
Viktor felt strange, a feeling of relief washing over his body, the aches he felt dispersing like a bad dream, his eyes opened to see Edward with his arm mysteriously glowing with strange blue lines.
"You got good endurance Viktor, I'll give you that."
Viktor tried to get up, but his arms still felt too weak to move, Edward pulled him over and carried him as he walked towards their little audience.
Viktor waved tiredly at his mother with a small smile on his face, the woman feeling conflicted over the fact he was happy despite just getting hammered into the ground like a ragdoll just a few seconds ago.
Edward patted Yelena, much to her protests. Patriot and the elderly woman chucked at their childish banter, before the group returned to the camp.
Edward found himself alone with Patriot and Lazarus after dropping off the others. The latter having returned from his scouting of their latest enemies.
"We've found their scouting party hiding nearby, we made sure to leave them alone for now, but we managed to get a good look at their clothes, they're most definitely not Ursus soldiers."
"So they are mercenaries."
"Were they sarkaz, Lazarus?"
"No idea, I couldn't get a good enough visual without exposing ourselves."
"Leave it to me, their camp should not be too far away to find with a bird's eye view."
"Then it is settled. Lazarus, accompany Edward while he surveys them. We'll move out shortly after."
"Understood sir, Igor and the boys are already on look out for any unexpected surprises."
Patriot nodded before he moved to meet with Igor and discuss the possible plans against their newest enemy.
Edward and Lazarus walked into the magus's tent, greeted by a caw as the raven inside flapped its wings at them, before moving to Edward's shoulder and silently staring into his eyes.
Edward chuckled as he manifested a bit of food from his inventory, the bird eagerly moved its eyes towards the meal and began to dig in.
Sitting down as the bird finished eating, Edward took a deep breath before he tried to connect his senses with his familiar, the bird cawing in slight agitation.
"Sorry about this fella, I'm going to need your help as usual."
Lazarus smirked playfully as he stood guard over the entrance.
"Guess he really doesn't like you being inside him that much, can't say I blame him."
"Really mature of you, Lazarus."
The raven flew out of the tent and headed east, Edward not speaking a word as he gazed through the raven's eyes, looking for his targets.
It didn't take him much time to find their camp, Edward willed his familiar to descend to a nearby tree, getting a closer look at the fighting force.
'Hmm, not much in the way of mortars at least, although these guys seem to be from different groups judging by the different uniforms, interesting.'
Edward started his counting, paying attention to note any possible leaders for future reference. He settled atop a tent and tried to gleam any info from the soldiers nearby.
"I still don't understand why the boss had us come to this waste of all places, we could have scored easier marks in Yen or Sami."
"Things back in Kazdel took a turn for the worst too quickly for all of us, Ursus was the closest place for us to run from the usurper."
"You're right about that one, and despite our efforts, we still lost a lot of our members during our escape here."
Edward's raven remained hidden as it eavesdropped on the conversations of passing sarkaz, before it flapped its wings with a loud caw, leaving the enemy's base and heading back.
Breathing out a long sigh, Edward opened his eyes and stood up, looking a bit tense as he shared a look with Lazarus.
"I'm guessing we're not looking at some cocky group of third rate bounty hunters?"
"sarkaz, a whole lot of them."
"Well...shit, how many?"
"I counted up to four hundred, maybe five to be on the safe side, however, they're made up of different groups judging by what I heard and saw."
"A coalition? This is the first I've seen such a thing."
"They spoke of a usurper they were running from, any idea who that is?"
Edward was taken back by the extreme reaction he most certainly never expected to see from a person like Lazarus. The man's eyes went wide, his hands minutely shaking as fury overtook the man's mind.
"Theresis…"
"It seems that some radical changes are occuring in Kazdel."
Lazarus's expression became more agitated the more information he received, the Sarkazian turned into someone Edward could barely recognize.
The soldier left without a word, his steps so hurried it was like the hounds of hell were chasing him. Edward pondered over a method to deal with the mercenaries.
'Well, I guess the same method as always would be a good start.'
'You seek to terrorize them into leaving?'
'Yeah, they're not obligated to hunt us like the Ursus soldiers, and mercenaries aren't really known for loyalty. When faced with an enemy that they are unsure of facing, they will choose life.'
