"Son," a heavy hand was laid upon his shoulder, though it surprised him with how gentle its grip was despite how tough of a man he is and how gruff his voice seemed. "You've sat here long enough. Go. Your sister will look after him in the meantime."

He wished he could have listened to his father. His stomach never failed to remind him just how hungry he was, his eyes aching from how little rest he'd allowed himself. All he'd done was sit in place and watch the sleeping figure on his bed, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm—and yet, his irises have never revealed themselves so far.

In this state, it was hard to call Kirito alive. Were his chest not moving to indicate him breathing, it would have seemed as if someone had frozen him in time; a perfect replica of his friend, unmoving and utterly absent of any life.

And yet, Eugeo knew for a fact that he was alive. He'd been checked countless of times, and there'd been no life-threatening wounds inflicted upon his person. And someday, he might wake up.

He wanted to be there for his best friend when that happened.

Perhaps waiting for him in his room every single moment wasn't a smart idea, yet he didn't even consider his father's words. Filling his stomach just seemed like the appropriate thing to do, yet he refused to budge in the slightest. He just… He didn't want to leave.

"Eugeo," the grip on his shoulder tightens for only a brief second. "Go eat."

"…Just a little bit more, Father."

"I would believe you, but when it comes to your friend, 'a little bit more' would likely last all the way to the night," his father lightly chastised him. "Sulinea has asked me to call for you. Go. I will watch over your friend in your stead."

He'd wanted to say 'no', but another pang of hunger struck him. The exhaustion felt a little more defined this time. It was enough to force Eugeo out of his seat, nodding weakly to his father. "A-Alright. If anything happens—"

"I'll be sure to call you," the man rolled his eyes. "Go ahead."

Eugeo excused himself from his room afterwards, trusting his father to keep watch over his unconscious friend. Once he arrived at the dining table, he spotted his brothers already seated in their usual places, with bowls of food prepared right in front of them. Despite that, none of them had already eaten.

As if he'd read his mind, Euden was the first to speak up. "We were waiting for you. You know, eat together."

"Wait, seriously? You guys didn't need to wait for me, you know…"

"Yeah, well, we could have gone ahead and gotten started on dinner. But then you'd have to eat alone, and since you're usually caught up in your thoughts, you'd be eating for, like, two hours," the words made him stare back in surprise, prompting Eugene to shrug. "I'm not wrong, am I?"

"He isn't," the moment Sulinea jumped in with her own agreement, he couldn't help but gawk back in disbelief. Is everyone just ganging up on him now?! "You've stayed almost the whole day in your room with Kirito. I have no idea what you'd do if you were eating alone. You might just be stuck looking at your food forever."

That's just…

Faced against such scrutiny from all these numbers, Eugeo just gave in with a sigh, joining the twins at the table, sitting opposite of them. The soupy dish had plenty of vegetables inside, spices added to provide its aromatic scent and flavour. It whetted his appetite immediately—such is Sulinea's talent when it came to cooking.

Together, the three brothers ate in moderate silence, opting to just enjoy their meals for now. The eldest was in the kitchen washing the silverware, so the only sounds to accompany them were the sounds of water and them eating. Eugene and Euden conversed about something between themselves, though he wasn't exactly too focused on that.

Instead, as he stared at his reflection in the murky soup, he couldn't help but let his mind run through all the events that had transpired these past few days.

There was simply no words to describe everything. Never would he have imagined things to have turned out this horribly. Not when he was certain that nothing could have possibly shaken this peace that they'd gotten so used to.

And yet, here they are; Alice actually arrested and Kirito actually struck down by an Integrity Knight, of all things.

His grip over his spoon tightened as he thought about the only friend he had left, remembering the scene where he'd rushed at the stronger man in a head-on assault. 'Dang it, Kirito… Why did you have to do that..?'

He remembered how the horror from watching Alice had turned into heart-freezing panic the moment his best friend charged at Deusolbert. He remembered screaming his best friend's name when he got thrown back, rushing straight to his side when the dragon had taken off, Alice's voice that was calling their names slowly fading off.

One day has passed since he'd been unconscious. A single day since the entire paradigm was shaken. A single day since Kirito had almost gotten himself killed.

"You got something on your mind," Eugene's voice drew him out of his thoughts. "Wanna' talk about it?"

"…It's… nothing."

"Considering everything that happened, that would be a pretty big lie," his brother frowned. "I mean… none of us aren't surprised that you're thinking about those sort of things. No one expected that to happen," and then, his voice fell into a whisper. "I still think that it's messed up…"

Eugeo felt his throat tighten in discomfort, the memories flashing through his mind for a second. He'd had time to accept everything, but that didn't it any easier.

He still couldn't believe that things could have lead to that sort of situation. Sure, he'd seen Alice's fingers reached over to the other side, and he'd understood that violating the «Taboo Index» deserved heavy repercussions—but he'd never considered it would have resulted in all of this.

'Kirito got himself hurt trying, and it still changed nothing.'

And it didn't change the fact that Kirito, of all people, had actually tried.

He remembered being a bystander. A weak, helpless spectator just like everyone else. But not Kirito. Where all the people of Rulid Village had simply stood by and watched the knight take away the girl, Kirito had actually rebelled. Had tried to stop him through even a dangerous means.

