GASP!

  A man opened his eyes, azure smoke rising from his sapphire eyes. Sweat beading down from his face, his expression crumpled as he tries and fails to sit upright.

  “Urgh…” Groaning, he closed his eyes. His abdomen sank, his skin burning like a rusty saw was cutting him in half. Not long after, it was his brain that was plunged into flames.

  “GRR!” He clenched his teeth, his eyes rolling back. His nails dug at his skull, trying to scoop out the maggots that seemed to live inside.

  “ARHHH!!!”

  BAM!

  Startled by his yell, someone ruthlessly slid the door open. There, a woman in a blue maid dress gaped at his sight.

  “Master—ah! DOCTOR! DOCTOR!! Master Teriel is awake!” She yelled, hurriedly approaching Teriel who was laying on his bed.

  Sensing her presence, Teriel struggled to open his eyes. His vision was clogged up with black dots, but as the woman's figure appeared in his view, they started to clear up like the fading fog at dawn.

  “Where am I?” Teriel grunted, but the woman ignored him. Instead, the woman reached into her dress’s sleeves, taking out a long, pointed knife covered in blood.

  His eyes widened, his heart racing as the woman slowly brought the knife to his face. His eyes shifted to glance at the woman's face, and oddly, “her” face was that of a man.

  A man who he would never forget.

  “Stop…” He gasped out, his voice nigh inaudible. His blood ran cold, his entire body tingling as he tried to move it.

  Even the pain had gone away, but as the knife drew closer, his limbs were stiff like a corpse.

  “Stop…!”

  He tried yelling louder, but the woman only showed a ruthless sneer. Finally, the tip of the knife touched his nose, and the woman stopped. But then, she raised her hand high, her face turning ferocious. Her eyes started glowing red, and as she was about to plunge the knife inside his face…

  “I SAID STOP!” He roared, shoving the woman aside with a hand. The woman stumbled, but before she could fall, he caught her hand and dragged her toward him.

  Soon, his hands clasped her frail neck with ease, and he was staring into her terrified face. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, and as they fell down her cheeks and jaws, they felt like acid landing on his skin.

  “Master… please… your— medicine!” The woman croaked out.

  Aghast, Teriel let go of the woman's neck, who later coughed up a storm. Then, his eyes trailed down his torso, and to her shoulders and arms. Finally, he saw her hands that were holding a spherical pill.

  “What is…” He blinked, and his mind spun into action. He took a sharp breath, realizing that his vision was back to normal. However, his whole body was still aching. In particular, his abdomen and head felt like they were on fire.

  “What… are you doing?” Teriel asked, his voice hoarse as he fell limp on the bed. When his back hit the bedding, he felt his blue shirt stick to his skin with a squelch.

  His nose crumpled, the potent scent of sweat filling up his lungs.

  Tremblingly, the woman spoke up. “Master, this is the medicinal pill doctor Fran prescribed. You must take it, or your wounds may open up,” she said.

  Closing his eyes, Teriel hummed while nodding lightly.

  Hesitant, the woman waited for a while, before carefully pressing the pill against Teriel’s lips. Teriel silently opened his mouth, swallowing the spherical medicine in one breath.

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  “Ah,” relieved, the woman sobbed. “It's great that master came back. The… the others…”

  Teriel raised his hand, the ache in his body rapidly subsiding, replaced by an unforgiving chill.

  “I know. I remember now… that demon,” Teriel whispered.

  “What of the fortress?” Teriel asked, and he heard the woman take out something made of paper.

  “Shall I read the report for you, master?” She asked, receiving an approving hum from Teriel.