Edward stepped out of the tent, his steps taking him to the soldiers huddled around the campfire. He was greeted with open arms as he sat with them in silence.
"Guys, I need a favor."
The soldiers gave him a questioning look, all side chat quieting down for the sake of focusing on the magus's request.
"Sure, Edward, what can we do to help?"
"I'm going out for a period of time to take care of the mercenaries you all have probably heard about, I'm going to need to leave the camp with the food necessary in the meantime, and most of all, I need you all to convince Patriot to not come after me."
"You are going to fight that force alone? We got your reconnaissance info from Lazarus, you know."
"I have a plan to deal with them, I only ask that you trust me on this."
"How confident are you?"
"Quite a bit, but if my plan fails, I'll just regroup with you all before thinking of another approach."
The fighters remained silent, sharing looks of doubt and hesitation, before a voice spoke out from behind them.
"Let him leave, boys."
All eyes turned to Lazarus, the man standing behind the group with his arms crossed, the anxiety from before no longer present on his face.
"Lazarus, are you sure about this?"
"Edward's abilities are unlike anything we've ever seen, and he's not the reckless kind, so we can trust that he knows what he's doing."
Lazarus nodded at Edward, and the boy started manifesting the food he had stored from the various storages of the mines they raided and hunting forces they defeated, as well as whatever they managed to forage from the desolate wilderness.
"Okay boys, get to organizing this, and bring some help from the others, this is going to take a while."
Lazarus sighed tiredly while the soldiers groaned in irritation, the sarkaz shooed the young ursus away.
"Go quickly before I change my mind, I'm already getting a headache from the conversation I'm going to have with Bul."
"Thanks, Lazarus."
"Oh right, one last thing Edward."
Bringing the magus close and away from the rest of the group, Lazarus held Edward's shoulders in an iron grip, his eyes looking almost pleading.
"Please, don't tell Buldrokkas'tee about anything about the usurper, keep it between us, okay?"
"Sure, you've got it."
Deciding to not ask Lazarus about the details for now, Edward immediately exited the camp, not long after followed by another figure.
Edward trudged on for an hour, before he stopped and turned to look at Viktor's figure, hiding behind a boulder. His eyes amusedly continued to look at that boulder, unblinking.
Soon enough the message got to Viktor, and the feline decided to show himself, Edward didn't miss the sulky kick the boy gave the little rock next to him.
"Return to the camp, my mission is no place for you as you are now."
Viktor's eyes looked at Edward's figure, the ursus continuing on his path without looking back, looking lonely as it got smaller and smaller.
Shaking his head out of his reverie, Viktor increased his pace, running until he caught up with Edward. The magus's eyes looked with slight confusion at the feline's behavior.
"I told you to return."
"I won't leave you alone."
Edward blinked a few times, before he fully registered the boy's response. He laughed, ruffling Viktor's hair in the process, the feline pushing Edward's hand aside.
"Don't laugh!"
"Sorry, it wasn't the answer that I expected."
Smiling as he walked on ahead, Edward looked to the skies and to his hands.
"Don't worry about that, Viktor, I'm never alone."
Viktor couldn't understand what Edward was talking about, after all, he could see no one around except for the two of them. Not dwelling on it for long, Viktor opted to ignore the statement and silently followed.
The pair spent the entire day walking to the encampment, Viktor's endurance making itself apparent once more as he managed to complete the journey with only mild difficulty.
The child heaved in exhaustion as he sat next to a tree, watching as Edward stood nearby, overlooking the impressive camp a few miles away.
Edward started pacing as he tried to come up with an appropriate way to scare the sarkaz mercenaries away, something he had pondered all the way.
'Killing some of them and leaving a warning will probably do nothing to the people who lived and breathed in war, but what else could deter cold blooded warriors? Any advice Eden?'
'I would recommend using something that a warrior could not defeat through physical strength or arts, or give the illusion of such.'
'Something that can't be defeated by a warrior's capabilities, huh?'
Edward had a vague sense of what he could do that would fit Eden's recommendation, a smirk showing itself on his guessed he should start with some theatrics before the sun sets.
"We'll be staying here for the duration of this mission and we'll maintain this distance should they move, don't start any campfires until I get back."
