Chapter 3:

Flashback of the war 18 years ago. [ 第三章 ]

SAMURAI OF ALBION. (VOL1)


After the ‘’midnight massacre’’, the war between Athena and Edril left huge suffering for both sides. It started in a village next to the borders. The 4 years old Seth and Emily were at a hill that looks at their village.

‘’Seth, do you want to stay in the village all your life?’’ Emily said as she picks up flowers.

‘’No! When I grow up, I will go to the capital to become a knight!’’ Seth replied as he was laying down under a tree looking at the sky with both his hands on the back of his head.

‘’Oh! You told me your father is a knight. Right?’’

‘’Yes...’’

‘’Then, I will become one as well!’’ Emily smiled at Seth.

The two kids hear a group of horses’ footsteps from afar. Seth stood up to take a good look at them.

‘’Are those knights Seth?’’

‘’No... Their armor looks different from our knights. They are also coming from where the borders are...’’

Emily and Seth look at each other worried that these guys could be bad news. They started running to the village to inform the villagers.

‘’Emily run faster.’’

‘’Hah! Hah! I’m trying.’’

The group of men on horses was the first at entering the village. Seth and Emily sneaked in from behind the houses till they got to the main center of the village. As they are hiding behind a house, they see the armored men on their horses with some of the villagers and the chief of the village.

‘’That flag... It’s Edril’s flag!’’ Seth sees a black bull’s face with big horns on a brown flag. He said quietly.

‘’W-Why are they here?’’ Emily said anxiously.

The man who seems the leader of the armored group spoke.

‘’Listen! I am the fourth commander of the Edril’s army! We hereby declare this village and the land surrounding it as Edril’s property.’’

The villagers started muttering till the chief of the village shouted at him.

‘’Get out of our village you prick! Our knights won’t let you have this.’’

The commander looks at him with a disgusted face. He snapped his fingers and immediately an arrow out of nowhere pierced the chief on his head, making him drop dead instantly. The villagers freaked out and ran.

‘’Those who refuse to obey shall die!’’ the commander said with a firm loud voice.

The terrified Emily and Seth ran towards Emily’s home. While the commander ordered his men to kill whoever refuses to obey and set up a camp in the village. When they got home before the Edril’s men, they found no one.

‘’Mom! Dad!’’ Emily shouted.

‘’No one is here. Let’s go to my house.’’ Seth said.

They hear two of Edril’s army men outside of the house talking.

‘’We...We’re going to die!’’ Emily gets pale and starts tearing up.

Seth picks up a wooden stick and comes in front of her.

‘’Hide in that curtain Emily! When they come in, I will distract them and you run.’’

Emily thought that Seth was brave but he wasn’t. His legs and hands couldn’t stop fidgeting. He knew he will die.

As the door is about to open slowly, they hear Emily’s father outside. ‘’Don’t come to my house you filth!’’ As the two men got distracted by that, Emily’s mother opens up the back window. ‘’Emily! Seth! Hurry up!’’

‘’Mother!’’ Emily gets out of the curtain and ran towards her. Seth follows her and they escape the house from behind.

‘’Mom! What about dad?’’ Emily said.

The mother couldn’t speak and kept running while holding them both with tears falling. She kept running away from the village to the nearby forest. As she gets to the top of the hill where Emily and Seth were before, she sees three of Edril’s men waiting for her there.

‘’Well, well, well, look what we have here! The first rats to get out of the village.’’ said one of the soldiers.

‘’Emily...Seth...’’ The mother whispers as she puts them down ‘’ Run towards the forest, do not stop no matter what! Can you two do that?’’

‘’What about you Mom?’’

‘’Don’t worry sweetie! I will come after you. I promise.’’ As she smiles at her daughter and Seth.

‘’Grab them!’’ the soldier ordered his two buddies.

‘’Run now Emily! Seth!’’