He'd failed, but that hadn't changed the fact that Kirito had tried for Alice, even if it would have ended up branding him a criminal.

'That's just the kind of person Kirito is,' the single thought made him smile fondly, hiding it behind a spoonful of soup. 'He'd done all sorts of crazy things for us all this time… It's hard to imagine him doing anything else.'

And that was just a fact that he'd sort of gotten used to. How, whenever he or Alice had needed help, he'd always go through greater lengths to solve them. Always with a smile on his face, always without asking anything back in return.

It made it impossible to remember what life had been before Kirito. When it had just been him and Alice before he realized that he shared his calling with the black-haired boy who lived in the church. One day of working the Gigas Cedar together had been enough to set the groundworks for a lifelong friendship.

And one that he feared would have been robbed away from him the same time that Alice had been abducted.

Eugeo promptly shook his head to remove the thought. 'He's… He's fine. Ivenda checked him all over. There's nothing wrong. He just… needs the time to let his body rest. That's all.'

And he believed in that wholeheartedly. The ravenette was a million times stronger than him and anyone that he knew of; he'd wake up and things would be fine like always (perhaps… perhaps not truly. Not after they'd someone important in their life). They would go on like always.

And this time, Eugeo would make sure that his remaining friend would never have to do something as dangerous as that day ever again. He'd make sure of it.

Not if it meant he would lose him to the Axiom Church's arrest or… or worse; death. He couldn't possibly accept that. Alice would be heartbroken, and he knew he just wouldn't be able to live alone.

No matter what, he won't let his friend put himself in danger ever again.

And then, as that night changed everything, perhaps he'd need to rethink that self-made oath.

20th day of the 9th Month – HEC, 372

He was trying not to be afraid, but for the life of him, his brain and his heart refused to comply. They were most certainly doing the opposite of that.

It felt funny how he'd never been too afraid of… well, anything, as far as he could tell. Where the other church kids would usually come to him to ask him to get rid of 'the monster in the closet' (usually a rat or something else) or asked him what to do about the shadow people underneath their beds, he'd never actually been bothered by those sort of imaginative prospects.

Not even the things that he could see had ever scared him much. Likely because he'd always been careful and those things were usually nice critters. Like the occasional kitty or hummingbird or a toad (Alice doesn't like him showing her frogs, though, unfortunately).

So really, he had an excuse to be afraid in this moment, no matter what anyone else would say.

Kirito grew up with fairy tales and stories about the Dark Territory. About how the people who lived there were actual monsters, deformed and hearts filled with malice—all they would ever think of is destruction and murdering humans. Their races are just destined to clash against one another, and he'd simply accepted the concept of them being five-Mel-tall humanoids.

He never thought that the trip to the caves with his childhood friends would change that lifelong perception.

The fact that it was a knight, and likely a human underneath all that jet-black armour, had not been what he'd expected. More so the fact that the knight in question died not in a way that made him seem like a monster, but just… died. Bled out, red, on the ground, just like a normal person does. Breathed his last and perished.

Maybe that knight wasn't a human. Maybe it was an orc, or a goblin, or some other monster. But it didn't change the fact that, whoever it, they'd been so similar to the kinds of people he'd naturally categorised as 'humans' that he almost couldn't tell. It made him feel so sick to watch a person die right in front of them while they were unable to do anything.

In this moment, though, he's starting to see the bestial side of the Dark Territory residents. So, just maybe, there exists duality in every single being in the world—just as Sister Azalia once said. There were good and bad people everywhere. In this instance…

' Goblins. Are you kidding me..?' He didn't know whether he should be screaming or running away. His shock was keeping him fixed in place behind the bushes, watching the scene unfold. 'Why the hell are they here, of all places?'

There was no mistaking the glint of metal attached to their hips, either that of knives or machetes. Then again, the sharp claws they possess would do the trick in ripping apart flesh—and the mere thought of it made him feel sick, gripping his chest tightly. If they tried to harm the girls…

"G-Goblins… Here..?"

"Yeah… This isn't good."

Eugeo, beside him, was trembling. Watery green eyes stared forwards and took in the sight in shock, arms hugging himself tightly. He was doing his best not to let out a sound, jaws clenched tightly enough that he swore he could hear his teeth grinding.

"They must have gotten here through the northern caves… There's no other routes that actually go through the mountain range," he paused to think about it. "Except the three other corridors in each empire, but that would have been way too far, and there's no way to cut through."

Just as there are the northern caves in Norlangarth, he was pretty sure that there are three other routes in the other three empires. They'd been named the West Gorge, South Corridor and East Gate respectively, and they're the only methods for one to enter or leave the Human Empire. And these goblins had used the northern route, the closest one, to get here. They had to, because each four portions of the empire's geography is divided by massive, unbreaking walls.

And yet, he'd never considered the thought that people from the Dark Territory would come to their place. Never had there been any incident like this, before, so they simply thought that it was fine. That they were safe. That nothing could go wrong.

How wrong he was.

Of course they'd be able to come here. There was nothing stopping them; after all, he and his friends had somehow managed to find the path that lead to the Dark Territory. They saw everything. It was reckless for them to assume that it was only a one-way route—that only they could use it. The people on the other side could use it too.

