A Horrible Feeling

Commotion shook the air as the three of them ran through the streets of Lerwood. Shouts, yells, screams, they were growing louder—closer—as concern rose in them like the tide.

Itsuki's hand was pressed against his chest again, gripping tight as he tugged the other two in his other.

Sayaka was side-to-side with him and carrying Eflam on her back as the girl pointed out where to go. Her hand never faltered for a moment, even as she stifled a few sniffles into her shoulder.

They passed increasingly more townspeople in a blur. Some were onlookers, others were running away, others were yelling. It was nearly as much chaos as when the Diluvian's had raided, yet instead of fire there was something different spreading amongst the town: a feeling Itsuki hated nearly as much as death itself.

Helplessness.

"How much further, Eflam? Are we getting close?"

He looked back at the girl as she bobbed her head, trying to project a brave face. "Y-yes, down that street with the red roofs."

That was confirmation enough. He kicked against the ground even faster now, careful to control their momentum and making use of his training; he didn't want to make a repeat of the last time he'd lost control.

The brick walls of buildings glowed as twilight ticked on behind them, almost as if warning him. For a moment, he imagined what would happen should he crater into that instead of a wooden cart.

A flinch.

Er, never mind. It probably would be best if he just focused.

"Is that where they are, Eflam?" Sayaka suddenly asked as a crowd came into view.

The girl nodded again into her shoulder, retreating a little behind her back.

"Y-yes. Please, save big sis." Another sniffle. "You saved me from the cult people. You can do the same with these ones, right?"

Itsuki squinted to try make out exactly what was happening. Most of the crowd on the outside were townsfolk and were blocking his vision, so whatever was happening inside was completely lost to him.

Despite that though and the doubts running through him, he shot back a smile to Eflam.

"We'll certainly try to."

They slowed down as they approached the wall of people, transitioning to forging their way through with firm nudges and muted apologies.

Several thoughts were running through Itsuki's head now in preparation as he tried figuring out just what they were up against. It couldn't have been the cultists if there was a crowd, so perhaps these were bandits of some sort, or maybe some other organized crime?

He and Sayaka together could hopefully do something about those. However, if even the matron and vice-captain were having issues, and it wasn't just down to numbers…

His speculation faded as they finally came into view, shock surging in instead.

He tensed.

Soldiers in golden armor were the first thing he saw. They were dressed roughly the same as the ones for the town. However, besides the starkly different colored plate, each of them had a crest-emblazoned tabard that hung from their torso: two crossed swords in front of a fist.

Wasn't that the symbol of this region's government? The dukedom?

There was a couple dozen of them, all of them circling a shakily-defiant figure, weapons drawn and readied.

It was hard to see who they were from this angle, but the moment one of them shifted just a bit—

"…big sis…?" Eflam muttered, weakly grabbing for her sister as they came to a stop. She slipped off Sayaka's back and lingered behind both of them, unsure as what to do.

Honestly, Itsuki was too, and judging by the look on Sayaka, so was she.

What the hell were they doing to Refi?

A familiar voice rang across the crowd before he could think.

"Knight-Earl Judan!" Kiaki shouted. "What you are doing is a breach of etiquette, humanity, and trust! You cannot simply raid Lerwood in one of your 'visits', especially not so soon after a Diluvian attack! There is protocol to be followed!"

The vice-captain was standing right next to Velena, a visible fury barely restrained through sharpened eyes as her proclamation faded. Both were boring holes into a strikingly muscular man with gaudier armor than the soldiers, backed up by a few of their town's guard by their side.

The man waved her off with a hand.

"Silence, Vice-Captain, it's an emergency recruitment, and only a single kid. Also, you and your 'wife' combined don't reach the rank I do now. You would do well to remember that."

Itsuki paused at the sudden revelation.

Wait, 'wife'? Those two were married?

He and Sayaka had noticed a few things, sure—like the fact both spent most of their time together—but they'd assumed that was more for responsibilities than anything else, especially with the rebuilding process of the town and their joint training.

It wasn't like it was necessary for him and Sayaka to know, but… why hadn't they told them? He thought they'd gotten decently close.

Gold shone in the twilight like an answer as the apparent knight-earl postured around, flaunting armor, longsword, and presence. Long blonde hair flowed around a lightly-scarred face and over pauldrons, and his purple eyes glinted in haughtiness.

"Regardless, I demand you two order that girl down. A fiery spirit is superb for combat, but we'd much rather have it aimed at terrorists than her own good people—something she'll have plenty of time to do once we train her."

"I'm not doing crap, you bastards!" Refi cried out in response.

Velena nodded, blue eyes and hair nearly surging around her.