Installing the class card, Edward traced a black cloak and a certain mask, before he advanced at full speed towards the enemies.
The sarkaz lookouts were relaxed, most of them simply waiting for the orders to march ahead. Having their current members certainly seemed to keep morale good for most of them, some even somewhat enthusiastic about the coming fight.
"Hey, do you see that?"
One soldier spoke to his partner by the entrance of the camp, pointing to an approaching figure. The unknown figure's whole body was covered in a black coat, the height indicating the person to be in their teens, although that couldn't be certain given the lack of visual confirmation of their race.
Some of the sarkaz warriors on the edge of the base gathered to see as the figure walked closer to the camp, the hood he wore didn't hide the most peculiar aspect most onlookers took more attention to.
The figure wore a very odd mask that had a curved beak shaped like a bird's beak, two black circles around what most assumed to be this thing's eyes.
The crossbows and firearms took their aim at the walking stranger, but his steps did not stop. He continued to approach until he was a few feet from the entrance.
The swordsmen got rather agitated by the unnerving silence, some just about ready to pounce upon this daring stranger, only held back by the possibility of him having a bomb vest under that cloak.
"What business do you have here, stranger?"
Some snipers almost shot on reflex as a caw drew them to look at a raven circling above their position. The bird lowered itself steadily, before landing on the stranger's shoulder.
"I came to warn you, all of you."
One of the snipers snorted, before he shot, the bolt sailing straight for the stranger's head.
As if by magic, the wind around them grew erratic, almost as if under the stranger's beck and call, the bolt harmlessly landing falling in the cloaked figure's outstretched hand.
One of the lookouts turned to the nearby caster, and he grew solemn as he noticed the disbelief on the arts user's face.
"He's not using Arts…"
Those few words weren't particularly loud, but it had an impact on those who heard it.
What does it mean for a person to be able to generate such strong wind without use of arts?
The soldiers' eyes took note of the mysterious markings on the stranger's briefly exposed arm, looking to be almost like a circuitry, glowing a bright blue as they traced themselves all across the limb.
"Snipers, hold your fire."
Everyone watched as the bolt in the stranger's hand turned to pieces in a second, the unnatural display felt slightly off putting as the masked figure never took his eyes from them.
"If you value your lives, then leave this place, and never return."
The swordsman closest to the stranger snorted in disdain, soon joined by the hearty laughter of his comrades.
"Oh really? And what if we don't?"
"Then you shall rot and wither away."
The archers fired the moment that sentence was uttered, there was no need to wait for orders once hostility was confirmed.
Yet, even before the projectiles reached his position, the stranger vanished before their very eyes, as if nothing but an illusion. The winds howled and raged, a big shockwave shaking some of the warriors off their feet.
"So you have made your choice...then let it be so."
Not long after, search parties were sent to look for the stranger, yet not a single trace was found, regardless of the mercenaries' efforts.
Night came, and the sarkaz forces were on higher alert than usual because of the strange visit. A shadow moved between the tents, silent and predatory as it stalked its prey.
Once the shadow found its mark, it pointed its finger at him, a sickly green orb forming just in front of the extremity, before it was launched like a bullet. The orb found its mark on the soldier's chest, the man falling on the ground, unconscious.
Edward continued to roam the camp, looking for opportune targets, each victim receiving a good dose of one of the many curses available to the fourth generation magus of the Miles family.
Once his victim count reached fifty, he used the noble phantasm Carnwennan to escape away into the night, waiting for the results of this little play.
Returning to his little camp, he found Viktor quietly tending to the tents they built while keeping a watchful eye. The feline kept glancing at the magus, stealing a glance or two every now and then as Edward made dinner.
"What's on your mind?"
"Oh, nothing, I just didn't expect you to return so…"
"Clean? Without any bloodstains?"
Viktor nodded, confused as to what exactly Edward did in the enemy camp.
"Well, that's easy to answer, I didn't kill anyone, there is no need to kill anyone to achieve victory in certain situations."
"You're planning to win, without killing anyone?"
Edward could feel the skepticism Viktor had in his heart, and he didn't really blame him for it.
How would he understand a way to defeat the enemy forces without killing a single soldier, when the boy hadn't even been in a real battle yet?
"Wouldn't it be easier to win by killing them?"