And it was sheer bad luck that these three girls, who'd come in here believing that they would be safe, ended up crossing paths with the enemy.

Kirito cursed silently to himself, looking between the three girls and the goblins. 'Eight of them, and their boss looks waaay too big. Almost a freaking giant…'

That was too much of an understatement. His bulging muscles and all the scars littering his skin attested to years of combat, which meant that he was a dangerous foe any way he looked at things. He could easily kill Kirito if he so wanted to.

A part of him foolishly considered rushing out to fight them on his own, but Kirito knew his limits. He'd never gotten into an actual fight (not mere scuffles with bullies, but full-on battles to the death), and he doubted he could win this one whatsoever. He would be a child going up against actual warriors.

At best, he'd make it out with debilitating wounds.

At worse, he might…

"P-Please, let us go… W-We won't tell anyone that you were here—Kyah..!"

She was cut off when the leader poured his strength into his fist, slamming it into the bark of a tree behind the trio, causing the three of them to cry out. "Shut it!" His voice came out hoarse and mocking. "I don't need you ruining my ears with your noise. If you don't, I'll gladly do it for you. Permanently, humies. What do you want?"

Yuka starts crying harder, dissolving into weak sobs as she tries not to make herself loud. Eri's expression of despair is palpable, even with the darkness. And Selka…

She looked defeated.

'I can't blame her for feeling like that. She was forced to watch her own sister get taken away from her. And now, something bad is happening to her, this time.'

He gritted his teeth. He'd been afraid to face Alice's mother, father, and even Selka. Still afraid, in fact. That he'd only just met Auntie Sadina wasn't because he'd even tried looking for her; it simply happened. He knows that they can't forgive him for what he did, and he doubted he deserved it.

But he also knows that he won't be able to forgive himself if he allows more bad things to happen to them. Not when it's something that he could prevent. Not when he knows that he should at least try something.

He tried to reach for Alice. He failed, that was a fact, but he would have hated himself more if he'd simply just watched that bastard take her friend away without doing anything. He can't do nothing for Selka either!

"Eugeo…" He called, voice as soft as he could manage it to be. He tried to keep himself from stuttering, realizing the sheer madness behind his order. "I need you to listen to me. I'm going to do something incredibly stupid, and I need you to do something for me. You need to be quick when you do so."

"W-What?" Eugeo knows him too well. It said something when it only took him a few seconds to realize what he was trying to say, and, as understanding slowly dawned on him, so too did the blood drain from his face. "N-No..! You can't be serious!"

"You know that I am—"

" No! Kirito, I am not letting you go out there..!" He grabbed his arm on reflex, staring into his eyes with a horrified expression. "Are you insane..?!"

"Well, I can't just sit here and do nothing! The three of them are in danger, and—"

"Kirito, this isn't an Integrity Knight like Deusolbert! Those are goblins. They don't care if we're children—we're humans to them. We're their enemies," he said the next part in a half-whimper. "They will kill you, Kirito… I can't let you do this..!"

"Eugeo…"

When he was given his calling, that had been the moment when he and Eugeo befriended each other. Prior to that, he and Alice were great friends, who'd known each other way before then; true childhood friends, those two. Wherever one goes, the other would be there too.

He didn't exactly know when it had started, but then he'd joined the pair, and it had then been the three of them. A bond unlike any other, a friendship that was so strong he felt so grateful to be part of; a reminder that he has a place in the village.

And then, his actions had broken apart their little group.

He'd allowed Alice to be taken away. He can't let the same happen to her sister. She'd be devastated if anything happened to her.

"Eugeo," with his free hand, he reached for his best friend's shoulder. The gesture alone made him tense up, disbelief in his expression. Pleading him not to go. Kirito simply shook his head. "You know I'm not the kind of person who can't do nothing. I know what I'm getting myself into, so listen to me. I won't fight them."

"W-What?"

"I'm just gonna' distract 'em," he says, quickly looking back to the group before facing his friend once more. "I'll do my best to get them to come after me. In the meantime, you have to get Selka and her friends out of here. Can you do that?"

"I-I—But that's..! This is too dangerous, Kirito…"

"I know it is, but we don't have any other options."

"Of course we do! We can rush back and call for help—"

Kirito shook his head, the gesture alone enough to make him stop. "You know that won't work… The adults won't be able to make it here in time. The more time we waste, the greater the danger the girls would be in."

"I… But you can't just…"

"Look, Eugeo, I know. Alright? I know," he felt awful for doing this to his best friend. He'd already given him a heart attack that day trying to attack Deusolbert. Now here he was doing it again. It made him feel like a scum. "But I meant what I said. I… I don't want to just sit and watch, Eugeo. I can't accept that," he tightened his grip on his friend's shoulder. "Listen to me when I say this. I won't let you or the others get hurt. I know I'm asking too much of you, Eugeo. But please, I need you to trust me. I'll make sure they won't touch even a single strand of hair. Not any one of you."

He knew he was spewing crap at this point. There was no way he could fully protect them, but to say otherwise would be too cruel for him. Eugeo needs assurance right now, and if it meant lying to his face, he'll do just that, because there was nothing else that he could offer right now.

