Confronting the Bandits

  He moved cautiously, hiding between the trees by the side of the road. It didn’t take long for his eyes to spot what was happening: a small group of bandits, three in total, were surrounding a girl. She was lying on the ground, her messy hair covering part of her face. The bandits kicked her from side to side, laughing as they mistreated her.

  — "Hey, look at her fly!" one of the men mocked, laughing as he delivered another kick.

  — "You should’ve stayed quiet," added another.

  There, in the middle of the clearing, he saw a group of bandits. Cruel laughter echoed as one of them kicked a body lying on the ground. Another bandit, with a repulsive expression, was crouched over the victim. His filthy hand touched the girl's body indecently, messing with her clothes and trying to explore every part of her with cruel boldness. The “girl” fought back, but her strength was fading, and her eyes reflected terror and helplessness, forcing her to face him as weak moans echoed in the air.

  Hitory gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He stepped forward and shouted:

  — "Get away from the girl!"

  The bandits stopped abruptly, surprised by the interruption. The man crouching beside the girl slowly stood up, twisting his neck as if to assess who dared to face them. A sadistic smile appeared on his face.

  — "Well, well, look who’s here. A kid trying to play hero?" he mocked, spitting on the ground before laughing.

  A second bandit, taller and with a scar running across his face, swung his sword with disdain.

  — "Kid? You’re kidding me, kid? You think you're gonna scare us with that little knife?"

  — "Hey, kid!" another shouted, holding a bloodied club. "You gonna use that tiny sword to cut a twig?"

  As the bandits laughed and exchanged taunts, Hitory stood firm. He took a step forward, his eyes locked on the fallen figure. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized it wasn’t a child, as he had thought, but a young woman with long, messy hair. Her clothes were torn and stained with blood.

  Her body was curled up, as if she instinctively tried to protect herself, and her swollen eyes, from crying, met Hitory’s. Silent tears ran down her dirty face, and she seemed on the verge of collapse.

  Hitory felt something tighten in his chest. The scene before him was not just cruelty, but complete humiliation. He took a deep breath, trying to control the rage that threatened to consume him.

  — "Don’t be afraid. I promise... I’ll protect you," he murmured, more to convince himself than to reassure her.

  The bandits showed no concern. Two of them charged at once, laughing and swinging their weapons as if it were a game. Hitory remained calm, dodging the first blow with precision. He spun his sword, striking the second man’s leg, causing him to fall to the ground with a cry of pain.

  — "Who the hell is this kid?!" one of the bandits exclaimed, now cautious.

  But as Hitory focused on facing the other, the leader seized the opportunity. In a swift and cruel motion, he delivered a precise blow that struck Hitory’s left arm, everything seemed to slow down. He felt the impact before registering the pain.

  A wave of excruciating pain hit him, burning like fire. His vision blurred, and he staggered back, almost losing his balance.

  — "N-no... this can’t be happening..." he stammered, his voice trembling and almost inaudible.

  The leader of the bandits approached slowly, holding the sword still stained with blood. He seemed to savor every moment, his cold, cruel smile fixed on his face.

  — "Well, well... Did the hero hurt his little arm? Now let’s see how you’ll play the savior with just one hand, kid," his voice was a venomous whisper.

  DESPAIR

  The young girl watched everything, her eyes wide and filled with tears. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. The despair in her eyes reflected what Hitory felt in his soul: helplessness. He had failed.

  Hitory looked at the girl, who was still conscious, her teary eyes reflecting a mix of terror and fear. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stood motionless, watching the nightmare unfold before her. Hitory felt a tightness in his chest as he noticed the fear pouring from her eyes. But beyond the fear, there was something else: a silent plea, a fragile hope placed in him.

  Suddenly, pain hit him like a violent wave, radiating throughout his body. A pain that was not only physical, but something that seemed to cut through his soul. He felt as if something had been brutally ripped from him. His body trembled, and his gaze instinctively turned to the ground.

  The sight paralyzed him. There, on the blood-soaked earth, lay what remained of his left arm. Blood gushed in frantic pulses, staining the clearing red. His eyes widened, and his breathing became erratic. A scream began to form in his throat, but it couldn’t escape. The shock consumed everything.

  Reality shattered around him, fragmenting into distorted pieces. He heard the muffled sound of his own heart beating irregularly and felt the world spin around him. The image of his arm on the ground seemed to be burned into his mind, a terrible symbol of his failure, of his vulnerability.

  Despair took over his mind, crushing any rational thought. A whirlwind of emotions collided inside him: fear, pain, guilt. He tried to move his remaining hand to stop the bleeding, but his fingers trembled uncontrollably, unable to obey. He tasted the metallic blood in his mouth, not knowing if it was his own or the girl's.

  The sight of the girl, still silently crying, brought a new wave of torment. He had promised to protect her, but now he was there, wounded, powerless, on the verge of collapse. His head felt heavy, his vision blurred, and the world around him became a haze, while the blood continued to flow like sand in an hourglass.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Hitory tried to say something, maybe an apology, but his voice died before it could leave. His mind succumbed to darkness, as despair continued to squeeze his heart like an unrelenting fist. The last sound he heard before everything disappeared was the muffled sob of the girl.

