《Befo(re):After》


 Re: Prologue

    ¡®It¡¯s almost time for dinner


    an old man mused to himself while grabbing a sword mid swing that was coming from behind him.


    ¡®what should I cook?¡¯


    He pondered as his assailant continued its assault to the old man even after being disarmed. The assailant punched, dodged a swing from its former sword, dropped low, then kicked his opponent on the knees. In return, the old man jumped slightly while swinging his sword down, aiming at the neck. The assailant¡¯s head would have  from its owner but it stayed intact since he only applied a slight amount of force to his swing and not to mention he was only using a wooden practice sword.


    Pak!


    ¡°! that hurt!¡±


    A squeaky voice coming from a boy no older than 15 or 16 years yelled while rubbing the back of his head with his left hand. It didn¡¯t hurt, but the sudden contact of the wooden sword with the back of his head made him yell.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting dark, it might rain again soon, and it¡¯s almost time for dinner. Go wash up while I clean this place up¡±


    The old man¡¯s soft words betrayed his authoritative voice, which may have sounded like an army is about to attack them and it¡¯s a matter of life and death.


    The boy but tried to complain and still wanted to continue sparring despite the old man¡¯s order or ask depending on how a person interpreted his contradicting words and voice. But the boy obeyed since they just arrived in this village this afternoon and they have been travelling for almost three weeks encountering no civilization and not to mention a roof above his head this evening is much more welcome considering that he is not a fan of the harsh rains and cold winds at night.


    ¡°Nate, eat then rest early. I¡¯ll be heading out¡±


    The old man does that every time they find a town or village. After they trained, the old man will tell him to wash up, then the old elf would then leave after reminding him to eat and rest. On Midnight, he will return with some supplies, food, and some clothes. Then in the morning, they would leave at once before the sun rises.


    The boy,  knew that they didn¡¯t have the money to buy those things every time. And he was not an idiot to realize what that meant. But today was different. For the first time in their journey since they arrived here in the continent of , they met someone. Someone who knew them. Strange, since Nate was born and grew up on the neighboring continent. But the old man,  knows the other person too. Nate tried to recall what happened earlier.


    ---


    ¡°I¡¯ll head there first!¡±


    Nate shouted while running towards a village they spotted earlier this morning.  didn¡¯t stop him since he already scouted the village last night while Nate was sleeping.


    There were a few incidents which fortunately didn¡¯t warrant the old man to intervene with, since he knows that being overprotective will just make the boy too dependent on others when a real treat occurs But still being cautious , Bethal does not want to lose someone again for letting his guard down.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Nate looked back in the old man¡¯s direction. Prompting the old man to signal the boy to slow down.


    The boy shouted while running towards the village they spotted this morning. The wooden walls surrounding the village looks worn down but still stood tall. Nate noticed some guards on each wooden tower on both ends of the walls. They noticed them too as they shouted and pointed towards their direction.


    Nate nodded then walk while looking at the walls and the guards closely. Looking closely. Nate noticed the walls are much older than they looked afar. Some had patchworks and occasional scratches from what seem to be claws. While the guards themselves were carrying crude bows and short swords.


    Nothing exceptional happens as they entered the gates. The guards just asked for their identities, where they came from and what purpose they have for entering the village. The only notable thing about the process was when they found out that the old man was actually an elf. Which was apparently a rare sight but not unwelcome here on


    Nate then entered the village, noting the guards patrolling on almost every corner of the village. Which was odd for a small village? They built most of the houses higher than the ones they visited before. There were small canals on the walls which the water from a river enters, those had guards patrolling it too, and someone was watching the waters closely, watching for any signs of monsters, perhaps.


    The village seems to be safe by Nate¡¯s standards, but no one can be so sure. Perhaps monsters roam these areas since there were a lot of guards here.


    ¡°I wonder what monsters lurk here¡±


    Nate was about to ask a guard passing by, when he saw a bunch of old people sitting across rows of tables. They were intent on what they were doing, as Nate observed. Nate then saw an old balding man with a long white beard stare at the table with such intent that anyone would mistake it for someone looking at a war map. Which Nate saw quite a few times on their travels.


    The bald man then picked and move a wooden piece on the table. Nodded once and smiled to himself, delighted for what he did.


    Nate knew what they were doing. He had played that game with the old elf every day as far as he remembers. The old elf found that Nate has a talent for it, but the old elf won most of the game, anyway.


    ¡°Nice move, but the game is still not over I think Nate mumbled out loud, anyway


    The Bald man then stopped smiling and nodded. He too knew that the game was far from over. He was about to make another move when he saw Nate. The bald man looked , just looked. Then he stared. As if seeing a ghost. One that haunted the very nightmare of your old dreams. Haunted by the life and dreams of the past. Long gone, but here once again.


    The bald man clutched himself, not disbelieving what he is seeing. A piece of the board fell. And rose again. The game is still being played, not caring if you fell on the board or not. Nate picked a piece up, a pawn. He wanted to hand it to the bald man, but  by the bald man¡¯s stare. Nate place the pawn where it should have been, in front of the king. The bald man turned and stared at the board, the pawn, the king. A coincidence or fate. A Pawn for a [King]. A tale for another time, but fate binds all things. And this one is too cruel to be a coincidence.


    ¡°You! Are you¨Care you Hi-!¡± the bald man pointed and yelled at Nate. His trembling hands , not by force, but  gentle tap. The bald man stared yet again. Shivering, but calms down as soon as he saw him.