"And I won't let them touch me either," he said, finally, releasing his hold and keeping eye contact with his friend's green pair. They were filled with so much concern for him that it filled him with appreciation and shame. "No one's getting hurt tonight, Eugeo, I promise. I just need you to trust me, and move quickly enough to save those three. Please. Can you help me?"

He desperately wished that he says 'yes', because he wasn't delusional enough to think that he could do all of this alone. He was just one kid who was way over his head when he thought just distracting these guys would be a simple task.

The thought of death loomed over his mind, but it was overshadowed by many other things.

The thought of the girls getting hurt instead. Selka's mother, with a crestfallen expression when she learnt of her youngest's fate. The villagers' unrest, perhaps wanting to move away from Rulid. From home. Eugeo who, like him, would never forgive himself for failing Alice—and now, Selka.

This feeling in his heart… The want to save these girls. He grasps it as firmly as he could, refusing to let himself run away. Running away now would have left him disgusted with himself.

He couldn't let himself be that kind of person. Never in a million years.

It felt like a long time had passed, even though he knew it had only been a few seconds. Eventually, as a reluctant expression found itself on Eugeo's face, he felt his spirits soar with his next few words. "Kirito… promise me you won't get hurt?"

"Yeah. I—"

" Promise me, Kirito," he sounded almost like he was begging. "I don't want some half-baked promise. Not a lie to make me feel better. I need to know that you're not going to let yourself get hurt, even if it's for the right reasons. Do you understand me..?" His head fell. "Alice… she'd be really sad if she knows."

The mention of their friend's name is enough to dredge up a well of emotions. Anger. Grief. Joy. He nods his head, conviction filling his voice. "We're going home tonight, Eugeo. You and me, and all the girls. And I'll tell Sister Azalia that I'll be staying over at your place. I can't do that if I'm dead, so I promise, I won't let anything happen."

"…That's the best I can get out of you, I suppose," despite that, he was smiling. "Did I ever tell you how crazy you are?"

"Never enough, honestly…"

"Yeah… I thought you trying to pick a fight with Deusolbert was the absolute limit. I thought wrong."

Kirito recognized this as an attempt to simply calm his nerves. He welcomed it, though, needing it to distract himself from even his own fear. "Yeah… I guess I keep blowing away all your expectations."

"And not in the good way… Alright. Are you ready?"

Kirito turned to look towards the group of goblins. They were preparing to move, it seems, having tied up the girls by the hands with rope they had on their person. His grip on the handle of his axe wavered for only a single instance before he tightened his hold, nodding. "Yeah. Let's save them together."

Eugeo nodded back. He'd stopped shaking, although there was no ridding his palpitation. Kirito had some of his own, too, but he needed to at least play the part of being brave.

He let out a breath. Seven lesser goblins and one large-sized leader, all dangerous with their claws and the weapons they have on them. There was no way he would be able to realistically take all of them on; he doubted he could fight even one. He was simply too weak, and these guys have likely fought on regular occasions.

He gulped. This was a really dangerous idea, but doing nothing was even worse. Right now, action was necessary, the risks be damned.

'I just… need to distract them. Get all of their attention. Make them focus on me, and only me,' otherwise, they'd try to go after Eugeo—and, if they notice that he's trying to save the girls, they might just cut their losses and kill them on the spot. 'Keep them occupied for as long as I can and hopefully far away from them. Okay. I can do this.'

He most definitely can't.

Still, as he takes a deep breath, trying to focus on the girls' cries and the goblins' mocking tones, he braced himself for a sprint. The Dragon Bone Axe sat in his hands, parallel to the ground and behind him to his side in preparation for his ridiculous stunt.

He's not ready. He doubts anything could have possibly prepared him for this moment, even if he'd known days ahead. But still…

' No matter what, Kirito, help those in need,' he remembered Azalia's words to him. When he was five and she was tucking him into bed, she'd suddenly sat down beside him to tell him those words. ' Sometimes, there are those who won't have anyone there for them. When that happens, will you do your best to reach your hand out for them?'

Of course he would. He tried with Alice and failed, but that wouldn't stop him from trying to help others. Not if it meant that he could salvage a victory with even the lowest of probabilities. Not if it meant that he were to live true to himself.

"Alright… Okay. Let's do this. No other way to it," he spared a short glance at his best friend, trading nods before he turned his head back towards the goblins. "…Get ready."

Taking in a deep breath, and feeling the muscles in his arms and his legs tense up—

He charged forwards!

Everything was a rush. One moment, he was hiding behind the bushes. Now, there was nothing but the clearing before him. Lunaria's light shone down on him and his vision adjusted itself to the surroundings. His body continued moving.

A scream emanated pass his lips, just like when he'd charged at Deusolbert. His heart drummed in his chest enough for him to hear himself in his ears. His hands tightened their hold over the axe's handle, his calves suddenly ached, and his arms moved to swing his axe.

And for someone who had spent a good portion of his life swinging an axe, there was no mistaking the consequence.

It was a single swing, but it was more than enough.

"Huh? Who is— Ghaaargh..!"

Sensation was dialled to a maximum as he felt every minute and loud effect to his body; his muscles' contractions, the resistance he met, the momentary blowback.