"That's not always true, the easiest way to win is the way that exploits your opponents fears the best. Fighting this force is impossible with our current numbers, and even if it were possible, we'd end up suffering heavy casualties and spending a lot of our rations as well."
Viktor remained silent as he took in Edward's words, mulling over his teacher's words. Edward finished seasoning the food, showing Viktor the ropes every now and then.
It was important to teach the kid as many skills as possible, their lifestyle didn't allow much time for preparations.
Once they were done eating, they turned in for the night, Edward taking over watch duty, relaxing his circuits from the strain of using the noble phantasm Carnwennan and installing the class card at the same time.
He summoned the book on healing Magecraft, enjoying the silence of the night with a traced blanket as he concentrated on reading. Before long, sleep began overpowering him, Edward sighed as he bookmarked the page and closed his book.
After examining his bounded field one last time, the magus closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
The sarkaz camp was in an uproar.
All the soldiers heard word of the masked stranger who came and told them to abandon their hunt and leave, threatening them with rot and decay should they continue on their course.
Most simply ignored the event, while others got a good laugh out of it, believing it to be nothing but the ravings of a madman.
And yet, today, no one seems to be laughing at that stranger's threat. It was hard to do so once one looked inside one particular tent, where about fifty soldiers lay, the stench of vomit, rot and fecal matter premating the surroundings on their resting place.
Waking up to find that a sixth of their total forces was incapacitated and extremely ill was not expected in the least. Those who had the misfortune to witness the states of their comrades up close were still slightly shaken.
Be it disturbing skin deformations across their bodies and faces, the constant and unnatural vomiting, or even the semi blindness and deafness that plagued at least ten of them.
None among the sarkaz could dare carelessly approach the tent, as even healing arts proved useless in the face of these strange symptoms. Rumors started circulating around the encampment that speculated this sickness being the result of some sort of curse.
Warriors are already getting restless and apprehensive of this strange phenomenon. It was at the same time as yesterday's encounter, that a familiar figure appeared, only this time, the reactions were extremely different.
Nearly every one of the soldiers felt chills run down their spines as the mask wearer approached. Calm steps trekked across the snowy field, those black holes that hid his eyes felt much more intimidating than yesterday.
Once more the stranger attracted the attention of all of those within the vicinity. Snipers once more ready to fire, although some carried apprehension and hesitation, fearing for their own safety.
"Leave this land, if you value your lives."
Not a single soldier spoke, most not wishing to provoke the same being that caused fifty of their kin to suffer in torment so easily within but a single night.
"We do not seek to disturb you, but we merely wish to hunt our targets here."
One of the swordsmen approached the stranger, a believer in the recent rumors speculating the stranger to be a spirit of the tundras. He bowed his head in respect, sweating a little as he feared joining the ranks of the cursed.
The raven on the stranger's shoulder cawed at the Sarkaz, agitated by his presence. Edward gazed at the swordsman, pleased at seeing that his efforts were already beginning to pay off.
"You would cross my cherished land to spill blood, swordsman?"
Quicker than anyone expected, a black projectile had struck the swordsman right in front of all his comrades, his unconscious body was sent flying back towards the camp by what seemed like an unseen force.
The onlookers became on high alert, a volley of crossbow bolts and bullets sailed through the air. Yet once again, the projectiles missed their mark by a mile, a gale of wind sending them way off target.
"So you have chosen to continue, then you shall all rot."
Just like the day before, the stranger vanished in front of them. His raven flying away with an ominous caw. Once more, search parties were sent to find any traces of the stranger with no results, serving nothing but to fuel the paranoia spreading through the forces as the groups marched on.
Everyone could see the swordsman who was struck by the masked man's curse being carried by his friends, as vomit pooled from his mouth with every twitch his unconscious body made, his glazed, bloodshot eyes were etched into the minds of those who saw him.
Skepticism spread like wildfire throughout the forces, some have already started asking their leaders to consider retreating from the tundras before they too are cursed.
Edward snuck in during the night once more, using Carnwennan to move undetected despite the drastic increase in security around the base, cursing the unsuspecting guards, before retreating.
Within a mere four days, the Sarkaz coalition found itself with a staggering two hundred incapacitated soldiers, incapable of even standing on their own two feet, even with help.
