First Cracks

It was an unusually windless day.

Gerald didn’t feel a breeze — as if someone had drained the air itself. The heat was suffocating. Even a stoic hero like Gerald felt the heavy trail of sweat sliding down his neck beneath silver-and-cyan leather armor. His shirt underneath was already soaked.

“That’ll be a long day,” Gerald sighed wryly.

“Fire!” the bald general suddenly bellowed.

A cloud of arrows soared into the sky, casting a shifting shadow over the approaching Dark Alliance. The enemy raised their shields — but Gerald was already moving.

He didn’t use his spear this time.

He lunged forward, fist clenched, slamming into the shield of a towering orc more than twice his size.

The orc stood alone at the vanguard, with the rest forming a triangular formation behind him. But Gerald’s strike sent him flying back into his allies, breaking their triangle. Their shields dipped — just for a heartbeat — but that heartbeat was enough.

The arrows landed.

Dozens dropped to their knees or collapsed. Gerald hurled his spear, finishing the wounded.

Enemies surged in, trying to surround him — to stop him from throwing again.

What they didn’t know: Gerald preferred melee.

Ranged combat saved energy. But melee? That’s where the fun began.

A mad grin twisted across his face. His eyes gleamed like a child at a toyshop window.

“You will give me a challenge, won’t you, fellows?”

A warhammer fell from above. A burning arrow hissed past his cheek. Twin blades came for his back. Gerald didn’t flinch.

He tilted his head — caught the arrow mid-air and flung it back. His spear spun behind him, parrying both blades with a single sweep, and slammed its shaft into the dark elf’s vitals.

Gerald landed lightly on the orc’s warhammer — and walked up to its skull like it was a staircase.

He was standing on the orc’s head. The creature hadn’t even realized it yet.

Gerald scanned the battlefield casually, like he was on a balcony.

Then the orc noticed him — and with a rising rage, tried to lift his hammer.

But it crumbled in his hand.

“How—”

A gaping hole had opened in orc’s chest. His eyes widened. He fell and looked up but Gerald was already gone.

Gerald looked up as well  — a swarm of red-eyed, bat-winged fiends descended from the skies.

“Can I get a break, at least for a second?” Gerald sighed.

He leapt skyward, meeting them mid-air. Pierced one through the wing, flipped over, kicked another, drove his spear through a third. One by one, the creatures rained down like poisoned flies.

Gerald fell with them — headfirst — scanning the battlefield.

On the far side of the front, chaos erupted. The empire’s soldiers struck at each other with vacant, hollow eyes — as if they were in oblivion.

Gerald narrowed his eyes.

“So… you’re finally here. But where?”

He scanned the ranks, but no one stood out. All looked the same.

He landed near the maddened soldiers.

“I know you want to play hide-and-seek, but I’d prefer a more straightforward approach if you don’t mind!” he called out, voice slicing through the din. Some soldiers blinked, coming to their senses.

“Gerald! Gerald!” A woman’s scream rang out. The source was hard to place.

Gerald’s face darkened — he knew that voice.

“Help me, Gerald!”

“Yeah, yeah… ha-ha. So amusing,” he sneered. “Your humor is beyond praise. Now come forward.”

The cries didn’t stop. Then — a baby’s wail.

Gerald’s fists clenched.

“Where are you, Gerald?”

“You know where I am. Stop this — you’re only embarrassing yourself.”

A young woman emerged from the enemy ranks. Blonde, around twenty, her kind blue eyes swollen with tears. In her arms, a baby with tufts of blue hair.

Gerald froze. Then exhaled.

Expression hardening, he dashed forward — and drove his spear through both mother and child.

“Gerald?” his wife whispered, looking at him with a disbelief.

“The Princess of Oblivion. Oksana. The Child of His. You really thought that trick would work? Even a human deserves more credit than that. Who the hell do you think I am? You shouldn’t have underestimated me this much.”

