Sea of Life.
"Ian—"
"Ian—"
Tiamat's voice echoed over the ocean's surface.
She had just woken up, only to find that her beloved son had vanished.
So it wasn't just a dream.
He had really crossed time and space to leave the Sea of Life.
"Raaaargh!!!"
Tiamat roared.
The once peaceful Sea of Life began to churn violently.
"I will find you!"
"You're mine!"
"No one can take you from me!"
Her roar gradually turned into a sorrowful wail.
A sound so mournful, it could make anyone who heard it weep.
---
Meanwhile, somewhere in a forest in Britain.
Artoria stared blankly at the scene before her.
She had only brought Ian here to chop some firewood.
But now—
The axe lay discarded on the ground.
In its place—
Dust floated past Artoria's eyes—it was dirt that had fallen from the roots.
The boy, Ian, hoisted the tree onto his shoulder and looked at her blankly.
"Is this okay, Artoria?"
"Eh, this…"
Looking at the tree Ian had just uprooted, Artoria patted her cheeks.
"Y-yeah, that's good."
"Okay."
With a loud thud, the tree was thrown to the ground, shaking the earth.
"Is there anything else that needs doing?"
"…Can you break it into smaller pieces?" Artoria asked carefully.
"No problem."
Crack—crack—
The sound of wood splitting filled the air.
Having completely abandoned the axe, Ian demonstrated what it meant to break wood with bare hands. Trees that once seemed sturdy were now fragile in his grasp. What usually took an hour was done in ten minutes.
"Didn't expect you to be this strong… Was it from training?"
"No. I've always been like this," Ian replied while continuing the task.
But then, as if realizing something, he suddenly stopped and looked back at her.
"Do I seem weird? Like I can't blend in with everyone else?"
"Huh?"
Artoria hadn't expected that question. But seeing the sincerity in his eyes, she hesitated a moment and nodded.
"Maybe just a little. I mean…"
She glanced at the tree now lying on the ground.
"Normal people don't do that."
Before she could finish, Ian suddenly lifted her—grabbing her under the arms and raising her off the ground.
"Then tell me what I should do, Artoria."
"What should I do to be like you all?"
Faced with his gaze, Artoria felt her heart race.
"Y-you don't have to do anything!"
"Nothing?"
"Yeah!" she nodded.
"Why force it? Everyone's different. Just do what you want to do. Otherwise, wouldn't we all be the same?"
"…Doing what I want, huh…"
Ian's gaze slowly lowered, landing squarely on her chest.
"That's not what I meant!"
Realizing what he was thinking, Artoria quickly shoved his face away.
"That time before was just to save you, that was a one-time thing! The bite mark is still there!"
"So it's absolutely not okay!"
"I see…"
Ian looked visibly disappointed.
He clearly wanted to do it. But realizing Artoria's discomfort, he restrained himself.
"Don't be like that…"
Seeing his clear frustration, Artoria felt a little guilty.
"That might be off-limits, but we could do something else."
"Something else?"
"Yeah, like… aside from that particular interest, you must have other things you want to do, right?"
Just as she finished speaking, she felt something press against her stomach. The warmth, the shape—she knew what it was.
"No way!"
She struggled.
"Why is that all that's in your head? Isn't there anything else?"
"I don't know," Ian said, shaking his head. But his eyes never left her.
"Whenever I see you, I get this urge… I think it bothers you. I should say 'sorry,' right?"
Polite, yet utterly unrestrained.
Artoria couldn't understand how he could be both well-mannered and completely wild at the same time. He was like a gentleman beast driven by instinct.
"Forget it… I don't think you're doing it on purpose."
She glanced at the firewood he'd neatly prepared—it was supposed to be her job.
"That thing earlier… let's say it was a reward for all your work."
"But now, stop. Immediately."
Would he really stop?
Even as she said that, Artoria wasn't confident.
Their ways of thinking were clearly different.
He was holding her like this already—could he really stop just because she said so?
If he just applied a little force… then…
Her mind was racing with chaotic thoughts.
But things didn't go how she feared.
Ian put her down soon after.
He continued breaking the tree into usable firewood.
"Is this okay?"
"Yeah… pretty much."
"What should we do next?"
"Head home. This much firewood will last a while."
Everything felt surprisingly calm—so calm that Artoria almost thought she'd already given in to him without realizing it. She wanted to say something, but no words came.
In silence, they returned to the village gate.
There, Artoria saw villagers gathered together, seemingly discussing something. Her brother, Kay, was among them.
"Kay—what's going on?"
"Oh, it's a not-so-good prophecy," he replied.
"Prophecy?"
"Yeah."
Kay nodded.
"A new king is about to appear."