With no visual of their target still, and the constant haunting threat of that masked creature, a decision to leave was issued. Edward gazed at the marching force, Viktor standing next to him.
Edward had a big smile on his face, glad that he succeeded in his mission. He turned to Viktor, noticing the raven playfully pulling on his tail, the feline yelping and trying to catch the bird.
"That little bird will keep watch on them as they retreat, we'll be regrouping with the others, let's go."
Viktor looked at the Sarkaz army in the distance one last time, before he hurriedly followed after Edward. The raven flew in the opposite direction, closely watching the retreating Sarkaz.
"What about the soldiers you cursed?"
"Those curses don't last long, a week or two and they'll be back on their feet. The sarkaz are very resilient."
Edward was beginning to regret not watching over the forces for a couple more days. He nursed the bump on his head as he grumbled at Patriot's exaggerated reaction.
Yelena's angry stare and the kids' overwhelming clinginess didn't make things any easier for him, having dozens of energetic children clinging to him was as troublesome as it sounded.
Sitting with everyone closely huddled with him, he looked at Yelena sitting slightly away from them. Her eyes were still firmly looking at him, unblinking.
He approached her, draping her with his shroud and a projected blanket, he held her close. The girl did not resist, leaning into her brother, feeling the warmth of his body.
Speaking not a word, both of them fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Lazarus sat alone next to a fireplace. His eyes looked despondent, memories of his time in Kazdel flashed in his mind. His thoughts drifted to the venerable figure that led them, an inspiring leader whose kindness had won their hearts.
The soldier sighed, his eyes gazing at the waning moon.
"Her majesty…"
Edward did not know how he ended up in this strange place.
He looked around at his surroundings. He seemed to be on the outskirts of some burning city. The architecture of the buildings he can spot was rather medieval, something that couldn't possibly be in Terra.
Looking around as he approached, he turned around to see a figure appearing next to him in a small explosion of magical energy.
Edward only needed a moment to realize who the figure was, sporting the same armour, white hair and steel grey eyes as always. Shirou moved almost mechanically towards the burning city, his bow appearing in his hand.
Edward followed him, aware that he was in nothing more than a likely vision. He soon spotted a few human soldiers, wearing what looked like ancient greek armor, as they pillaged and fought against the defending forces.
His friend's arrows made quick work of both sides to the magus's surprise, Edward's eyes widened as he looked at his friend in confusion. His confusion soon turned into slight fear as he noted Shirou's own shock at what he had done, his teeth clenching as if in a struggle.
"What the hell?"
Shirou's body started moving again, Edward sprinting right after him, knowing his friend was not in control of his own actions. Every living human within his sights was killed in the blink of an eye, not a single soul spared.
Shouting at Shirou to stop proved as useless as he imagined it to be, it was only when they encountered the civilians, that Edward's heart almost stopped. He sprinted at the families running in their directions.
"Run! Get away from here!"
The whistling of the steel arrows sent chills down his spine, one of the arrows even passing through him as it nailed an old man to the ground.
"Stop damn it!"
Edward was incensed, his furious eyes looking at the mangled corpses of those innocent people. He turned to his friend, noticing his own look of despair.
'This was the hell that I condemned myself to.'
His friend's voice spoke, although it felt closer to him than he thought, and he took note of the fact that Shirou's mouth didn't move.
'This was what it meant to be a hero of justice, a hero of humanity.'
Edward almost snarled at that comment, he knew for a fact that there's one human who would never accept this as a hero's work. She would have never accepted this.
"As if! this isn't what it meant and you should know that best."
Edward watched as his friend cut down everyone in his path. Guilty, innocent, young, old, it mattered not to the hunter as he single handedly annihilated the entire city.
His fury grew with every helpless victim murdered, until all but remained was a small group who took shelter in a ruined building.
'This was my hell, the reward of those who seek a false ideal.'
Just as Edward advanced to follow after Shirou, he felt a force tug him away from this place. He looked back, before he covered his eyes from the blinding light that came from what seemed to be a literal crack in space.
"Wait! don't!"
Edward hand reached out to his friend, seeing him take position to shoot. The last thing that reached his ears before the light covered his vision was the eerie sound of the arrows being fired.