Nothing could change what was burnt into his retinas at that moment, as if the world had slowed down around him. The blade of the axe dug right into his target's back, cutting into his body but not passing through. It's still enough to draw so much blood, the impact in his blow knocking the goblin forwards and crashing to the ground, still screaming hoarsely as the ground beneath his body began to redden.

Blood. A fresh pool of it beneath his body, slowly growing more and more.

The screaming. The smell of iron. The sickening crunch of bones.

Everything was overpowering him. Kirito went from feeling adrenaline to feeling sick, almost losing himself to vertigo and panic and vomit—and yet, he regained himself at the very last second, forcing himself to stand straight and arming himself with his axe (blood dripped down its edge, dripping against the ground) right after.

The scream caught everyone's attention. The goblins promptly put some distance between themselves and the newcomer, drawing their weapons on instinct.

"What?!" The one who was in charge yelled. "Who are you?!"

His imposing figure and glaring eyes made him feel small. Kirito knew that he was shaking, could feel how his hands were beginning to grow clammy and tense. False bravado overshadowed his fear, scoffing in return. " Heh… Like you need to ask. I'm a nobody, really. Child of the Dark God Vector. The question you should really be asking if what I'm here for," he forced himself to stare the monster in the eyes, praying to the goddesses for even a fraction of strength. "To answer that, I'm here for my friends. Give 'em back to me."

In a distant part of his mind, surrounded as he was and clearly recognized as a threat, he couldn't help but realize just how deep of a grave he was digging for himself.

He'd wounded one of their own, after all. From all the blood he was losing, he wasn't sure if they'd be able to save him in time. He'd taken his first life. Kirito gulped but pushed that thought aside for now. There would be time to feel guilt once he's saved the girls.

"A brat… A little humie," and he spat the name, as if it was poison. "Who dares fight us?!"

"Yeah… That's right. I do dare to fight you," he shot back, forcing a smirk onto his face to mask his fear. "I did way better than that, though. Look at your buddy. Me, a brat, managed to hurt him that much. What does that say about you losers?"

He was picking up on Hotaru's choice of words when it came to aggravating the other kids (thankfully, he'd gotten over that and stopped his bullying spree), but it felt right to use it in this situation. Rile them up so much that they couldn't care about anything else but him.

And it certainly worked. A vein on his forehead bulged, a clear sign of his growing irritation and anger. The others were clearly agonised by his taunting, falling for his riles. "You..!"

"Well, what are you standing around, doing nothing! Don't tell me that you're afraid to fight just one kid?!" He spat on the ground right in front of him. "Fight me! Come on, let's do this!"

There was a saying called 'stirred up the hornet's nest', which Azalia explained was a metaphor for how someone basically messed up, big time. This felt like an appropriate situation to use that phrasing, for the massive goblin had finally lost his calm and proceeded to draw out his massive machete. It glinted under the moonlight, and he was suddenly screaming like a madman and charging right at him without any restraint.

Kirito's eyes shot wide, having only a second to quickly throw himself to the left to avoid the overhead smash—the single swing cracked the earth where he last stood, an explosion of dirt and stone into the air. He gawked at the crater formed before hastily leaping backwards from the next attack.

"Kill him! Don't let this humie brat get away!"

"Hah! Do your best, then! I'll take you all on!"

He couldn't. There was simply no way that he would be able to do that. Not like they would give him a choice; their leader's commands was their will, and the six remaining goblins immediately drew their weapons, rushing him in a stampede in hopes of overpowering him with sheer numbers.

Kirito cursed, raising his axe to block the swing of a knife, before quickly backpedalling from another blade. He had less than a second to move backwards once more from a cleaver, ducking beneath a claw swipe and another blade. The axe was heavy in his hands, slowing him down with its weight. But he couldn't let go of it; he needed it to protect himself.

And so, he forced himself to keep moving.

His body moved on autopilot, content to just let the weapons dodge him over and over again as he kept moving out of their reach. The goblins kept trying to come at him, but he deflected and dodged their attacks. He blocked a blade's arc before he turned on his heels and charged into the darkness, hearing the approaching stampede.

Further and further away from the girls. He needs to keep their attention on him at all costs.

'Alright, they're on me now..! Eugeo, it's your turn, buddy!'

He was doing it again.

Kirito was the embodiment of insanity, at times, and he'd always end up participating in his crazy stunts (much to his dismay). Tonight, however, set a benchmark that he'd never known could have gotten this bad.

His best friend was doing it. He was really doing it.

Seven goblins were chasing him down, not masking their bloodlust in the slightest. They disappeared past the shrubbery and the trees, moving further back as Kirito drew them towards himself.

Every fibre of his being screamed for him to go after him. To stop him from doing something that would be impossible to return from. And yet, his words rung in his head, forcing him to focus on the situation at hand.

'The girls…' His head snapped in their direction, tied up together but practically untouched. In their haste to kill his friend, they really did just ignore the three of them. How careless could they be? "Alright, okay… Girls..!"

"Eh? Eugeo..?!" Selka's eyes widened upon seeing him, disbelief palpable in her expression. "What are you doing here?!"

"We… Your mother got worried, so Kirito and I told her we'd look for the three of you," he said, quickly undoing the knots around their hands. It was rather tight, which forced him to take a fair bit amount of time to truly free them. "Hang on! I'll get you out of—"

"Eugeo!" Yuka screamed, causing him to freeze up. " Behind you!"