  Suddenly, an intense light erupted from the necklace Hitory was wearing, a radiance so bright it seemed to cut through the darkness around him. The flare was almost blinding, and even the bandits, momentarily paralyzed by the shock, took a few steps back, shielding their eyes with their arms. The air became heavy, as if something ancient and powerful had been awakened.

  Hitory, still kneeling on the ground, felt the light enveloping him in a strange, almost comforting warmth. His mind was confused, trapped between the searing pain and the bewilderment of the inexplicable phenomenon. He looked at his own arm, or what was left of it, and saw something extraordinary happening.

  Where the bloody stump had been, a thin twig began to appear, like a plant growing at an impossible rate. He watched, stunned, as the twig lengthened and expanded, its fibers intertwining in a display of living energy. In just a few seconds, the twig transformed into a complete arm, but it was not a human arm.

  The wood that formed his arm had a unique, almost supernatural appearance. It was as black as night, with golden veins that pulsed softly, emitting a faint glow. Despite its robust appearance, Hitory felt its lightness and flexibility, as if it were a natural extension of his body. He moved the fingers of his new wooden hand, and to his surprise, it responded with precision, as if it had always been there.

  The bandits, bewildered and terrified, exchanged glances. One of them muttered, his voice trembling:

  — "What... what kind of sorcery is this?"

  Hitory slowly rose to his feet, the aura of the pendant still pulsing around him. Fear had given way to something different: a cold determination, almost merciless. His eyes, once filled with pain, now burned with unwavering fury. He grabbed his sword, which lay beside him, feeling the wood of his new arm mold perfectly to the hilt of the weapon.

  — "You won’t touch her again," he murmured, his voice low but heavy with threat.

  With speed, Hitory advanced. His sword sliced through the air with lethal precision, his movements now more fluid and deadly than ever. He focused first on the leader, who tried to raise his sword to defend himself, but it was futile. Hitory's strike was relentless, hitting him in the shoulder and cleaving him in half.

  The two remaining bandits hesitated, but Hitory gave them no time to react. With firm steps and fixed eyes, he disarmed them, his strikes controlled yet devastating. The clearing filled with screams and the metallic sound of weapons falling to the ground.

  When one of the bandits fled, screaming in panic, Hitory stopped in the center of the clearing, panting. The glow around him began to fade, but the sensation of that powerful energy was still present. He looked at the sword in his hand, then at the wooden arm, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

  His gaze was drawn to the young woman, who was still lying on the ground. Her eyes, once full of terror, were now half-open, as if trying to stay awake. She looked at Hitory for a brief moment, her lips trembling, but before she could say anything, her eyes closed slowly, and she passed out, succumbing to exhaustion and her injuries.

  Hitory took a step toward her, but his body staggered. The exhaustion and the impact of what had happened finally caught up with him. He fell to his knees, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The silence overtook the clearing, broken only by the sound of his heavy breathing.

  The Mysterious Girl

  Hitory staggered over to where the young woman lay, his heart heavy with worry and his body exhausted from the battle. As he knelt beside her, he noted the severity of her condition. Her clothes were torn and stained with blood, barely covering her at all.

  With a mix of care and hesitation, he began to remove the rags still covering her body, leaving her completely exposed. Seeing the bruises and wounds marking her skin, a wave of nausea hit him. The thought that the bandits might have done something worse to her if he hadn’t arrived in time filled him with rage and helplessness.

  For a moment, a knot formed in his stomach, a mixture of anger and disgust rising in his throat. He took a deep breath, fighting against the sensation, and refocused on protecting her from the cold.

  As he adjusted his cloak to cover her and shield her from the chill, his eyes were drawn to something unusual. In the center of her chest, above her heart, was a distinct mark that glowed faintly, as though emitting a subtle energy. Hitory frowned, intrigued, but didn’t have time to question what it was at that moment.

  He wrapped his cloak around her, covering her with the utmost care, protecting her not just from the cold but from the horrors he had just faced. The weight of responsibility hit him hard, but he knew he had to act quickly.

  Taking his backpack off, he improvised a pillow with a clean cloth and placed it under her head, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. He grabbed his blanket and covered her completely, ensuring she was warm. His movements were gentle, almost reverent, as he administered a few drops of medicine from his bag, hoping it would help ease the pain and stabilize her condition.

  When he finished, he sat beside her, watching her weak but steady breathing. His gaze briefly returned to the mark on her chest, the glow almost hypnotic. He knew there was more to this girl than met the eye, but at that moment, all that mattered was ensuring her survival.

  — "You're safe now," he whispered, feeling the exhaustion overtake him.

  The wound where his arm had been severed began to weigh on him even more. The blood loss made his vision blur, and he knew he had to tend to his own injury. But before he could do anything, his body gave way, and he collapsed beside her, fainting under the moonlight.

  The clearing was silent, except for the soft sound of their breathing. The starry sky seemed to watch over the two who had found hope amid the chaos.

  End of Episode 4: The Awakened Guardian