Daiki Furuya

I woke up to the light streaming through the window, illuminating the dirty white ceiling of the mansion, which, once again, I couldn’t care less about cleaning. I was a bit dizzy, as usual, from the drink last night. It wasn’t wine this time, but a strong liquor I’d grabbed from the pantry. Something that put me in the perfect state of apathy to face the day. Or rather, to not face the day.

I turned to the side and saw Aeliana, the elf, cleaning the house. I didn’t even need to look because I knew exactly what she was doing. Every day was the same. Even after all these years, even though she was a high-ranking noble elf, she still did all this as if it were her personal mission. The reason? Gratitude. I was the one who saved her all those years ago, and since then, she’d devoted herself to taking care of me. Without question. It wasn’t an obligation, it wasn’t an order from the Elf Queen — just gratitude. Something I never understood, but also didn’t care about. Aeliana never asked me for anything, never bothered me with feelings. She just... took care of me.

I sat up in bed and grabbed the liquor bottle that was on the table. Took a long swig, feeling the burn of the warm drink go down my throat. The numbness felt good. The best feeling, actually. I didn’t want to think about what was going on outside. The demons I killed, the battles I won, the pain I felt... It was all in the past. I just wanted to forget.

Aeliana came into the room with a letter, as always. She knew I didn’t want to see those things, but she handed it to me anyway. "Another help request," I thought. She didn’t say anything, but I could feel it in the air. There was something there. Something I didn’t want to face.

"Daiki," she said in that calm, emotionless voice of hers. "It’s from King Alaric."

King Alaric. The guy was always asking for something. Always with a problem. I knew what was written in the letter before I even opened it, after all, seeing a few moments into the future is no big deal for me. The Demon King would emerge in a year, the demons broke his 10,000-year seal. The city was in chaos after the information leaked. The empire struggling to maintain order. And, of course, the request for help. Asking me to return to battle, to keep the peace, and weaken the demon forces that had been rebuilding in my absence.

I sighed and tossed the letter on the table. "Ugh," I thought. It was always the same. Nothing new. I didn’t care. I didn’t care about the world anymore. I’d done enough. I spent the last five years out of combat, drowning in alcohol, in vices... But, more importantly, in a sea of indifference.

Aeliana watched, as usual. She didn’t complain, didn’t ask questions. She just did whatever was necessary to keep the house in order. She was there, waiting for something, maybe even a sign that I would change, but none of that was going to happen. I wasn’t interested anymore.

Two days passed, and my routine stayed the same. I woke up, drank, jerked off, spent time thinking about nothing, and had no idea why I was still alive. I was... fucked. Not literally, but in the sense that nothing mattered to me anymore.

Then, that night, they arrived.

King Alaric’s representatives. Two warriors, a man and a woman, were at the door of the mansion. They weren’t weak. The man, Kael Drakkar, and the woman, Lyanna Faeriel, both in shining armor with imposing swords, entered the room.

"Daiki Furuya," the man said in a deep tone, "The kingdom is in danger. King Alaric sends an urgent request. The Demon King... he will rise in a year, and we need your help."

The woman, Lyanna, continued, "The city is in chaos, and we have concerns about the barrier protecting the kingdom. Panic is spreading. Only you can reverse the situation."

I looked at them, completely uninterested. Those words... "We need you"... I’d heard them so many times before. They were here with an expectation, with desperate need, but all I wanted was to continue my life as it was.

Without a hint of consideration, I turned my back and grabbed another bottle of liquor. "Fuck it. Who cares," I thought as I started drinking. "I’ve already done enough."

The two warriors were furious. I could feel the anger radiating off them, but I didn’t care. They attacked. It wasn’t surprising. They were strong warriors, but the thing is, I was still faster than any of them, and I already knew what they were going to do.

Before any sword got close to me, I had already thrown them out of the mansion. Literally. They didn’t even hear the sound of what happened, didn’t realize what had occurred until they were 500 meters away from the door, with their swords lying next to them. I took the opportunity to grab the warrior’s chest. They were big, I could feel a momentary pleasure.

They tried to come back, of course, but Aeliana stopped them. "You can’t enter. He doesn’t care," she said, with her usual coldness. I watched her, enjoying the situation. They were pissed, but they couldn’t do anything.

However, before they could continue their failed attempts, someone appeared.

King Alaric. He entered through the door, his imposing presence filling the room. He looked at me and didn’t say a word. I didn’t care. I completely ignored him.

But Aeliana... She approached him, seemed to know what to do. The King, in a calm and firm tone, spoke to her: "Aeliana, you were the only one who’s always been by his side. Do whatever it takes to bring Daiki back. We need him again."

Aeliana said nothing, but I saw a glimmer in her eyes. Something had changed. She was no longer just fulfilling a servant’s role. Now, she had a mission.

And somehow, I knew she would do whatever was necessary to try.