hie everyone, here is the second chapter of 'struggling to find happiness' I hope you will enjoy it.
Like usually, leave a review if you liked it. it always make me smile
"You killed… Shisu."
When Guts' innocence was shattered.
It has been hours since Guts escaped. His body still hasn't recovered from his ordeal at this prison. His stomach was empty, his muscles were begging him to stop and his equipment was becoming heavier each second.
The raven head only stopped walking once he reached an abandoned village.
The streets are overgrown with weeds. Nature has taken back the village, weaving its tendrils through every crevice and corner, claiming the abandoned homes as its own.
The village center is now a barren square.
Guts sat wearily on a crumbling stone wall, his back against the remains of what once might have been a grand building. The city around him was a ghostly shell of its former glory, reduced to ruins and decay by some long-forgotten calamity. The setting sun cast an eerie glow over the desolate landscape, painting the sky with streaks of orange and purple.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on him, both in body and in soul. The memories of his imprisonment were still fresh in his mind. He had fought tooth and nail to help Vee before suffering starvation and cold for weeks, and now he felt drained, both physically and emotionally.
His trusty sword, now broken after his fight with warden Wrath, lay at his side, gleaming dully in the fading light. The weapon felt like a security blanket. Guts rested a hand on the hilt, the touch grounding him in reality.
The air was thick with silence, broken only by the distant sound of birds cawing overhead. Guts closed his eyes, trying to find some semblance of peace in this desolate place.
Maybe tomorrow will be better.
-0-
The raven head's sleep was interrupted by meows. He woke up suddenly, his reflexes kicked in and he grabbed his sword.
The village was now completely restored and full of cats wearing clothes and walking on two legs. It wasn't natural. Guts knew something was wrong.
This place had magic and he has doubts about his ability to defeat a wizard since his capture.
Fortunately, it seems they didn't notice him, giving Guts the chance to slip away quietly.
He walked in the forest for a few minutes. Still wondering what he saw. How did the village pass from ruins to this? Was it a curse or something like that? He didn't know, he just had to get away from here.
His mind was still trying to process how magic and curses were even real, if you told him that a world where monsters, witches, and walking cats exist.
Well let's just say you would've ended up talking to his sword instead of him.
"Nevareth, your vengeful backstory is so compelling. And I'm loving your animal sidekick."
He'd heard that voice before.
"After my village was consumed, my heart has known nothing but vengeance."
The same girl who saved him was standing a few feet away from him, near a show-off with an eyepatch.
Yeah that was going to be bad. Guts could tell at first glance that she has never been in a fight. Her arms were frail and considering the act put by this guy she was going to die soon if it kept going.
The smart thing would have been to not care and leave it be but without this girl Guts would still be imprisoned and sadly he could count on one hand the number of people who have been kind to him and still have fingers left…
Well the girl saved him and it was clear to him she is going to need a lot of help. Guts shrugged.
"Hey!" Guts interrupted her conversation and the girl looked at him
"OOH" She gasped. Her cheeks turned red, maybe she was a sick
Franckly, Guts didn't know what to say. His life has given him many gaps in social interaction. So he just decided to be blunt about everything.
"Remember me?" The girl nodded. "I would like to help you."
She smiled the biggest smile he'd ever seen in his life and weirdly enough Guts felt warm inside
"What's your name?" He asked
"I'm Luz, Luz Noceda, nice to meetcha!"
-0-
Luz was having the time of her life.
When she had first set out on this quest, she was optimistic as the call to adventure cried out to her. And the journey was everything that she had expected it to be.
First, she came across a magical town of talking cats, and met Nevareth Bladestrife, teen prince of Angstmore.
Then they came across the other human on the isles. And she had to admit he reminded her of one of the heroes in her dad's comic stash. the classical 90's anti hero with a dark side.
His rags were actually showing his muscles and despite being broken his claymore was impressive to see, it was her size and he had no problem wielding it
Was he a baby who ended up there and was raised among the witches? Some kind of adventurer? The possibilities were endless, there were many theories running through her head.
Luz was just so excited, she was almost hopping with her companions.
They walked onto a bridge but before any of them could set a foot on it a creature jumped in front of them.