The two kids started running away to the forest. The two men tried to catch them but the mother blocked their way. She got punched with the grip of their swords several times but she won’t let go of them. She kept screaming ‘’Run Emily! Seth!’’ as for the third one, he followed the kids to the forest.

Seth and Emily hid behind a tree as they try not to make a sound, while the third one kept looking for them.

‘’Oh, where are you, little kids? Come out and let’s play!’’ the soldier said with a creepy tone.

‘’Emily, I will distract him and you run away!’’ Seth quietly said.

‘’Distract who?’’ With a creepy smile, the soldier said as he gets in front of them.

Seth pushes Emily to run while the soldier grabs him from the neck.

‘’Emily...Run...’’ Seth said as he barely can breathe.

‘’Oh, you kids are so wholesome.’’ the soldier said with laughter.

The poor Emily is terrified of what is happening. First the village, then her dad and mom, and now her friend Seth.

‘’Let him go.’’ Emily took courage and spoke.

‘’Oh, is he your boyfriend? Well, I will kill him and then your mommy too. And finally, you!’’

Emily kept repeating the same sentence standing in her place with tears. The soldier laughed hysterically.

‘’Now then, let’s start with you first kiddo.’’ He started to choke him with his hand more and more as Seth’s soul was about to leave his body.

Emily kept crying and attacking the soldier with her bare hands. The soldier had enough and he kicked her away. As she lay down in pain, she sees Seth losing consciousness. She reached her hand towards him as tears rained down.

‘’God, please save us...’’ those were her last words before she closes her eyes.

‘’Where am I? What happened to Seth? My Mom and Dad? Our village?’’ Emily wonders as she sees herself in a dark place with no lighting or anything around her. Suddenly, from above, a light came down shining on Emily. It was so bright that she covered her eyes. The light kept on getting bigger and bigger till Seth woke her up.

‘’Emily! Thank god!’’

‘’W-What happened Seth?’’

‘’You don’t remember anything?’’

‘’No...’’

‘’You stood up with your eyes all white, and blow the soldier away.’’

Emily looks at the traces on the forest and sees a part of it gone as it makes a path to the end.

‘’I-I did this?’’

‘’Yes...’’

Seth then takes her on his back and walks through that path towards the village. As they get out of the forest to the hill, they see their village burning and shouts of people screaming for their lives.

‘’We must go somewhere else...’’

‘’But my mom is not here and we left my dad there. What about your mom Seth?’’

‘’I know... But we must go to the nearby village and tell them what happened. The knights will come and help.’’

Seth despite the situation and how bad he wants to find his mother, kept walking with Emily on his back to the next village. They walked for a long time but with all that happened, he couldn’t continue walking and collapsed to the ground. All he can do is hear Emily shouting his name as she cries.

Seth woke up to find Emily hugging him next to a bonfire.

‘’Emily...’’

‘’Seth! You woke up! Thank god!’’ as she starts crying again.

‘’Oh, the kid woke up huh?’’ a young woman’s voice approached Seth from the back.

Seth sees a tall, well-endowed young woman with long red hair and a slender voluptuous figure, wearing a purple dress and a purple witch hat. Next to her what it seems to Seth is a short muscular man with a thick ginger beard and a horned helmet and some tunics for his clothes holding a hammer.

‘’The boy woke up finally!’’ the bearded man said.

‘’Who are you two?’’ Seth said.

‘’They are the ones who helped us. Do you remember when you collapsed? They were passing by and saw us.’’

‘’Well, before we talk, you must be feeling hungry.’’ The woman said.

As Seth and Emily were eating what they cooked for them, the woman got out of the small tent that she was in with a baby wrapped in a white blanket.

Seth got curious and asked her ‘’Are you two married?’’ as he refers to the woman and the short man.

They both looked at each other for a solid minute and laughed loudly as they can.

‘’Oh! You small child! You're funny. I would never marry this witch!’’

‘’You made me laugh kid! There is no way I will be with this dwarf.’’

Seth and Emily got confused. And then Seth stood up out of nowhere, as he remembers that he must go to the next village and inform what happened to the knights somehow.