“Wohoho… Wohohoho!”
The creature wearing his wife’s face burst into laughter. Her expression twisted, joints cracking, black sludge pouring from her skin. The child melted in her arms like wax.

“You did surprise me, young hero. The grit in your eyes… your spirit... mmm.” She gave a soft, almost dreamy blush. “You’re definitely my type. But I’m afraid the one who truly underestimated someone... was you.”

“Huh?”

Her face warped again, skin crawling like liquid.
In an instant, his wife’s tear-streaked face became the bald general’s... grinning back at him.

Gerald’s eyes widened.

“You had your chance — and you missed it. You shouldn’t have let your guard down, Sir Gerald.”

Then, the general popped like a bubble, splattering black ink across the ground.
The illusion shattered like glass.

Gerald blinked — he was back on the battlefield, spear raised, right after defeating the dark elf.

“Sir Gerald — behind you!” the real bald general screamed.

“Wha—” But it was too late.

Two spears — one from each side — impaled him. A dark elf. An orc. And from behind them, Oksana stepped forward.

Arms crossed. Eyes smiling. Watching him bleed.

The strength in Gerald’s hands began to drain. The spear slipped.

And there she stood — looking not like a warrior, but a guest at a royal ball: White-styled hair. White, pupil-less eyes rimmed in orange shadow. Pale cyan skin. Black horns curled like obsidian crowns. An elegant red dress, hugging her form like flame.

“Such a shame that a pretty face like yours will die here.” she said softly. “I wish we could’ve met under warmer circumstances. There were so many other ways I could’ve tricked and played with you… I could’ve worn your wife’s face, shared my warmth with you, whispered sweet lies in the dark — made you believe I was her, holding your hand. Isn’t that what you wanted?” She giggled. “Wohoho.”

Gerald nearly dropped his spear. But then—

He gritted his teeth.

His grip tightened. Blood spilled from his mouth…
But his eyes blazed with will.

He raised the spear — and hurled it at her. She dodged it casually.

“So close, but a vain effort.”

Gerald chuckled.

“That’ll be enough.”

Oksana tilted her head, her smile smug.                                                                                          “Hm? Is this a human’s idea of victory? Doing your best?” 

“Enough to wipe that unsightly smile off your face,” he whispered. His breaths were shallow. His body was dying. But his smile — wide and serene. And then the wind returned.

A nice breeze danced across his face.

A good day… to cross to the Other side

“Wohoho. What are you—“ A great gust of wind sliced across the field.                                    Oksana shrieked. Her left eye — gone. A deep gash tore down her cheek.  She clutched her face, but blood poured through her trembling fingers. Behind her, dozens of soldiers were ripped apart by the wind’s blade.

“You!!!” she screamed, shaking. “How dare you… You scarred me?! My precious face?!

“I saved that one… just for you,” Gerald murmured, voice ragged.

“Ugh!” She lunged at him, dagger in hand.

“Sorry, Gladius… The Empire’s future is in your ha—”

Oksana didn’t let him finish.

A piece of Gerald’s body flew skyward.

Classical music played.

In the palace ballroom, nobles danced, laughed, drank.

Gerald soared.

He saw the sky.
He saw Oksana’s furious face.
He saw his comrades weeping.
The bald general collapsed to his knees.

And while Gerald’s head spun through the air,
the nobles in the capital clinked their glasses.

Oksana flicked the blood from her dagger.

“Why won’t it heal? Why…? My skin. My face. How did he…”

She seethed.

“That hideous scar! Just because of that one man. That human. Ghh!”

She turned to the orc general.

“What are you gawking at? I did your job for you! Crush the rest — now!”

The Dark Alliance surged forward with a deafening roar, shattering what remained of the Empire’s lines. The soldiers — whose spirits were broken — couldn’t hold.

Oksana kicked Gerald’s corpse in irritation.

“I’ll remember you, Gerald Nestern — Sweeping Wind — the only human who ever left a scar on my precious body.”

She glanced back one last time.

Gerald’s lips… still curved — into a peaceful smile.