Waking up, Edward gasped for breath, feeling almost choked as he resisted the urge to vomit. His mind was in chaos, trying to sort and make sense of what happened.
He carefully stood up and went outside without waking Yelena up, the coldness of the night air shaking his body into calming down. He walked through the camp, covering his body with a thick cloak he projected.
Finding a secluded corner, Edward sat down and took some food out of the inventory. Unable to go back to sleep, the magus thought back to his friend's words, and what he just saw.
'Do you wish to speak of what troubles you?'
'There's no need for that, thank you Eden.'
He frowned, a boiling rage threatening to make him explode. His eyes glanced to the full moon, that same inexplicable feeling of warmth calming him down. That soothing feeling allowed him to finally relax.
"What have you done, Shirou?"
The words that stuck to his mind throughout the vision were finally spoken. He continued to gaze at the moon, his question unanswered.
Within the wasteland of swords, the solitary figure of one Heroic Spirit EMIYA sat on a boulder, his eyes closed as he contemplated the connection he had with that magus just now.
He sensed a presence entering his world, his right eye opening to spot the figure of a young woman with long, dark hair and brown pair of eyes, garbed in a simple white dress, without any footwear.
He felt her peculiar glance, but did not bother for a response. His eyebrow started twitching as the girl proceeded to closely examine him, her hands touching his hair and face, much to his irritation.
Once she was done, the girl smiled at him, a confident look on her face as her hands settled on her waist. She sighed in apparent relief.
"You really are Shirou."
In an instant, he frowned and glared at her. She did not flinch, instead smiled at him sincerely.
"I am not the person who you know by that name, girl."
Her finger poked her cheek, as if contemplating what he just said as she casually paced back and forth. Her actions were more childish than her appearance would indicate.
"But Shirou is Shirou, why would I call you something other than that?"
"I have long since given up on that identity."
Her eyes looked at him with doubt, narrowing as if looking for something. Judging by her cheerful expression, she found it.
"Shirou will always be Shirou for me and Edward, even if Shirou doesn't want to be."
She walked closer to him, her eyes inquisitively at him, before she sat down on the ground next to him. She noticed him being much more distant than she remembered.
They sat there in silence, the girl analyzing EMIYA intently, before she put an end to the silence. She never did like being idle.
"Shirou, why do you look so tired and sad?"
It was just a moment, but the girl saw EMIYA's shoulders tense a bit. She noticed that his body shivered every time she mentioned his name.
However, despite everything, he still retained his silence, his only external reaction being a sigh.
"I don't like seeing Shirou sad."
She stood up and walked right in front of the red archer. EMIYA noted that for the first time during this first encounter, her face wasn't smiling. She looked at him with worry, he couldn't remember how long it had been since someone looked at him like that. He gave her a neutral stare, silent still.
They stared into each other's eyes, and it was EMIYA who broke contact first. He stood up from his 'seat' and walked away, briefly stopping as he remembered something.
"What is your name, girl?"
The young lady looked slightly hurt by that question, but she shook her head and gave him the same smile.
"You can call me Lily, Shirou."
EMIYA grunted, before disappearing in motes of blue particles. Lily sat down on the boulder that Shirou previously rested on, looking at the wasteland of swords with sadness.
"Whatever happens to you, I won't let any of you two be sad when I'm around."
Name: Ahkmatov Edward Viktorovish. (Formerly Edward Miles)
Race: Ursus.
Age: 16 years old.
Element: Fire, Air, Earth.
Originium-Cell Assimilation: 4%.
Originium blood concentration: 0.4 u/L.
Arts: Telekinesis.
Current condition: Healthy.
Inventory:
-" Introduction to the field of Alchemy. "
-" Intricacies of Transmutation. "
-" Advanced Bounded Fields. "
-" Advanced Runes and the engraving process. "
-" The paths of Healing magecraft and Spiritual healing. "
-" Puppets. "
-Ursus weapons and equipment.
-Rations.
-Class card( Archer class heroic spirit: "Nameless" )
-Holy shroud.
-5000 LMD.
Points: 3000.
Carnwennan: the dagger of the legendary king Arthur, possessing anti-thaumaturgical prowess. The noble phantasm is also able to conceal its user from the sight of others.
Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day and stay safe.