"You heard Refi. Now tell your unit to stand down. You've already recruited a dozen souls a month ago, and you're currently pointing steel at a literal child—one who's lost more in her life than you ever have."

The man looked taken aback for a moment at that last comment, but he quickly recovered with a chuckle.

"First of all, Knight-Baroness, times change. And second of all, you may say that, but that 'child' lobbed fire during one of our other recruitments. Even gave a speech. Called us plenty of things that should never come from a place of youthful innocence."

"Refer to Velena as 'Matron', fiend," Kiaki interjected, her tone barely restrained above a snarl before continuing. "But 'youthful innocence'? Are you jesting? You neglect aid to our town's region, refuse to protect us against cultists, and you have the nerve to assume any child here can afford that?!"

The knight-earl scoffed.

"Psh, even her pathetic style of insults have rubbed off on you." He took a deep breath and shook his head in pity. "Regardless, stop stalling, Vice-Captain; my point still stands. We have a code to follow, and if we ever spot a promising individual, we must take them in and nourish them."

She spat on the ground in response, getting a rise from the crowd.

"Code? Do you mean like the one you're trampling on now? It's been half a decade since I've left, yet you still seem to ignore the noble principles that—"

"Dear older sister. You are draining my patience just like your captain once did. You would best be quiet."

A scowl overtook his face as he gestured with his gauntlet.

"Besides, you don’t have to remind me of your mistake; I remember very well. She's standing right next to you after all."

Stone liquified beneath Kiaki's feet.

"You bastard! You take that back or I'll—"

He cleared his throat and motioned at the soldiers before anything else could be said, shooting a glare at a few onlookers who'd gotten too close.

"Glory Brigade, proceed with the recruitment. I will keep these two and any other pests from interfering. It's such a shame that even out here, these two aberrations keep finding ways to cause so much—"

Muck smacked him square in the face, knocking the command from his mouth.

All commotion stopped as eyes turned toward the culprit.

"Eflam?" Itsuki gulped, seeing the girl trembling a few steps into the circle. She had filth in her hands, scraped from the wet ashes that still lined the road in some places.

What was she doing?

Sayaka reached her first, hand nearly sparking as she positioned herself between the girl and the armored man.

"Please, stay away from him. Let us handle things."

The response was immediate. "Mrs. Hero? No! They're bullies and trying to take big sis away. I thought you two said that you'd help!"

The girl tried stomping past Sayaka, already prepared to sling another projectile. However, before she could, Itsuki picked her up and pulled her back.

"M-Mr. Hero?" she stuttered, as if unable to comprehend what he was doing. "You too?"

The crowd began to murmur among themselves, some shouting at the soldiers, others backing away into the town.

"Efram, please just stay calm. There's a time for everything, and I swear that we'll save her. Just give us—"

Magic flamed across his arm, the fire flinching him just enough for the girl to kick free and run in the direction of her sister, now staring in horror from between the soldiers.

"Sis?!" Refi shouted as panic began rising amongst the crowd. "What are you doing here?! I thought you were safe!"

She puffed up her arms as she ran toward her. "I'm saving you, big sis! Just like how you and the others saved—"

An armored hand snatched her up before she could finish, clutching the girl upward by the throat.

"Great, another one who knows magic."

The knight-earl eyed the struggling child in his grasp, gesturing to his soldiers with his free one. "A bit young, but that makes it better if they're capable. Grab the other and we'll go."

Chaos erupted as his forces complied, jumping Refi and slapping a collar nearly too big around her neck before she could even scream.

"Judan, what the hell are you doing?!" Velena and Kiaki immediately stepped forward to intervene, but the knight-earl smashed the pavement beneath his boot as the girl fought to not be hauled away.

"I wouldn't interrupt things if I were you. You know how my hand tends to slip when under pressure."

They grit their teeth as he squeezed a little tighter, forcing a cough from the girl.

"We wouldn't want an 'accident', would we?"

Itsuki immediately saw red, mace humming with power as he gripped his fist and burst forward—

"Let her go now!"

—But not before Sayaka did so first once again, fire crackling along her body as she hurled herself into the man with all her might.

The knight-earl blinked at the woman in disbelief and annoyance, paying more attention to the matron and vice-captain than her or the still approaching Itsuki.

"Excuse me, just who are you, woman?"

She launched a bolt of fire at the man point-blank as the crowd stopped breathing.

"It doesn't matter, what's important is that you stop! Don't you ever threaten a child, you arrogant, bigoted, vile piece of—"

Steel flashed, terminating her words in an instant.

Itsuki's world slowed mid-stride.

Droplets landed on the cobble, flung off the blade's momentum in line of blood.

"U-Usami?"

Their eyes met, both just as shocked as the other. The fire surrounding her fizzled out once realization set in.

Then her body hit the stone, staining it red.