‘’Sit down. You don’t have to. We heard everything from your girlfriend Emily.’’ the woman said.

‘’S-She is not my girlfriend!’’ the red Seth replied awkwardly.

‘’Who are you two anyway? You don’t look like knights.’’

‘’Of course, we are not knights! We are adventurers.’’ The bearded guy said.

‘’Adventurers?’’ Seth said confused.

‘’They travel the world and help out whoever needs help. They are super strong!’’ Emily said excitedly.

‘’Indeed.’’ the woman said.

‘’I don’t understand what’s that supposed to mean. But I need to go and help my village.’'

As Seth stood up the woman spoke ‘’That means we will help your village.’’

‘’Huh? Just you two?’’

The bearded guy and the witch looked at each other and then at Seth and nodded yes.

‘’Stop fooling around! There are hundred heavy armored men in the village. How could two of you beat them?’’

The short guy got angry and shouted at Seth ‘’Shut up you ugly kid!’’ it left Seth in fear.

The baby started crying, and the woman looked at the short guy with devil's eyes.

‘’Cecilia...I forgot you were holding the baby...’’ the bearded guy said as he was sweating heavily.

Cecilia sighed and spoke as she keeps rocking the baby to stop crying.

‘’Look kid, you don’t need to believe us right now. Finish eating and we will go.’’

Seth sat down and ate silently till he and Emily finished up eating.

‘’Alright! Let’s go to the village right now. But before we go, come here Emily.’’ Cecilia asked her.

She came and Cecilia puts her hand on her forehead and said ‘’Now Emily, I want you to close your eyes and think of the village. A specific place in the village.’’

Emily closed her eyes for a minute till Cecilia told her ‘’Are you thinking about that place in the village now?’’ She nodded yes. Cecilia closed her eyes for a minute and opened them up ‘’Alright! Good job Emily.’’ as she smiles at her.

‘’What was that for?’’ Seth asked.

‘’You will see. Now Emily, can you hold this baby?’’ she replied.

Emily holds the baby and sees how cute he is while sleeping. Cecilia comes forward and draws with her index finger a big circle in the air.

‘’Magic: Gate.’’

The big circle opened up to the hill where Emily and Seth were before the invaders came.

‘’That’s...’’ Seth said mind blown.

‘’Amazing! That’s the place I was thinking about!’’ Emily said surprised.

‘’Alright then, let’s go in.’’

The group stepped in to find themselves at the exact hill which is next to the village. They see the burned-out houses and fields. Emily started tearing up and Seth clenched his fist.

‘’Don’t worry, your village will blossom again,’’ Cecilia said to them.

‘’I see at the end of the village their camp.’’ the bearded guy said.

‘’Wow! You’re so smart Ragnar!’’ Cecilia said sarcastically.

‘’You ugly witch!’’

‘’Oh! Shut up you old fart!’’

‘’I am only 201 years old.’’

‘’YOU’RE OLD!’’

‘’Well, you’re ugly, ugly witch! Ugly!’’

‘’Say that again you dwarf fart! I dare you!’’

As the two kept arguing, Seth coughs to get their attention.

‘’Um... I guess we head there and beat them up.’’ Cecilia said as she realized how embarrassing it was.

‘’Are you serious? No plan, no nothing, just straight ahead?’’ Seth said.

‘’I had enough of you kid! Just shut up and let us do our job.’’ Ragnar said as he points his finger at him.

The group starts heading to the camp as they see more of the destruction that happened to the village.

‘’Emily, as soon as they get into the battle, we go search for our parents okay?’’ Seth whispers to her ear.

‘’There is no need.’’ Cecilia somehow heard him. ‘’All the villagers are there.’’ She points at a huge metal cage at the center of the camp. At that time, the soldiers notice them.

‘’Commander, there is a female and a male with two kids, one of them holding a baby at the entrance of the camp.’’

‘’Send the soldiers, I will come as well.’’