" Hum-di-diddle, to pass the bridge, you must first ….AAAAAAAAAH"
He couldn't finish because the raven head kicked it so far it fell from the bridge.
Luz's jaw dropped in shock, that creature was so cute and he just hit it.
"What?" he resumed walking as if he didn't just kick a cat
Okay, he was more like an anti villain but surely there is good in him…right?.
"Don't you think you went a little too far?" Nevareth asked him.
"No, he was blocking the way and I made him move."
"But that's part of the fun." Luz explained but he remained unmoved.
Then without a warning he took her sword
"Hey!" she said, "Give that back!"
He didn't really react, he just looked in confusion at the plastic toy she took from Eda's bazaar. He touched the blade, looking disappointed at the quality of the weapon.
Then he took one of the many daggers he had on him and gave it to her alongside the toy.
"Here. That's a better weapon for you."
Okay, he really was not bad. After a while, the feeling of unease went away and Luz felt comfortable enough to ask him some questions.
"What's your name?"
"Guts" he quickly replied
""When did you arrive here?"
"A few months ago." Okay, the 'raised here' was thrown out of the window.
"How did you get in the isles?"
"I was taking a nap."
"What?"
He sighed. "I just finished a job and got a bonus with silver and gold coins. I decided to take a nap on the grass and next thing I remember I woke up on a beach with monsters everywhere, I struggled to find food then I got captured for months until you freed me from that prison."
Wow, Luz remembers how he looked in comparison to the other prisoners and he was the most injured among them. She didn't see him at first because of how dark his cell was but she remembers how he distracted wrath. She snickered at the thought the insult was right.
The warden was in a bad mood because he couldn't get a date with Eda or as Guts put it 'couldn't get laid'.
"So you're here to repay a debt?" Nevareth finally asked.
Guts nodded, he wasn't really talkative.
"Where did you get this sword?"
"I commissioned it to a black smith after I got paid for helping mercs raid a castle"
Wait, Castle? Mercs?
She thought Guts was a human just like her, even a cosplayer because he was dressed like in the medieval age but the way he fought Wrath as if he was used to wielding a sword that big was...
No… It couldn't be… and yet.
"Guts… I don't think we come from the same place…"
"No shit" Luz has the vague idea there has been a misunderstanding when he looks at her skin.
"No; I mean what you described to me…" it was going to be hard. "It was four hundred years ago."
Guts quickly turned to Luz in surprise "What?!"
"Look." Luz took her phone to show him photos. There were her Azura figures near a computer, her school play, Photos of cars and bikes she thought looked nice.
Guts couldn't even begin to comprehend what the strange rectangular item she was holding was, let alone the other strange things in the pictures. But Guts knew that none of it was from the world he knew, and so his skepticism changed to surprise then… resignation?
Guts just sighed. "Great. Just great."
"That's all?" She told him he is probably hundreds of years in the future and he reacted as if she told him he walked in dog poop.
Guts once again sighed "Luz, I have no home nor anyone waiting for me. You may have as well told me it will rain tomorrow."
That was …sad. Luz couldn't imagine living such a life.
"What about your parents?"
Luz saw Guts tensed up at the mention of them and quickly turned away. "Just keep walking." The discussion was over and he wasn't going to say more.
It lasted for a second but could swear she saw pain in his eyes. She really went too far with her questions
-0-
"Damn it," Eda said in annoyance.
She has been traveling through the forest on her staff alongside King, and the further they went into the forest, they began to notice the area changing. The bright colors of the trees faded away, as the clouds above them began to grow darker.
Now they were standing at the entrance of a ruined village. There were veins going through the houses and homes. There were crates and barrels that were smashed or on their sides, spilling out their contents. To Booker, it looked as if the village was abandoned for years. Something bad had happened.
"Are you sure she came here?" Eda asked King, as the little demon sniffed the ground.
"Positive, and she's not alone" King said, jumping back on her shoulder. "I think that other human guy is with her"
Eda was a bit surprised to hear that the other kid was alive, she was worried that something bad was going to happen to him after he turned down her offer to help.