He wasn't prepared for anything, but that single warning prompted him to duck his head. The girls cried out as something was stabbed into the tree in front of him, and when he raised his head, he gasped at the sight of metal.

"Gah, I missed..!" The voice made him quick to stand back up, turning on his heels, only to come face-to-face with an equally short goblin with no head of hair. His fanged grin was no less malicious, however. "Never was good with anything outside of my hands, anyway…"

"G-Goblin…" Eugeo muttered. He'd thought that all of them had gone after Kirito, but he supposed that was silly to think; of course they'd leave someone to stay back and keep their victims from running away. He must have been hiding or something.

"Yeah! In the flesh!" He roared out, a pound to his chest and a cackle a few octaves high. "So, two little humie's came to save their little friends. That's nice. But your brat friend seemed waaay over his head. He try'na get himself killed or something? Ah well, I'll send you right to him. So… Ready to die here, humie?"

There was no escaping battle. He'd thought that they could get out of it without needing to worry about anything, but just as Kirito would be facing his own amount of problems, so too does he, apparently.

He gulped. Things couldn't possibly get worse than this. He didn't know how to fight, didn't know if he could even protect the three girls long enough for Kirito to get back. He wouldn't even know if he could free the girls and make a break for it with them in tow. How is he supposed to…

'No..! I can't think about running. Kirito is still in the forest, and he's trying to buy us time,' his eyes briefly glanced to the side, and he felt his stomach tighten. 'I…'

The body of the goblin his best friend had wounded from earlier was nearby, no longer moving and with not a single sound. His gut twisted and turned inside of him and he forced his gaze away, lest he threw up.

Kirito had done that. He'd done something he'd never done before to protect Selka and the girls. And if he could, then…

Without even thinking, he quickly turned and pulled on the knife affixed to the tree. He grunted, pouring all the strength he could to yank it out, quickly wielding it with both shaky hands as he pointed the tip at the monster.

The goblin, for his part, looked unimpressed. "Heeeeh… You really think you can win, humie?"

He can't. He knows that he can't, both because he was just too weak and because he'd never fought anyone before, let alone learnt how to use a knife.

"I'll admit, the other brat looked like he could handle himself, but you? Gah, you're weak," he is. He knows that. The goblin readied his claws. "I'm just going to end up killing you, so why don't you just—"

" No."

He hadn't expected himself to say that. Neither did the goblin. "What?"

"I-I know I'm weak. That's a fact," he swallowed painfully. "I know that. I… I failed to save my friend, once."

How could he ever forget that daunting day? When he'd just stood in the crowd and watched as Deusolbert took away Alice and hurt Kirito? He'd done nothing but watched. A spectator, powerless to do anything. Still a child, one would argue, but Kirito had tried.

Everyone else didn't. They'd simply cowed to the Integrity Knight's demands and handed her a girl they'd always greeted every single day. A girl they were proud of. A girl that, he'd heard when some of the grannies were gossiping amongst themselves, they were certain would someday turn the village into something amazing.

And then she was gone. And no one spoke of her ever again.

He gritted his teeth. This pain in his heart… All because he'd been powerless. Because he couldn't bring himself to do something.

Someone's voice called out to him. "Eugeo…"

"But… that doesn't mean I should do nothing. I won't make the same mistake twice."

His reckless friend had tried to save Alice long ago, after all. And he's doing his best so that they could rescue Selka, Eri and Yuka. He was brave. A true hero.

He gripped the knife a little tighter, if only to stop the way his hands shook. "I… I won't let you touch them!" He yelled, drawing upon his best friend's courage. "N-No matter what, I just won't! I'll be brave, and I'll make sure you don't touch a single hair!"

"Gahh… You scream too much!"

He screamed too, but there was no pointing it out. Eugeo felt like he was in no control of his limbs, mindlessly running forwards with a scream of his own as he pointed the knife at the centre of his enemy's body.

This is bad. This is bad. This is bad—

Green eyes shoot wide, just in time as the goblin's claws tried to swipe for his face. He kept his head down but his arms straight forwards, in time to feel the weapon in his hands dig through the monster's flesh. He buckled, meeting resistance. The wet sound of flesh being cut and the goblin's own cry of pain made bile rise to the back of his throat, but even that was drowned out later on.

"Gurgh! Damn it!" The monster roared, grabbing Eugeo by his right arm. There was no warning before he sunk his claws in.

Pain. It spiked up his arm like boiling magma, making everything hurt. Water pricked in his eyes, and it was all he could do but struggle against the monster, the want to push him away warring with his steadfast determination to keep him pinned in place.

The claws continued to dig into his wound, drawing out more blood and causing him to almost lose balance. Hot, hot, hot —in a way that that he couldn't put into words. It would have been bad enough if it was a single point where a claw is piercing into his arm—there are five of them, each buried in his arm and trying hard to rip it off his shoulder.

Eugeo gasped. His arm almost loses all tension and strength but he tightened his hold over the knight.

The goblin in front of him screamed out all of a sudden. He realized soon enough that he'd twisted the knife in his gut, both pushing bodily pushing against each other and trying to knock one down.

He shouldn't have done that.

