• The Awakening

The cold water of the lake couldn't wash away the invisible blood staining my soul, but at least it woke me up.

I swam to the shore, muscles burning, dragging myself through the mud like a wounded animal. I sought shelter behind a row of dense trees, taking advantage of the growing shadows of dusk. I stripped off my soaked clothes, wringing them out with trembling hands, and hung them on the low branches.

I checked my pockets. Nothing. I had nothing of value to sell. My stomach roared, a cruel reminder that I was still alive. Exhaustion conquered me before full night fell. I hadn’t slept since that night of fire and death. I collapsed onto the dry grass and closed my eyes.

It was a mistake. Sleep brought no rest; it brought memory.

I saw the fire. I saw the faces of Britanny, Loise, Mom, Dad… their mouths open in silent screams, their bodies fading into ash. The pain was so real I felt the heat on my skin. I wanted to scream, but I had no voice. Until a hand shook me.

“Boy? Hey, wake up!”

My eyes snapped open, gasping for air as if surfacing from the water again. In front of me, an older man watched me with concern. He wore worn hunter’s clothes and a wide-brimmed hat. His face was marked by the sun, but his eyes conveyed genuine sorrow.

“What…? Who are you?” I asked, instinctively backing away.

“Easy. I’m Edward. Tell me, what are you doing sleeping here almost naked and screaming?”

“I… I fell into the lake,” I lied quickly, my voice still hoarse. “I was drying my clothes.”

Edward arched an eyebrow, skeptical, but he didn’t press. “I see. And your parents? Where are they?”

I felt a lump in my throat. “No one from my family lives at this moment.”

The old man took off his hat and held it against his chest, lowering his gaze to hide an expression of deep sadness. “I understand… I am very sorry, son. What is your name?”

“Asashi.”

“A pleasure, Asashi. Listen, I can’t leave you lying here. If you want, you can help me hunt tomorrow; I’ll pay you for it. In the meantime, I offer you my roof and a hot meal. What do you say?”

My survival instinct screamed. I wanted to run, seek my revenge, train. But my body was at its limit. I was hungry and desperately needed money.

“Alright, sir. But I will only stay until I have enough money to start my journey.”

“I won’t pry into your business, boy. Stay as long as you need. This old man could use some help.”

• The Calm Before the Storm

Edward’s house was small and rustic on the outside, but inside it revealed an almost military order and a subtle elegance that didn’t fit a simple hunter. That night, I ate like a starving beast. Edward told me he lived alone, although he mentioned a granddaughter older than me who served in the city militia and slept in the barracks.

Over the next two days, routine took over. I helped Edward hunt wild boars. To my surprise, the old man wasn’t a simple peasant. His handling of the bow was lethal; he wasted no movement, no arrows. My help, in comparison, was clumsy and irrelevant, but he never complained. On the third day, we went fishing. I noticed how the townspeople greeted him with reverential respect, almost excessive affection. Edward returned the greetings with kind smiles, hiding something behind that facade of a quiet grandfather.

On the fourth day, there was no work. Edward placed a leather pouch on the table. The clinking of metal was music to my ears.

“Here. This is your payment, Asashi.”

I opened the pouch. There were silver coins. Too many. “What? Sir, this is too much. I barely worked three days.”

“Think of it as a gift. And a prize for putting up with this old man for so many hours,” he laughed, clapping me on the back. “Go on, go to the city. Walk around the center, buy what you need. This area is too boring for a young man.”

“Alright… I accept. Thank you, Edward. I owe you a lot.”

“Come back for dinner, boy.”

• Steel and Blood

The city was a monster of noise and life. I crossed the walls, blending in among carts and merchants. It was the first time I walked freely through a city other than my own. My eyes jumped from one stall to another, fascinated and overwhelmed. Until I saw the armory.

The smell of oil and steel pulled me in. There were broadswords, spears, daggers. But my eyes went straight to a thin, elegant blade. Although the Kansaki trained me in everything, my style was always speed, not brute force.

“Excuse me,” I called the merchant. “I’ll take that rapier. It has a good edge, right?”

“You have a good eye, kid. Tempered steel, light as a feather, deadly as a viper.”

“How much?”

“Thirty fans.”

I did the mental math quickly. Fifteen silver coins. I paid without hesitation. I left the shop with the weapon at my waist. I felt a little more complete. A little more dangerous.

I walked aimlessly until the sound of shouting and clashing metal caught my attention. The militia building. Curiosity was stronger than prudence. I snuck around the side, hiding behind some supply crates to watch the training yard.

Young soldiers were practicing duels. Some were clumsy; others had potential. From my hiding spot, I analyzed their stances, silently criticizing their mistakes, comparing them to my family’s hellish training.

“Well look what we have here!” a voice thundered behind me.

I spun around, frozen. A huge man, a mountain of muscle in an instructor’s uniform, looked down at me with disdain.

“A little mouse spying!” he shouted, and the entire yard stopped.

Before I could react, he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and threw me into the center of the dirt field as if I were a rag. I landed, kicking up dust.