The witch looked around looking for clues, before spotting something. In a water fountain that was covered in large veins, there was a body. It looked like an anthropic car with a scarf and mittens. But its eyes were strange.
She walked over to the fountain and as he got closer. Eda saw it wasn't a dead body, but a puppet.
She then hit the cat by flicking its head with her finger. "Hey! Wake up, you." She demanded, before grabbing the puppet. "What have you done with Luz? What's your endgame?"
"To find your pupil and still your wrath, look ahead and follow the path." The cat said in a disoriented squeaky voice.
Eda sighed as she stood. "It's a trap. They want her to follow them."
-0-
It wasn't supposed to happen like that
He only planned to use the girl as bait to get the owl lady and kill both of them and collect her bounty, but this boy may ruin everything
The girl eats the cakes but the boy remains impassive, just looking at Nevareth with his cold, emotionless gaze makes him really nervous. It's as if a predator is watching its prey before pouncing on it.
Unlike the girl he was too serious, there was no child-like wonder to deceive. Instead it was a hardened warrior too cautious about the world around him. Just the size of his sword was making him worried. How can someone so small use such a big sword?
Right now they were in a fancy castle he made to trick the girl; she was entertained by the tiny fairies but not the boy, he just looked bored.
"I could let you pass if you help me," the fairy queen puppet said to the girl.
"Really?" She was so naive, he thought smugly
"Yes, there is a big rock in my garden and we are too weak to move it. do it and we'll let you pass."
"Then we'll do it right now." She was about to get up but the Nevareth puppet stopped her
"The chosen one shouldn't have to carry rocks, just stay here and eat cakes. Guts and I will do it."
"But…"
"It's okay Luz." The boy told her and she nodded and watched as they walked away
Almost there, they were in that garden, his puppet drew his sword to kill the boy as soon as the his back was turned
However…
VLAM!
The human attacked with his sword before the blade was out of its sheath and Nevareth the puppet was cut in two. Blood spurted out, but not from the puppet, no, it came from the tentacle manipulating it.
"AAAAAARGH!" Adegast yelled. "HOW?!"
The boy just took a fighting stance, ready to fight. "You're a shit actor."
"You little bastard, do you really think that cutting off my tentacles is going to be enough? It's useless, no matter what you do, A MERE WEAK HUMAN LIKE YOU CAN"T POSSIBLY KILL ME!"
Adegast rose from the ground, ready to rip this human to shreds.
They're taking their time. Luz thought.
"AAAARRGH"
That sound! It came from the direction Guts and Nevareth went
"Guts!" Luz rushed to the door but it was opened by Nevareth himself, he was bloody and looked injured.
"We have to go."
"Guts needs help! Where is he?" She couldn't just leave him there
"He made his choice, he decided to stay behind so you can find the staff and save us all."
What? But Azura never left her comrades behind.
"Besides, why would you go back for him?" Nevareth looked at her with empty eyes.
"He is rude" A fairy flew next to her.
"A barbarian"
"A devil's child!"
"He is ruining your quest." The little queen added
"He is fated to die so you can reach greatness"
No, Guts may be flawed, but he has been there to help her, he doesn't deserve to die or to be abandoned just because 'fate' decided he should be.
"Guts need me."
"THEN DIE!" The elf swung his sword at Luz but she managed to avoid the attack. The Dominican quickly drew the dagger Guts had given her and stabbed the elf in the back. There was a cloud of smoke and the dagger was in a tentacle.
The people around her fell on the ground, puppets replaced them. Luz stared at them for a second in surprise but decided she had no time to spare. She rushed to Gut's help
Guts has been fighting that monster for a while, broken puppets and pieces of its flesh were on the ground while Guts had been cut and bitten by some of them.
The monster glared at him "Oh still breathing, are we? You pathetic humans are more durable than I thought, but it doesn't matter, it is over for you, boy!"
The situation was pretty bad, that thing was holding him in a tentacle, his broken sword was on the ground and he was about to be eaten unless a miracle happened.
"AAARGH" The monster lost his focus for a second and its grip weakened. Wasting no time, Guts managed to free his arm and aimed for the eye.