'Aagh..!' His back was on fire now, feeling something sharp tear through his clothes and right into his skin. The cold air against the fresh new wounds made him choke up, bodily stiff and incapable of comprehending what was happening.

He heard crying. Likely the three girls behind him, but all he could think about was how he was going to die right in front of them. How painful this was, and how much he wanted to cut his own arm off.

The hurt flared the moment his enemy pulled his claws out, hastily shoving him backwards to claim distance. He clutched his stomach, red seeping through his fingers. A thin line of dribble ran down his chin as he gritted his teeth. Eugeo felt sick looking at him, felt even sicker looking at his ruined arm.

Holes. Actual holes were punched into his flesh, blood leaking out like running water. The faintest of white seemed to peek through, and that alone made it worse.

He should have thought to use a «Sacred Art» to stem the bleeding. That would have at least done something to save him. And yet, in that situation, fear and shock had effectively halted his brain's ability to think rationally, and all he was able to do was step away from the goblin and suffer.

"Y-You..! You bastard!" He roared, coughing. "Damn it..! I'll kill you for that..!"

He wouldn't need to do anything. Eugeo felt faint, wobbling backwards as he dropped the knife and tried to stem the bleeding. That made it worse. His cold hands against his wound made him feel like he'd sprayed scalding water onto his skin, pins and needles poking endlessly on his flesh to torment him. A pained gasp escaped his lips, and he felt close to falling.

"Agu!"

"Agh..! Derava!"

It didn't dawn on him that, perhaps, he should have finished the aptly named Agu when he had the chance. Because now, wounded as he is, it means he has to deal with two goblins on his own; and this one that was approaching them was a burly one, with a cleaver larger than even his own body.

He felt his stomach drop. It was bad enough that he had to fight (and he couldn't even call it an actual fight, as it felt more like a struggle) one goblin on his own. To deal with two, and one who was completely healthy and much larger than him?

"Eugeo!" He could hear one of the girls call out his name, but he couldn't tell whom it was. All that went on in his mind was him wondering if this is how he was going to actually die. The look on Derava's face made it seem like it.

'Ah… I… I guess this is it…'

There was nothing else that he could do. He wished he could do more, but his right arm felt useless now, and it was taking everything not to black out.

But he still needed to protect Selka. And Eriana. And Yuka. And Kirito…

'Kirito's… still fighting the other goblins, isn't he? I…'

He wanted to call out for his best friend, but his voice came out as little more than a raspy groan. His arm went from feeling burning hot to a mix of searing and chilly, which was a strange sensation that made him feel sick twice over. He was going to die before he'd get to see his face again…

He's going to die.

The tears, borne of sadness and fear, slipped down his cheeks.

"Damn you, brat!" The larger being charged at him, weapon in hand and glinting dangerously. "I'll kill you for this!"

He should be afraid. That seems like the natural thing to feel in situations like this.

And yet, all he can think of is how he'd be reunited with Alice. It sounded wonderful, but at the same time painful—the thought of leaving Kirito behind, all alone… it hurt much more than his bleeding arm. It made him wonder if he'd grow old and tired, hateful and lonely.

'I… I'm sorry, Kirito,' his eyes fell shut, losing any strength to continue standing. He fell to his knees, the only sound being the rushing charge right at his person. Thunderous footballs hastened in his direction. 'I don't want to leave you… So please… forgive me for—'

Something moved. Something fast enough to produce a whistle in the air, brushing against his face in a way that felt so featherlight, he'd thought it was just a product of his imagination. Of Alice's hand laid gently upon his face, as if telling him that Kirito could never hate him.

It wasn't.

Something exploded. It was followed by the sound of rushing water, but the moment it reached him, it was splattered all across his face and the front of his body, practically forming a layer over him. It felt warm and slick. So shocked that he was that his eyes flew wide open, and the scent was the first thing that told him what covered him.

It smelt like decomposing iron.

Something collapsed, followed by another. Green eyes stared forwards in disbelief.

Agu and Derava were scattered all across the ground. What should have been two whole bodies were now dispersed everywhere in the form of blood, bone and flesh. Nothing remained save for the massive cleaver that the larger goblin weld, located a distance away.

"Forgive me, child, for my late arrival. I have no excuse I could possibly give you for my tardiness," her voice was gentle, softer than it had any right to be. He had only enough energy to crane his neck backwards, a calming smile on her expression. "Do not worry. I will keep you and your friends safe now."

He felt like he had every right to be an idiot in that moment, although he wished he'd said something a little more meaningful than mumbling: "W-Wha…"

His back crashed against the tree trunk, knocking all the air out of his system. Quickly, he dropped down and let the blade sail past his head, lodged into the tree behind him by accident. The tree did not stand much longer before it collapsed from the impact.

Kirito didn't give him any chance, quickly moving away. His chest was on fire, his legs felt ready to give out, and he was losing his ability to remain conscious—a bed sounds nice right about now. But he can't think about sleeping yet. Being careless now would mean that he'd find permanent rest here, in the middle of nowhere.

'How far have I managed to go..?' He thought to himself, holding up his axe behind him in preparation to retaliate. Still, with how exhausted he felt, he doubted he'd be able to swing the axe at all. 'We should be… far enough.'

