Life in a new Kingdom

We hold Herk close after leaving the mansion and heading to the distant town. Yann and Ivian do their best to keep a lookout, but even in the dead of night with the moon on our backs, there isn't enough visibility to scout any threats until they are close.

"Are you sure we should have left them all alone to face those horrors? Caleb is still a child. This Rys fellow seems strong, but how much does that go against something far more powerful than the creatures we had to endure in that place?" Ivian complains but also brings up a valid point. I let out a sigh and turned to face him, giving Herk to Yann to carry.

"I may be your leader, but I can say for certainty Caleb will be just fine." I don't blink as I say those words. Ringing out faithful and steadfast, I put my absolute faith in him.

"How can you be so sure? He just recovered from being sick. He surely isn't at the top of his strength. We can turn around now and go help-"

"Ivian!" I shout. Everyone stops in their tracks and faces me in my sudden outburst. "I never doubt your guy's abilities unless I know our odds of winning. Everyone in this group is extraordinary in their own way. However, Caleb is in a whole different league of his own. To be honest... It was no fluke, and he defeated us that night. Even being drunk, we are trained and highly experienced adventurers who have fought and lived on for years against monsters of various sizes." Yann follows me with Herk in his arms, and Ivian slowly trails behind.

"What do you mean it wasn't a fluke? I know we each have reservations about how we acted and fought with him, but that shouldn't matter now, right? We set aside our differences and formed an even stronger bond. You got off your drinking, and we got our leader back. I've seen how we all fight now, and if we could have a full rematch, we would get our victory over him. Gale, you alone could beat him if you gave it your all!"

Scoffing at his words, a broad smile smears across my lips. "I'm flattered...really. Yet, the real truth is... Caleb doesn't like fighting."

"W-What?" Ivian was speechless. I couldn't blame him. I am still in awe of the words I said, but I told them anyway. "What do you mean by that? Have you been deaf and blind the past few months?"

"I've been mute more than anything."

"But I-...I don't understand how you can say-"

"Caleb hates holding a sword—his dissatisfaction when he draws it from its sheath. I saw in his eyes that behind that stone-cold face, you all have seen is someone who doesn't want to be here. The scariest fighters or warriors are those who dislike that life. Regret has been poured over his head over my eye. Every day, I catch him staring at my eyepatch like he is wishing for something. I didn't realize it at first, but after a while, it became obvious."

"Why didn't he say anything? We welcomed into the Phantom Blades; he accepted without issue!"

"Because he didn't want to lose the chance to get closer to us. He's a noble with the blood of Nix. It's a literal death sentence for those born into this world with such a curse and don't have the luxury of a higher status to keep them away from a life filled with pain and suffering. Caleb told me how he lived with his mom, which he barely remembers, but he will never forget what she did for him every day despite their situation. He grew up in poverty, and then, one day, he started living in a mansion with one of the greatest knights of the last fifty years. Scarlet Order's Knight Commander and Leader, Valum Aris. The Lord of Heistorm."

My words drifted into a lengthy report of the events that Caleb shared with me before arriving in Saiana Village. We continued to walk to town as I rambled on about him. Ivian and Yann listened to every word.

"He stood by us despite everything because he wanted to be close to us. His social life has been kept locked up in his room, and he barely interacts with his siblings other than his older brother, Dunick. He holds greater promise than wielding a sword. He trains harder than anyone I have ever seen. I reached Platinum rank as an adventurer as an eighty-five-year-old. I still got maybe a year or two left before I die on some random job we take."

"It would take a lot to bring you down, Gale." Herk softly speaks through his pained voice. Everyone looks at the wounded Cleric, smirking at his friend. "You made it this far... Why not reach the top..."

"You should be resting, Herk." Yann stops in place for me to check on him. His pulse was weak but stable. I nodded to Yann, and we continued to move. Herk had slowly fallen back asleep as the pain overtook his senses.

"Our life expectancy as gold rank or higher is only a few decades before one of us dies. I've witnessed silvers go even earlier due to poor choices in jobs. It is a lifestyle that is meant to be short and, if you are lucky, retired with most of your limbs intact. Caleb, however, is something beyond us. He is young but also dependable. But...most of all... He doesn't fight at his full potential."

"How strong is he really?"

"He's held back even when he fought him in that alleyway... Even if he didn't want to die, he also didn't want to kill us, even if it meant he might die. I've been watching him on our journey, and I can tell that, at the very least... He is stronger than me."

"Wait! Are you saying he is stronger than a Platinum rank adventurer at his current level!?"

"I am saying that even I don't know how much stronger than he is compared to one. He adapts to fighting faster than anyone I have ever come across. Almost like his life is much shorter than all of ours, he works harder, trains harder, and pushes himself harder. Treating his life will end before any of ours; he continues to learn, continues to grow, and continues to become even more amazing than he is right now! I'm so jealous, but at the same time, I can't help but admire such a man who is willing to fight as hard as he does! If he really wanted to let go of his regrets and whatever that keeps him chained... He very well could beat me in seconds."

"I can't believe it..." Ivian stares wide-eyed and looks back at the mansion, which has grown distant since leaving. I grab his shoulder and drag him forward.

"The side that he holds back is nothing a human like him should hold inside his heart. Filled with rage and sorrow, he is holding onto something darker inside. Whatever it is, Caleb is the reason it hasn't become loose from the shackles. His eyes grow cold and devoid of color when he lets go of the reins. If it comes down to him coming back alive, he won't hesitate to let go of that chain and unleash all that which he keeps locked away against the lord of that mansion and destroy him without a trace left to uncover." I raise my fist and pound it to my chest. "I respect the person who he is right now. He is a child but more of a man than any of us when it comes to the darkness he withstands. But as his companions and friends, it is our duty to ensure he never crosses that border on our behalf..."

After I finished speaking, there was a rustle in the tall grass near us. I had let my guard down, but the sense of danger surrounded us. Ivian draws his short swords, and Yann takes out a longsword while holding Herk over his shoulder. I yell to them to get back-to-back with our weapons ready.

"Did something follow us out of the mansion?" Yann shouts.

"Or something was sent to find us!" Ivian yells as the red eyes peering through the grass step into the moonlight, revealing the twisted images of hounds and wolves physically disfigured from some kind of experimentation and mutations. Their bodies have large pink lumps, and their faces look close to rotting away. Seven of these creatures take position to pounce us. With both swords in hand, these creatures and their disfigured rotting bodies drew in closer...