There is Nothing We Can Do (Why am I Here?)

Ghorra, present time

The door swung open to reveal a man in shining armour. He stepped in, shutting the door behind him. His eyes immediately locked onto Seiya and the Wizard, who watched him intently, their faces taut with tension.

This man was definitely part of the True Wanderer group the Wizard had mentioned. But what did that mean for Seiya?

Seiya kept his thoughts to himself as the soldier gently lowered his sword, which had been sheathed, signalling peace. His focus shifted entirely to the Wizard as he spoke, representing his leader.

"I’m sure you’re aware, great wizard, that we are now part of the coalition hired by the crown to maintain peace in the kingdom of Rhandim," the soldier said. "We’ve been informed that you’ve violated the king’s command for anyone in your order not to interfere with the Chosen One’s role. As far as we know, all your colleagues are back in the capital, yet not only did you break this command by leaving and attempting to take the Chosen One for yourself, but you’ve also stolen the prophecy paper—a highly valuable item to his highness."

The Wizard waved his hand dismissively, his expression calm as the soldier laid out his accusations.

"The information in that prophecy is the worst-kept secret," the Wizard replied coolly. "The royal family has leaked it to the public for decades. I’m sure my taking the paper as a point of reference is of no real consequence."

Seems like they have serious government leaks here in this world too...

The soldier chuckled before continuing. "You are well aware of your crimes. Hand over the boy, or your actions will cause trouble for an innocent village."

The Wizard sighed and responded with a question of his own. "Are you not going to question this lad right here? Or is it simply hand him over, or face the flames?"

The soldier didn't react, confirming the Wizard’s assumption without needing to speak.

Seiya was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the tension hanging in the air. Both men stood there, silently waiting for the other to make the next move.

This is insane. Is the Wizard even a good guy if he deliberately broke the rules? Is the king bad? What’s even my purpose in this world?

“Do you remember the advice I gave you, boy? About your name?”

The Wizard’s eyes remained on the soldier, but his question was directed at Seiya.

“Yes...?” Seiya replied cautiously.

“The boy can speak the mother tongue?” The soldier interrupted, surprised to hear Seiya speak their language as if he were a native.

The Wizard nodded before responding, “Much like your leader, as you must know, there is deep magic in the sky above us. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I was advising my pupil.”

Seiya turned to face the Wizard as he spoke, his curiosity growing.

“We’ve had a change in plans. I will save you. Any discussion with the leader will be fruitless. Let’s get out of here.”

Before Seiya could even respond, the Wizard swiftly pinched his fingers together and flicked them upward, as though pulling an invisible string. The soldier’s head instantly fell off, cleanly severed.

Seiya froze, wide-eyed in shock. He was about to scream, but the Wizard’s hand was already over his mouth, silencing him.

“Shh...” the Wizard whispered urgently. “There’s commotion outside currently. If we’re going to make it out of here alive, I advise you follow my commands and stay quiet.”

The Wizard removed his hand from Seiya’s mouth, and Seiya stared in bewilderment at the decapitated soldier, the pool of blood spreading across the floor.

“What’s going on? You’re going against the king of this land?? And you just straight-up murdered him!” Seiya’s voice shook with disbelief.

The Wizard turned to Seiya, his eyes calm and unwavering, his stoic gaze holding Seiya’s attention.

“You were going to be trapped, captured, or tortured by those men. I’m your only chance at survival here. If you don’t trust me, you will suffer. Remember this.”

Seiya's mind was reeling. His heart raced, trying to keep up with the flood of information that the Wizard was revealing. Too much was happening too fast, and Seiya was struggling to make sense of it all. There were far too many unanswered questions hanging in the air, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of confusion that gripped him. There was no time to panic now. He had to understand what was going on.

"Well, it seems like the commotion outside was a fight," the Wizard remarked, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. "Let's let this pass before we make our move. We’ll need to time this right..."