  “...of the Reinath Squad, no one survived… apart from you, master. They were all slaughtered by rogue mercenaries.”

  ~~~

  The weather was surprisingly hot that day.

  Teriel looked around, a wide grin on his face.

  “Does everyone have plans after this?” He asked, and his fourteen companions all looked at him.

  Three of them had longbows behind their backs, while the rest were just like him. Using spears as canes.

  “Do you have plans, Teriel?” One of the archers asked, tutting.

  “None. I shall follow all of you today,” Teriel replied.

  “Pfft,” the archer scoffed. “As if. You always chase after pleasure. Aren't you afraid of your precious maiden back at home?”

  Teriel sneered. “It's because she's a maiden that this one won't dare lay his hands upon her,” he huffed. “But I'm a man of vigor. I need—”

  “Alright, shut up. I'm already dizzy after fighting that royal and this weather ain't helpin’. Do you really have to speak in riddles, O’ wise man of wisdom?” One of the spearmen spoke.

  “Hah! It doesn't suit you, you musclehead,” the archer sneered, copying the spearman's words in a mocking tone. “Wise man of wisdom , he says. At least don't repeat your words…”

  “Since no one has plans, I'll go to the… hot springs… after we siege this place,” Teriel shrugged.

  However, his plans were very quickly abandoned.

  It happened too suddenly.

  Fortress Arho was quick to fall with their collective might. But then, an elite swordsman butted in and tried to kill them.

  However, one against fifteen, who would win? Even after an elite arcane mage showed up, Teriel and the others weren't too worried.

  That was, until one of them was killed.

  Afterward, the lunatic swordsman disarmed all of them by skewering himself with their spears.

  “Demon!” He yelled, his hands glowing blue as he swatted the swordsman's blade with a hand.

  “Go back to hell,” he growled, stabbing the swordsman with his fingers, only to miss.

  Very swiftly, the swordsman's sword glided in the air, cutting his abdomen open.

  Then, he jumped back, his heart pumping blood as it stopped and started healing the fatal wound.

  Well, fatal to others but not them, elites.

  He frowned, scanning the area. All of his comrades were dead, and he didn't know what happened to the archers. Sometime during the battle, they'd stopped firing arrows.

  “This accursed demon,” he gritted his teeth, chewing on his tongue. He didn't know how the swordsman did it, but even after his body was drained of blood, he was still fighting.

  ‘Is it because of energy cores?’ He wondered.

  After cutting his comrades into pieces, the swordsman would rip out their energy cores and eat them.

  At first, all of them thought the swordsman was insane. Well, they weren't wrong.

  Absorbing energy cores for training wasn't unheard of, nor was it a taboo. However, barely anyone practices it due to the dangers.

  Absorbing energy cores would not only contaminate one's own energy, it would also erode their bodies until they shrivel up and die. To survive and benefit from the practice, one must slowly absorb the energy core by holding it in their palm and meditating.

  NOT by eating them—like how the swordsman did.

  ‘Crazy, how did he not explode already?’ Teriel cursed until he saw red.

  However, the swordsman hunted him down, even as he tried to flee. In the end, he couldn't do anything as the swordsman stood over him, a spear aimed at his head.

  “Damned… demon,” he wordlessly uttered, and then he felt the spearhead digging through his head.

  If that was all that happened, he would've accepted it.

  But no, he didn't die. For a long while, he survived, unable to see, move, nor hear. In a state of pain, he could only wait until death stopped being lazy and took his soul.

  And yet, when he opened his eyes again… He found himself inside his mansion, in his familiar bedroom.

  ~~~

  “...as for the three esteemed archers, they'd been killed by magic. The officers confirmed that apart from the elite mercenary named Zethir, mercenary Marco also went rogue and was the killer of the esteemed archers,” the woman finished reading, and placed down the piece of paper in her hand.

  Slowly, Teriel opened his eyes.

  “Pronacia… how long have I been asleep?” He looked weakly at the woman, his precious maiden.

  Pronacia’s eyes glistened with tears. “Over… half a month, master.”

  “Urgh—” Teriel's face crumbled, a sudden headache piercing his brain. Hissing in pain, he asked. “What did Fran do to me? How did he save me?”

  Pronacia lowered her head. “He… used an energy core to overcharge your body, master. Afterward, your body healed itself.”

  “Such a thing is possible?” Teriel's eyes slightly widened in disbelief.

  But before Pronacia could answer, a man's voice leaked into the room. “Of course it is. Elites are abnormal, and in this world anything is possible,” the man said, walking toward the two.

  Teriel looked toward the voice, watching as a man not much taller than Pronacia walked toward the bed.

  “Fran,” he nodded lightly. Fran walked closer, before putting a hand on Teriel's chest.

  “Your heart is the source of your strength. That Zethir… that man, had he stolen your core, you wouldn't have survived long enough for me to heal you,” Fran shook his head, turning to look at Pronacia.

  “Would you mind?” Fran narrowed his grey eyes.

  Pronacia gracefully stood up, bowing forty-five degrees in a fluid manner. “This servant will take her leave, masters.”

  Teriel hummed, and only then did Pronacia leave the room. Seeing this, Teriel frowned at Fran.

  “Stupid child,” Fran raised his hand, as if to smack Teriel in the head. “Now is not the time for love affairs. You are injured, you must recuperate,” he said.

  “Although it's a miracle that you survived, do not push your luck,” Fran tutted.

  “...thank you, Doctor,” Teriel slowly breathed out, sighing.

  “But I'm afraid this noble won't be the same as before. His heart is now empty, for his comrades are now gone.”

  “For goodness' sake,” Fran rubbed his forehead. “You say all that but you shed no tears,” he scoffed.

  “A man doesn't cry,” Fran glared at Teriel, who had opened his mouth to speak. “You were going to say that weren't you? Cease the nonsense. The nobles would find it unacceptable if you do not mourn your comrades.”

  “Tch,” Teriel closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

  Fran huffed in response. “Fine then, master Teriel,” he said, his voice laced with a barrel of sarcasm. “If you don't want to deal with the formalities, I'm afraid Pronacia will have to bear the hands of other noblemen.”

  In an instant, Teriel sat up, only to nearly black out from the pain of moving too abruptly.

  Fran watched him in astonishment as he fainted, cold sweat coating every inch of his body. Clicking his tongue, Fran covered Teriel's eyes with a hand.

  “O’ my fallen. Why did you save him?” He muttered.

  Unbeknownst to him, a woman was standing just behind the closed door, her ears pressed against the wood. Biting her lip, she clenched her fists and hurried away.