“Looks like you want to learn, boy. I see you’re carrying a new rapier. I hope it’s not just for decoration,” he said, approaching.

“Sorry, really. I was just looking. I was leaving,” I said, getting up and dusting myself off.

“Leaving? I saw how you looked at my recruits. With that arrogance in your eyes, as if you were better than them.”

Murmurs from the soldiers filled the air. Some laughed, others seemed to expect blood. The instructor smiled maliciously and pointed to a figure standing apart.

“Hey, you! Soldier Rachel Minnas!”

A girl in light armor stepped forward. Her posture was perfect, her gaze cold and professional. “Sir!” she responded with a flawless military salute.

“Captain Minnas’s granddaughter… they say you’re the best in your group. Good. You will duel this intruder. Teach him the price of spying.”

“Yes, sir!”

I tried to back away. “Hey, I don’t want to fight. This is a mistake.”

The instructor blocked my path with his massive body. “You fight, or I break your legs myself. Draw.”

I had no choice. Rachel was already in combat stance. I drew my rapier. The steel gleamed under the sun.

“Let it begin… NOW!”

Rachel launched the attack. She was fast. Very fast. I barely managed to deflect her first slash. She forced me back, unleashing a rain of precise thrusts. I could only defend, dancing on the edge of disaster. Her skill was superior to any common soldier; she had real talent.

Dust swirled around us. The sound of clashing metal filled the yard. My arms began to feel heavy. She wasn’t getting tired. A strike nearly cut my face; I dodged it by millimeters, but I lost my balance. I’m going to lose, I thought. And if I lose here, my revenge ends before it starts.

In that moment of desperation, a grave chill ran down my spine. It wasn’t adrenaline. It was something ancient. The world around me lost color, turning gray and dull.

Veritas awakened.

My eyes burned. Suddenly, I didn’t just see Rachel. Over her body, glowing lines appeared. They were red trails marking the trajectory of her attacks before she finished them. And, more importantly, I saw cracks. Small fractures of white light in her stance. Imperfections. The “perfection” of her technique crumbled before my sight. I saw her flaws. I saw her doubts. I saw where her defense was a lie.

Rachel launched a high kick combined with a downward slash. For anyone else, it would have been a lethal move. For me, it was an invitation. I saw the red trail. I saw the white point on her pivot foot.

Time seemed to stop. I reacted without thinking. I dodged the steel by a hair and, instead of blocking, swept her pivot foot at the exact point of imperfection. Rachel’s balance broke. She fell onto one knee, defenseless. In a blink, my rapier was pointing at the back of her neck. The tip of the steel trembled millimeters from her skin.

The yard fell into absolute silence. I felt the whitish light in my pupils fade, and color returned to the world. Veritas went back to sleep, leaving a trail of nausea in my stomach.

The instructor stared at us, jaw dropped. “Enough,” he growled, pride wounded. “The intruder wins. Get out of here, kid. Before I change my mind.”

I sheathed my weapon. I looked at Rachel. She was still on her knees, fists clenched against the dirt, trembling with rage and humiliation. I wanted to say something, apologize, but I knew no words would fix this. I turned and walked out of the barracks, feeling the gaze of hatred burning into my back.

• The Cruel Coincidence

I returned to the house at dusk, body sore and mind reeling. “Good evening, Ed… Sorry for the delay,” I said upon entering.

“What happened, boy? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I had some… mishaps. But look,” I showed him the weapon. “I bought this.”

Edward whistled. “A rapier. Weapon of nobles and duelists. It requires great skill, Asashi. Do you know how to use it?”

“I manage,” I half-lied.

We had dinner, and I went to bed, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep this time.

The next morning, voices in the living room woke me up. Edward was talking to someone. I washed my face and went out, ready to help with any errands. “What’s the job for today, Ed?” I asked, entering the room scratching my eyes.

Edward was standing there, smiling. “Job? No, no. I have a surprise. My granddaughter came to visit. She says she wanted to see her grandfather, but between you and me… I think she got punished at the barracks and was given the week off.”

“Come on, Ed, don’t be mean,” I said laughing. “She surely missed you.”

“Mmm… we’ll see.” Edward turned toward the kitchen door. “Come, dear! Asashi, meet my granddaughter. Rachel Minnas, soldier of Fane City.”

The name hit me like a bucket of ice water. Minnas. Captain Minnas. Edward. And Rachel.

The girl walked out of the kitchen drying her hands. When she looked up and saw me, her smile froze. I turned to stone. It was her. The girl I humiliated in front of her entire squad the day before.

Her eyes narrowed, charged with volcanic fury. If looks could kill, I would have dropped dead right there. Edward, oblivious to the deadly tension filling the room, smiled happily.

“A… a pleasure, Asashi,” she said, spitting my name as if it were poison. “I hope we get along very well this week.”

“Likewise… Rachel,” I replied, voice strangled by panic.

Edward was the legendary Captain Minnas. And I had just made a mortal enemy of his granddaughter under his own roof. I swallowed hard. Surviving the monsters of the bridge had been tough, but surviving this week was going to be hell.