Cecilia and the others waited in front of the camp till every soldier got out and hold their formation.

‘’I am the fourth commander of Edril’s army and this is Edril’s land, if you wish to cross it you must pay us.’’

‘’Ho? Pay you? You guys are really bad till the core.’’ Cecilia replied.

‘’What did you say old hag?’’

That comment irritated Cecilia that Ragnar got worried.

‘’Oh, he said it...’’

‘’Ragnar, this became personal! Take the kids away from here.’’

‘’You got it.’’

Ragnar puts his hammer under his shield on his back and grabs Seth and Emily and the baby and starts running away from the campsite.

‘’Soldiers, after you beat down this old hag, catch the others as well.’’

‘’Oh, you will die you bastard for calling me an old hag twice.’’ With monstrous eyes and a look of a killer, she said.

As she stopped talking, the whole weather changed. The wind got blustery and the clouds turned grey. The sky was angry, the ground started shaking. Soldiers fidget as they see her slowly elevate higher and higher as her pupils became pure white and light comes out of them. The terror she gave their souls, made them run away in different directions.

‘’You bastards, where the hell you’re running to? This is treason to the Edril Kingdom.’’ The commander said as he was trying to hold his nervousness and how he is scared. To him now, he sees the anger of a god or a goddess to be exact.

‘’No one will escape my wrath!’’ with an ominous voice, Cecilia said.

She raises her hands to the sky and a storm comes down from a cloud, lifting everything in the area. All the soldiers got lifted including the commander, as they shout for mercy. Ragnar and the kids see from the distance the power Cecilia has.

‘’That damn Cecilia is getting out of control. Now, no one can stop her.’’ Ragnar said.

‘’Then, the whole village will get caught!’’ Emily said.

‘’If only that man is here...’’ Ragnar said quietly. Seth and Emily heard him.

Ragnar yelled to tell her to stop but in vain.

At that moment, the grey cloud that the storm came out of, started changing its color to red-orange color. That cloud dispersed and a huge flame-shaped phoenix came out. Cecilia and Ragnar notices it and knew who could do such a thing. Seth and Emily couldn’t help but be amazed.

‘’Of course, he is here!’’ Ragnar said as he sighed.

The whole weather came back to normal. The soldiers and all that the storm took have fallen. Cecilia lands slowly, the same goes for the flame phoenix. As they reached the ground, the phoenix disappeared and only a man was standing there on the spot.

‘’Alex, I didn’t think you were here,’’ Cecilia said as her red eyes came back.

‘’I was just passing by Cecilia.’’ The tall attractive well-built man with slick back blonde hair and a defined jawline replied.

‘’You weren’t! You saw a glimpse of the future right?’’ Cecilia said as she points her index at him. Alex kept laughing and scratching the back of his head.

‘’Who is that man?’’ Seth asked Ragnar.

‘’That man is known as the strongest adventurer and also our leader. His name is Alexander ‘’The Flame’’.’’

Ragnar approaches the two with the kids.

‘’Good to see you, Alex,’’ Ragnar said.

‘’Ragnar! I thought you can handle Cecilia when she gets angry.’’

Ragnar didn’t respond.

‘’Well, one of those soldiers called me old...’’

‘’Oh, Cecilia! Your beauty is rare and beautiful as the Camellia flower.’’ Alex said to her as he kneels on one knee, holding her hand. Cecilia blushes and puts both her hands on her cheeks and started slowly wiggling.

‘’I-Idiot, there are kids around. Don’t say such stupid stuff.’’

Seth and Emily got the same thought. These guys are weird.

Cecilia and Ragnar explained to Alex what happened to the village and the situation as they free the villagers from the cage they were in.

‘’I was at the capital; a unit of knights will come here.’’

‘’So that means...’’

‘’A war is coming,’’ Alex replied.

