RED HOOD ✔

LIGHT IN THE SHADOW

Maurice peeked out from behind his window one more time, ensuring that the coast was clear, before stepping out of his house with an unmistakable glee. This little...

"What the heck, Maurice? You could have given me my sword," I blurted out, frustration boiling over. He just smiled, that infuriatingly smug grin. "If I'd given you your sword, you wouldn't have learned to summon it." You know what, I don't really care that Maurice hates me, the feeling is definitely mutual. "So you brought those here?" I asked, a bit accusatory. He shook his head, "Of course I didn't. I brought a simple wolf. He must have run off when you started yelling. Your yelling brought them here."

Oh, but he could have still helped. Anyway, there was no use arguing. I just shrugged and stormed off, even though I had no idea which way to go. Maurice then called out, "Hey, hood!" I turned back, irritation evident in my expression. "What!!!" He smirked again, "The village is that way." He pointed in the complete opposite direction of where I was heading. Oh, I was still mad at him. But I followed his directions and headed back to the village.

After a few wrong turns and an unexpected encounter with a handsy female elf, I finally made it back to Aunt Liza's. "So, how was it?" she asked casually. I didn't respond right away. "Which beast did he use on you?" It seemed he was known for this kind of test. "It wasn't one beast. There were three," I replied. She looked genuinely shocked. "He must not like you. He gave your mum just one wolf."

Well, its not like Maurice purposefully sicked those rats at me "Well, he did have a wolf for me to fight, but it ran off when I yelled at Maurice apparently, and these giant blind rats came in..." Aunt Liza was drinking a glass of water at the time, and she nearly choked when I mentioned the rats. "Did you say blind rats?" I nodded. "Yeah." She looked at me, eyes wide in astonishment. "You mean the three blind mice?" Again, I nodded.

Aunt Liza set her glass down slowly, a mix of disbelief and concern crossing her face. "Those are not just any rats, Vincent. They're a part of the beastiary legends say they are indestructible... How were you able to defeat them???" she asked extremely puzzled. How did I defeat them... they didnt seem all that indestructible to me... let me see; looking back at that fight those rats had a glow on them that had seemed to vanish after they had attacked themselves... could that have nullified their supposed invulnerability?

Aunt Liza examines me, taking in my tired, dirt-smudged face. "You managed to outsmart the three blind mice?" Her voice carried a note of pride now.

"Yeah, they... they attacked each other." I explained, feeling a bit more relaxed knowing I had inadvertently handled a legendary threat.

Aunt Liza smiled warmly, her earlier shock turning into admiration. "Well, that's quite the feat, Vincent. Not many can boast they've faced and bested the three blind mice. Especially not on their first try at summoning." Her approval washed over me, easing some of the day's tension.

Maurice's harsh methods might not have been kind, but they had forced me to tap into abilities I didn't know I possessed. Maybe there was more to his grumpy demeanor than just dislike. Perhaps, in his own tough way, he was pushing me to realize my potential. And in a twisted sense, that made him a good teacher, even if I was loath to admit it.

Aunt Liza's tone shifted to a grave note as she explained, "Vincent, those rats—those are legendary class beasts. Sure, they aren't as powerful as The Beast, but they are incredibly difficult to defeat. Vince, you seem to be showing great progress in a very short time." Her expression clouded over, which was odd given the context of my achievement. "That's good, right?" I ventured tentatively.

She shook her head slowly, her eyes reflecting a deep, unspoken worry. "I fear that if you continue to increase in power at this rate, your time to confront The Beast will soon be upon us."