• The Crack in the Wood

Breakfast was a wake. The silence at the table was so dense you could almost chew it along with the bread. Edward, with his sharp intuition, broke the tension with the delicacy of a sledgehammer.

“Uhm… Did you two already know each other?” he blurted out, looking back and forth between us.

I choked on my tea. I coughed to buy time. “Ahem… yes, yes. I saw her in the city while she was training.”

I felt Rachel’s gaze pinned to my temple like daggers of ice. “Yes, Grandfather. That’s how it was,” she said, with a calmness that was terrifying.

“Ah, I thought so. But… did something bad happen? You’re both very tense.”

Rachel stood up abruptly. The sound of the chair dragging echoed in the small house. She gathered her plates without a word and walked out to the backyard. Seconds later, the rhythmic and violent sound of an axe splitting wood filled the air.

“I’m going to help her,” I said, standing up. “That’s something I should be doing.”

“It’s fine, Asashi. I’ll handle the dishes. Try to get along with her; she has a strong character, but a noble heart.”

“Yes, sir.”

I went out to the yard. There she was: silver hair shining in the sun, figure slender but taut as a bowstring. She struck the logs with a fury that wasn’t necessary for chopping wood. I approached cautiously.

“Excuse me… you don’t have to do this. Leave it to me, that’s what I’m paid for,” I said, scratching the back of my neck, nervous.

Rachel slammed the axe into the stump with a dry thud and turned around. Her eyes were burning. “Do you think I can’t do it? Do you think just because you got lucky yesterday, you’re better than me?” She hissed, taking a step closer. “Listen to me well, you arrogant brat. Because of you, I was suspended for a week. My record is stained. My family name was ridiculed by a vagrant child.”

“About that… I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t want to fight. I was just interested in the training; it reminded me of home.”

Her expression shifted slightly, from anger to suspicion. “What do you mean? Where are you from? Were you really a spy?”

“No. My home is destroyed. I have no one left.”

Rachel took half a step back; the hostility dropped a degree, but didn’t disappear. “Listen, I’m not going to ask where you come from,” she said, returning to stacking logs. “I don’t care, either. But this won’t end here, Asashi. To me, you remain suspicious.”

She pointed to two identical piles of wood she had prepared. “Look. Whoever finishes chopping their pile first is the winner. The loser stacks all the wood in the shed. This counts as our rematch.”

I smiled slightly. “Alright. I accept the challenge.”

“On your marks… get set… GO!”

Rachel attacked the wood like a whirlwind. Her technique was impeccable; every strike was efficient, clean. I grabbed my axe and started chopping, but she already had a lead. Her competitive soul was a ravenous fire. I looked at my pile. I had a lot left. I can’t lose, I thought. Not against her.

And then, it happened again. The world drained of its vibrant colors and turned gray. Veritas.

My eyes burned. Red dots and glowing lines appeared over the wood, showing me the exact grains, the weak knots, the hidden geometry of every log. My body moved on its own. The axe became an extension of my arm. I struck with inhuman speed and precision.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

It was a hypnotic rhythm. I was fascinated. I felt no fatigue, only perfect efficiency.

“Done!” I exclaimed, dropping the axe.

I looked up. My pile was gone. Rachel was halfway through hers, staring at me with wide eyes, her axe suspended in mid-air. Confusion and fear mingled on her face.

“How the hell did you do that?” she muttered. “What are you?”

The world regained its color. I blinked, shaking my head. “Nothing… I just got the hang of it.”

Rachel lowered her head, frustrated. “I’m going to assume that was normal, even though it didn’t look like it. Fine, I lost. You can go, I’ll handle it.”

“No, Rachel. Seriously, leave it to me. I get paid for this.”

“Do what you want. I’m going to practice sword forms here, do you mind?”

“Of course not.”

• The Addiction

I started stacking the wood, but Veritas remained active. I couldn't turn it off. I saw the "perfect shape" to stack the logs, the optimal path to walk to the shed. It was an intoxicating sense of power. I finished in record time. My mind was in a strange, accelerated state of euphoria.

I turned to watch Rachel. She was practicing forms with her sword. But I didn't see Rachel. I saw red dots. I saw errors. Her stance was slightly off. Her elbow dropped too low. Her foot pivoted late. Imperfection. It physically hurt to look at her. My body reacted to the compulsive need to correct.

Before I realized it, I had lunged at her. I grabbed her wrists tightly, forcing her arms into the "correct" position.

“What the hell are you doing?!” she screamed, tearing herself free violently. “Don't touch me!”

SLAP!

Her hand crossed my face in a resounding slap. The blow broke the trance. I stumbled back, dazed. The red lines vanished.

“I’m sorry… seriously. I don’t know what came over me…” I stammered, touching my burning cheek.

Rachel looked at me with genuine horror. “Seriously, Asashi… what are you? Your eyes… for a second, they didn't look alive.”

I turned and ran to my room, locking the door behind me. I collapsed onto the bed face up, staring at my trembling hands. What did I just do?

Suddenly, a cold laugh echoed in the empty room. “HAHAHAHA. You are hilarious, human.”

I jumped up. In the corner, the marble statue of Veritas appeared out of nowhere. Pieces of stone fell off it, revealing ribs and dried blood underneath. The statue moved erratically, climbing the wall like a giant insect until it was on the ceiling, right above me. Its inverted face was inches from mine.

“We meet again, Asashhhi.”

“Veritas! Did you control me?”