Seiya’s pulse quickened as he listened intently to the sounds outside—grunts and gasps. A fight was happening. Yet, he noticed something else, no one had come inside to check on them. It seemed the kill the Wizard had made earlier was so quick, so silent, that no one was aware of it. The outside world must still believe that the conversation was ongoing.

The Wizard’s words still hung in Seiya's mind, gnawing at him. He had so many questions. His stomach churned with a mixture of fear and curiosity. He needed to know.

“Wizard," Seiya began, his voice shaky but determined. “I understand this is the frustrating part of the story or whatever, someone from another world showing up, with no idea what's going on and needing answers. But I really need to know. Why is this all happening? Why did you kill that man? What’s the end goal here? You’ve barely told me anything, and I can't even trust you, so you have to give me something to work with..."

The Wizard’s eyes studied him carefully, as though he was weighing whether to share more of the truth. Finally, the Wizard sighed, his tone shifting to one of reluctant explanation.

“It’s not like we’re moving too soon anyway," he said, rubbing his temple as he gathered his thoughts. “I guess it’s time you get a clearer picture, even if it’s hard to make sense of. The truth is, chosen ones like yourself have appeared throughout our world’s history. Some are celestial beings, like you, others are born of this world’s people. There’s a well-established procedure for dealing with them... but this time, things have been complicated. The prophecy surrounding the chosen one has become distorted—important details are missing. That’s the crux of the issue."

He paused, looking outside briefly before continuing. "On top of that, there’s turmoil between the kingdoms right now. The ruling monarchy in Rhandim is in chaos. The current king has made some rash decisions—forming alliances with mercenary groups like the True Wanderers to secure power in the region, especially areas surrounding this village. These mercenaries don’t care about allegiances to any kingdom. They’re only interested in profit. Whoever can offer them a good trade becomes their ally. And right now, they’re working with the king, which only makes things worse.”

Seiya blinked, trying to absorb the information as the Wizard carried on, each new detail throwing his mind into more confusion.

“The True Wanderers, though…” The Wizard's voice grew more serious. “They’re a different kind of threat. This group started about forty years ago. Their leader arrived here, just like you—a celestial being, full of potential, or so it seemed. He believed he had an important purpose in this world. But over time, things went wrong. He couldn’t find his way, or maybe he realized his true purpose was something darker—to create this mercenary group. He built a ruthless, lawless force that has no morality or hesitation. He’ll do anything to achieve his goals, regardless of the cost."

Seiya felt his mind spin. He couldn’t even process half of what he was hearing.

The Wizard’s tone shifted again, serious and almost grim. “The fight outside… It sounds like it is slowing down… and it’s a sign. The situation has escalated. Whatever we do, it’s too late to save this village. If the True Wanderers are here at the king’s command, it means this village was always going to be destroyed once they got what they wanted—the chosen one."

Seiya felt the weight of those words crash over him like a wave. The village was doomed. His chest tightened again, but this time, it wasn’t just panic—it was the horrible truth settling in.

"I—I’m the chosen one, right?!" Seiya’s voice cracked, a note of desperation creeping into his words. “If they want me, then... then why don’t we just go to the king? I can talk to him, explain things... maybe there’s a way to work this out, to stop all of this! Or—or maybe I have some kind of power I don’t even know about, something that can stop them right here, right now! Please, Wizard, help me! I can’t—I can’t just stand here and let this village... let them all die because of me! I don’t want that! Please!”

His voice was shaking, every word laced with the terror of the situation and the overwhelming weight of responsibility bearing down on him. He was on the edge, grasping for any shred of hope he could find.

The Wizard stared at Seiya, his eyes softening as he saw the young man unravel before him. The desperation in Seiya’s voice, it was all too clear.

“You are too new to do anything," the Wizard said gently, but the truth in his words stung with cold finality. His voice was low, almost reluctant. "If your instincts as the chosen one guide you to act, then follow them. But know this: you are now part of a system far greater than you, a system that doesn’t bend to your will. You cannot control everything, no matter how much you want to.”

Those final words felt like a stab in the heart, the powerlessness of the situation hitting Seiya.

He had to follow through and if he valued his life…he could not do anything rash.