The human poked Adegast's eye out with his hand and the demon dropped the merc. Guts grabbed his sword and made a powerful vertical slash on the monster. His sword wasn't really sharp, when he attacked it was more like a hammer meaning it was perfect to hurt something as big.
The sound of bones cracking was heard, blood was dripping from its orbits, the monster let out an inhuman scream before shrinking
The demon was now as small as a mouse, Adegats looked at the human… No, no human could have done this to him. he tried to sneak away but his path was brutally stopped when that thing stomped on him
"MERCY! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" The demon cried as he felt the pressure of the boot crushing him
"What's wrong? Wasn't it what you wanted? To kill someone weaker?" His torturer was grinning at his pain
" It's like you said, we humans are weak and we can't do magic like you do. But no matter how weak and pathetic we humans are, if we are being hurt or tortured to death we still want to live! And I am going to give you a taste of what that feels like!" He started to apply more pressure with his foot
That monster was taking pleasure in his suffering! Adegast felt his bones slowly crack, his vision became reddened as his veins were rupturing. the last thing he saw was that grin and the last thought he had was…
…Berserk…
Guts scrabbed his boot on the floor to get rid of the blood. This world was getting weirder every days
The muffled sound of the door suddenly opening told him that Luz had came to help him
The girl was panting, seemingly exhausted.
"You're okay?" She asked him.
Guts was covered in blood,most of it came from the monster but he was injured in the fight. His ribs hurt like hell and his muscles were sore from the intense efforts he made.
And yet…
"Don't worry, I had worse." Luz sighed in relief. "What about you?"
"It's okay, my nerd's legs are just not used to running."
Then the castle around them disappeared in smoke, what was left instead was ruins.
Guts looked at Luz and he could see the disappointment in her eyes
-0-
"So all of it was a lie?"
"Yeah, I don't know what he wanted but he was planning to kill me so I attacked first."
Luz winced when she saw Guts injuries, he had dried blood on his cheek, several cut and bite marks and he seemed to be learning on his sword. It must have been a terrible fight …. because of her.
He got hurt because of her stupid fantasies
"I'm no chosen one." What kind of heroes endanger their friends like that
"Isn't it better?" Guts answered
"What?"
Guts seemed to struggle to find the words. "I mean, if you have a destiny to follow then you're just a slave. Personally, I would never accept having someone deciding on my fate instead of me."
Was it true? Was being a chosen one a form of slavery? Luz started to think :
Naruto? She always hated how he just forgave everyone and Neji was proven right.
Star Wars? Anakin literally had to call someone master during his whole life….
"You should be free to make your own choices. Nobody else." Guts concluded
"Thanks Guts." Luz smiled when she saw Guts really had a soft side after all.
OMAKE
Two weeks after Guts was imprisoned
"Okay Lilith you can do it."
She doesn't know why she wanted to help the emperor's nephew. Maybe it was because he was so young and his only family left doesn't care that he saw people being brutally killed in front of him.
Or maybe it was because of sisterly instincts and regret for what she did to Eda but regardless now she was standing in front of the door to his room.
After standing there staring at the door for what felt like an eternity, she knocked.
"Come in"
The kid was surprised to see Lilith walk into his room, and she was already starting to regret her decision to try and talk to him.
She tried to find what to ask from him and she decided on sparring lessons.
It seemed like a good idea to her at least. Though she may have been basing it on her only other experience being a teacher to Amity.
Amity liked training and learning new spells right?
And well with how little she knew about the Golden Guard it was the only thing she could think of to get close to him, if she was being honest.
The Golden Guard seemed to be just a bit older than Amity from what she saw. Maybe that would be a good way to talk with him.
"You want to spar with me." The confusion was clear on his face.
It was going to take a while for her to get used to the fact that Belos' right hand was a teen.
"I mean, I'm probably the only one that can keep up with you other than the coven heads. Unless you want to challenge them."
She could almost see the face he was making in response to that. "Yeah, no, that's a horrible idea. But why spar?"
Lilith shrugged slightly. "I figured it would be a good chance to stretch my own magic. … Unless you're afraid?" she smirked. It usually worked on Eda when they were young.
The boy scoffed "Let me get my staff."
Lilith smiled as the boy rushed back to his room. It was a nice start.
Perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all.