The blinding rays of the sun shined upon his sword, highlighting his vulnerability in the face of his impending battle. His sword, a trusted companion, glinted with a cruel sharpness, eager to taste blood. The man, a formidable foe, stood tall, his shadow casting an ominous darkness over the ground. Artemis' heart pounded with determination, yet he couldn't shake the weight of the task ahead.
I've never killed anyone before but I couldn't just let this man get away with what he took from me.
"Stay back Amelia, I'll handle this." I say with a serious tone and expression.
All the running took a bit of a toll on me, plus I had been working before she took me away. But I have to give it my all.
With a swiftness that belied his exhaustion, Artemis lunged, his blade slicing through the air with deadly precision. But the enemy, a master of combat, sidestepped with ease, his laughter echoing across the field. Artemis' strike met only air, and he cursed under his breath.
The fight intensified, each clash of steel sending shivers through Artemis' weary body. Bloodlust filled his opponent's eyes as he countered every blow, their blades dancing in the beautiful sunlight, Artemis's arms burned, and his breath came in ragged gasps. This adversary was way more skilled than anything his father could have taught him.
In a desperate move, Artemis feigned exhaustion, lowering his guard. The man's eyes narrowed, and he lunged, driven by arrogance. But Artemis' strategy paid off—with lightning speed, he spun, his sword finding its mark. A gush of crimson stained the earth as the man quickly fell to the floor.
Artemis stood over the fallen body, his sword dripping with the blood of the man he just slain. Victory had been claimed, but at what cost? The thrill of battle turned sour as the reality of the gruesome scene hit home. Artemis' mind screamed with the weight of his actions, for he knew that though the man had deserved his fate, it did not make the taking of a life any easier.
In that moment, Artemis realized that sometimes, the greatest struggle was not with the enemy, but with the darkness that dwelled within.
Even if the man deserved to die, I can't believe I was the one who took his life. I've never once thought that I'd be capable of doing such a thing.
I didn't have any other choice but to kill him though, he would've killed me and then Amelia next. The reality of everything hit me all at once though, my family was dead and I just took a life.
He could feel the tears starting to go down his cheeks as he approached his parents bodies on the ground. The loving parents who raised him during the shittiest of situations were killed.
But even through the tears he noticed something strange on the man's armor, a symbol of sorts. It appeared to be some sort of grim reaper that was on the pauldron of the dead man.
Isn't that just great, the symbol of death that paints the armor of the men that killed everyone here. Is that supposed to be a sign from God that this was meant to happen to me?
That I needed to suffer more after everything I've endured in both of these lives! Do I really have to be punished once again just for existing in the world.
He slammed his fists onto the ground as the tears of sadness began to turn into tears of anger. "Why do I have to be punished! Why is it always me that has to take the shit end of things!" Artemis begins to shout out in anger.
The life I once had is no longer the life I'm living anymore, Yori isn't the person I want to be. Artemis isn't any better but at least I had a family that wanted me. Yet they were taken from me by some group of men that wear the symbol of death.
A warm feeling could be felt around him as he looks down to see arms are wrapped around him. "We are both dealing with loss here... I need you to come with me... Even if they are dead, I need to see it myself..." Amelia says as she cries softly into his back.
At the end of the day I'm not supposed to be sitting here thinking about all of this right? I'm a slave who did his job, I protected her. She does need to see her family as well so I guess I'll have to leave them here huh.
He wipes the tears from his face and takes the necklace off of his mother and the ring from his father.
"Yeah. Let's go." Artemis responds before picking up his sword.
It didn't take long for us to find her father, then her mother, and then the remaining siblings. Each one of them was killed by these men but the men were no longer here, almost as if they completely vanished from sight.
These men were sent here for a reason, but the question is what exactly were they sent here for. Besides killing everyone here, something had to be here for them to take.
They didn't strike me as the type to come here to just kill and steal, this was meant to be a message of sorts.
"Artemis they are really dead. I have no one now, my family is dead and my home is covered in blood..." Amelia says as she cries on the ground.
For her to have picked me to be her personal guard means that she probably had eyes on me for a long time but I'm right about something, I'm just seen as a weapon now.
I guess it makes sense since we barely know each other all that well. It won't be safe to stay here so I'll probably have to get her out of here, but where do I even go?
I don't know a damn thing about this world or how the currency works, nothing.
"Amelia we have to go. It isn't safe here." Artemis says with a serious tone.
I'm trying my hardest not to break down again from everything I saw myself but someone has to be the strong one, right?