Every great adventure has a beginning, although sometimes it's not a good memory. In an attempt to rescue his friend from her wedding celebration, Shun and his brother Max devise an escape plan to save Lidia, which will defy the fate and could have...
I closed my eyes for just a moment, just a few seconds, and when I opened them, Max appeared in front of me, stepping in to stop the spear of the rider who charged us, completely blocking him.
Tzar and Snel slowed down abruptly and collided sideways with the other horse. The armored rider was thrown to the other end of the bridge and lost his helmet; Max fell to the ground with the spear in his chest, the metal tip of the weapon completely pierced his body, and the long handle was impaled inside him.
Shun: 『 MAAAAAAX!!! 』
Lidia: 『 MAX!! 』
Veronica: 『 MAX!!! 』
We got off the horses to help my brother. The long wooden pole stuck out a meter from his back and another from his chest. He didn't have an hemorrhage, but his mouth did spit out a bit of blood, the weapon stopped the leak, so we couldn't take it out.
Lidia: 『 I−I'll help him!! 』
Lidia tried to use her mana to calm the pain and coagulate the wound, but she didn't have enough to do so, she had already spent everything she had on me and the king. Still, she tried, but she didn't release any energy, her body wouldn't allow it.
Veronica: 『 There is no point, Lidia, if you continue like this you will only become exhausted again. 』
Lidia: 『 But then, how...! 』
I felt just as helpless as Lidia, I was scared and unsure of what to do. I made a radical decision, I unsheathed the sword that Master Rask gave me and cut off the ends of the spear, leaving the center embedded in Max.
Veronica: 『 Shun, what are you doing?! 』
Shun: 『 We must get him out of here. Come on, brother, you can do it. 』
Max: 『 AAAGH! Shit! 』
He remained conscious and stable, the pain harassed him a lot, but it helped him stay awake. I helped him get up and climb onto Snel so that he could go with me.
Shun: 『 Lidia, you and mom go together. I will take care of− 』
Rider: 『 DO YOU THINK YOU'LL GET AWAY THAT EASYLY, YOU DIRTY SWINE?!! 』
The rider stood on the other side of the bridge and shouted at us, or rather at me. There was no one else in the world who spoke in that shrill voice that irritated me so much. I turned my neck to face him and with annoyance confirmed who it was.
Shun: 『 Sevan! 』
Sevan: 『 DON'T THINK I'LL LET YOU GO! THE SAME DESTINY AS THAT COMMONER AWAITS YOU AND THAT OF EVERYONE IN THIS KINGDOM! 』
Shun: 『 Bastard!! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO PLANNED THE AMBUSH!! 』
Sevan: 『 HA, HA, HA!! SURPRISED?!! I KNEW YOU WOULD TRY TO ESCAPE THIS WAY! I JUST HAD TO WAIT FOR YOU LIKE THE COWARDLY RATS YOU ARE AND EXTERMINATE YOU... slowly and painfully! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA....!!! 』
Shun: 『 DAMN SON OF A BITCH, I'VE HAD ENOGH OF YOU!! 』
Sevan: 『 THAT'S IT!!! COME, SO I SLICE YOU INTO PIECES!!! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I'M GOING TO ENJOY IT!!! 』
We both ran towards each other until we met in the middle of the bridge. Sevan was the first to attack with a horizontal slash. I climbed the wooden railing of the bridge to avoid it, took momentum and jumped over him. I swung the sword hard and...
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I felt frantic, like my hand was burning. The sword suddenly glowed blue as I made the cut. The blood evaporated from the blade, and it returned to its original state, with no damage or stains on it.
Finally, there was a bit of silence. I took a deep breath and exhaled all that anger. I felt much lighter. I sheathed the sword again and turned back, ending the damn dispute between Sevan and me. However, the calmness would be short-lived when several of the gray soldiers came running towards us.
Invading soldier: 『 STOP THERE!!! 』
Max: 『 SHUN, RUN!!! 』
I crossed the bridge and hurried to the horses. When I arrived, Max with effort and pain threw a small black stone that exploded and generated a dense layer of dark smoke, completely confusing the soldiers.
We left in a hurry, distancing ourselves from the invaders until we were out of their sight. We galloped forward until we were completely far away and isolated on the road that became thin. There were no more soldiers around, only trees and more trees that accompanied us along the way.
Shun: 『 We did it Max, we finally did it! 』
Max: 『 ... I think... Mmgh!... It's... going away− 』
Shun: 『 That's right, brother, we could go away. You just resist. We'll arrive soon. 』
Max: 『 No... I didn't mean that... 』
I felt how he stopped holding on to me, I turned to check on him and noticed a huge red stain around the piece of spear. He lowered his arms, and his weight tilted him to the left, falling dramatically from the horse. I stopped Snel and got off right away.
Shun: 『 MAX!! 』
Veronica: 『 MAX!! 』
The stain expanded very quickly, little by little his eyes became tired and lost their shine. I took his hand and realized how cold he was.
Shun: 『 Come on, get up, brother! *Effort* Mmmmgh...! 』
I tried to lift him up, but he wasn't helping, he no longer made the effort to stand up once again. He refused to go on.
Shun: 『 What the hell are you saying?! You still have to fight! You have to−! 』
Max: 『 No..., it's enough... I ended up being a bad leader and everyone died because of me... It was of no use for me to fight. 』
Shun: 『 This is not your fault. I−If I had gone with you...』
Max: 『 If you had gone with me, you wouldn't have saved Lidia and mom... The way you protected them was incredible..., at that moment, I didn't do anything... You have the ability to save whoever is within your reach..., on the other hand, I... Shun, you are special, so save them; save all those who need it. Become the hero you wanted to be... Do it... Do it for me. 』
Shun: 『 *Sob* B−But I−I can't. I can't do it. I couldn't save you. You were the one who *stutters*... the one who saved Lidia and me. You...! 』
Max: 『 Hey, didn't you want to be an adventurer...? Don't be afraid, brother..., I know you can do it... So please... live... live for me. 』
Shun: 『 *Sob* Max...? Max...! Max, no..., no, no, no, no, please! Max! MAX! MAX!!! 』
His hand lost strength and he stopped squeezing me, his gaze became empty, and his dry mouth let out a last breath. Mom and Lidia cried while I incessantly called him by his name; I tried, tried, and tried, but..., in the end..., he never responded again.