“Oh, I can tell you’re a child,” it mocked, clicking its stone jaw. “That wasn't me. That was you. Perfection is addictive, boy. You want the most optimal, the best. It is useful, yes… but if you aren't careful, you’ll end up wanting to ‘correct’ everything you touch until you break it.”

“So… that’s why it wouldn't deactivate?”

“Exactly. Your ecstasy level was sky-high. You entered a trance. Listen well: to carve a perfect statue, you must eliminate everything that is excess. Be careful not to carve away at yourself until there is nothing left.”

At that moment, a voice was heard outside the house. In a blink, the statue vanished. Only dust remained floating in the air.

• The Betrayal

I approached the window. My heart stopped. Several royal guards in heavy armor were in front of the house. Rachel was arguing with them at the entrance. I didn't need Veritas to know what they came for. They came for me.

A voice resonated from outside, authoritative and lethal. “By order of the Kingdom of Liftbell! Come out immediately!”

Liftbell. The name hit me. It was the kingdom my father spoke of with concern. The home of the Viper Clan, the closest one to ours. The clan my father wanted to negotiate peace with through someone named Vitar.

How did they find me? Only one person knew who I was. Only one person knew where I was.

Edward.

Panic flooded me. I grabbed my coat, my rapier, and the few coins I had left. I ran toward the back door in the kitchen. I threw the door open, ready to flee into the forest.

But he was there.

Edward blocked the exit. But he was no longer the kind old man in a straw hat. His posture was straight, his gaze cold as steel. In his hands, he held a longbow, much more sophisticated than the hunting one.

“Where do you think you’re going, Asashi? Or should I call you Kansaki?”

Reality finished shattering. Edward Minnas. The Hero of Liftbell. He was the legendary archer of the Viper Clan, the one my brothers spoke of.

I’m in trouble too soon, I thought.

Edward raised the bow. He didn't pull an arrow from his quiver. He simply drew the empty string, and the air around him vibrated. Particles of golden light swirled around his fingers, forming an arrow of pure energy.

“Boy, I know what you must be feeling. ‘Why? What did I do wrong?’” His voice was sad but implacable. “But I cannot let you go free. Either you surrender, or you die. The Kansaki are dangerous. They are a plague.”

“Why are you doing this to us?!” I screamed, with tears of rage. “You killed my family! You ruined my life! They were just rumors! You killed my parents over rumors!”

“Oh, boy… you lack a lot of information. The Kansaki are not the saints you believe. Your clan has murdered important and innocent people for hire for decades. You know nothing of your own blood.”

I realized words were useless. I was trapped. There was only one way out: forward.

I ran. Not toward the forest, but toward the front door, cutting through the house. I felt the hum behind me. Edward released the string. The arrow of light crossed the kitchen in a blink. I jumped, spinning in the air, and unsheathed my rapier in a desperate move to block. The steel touched the light.

BOOM!

The explosion tossed me like a rag doll. I smashed through the wooden wall and went rolling into the front yard, landing at Rachel’s feet.

“What the hell?!” she shouted, backing away. “What the hell did you do?!”

I couldn't answer. Amidst the smoke and debris of what had been the kitchen, Edward’s figure emerged. He walked calmly, nocking another arrow of light into his bow. I stood up wobbling, clutching my bleeding shoulder.

“Rachel…” I said, spitting dust. “I swear I am not what they say. But your grandfather is one of those who massacred my family. And I cannot forgive him.”

“What? Have you gone crazy?” Rachel looked at her grandfather, confused.

Veritas. It’s time.

“Hahaha, this is getting interesting!” the spirit’s voice resonated in my head.

The world turned gray. I looked at Edward. His posture was… perfect.

There were no red dots. There were no cracks. He was an absolute master.

He fired. This time, I tried to deflect the arrow, but the force of the impact was devastating. Although I managed to divert the projectile toward the sky, the shockwave threw me against the ground again.

“Grandfather! Tell me what is happening!” Rachel screamed, shielding herself from the wind.

“That boy is a Kansaki, Rachel,” Edward said, without lowering the bow. “He is the last of a family of monsters that had to be exterminated for everyone’s good. Step aside.”

Fury blinded me. I launched myself at him with a war cry. “Shut up! You are a murderer!”

“Grandfather!”

In a silver blur, Rachel interposed herself in my path. Her sword blocked my attack a few meters from Edward. Our weapons clashed, sparking.

“I don’t know what is happening, but I won’t let you attack my family,” she said, struggling against my blade.

“Step aside, Rachel! My problem isn't with you. It’s with him,” I told her, eyes overflowing with rage.

“If you insist on passing, you’ll have to go through me.”

“As you wish!”

I lunged again, but this time guided by Veritas. I sought her imperfections. I launched three quick attacks to test her defense. On the fourth, I saw the red dot. I moved. Before she could react, the tip of my rapier lightly touched the edge of her sword, deflecting her block outward. She was open.

I didn't stab her. I hardened my left fist and buried it into her liver with all the strength I had left.

Rachel coughed, the air leaving her lungs instantly, and she fell to her knees, unable to move. I looked up.

And the world stopped.

Edward was already there. He had moved the instant I struck Rachel. The tip of an arrow of light shone two centimeters from my forehead, illuminating my eyes with a deadly glow. His speed was absurd. I hadn't even seen him move.

“Nice try, boy,” Edward whispered.

He was at point-blank range. One wrong move and my head would disappear.

I had to think.

Fast.