Few of the soldiers managed to flee back as they were talking. Emily found her mother with bruises all over her body. She told her that her father didn’t make it. As she was crying with her mother, Seth was looking for his mother but didn’t find her. He went to his home to see what devastated his soul forever. His mother was in the middle of their destroyed house with ripped clothes and bruises all over her. As he slowly gets closer, he sees the soulless eyes of his mother and the drooling coming out of her mouth. He just stood there as tears kept falling and falling.

A few hours after, the knights came with medical treatments and food as they set up a camp in the village. The villagers got what they needed, as the days approached the beginning of the war between the two kingdoms. Seth, haven’t seen the sun for days, as he stayed at his old burned-out house. Alexander comes into his home to speak with him.

‘’I heard from the little Emily that you don’t eat what she brings you.’’

No response from Seth as he was sitting in a corner looking at the wall.

‘’I know what happened to your mother is-’’ Alex was saying as he got interrupted by Seth.

‘’You know my father is a knight. He didn’t even come to check if we were still alive or anything.’’

Alex got sadder than he already was. He realized that this kid has experienced true pain. He approached him and lean on the wall next to him.

‘’When I was your age, I never knew what losing someone precious to me could do to me. I got a bit older and my parents and my siblings all got murdered. Not just that, but the whole country I used to live in got erased from the map. I always asked myself why. Why did all of this happen to me?’’

Seth looks at him and asked him ‘’And did you find your answer?’’

‘’Greed. Humans want power, eternal glory, fortune, and more and more. There are no limits to what they desire. And all who stand in the middle, become victims.’’

After a minute of silence, Cecilia came in to see the two sittings.

‘’Hey, Cecilia! Do you want to join us?’’ Alex said with a smile.

‘’We need to talk Alex.’’

‘’Sure. Wait for me outside. I’ll come.’’

Cecilia left and Alex stood up.

‘’Little Seth. I have one thing to tell you. This pain you’re feeling will never go away. But you can use it as fuel to your flame. Become stronger. Mentally and physically. It is your choice now. This is reality.’’

Those words reached Seth’s soul and started a small distinguish flame.

Finally, the war started. Alex, Cecilia, and Ragnar all left for the war as they were requested by king Ceasar himself to help out on the battlefield against the four hundred thousand soldiers of Edril. Cecilia asked Emily’s mother to take care of the baby and to keep him in secrecy till she comes back. This war stayed for four years till finally, the two kings signed a peace treaty. The village where Seth and Emily are from was rebuilt again but the scar of the attack never faded.

The trio came back after the war to the village to see grown Emily and Seth. Seth was trying to learn how to be a swordsman. While Emily was helping out in the village and raising the baby.

‘’Cecilia! You’re back!’’ Emily said as she hugs her.

‘’Yes. How is your mom?’’

‘’She’s doing fine!’’

‘’So, we lost the war?’’ Seth said from the back.

‘’Oh, Seth! Come hug your aunt.’’ Cecilia replied.

‘’I-I won’t and you're not my aunt.’’ as his cheeks got red.

‘’They got scared and they surrendered because of me.’’ Said Ragnar with pride.

‘’Oh, don’t lie to Seth, Ragnar.’’ A familiar voice to Seth spoke from the back. It was Alex.

‘’Alex! Or should I say ‘’Hero of Athena’’,’’ Seth said sarcastically.

‘’You can just call me Alex,’’ he replied as he grabs his cheeks.

‘’S-Stop that!’’

The trio was welcomed with a feast as heroes in the village since the villagers didn’t forget who helped them. Ragnar started telling the kids of the village stories about how he single-handedly beat up ten thousand soldiers. Cecilia was sitting with Emily and her mother and the 4 years old kid who she left with them. While Alex was flirting with the women of the village.

It’s been months since their arrival, Alex has started teaching Seth about his magic power and training him on how to wield a sword. Cecilia gave Emily her grimoire and told her to learn the spells and come find her at the capital. Ragnar was sparing with Seth when Alex was at the village flirting with the women. One day, the trio head out on a journey. 14 years after that, Emily, Seth, and Edward all stood on the same hill and vowed to achieve their goals.
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