    ¡°Bethal! How? I thought you¡¯re dead!¡± more confusion, but the bald man seemed relieved seeing an old, ancient friend. Even the old elf¡¯s face seems to look old despite being an elf. But the bald man, a human, was quite older looking, despite being generations younger than the old elf.


    ¡°Calm down old friend, I¡¯m not here to trouble you, nor does the boy¡± Bethal started. He noticed his old friend¡¯s confusion and decided that he should explain everything his friend has to know. Well, not everything. There are things that did not warrant explanations.

 P2: A Safe Passage

    They started their journey further east. Across the sea and beyond the twin continent of Mindos, Orenz, the arid desert, further still. Beyond the known world. He would not say how far or why he went there in the first place. His old friend keeps insisting though. Even excited on the idea of going to an unknown place.


    ¡°I always wanted to be an adventurer, even after I forfeited my [Class], but atoning my ¡ª these sins kept me from doing it!¡±


    ¡°Keep it down old friend, it was a long time ago. Looking at you now, I know you¡¯ve done enough.¡±


    ¡°I ¡ª you think? I just wish it hadn''t come to that. Do you think he had forgiven me? And that boy! Why does he look like ¡ª¡°


    ¡°Enough! I know what you¡¯re thinking, and i¡¯ll say it again, that boy does not know anything¡±


    They stopped talking for a while after that, somehow Bathel felt for his friend. Come to think of it, perhaps he¡¯s the only true living friend he has left. Perhaps he owed him some of the truth. Despite the danger of it.


    The boy, the resemblance. His¡ªtheir journey halfway across the world.


    ¡°Gurgan, my old friend, I was there when you were born, when you took your first steps, and I was there when you fell. You know who I am, and you know my sins too. I too am at fault for yours¡±


    His tone became soft, became heavy, the lines below his eyes showed another story. Age and time, it witnessed greatness, it witnessed death.


    ¡°I remember when you were still a boy, how I taught you about us, about my kin! how we rose, how we ruled, and how the people feared us, but you know the truth!¡±


    His emotions were surfacing, Nate would be shocked to see this side of Bathel. But seeing an old friend, shakes the emotions inside the old elf.


    ¡°That desert! That bloody place! It was our home! Teemed with life! It was beautiful. But my father saw something, he said they were coming, he said something had to be done! And that¡¯s how everything changed, I was not there when it happened, they told me to flee!¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Anger and sadness, rarely seen from an elf, even on someone as compost as Bathel, but the old elf had a long life.


    ¡°Stop! I know what happened, you don¡¯t need to tell me, this does not answer my question! Tell me, where were you? Why did you have to leave?¡±


    Gurgan never saw this side of Bathel too. The old elf was a father figure to him as much as Nate does. But he still wondered what could possibly turn Bathel into this.


    ¡°I?¡ªWe found something, sometime after the fall of Sirens, a hint, an evidence, a hope for my kin! I Thought it was fake, but he was certain! So we followed it back to its origins. It took us years to get there, too many on our way, but we did get there¡±


    ¡°And what!? Slow down! An evidence for what?¡±


    Bathel paused, he said too much! He puts Gurgan in trouble by telling, but someone has to know. It¡¯s about time for the boy to know the truth too.


    ¡°I better get going, we¡¯ll be leaving before the sun rises, you should come with us¡±


    Bathel stood, he bid farewell to his old friend, his offer sparked a reaction, but Gurgan seemed to hesitate. Bathel knows why but he still offered. He went to open the door, but someone beat him into it.


    Bathel twisted his neck to the left and kicked the door closed, as a dagger flew just below his right ear. Gurgan caught the dagger, and aimed for the window. A figure fell outside, a dagger to the throat. But more were coming. Bathel leaped out across the opposite window, dodged a swing from a shortsword, and grabbed for the assailants neck. Shadows moved, daggers and arrows flew from every direction, The old elf jumped back, or tried to, but the [Assassin] grabbed for him. The projectiles were aimed for them both. Bathel paused. Shadows flickered, everything stopped, like pinned to an invisible wall! Daggers and arrows held afloat for a few seconds then dropped, a [Skill]!


    The assassin started, unable to move. And Bathel pushed them unto the bricked wall. A loud thwack, and Bathel found himself inside the house again. Gurgan glanced sideways, two leaped towards him and three went for Bathel. The old elf grabbed the shortsword, slashed low, and two fell. A dozen more jumped from the broken wall and windows. Gurgan yelled while dodging too low for someone his age.


    ¡°Bathel, Go! Take ¡ª the boy and leave!¡±


    The assassins held their ground, blocking every exit, Shadows moving outside, waiting, blocking the light from every direction, too many, too few. Gurgan laughed, amused by the odds, his veins pumping, excited.


    ¡°Fools! I¡¯ve cut a thousand [Assassins] better than you! ¡ª No offense old friend¡±


    The [Master Assassin] nodded in the darkness, the [Assassins] stirred as a darker shadow danced in the dark. They hesitated, that¡¯s all Bathel needed, his movement carried no sound, too fast, too silent. Three more fell. Stabbed to the neck and heart. The old elf went for the door. Sending two more crashing outside. Shadows followed, ignoring Gurgan. The bald man was not their target. That was their mistake.


    [Safe Passage]!


    [A Lion¡¯s Howl]!


    The [Assassins] started, their heads snapped towards the laughing old man, unable to resist. Their movement not their own, leaping towards their end. Those who could resist, found themselves unwilling to chase the old elf.


    ¡ª¡ª