Eugeo must have already gotten those three out of there by now. He had no doubt about it—say what anyone would about him, but his best friend could get anything done if he puts his mind to it. This situation was no different.

Still, now he needed to start worrying about his own safety.

'I can't just die here… Don't wanna' leave Eugeo behind!'

He also needed to consider how the hell he was going to outrun six goblins (had one of them disappeared during the chase?) that have formed a perimeter around him, effectively closing off any escape routes. Damn it. He got too careless, hadn't he..?

The boss of the goblins suddenly let out a scoff. "Tch. You sure are a slippery bitch. Can't believe you're not dead yet…"

"That's… more of a you problem, not a me problem…" He breathed out, grinning a little. It was probably a bad idea to antagonize the guy who was trying to kill him, but any opportunity to draw this out was welcomed at this point. "I mean… you guys failed to kill me, and there's like half a dozen of you guys here. What does… that say, eh?"

They snarled back at him, but he was a little too exhausted to feel scared. In fact, just standing in place and not moving so much is time for him to catch his breath, and he'll take every opportunity that he could get.

They'd moved deep into the woods, that much he was sure of. They'd gone to a point that he doubted he himself recognized very well. Thankfully, having grown up in the village his whole life, he'd be able to find his way back. That is, if he could lose these guys and not pass out because of how tired he is.

'I just… need to keep this up a little longer,' easier said than done, but no other option. 'And then, I'll—'

"I'm going to finish you where you stand, brat," his words cut off his thoughts. He brandished his sword. There was no denying that he was thinking of finishing him. Properly, this time. "If you thought you stood a chance—"

"I didn't," his answer gave him pause. Kirito continued on. "I just needed to buy time, is all. But even then, I wasn't just going to die lying down. Maybe… Maybe I could have pulled off a win."

That was reckless optimism, but he hadn't allowed himself to be blinded by it. He'd gone into this knowing that victory would be too hard to pull off. His luck's running out, but he wouldn't be letting go of it any time soon.

Honestly, the only thing that could save him at this rate is a miracle. He doubted anything less would actually be enough at this point.

At the very least, though, he can be glad that Eugeo and the others will get out of here alive. Eugeo and Selka still have families, and the other two girls have their own futures to see through. He could have had a shot, but…

"…Fine. Then die alone, for all I care," he swung his blade to the side, marching forwards. "Not like it means shit to me.

Kirito tried to raise his axe. Go down swinging. He could only imagine himself doing it in his head, though, because his arms are just too tired to actually lift his axe. Instead, the tip of its blade rested against the ground and he simply focused on trying to breathe.

Honestly, he liked to think that he did pretty well. He'd managed to evade them at every turn, never took a hit, and practically succeeded at his initial goal of getting them off of Eugeo and the others. This was a 'mission success'.

Wished that involved him actually going back home, though.

'Alice is going to be so mad to see me…' He thought wryly, smiling a little. ' Why did you leave Eugeo all alone? Heh… Why can I imagine her say that to me..? Sorry, Alice. You know I don't want to do that. And you too, Eugeo,' the mere thought of his blond friend made his chest tighten. 'I—'

"Kirito."

There hadn't been anyone nearby. No one but the goblins that had cornered him in their pursuit for him. And yet, to hear someone else's voice right behind him…

Blinking, shocked, he turned his head to regard the arrival of this new person… and felt like he had every reason to be confused.

"What the…"

"You need not worry about Eugeo and the others anymore. They are safe," she told him in a serene voice, offering him a calm smile. "Now, it is your turn to be protected. Rest assured, I will not allow you to die here."

He wished he could have told her that she appreciated it. Instead, all he managed was a dumb: "Uhhhh…"

She didn't seem too bothered by it, if her amused smile was any indication. The moment she turned her gaze towards his attackers, however, all warmth seemed to have faded into thin air. Her smile was now replaced by a disquieting, stone-faced expression. She seemed to have switched stances, her right hand moving to the left of her hip… but no weapon was holstered, as far as he could tell. Yet she kept her fingers apart.

Where before she reminded him of Auntie Sadina (her kind and gentle nature seemed too reminiscent of his friend's mother), now she seemed cold. Detached. A warrior.

What the… Who the hell is this? And where'd she even come from?

Still, though, her words had him realizing that she'd come across Eugeo and the others. Their safety was guaranteed, then? It left him feeling so much more relieved than he'd expected.

"Kh..! Another humie! That makes five I'll kill tonight!"

"You will kill no humans on my watch," she declared. "I was never meant to intervene, but seeing the potential in them… well, I'll accept the consequences another time. Right now, I will protect them from you," her black eyes fell shut. "You may leave, and I promise not to harm you. Oppose me, and I will kill you where you stand. I will let you make your choice."

Wha… What was she saying? She sounded way too confident going up against so many goblins all on her own. Is she trying to get herself killed?! She doesn't even have a weapon.

She… She's serious, isn't she?

The goblins likely thought that she was, too, if the way they tensed for a fight was any indication. Even their big boss had chosen to ignore him, eyes focused solely on her and ready to fight. She accepted the challenge, looking all too ready. She was going to protect him, she said?

Somehow, Kirito felt like his miracle was going to be a package bigger than he'd hoped for.