Late at night.
A woman walked through the silent forest, with a cloak draped over her entire body and a hood covering her head. She continued to walk past the trees until she finally arrived at an open meadow. And just a small distance away from her, she spotted an old, rundown cabin.
Her eyes lingered on the cabin for a while, when she noticed the flickering lights inside, a sign that the cabin's owner was still awake. The woman stepped forward, but just as she did, a strong gust of wind blew, blowing off her hood, revealing her eyes that shimmered under the dull light of the moon, and skin, so radiant and perfect, it glowed as the moonlight kissed it—making her long, white hair sway in the wind, unveiling her pointed ears.
She immediately reached for her hood, however, and covered her head once more. But then, she heard a loud noise. She could hear someone scream from inside the cabin, and it was loud, so loud that even her elven ears felt pain just from listening to them.
"A banshee?" she asked herself. "But that was a man's voice…."
Curious as to what the matter was, she decided to continue walking towards the cabin, but something felt off. If earlier in the forest, she could feel the strong life force of her Goddess, Gaia, here in the meadows, she felt nothing but the presence of death.
She steeled her heart, however, and pressed on. Plus, her pride simply wouldn't allow her to retreat. As the previous Queen of the Elven Kingdom, she refused to turn away just because she smelled the scent of death.
And so, she slowly made her way to the cabin's entrance, a rusty old door that looked like it was about to break down soon. Her hands were then about to reach the handle, but just as she was about to, she once again heard a scream from inside the cabin, one even louder than before.
But now that she was close by, however, she noticed how the scream seemed to be born not out of pain, misery or agony, but one simply out of frustration.
This time, curiosity finally got the better of her and she immediately opened the door, and her eyes immediately grew wide. The thick scent of blood lingered in the air, making her scrunch up her nose.
The walls were dyed in red and all types of weapons from swords, bows, axes and spears were littered on the floor. Scattered everywhere, too, were piles of canvases. Some of the canvases were split apart into two, others were crushed, burned, or broken into multiple pieces.
And in the middle of all this was a man wearing blood red armor, sitting on a stool and facing a canvas, with a paintbrush on his hand.
* * *
His hands shook.
As his hand holding the paintbrush reached the canvas, it shook uncontrollably, frustrating him, but he pressed on, however, and still attempted to reach for the canvas. After a few more seconds of him struggling to move his hand, he finally succeeded, and now all he needed to do was make one clean stroke.
And so, he tried, from top to bottom, he moved his brush, trying to paint a curved line, a stem for the flower he wanted to paint. But just as he was to finish it, his hand shook once more, much more stronger this time, making him drop his brush on the cold, wooden floor.
"Damn it!"
He cursed. He stared at the canvas in front of him with a look of resignation as he observed all of his previous failed attempts. He was frustrated. He was growing mad. Too much time had already passed, and yet he still couldn't accomplish this simple task.
With bloodshot eyes, he looked at his hands, covered in blood and dirt from all of the battles he fought, and sighed. He then stood up, stretched his hands and turned to the door.
So he could greet his unwelcome visitor.
* * *
Shock.
That was all she felt.
She wasn't shocked by the scent of blood, however, or the ever increasing presence of death. No, she was shocked simply because of what she was seeing.
The man in blood red armor, the strongest warrior in the continent, the one man army, the one who many knew as The Immortal, was trying to paint.
And so, with wide eyes, she continued to stare at what was in front of her, at The Immortal cursing in frustration as he let go of his brush. Even when she saw him stand up and face her, she continued to stand there in complete shock, not really knowing what to do.
But then, the unimaginable happened. The Immortal reached for his helmet and took it off, revealing the youthful face of a man who seemed to be in his late teens. The rest of his armor then disappeared, turning into dust, and getting carried by the wind, revealing The Immortal's lean, but bulky body. He then called out to her,
"Ellie."
Hearing her name, the woman, or Ellie, finally snapped out of it and managed to regain her composure. She then removed her hood, once more revealing her beautiful face. And while glaring at the man in front him, she replied,
"It's Elena, James. Elena."
James simply rolled his eyes at her cold reply however, and shrugged as he sat back down on his stool.
"Aye, Elena….. So why are you here?"
Elena turned and closed the door behind her and said in response,
"You're blunt as ever, James. Shouldn't you at least pretend you're glad to see me?"
James glared at Elena and growled as he replied,
"Both of us know very well that's impossible."
"I guess…." She sighed.
Now facing each other, Elena slowly made her way to James and hummed along the way. The ground near James then shook for a while, and right after, roots sprouted out, intertwining with each other, forming a little stool that matched James'. And without any hesitation, Elena sat down on the stool she just made, making herself comfy as she made eye contact with him.
"Speak. What do you want?"
James glared once more as he said so. Elena didn't feel threatened, however, and instead of replying, she turned her head to the canvas James was painting on. She spotted multiple crude strokes on it, showing just how hard the painter was trying to succeed, but it seemed like he didn't, however, since she couldn't spot a single proper stroke on th──
"Speak."
Her train of thought was disturbed when she suddenly felt overwhelming bloodlust in front of her, dyeing her surroundings in red mist. The scent of death that she had been smelling for a while now also grew stronger, making her sweat profusely and her spine growing cold. She finally took her eyes away from the canvas and looked at the being in front of her.
James Lazarus, The Immortal. The strongest warrior in the entire continent.
She almost forgot how violent and bloodthirsty this man in front of her was. So, shaking her head, she made eye contact with James once more and spoke hurriedly,
"The Elders have requested your assistance in protecting the World Tree…."
"Tsk..!" James clicked his tongue.
Elena then became startled when he suddenly stood up and faced the back wall of the cabin. She couldn't really see the expression James was making, but based on the ever growing bloodlust she was feeling, she could tell he was pretty displeased by the request. She then looked down at his hands and noticed them shaking, but unlike last time, it seemed to stem from his overwhelming rage and not──
"Fine."
James said in a low voice, and immediately after, like it had all been a lie, the raging bloodlust he was emitting suddenly disappeared, making Elena release the breath she didn't know she was holding. James then sighed and faced Elena. His eyes lingered on her for a moment, making her feel uncomfortable, but he just sighed and sat back down on the stool, and faced her once more.
"And so? Why did they send the previous Queen of the Elven Kingdom just to deliver that simple message?" James asked.
"Because I was the only one that could find you. And the only person you won't kill instantly when─" Elena then glanced back at the door behind her. "─opening that door."
"I guess you're right." He grunted.
Now that the situation has calmed down a bit, Elena finally decided to take a good look at the man in front of him.
At James Lazarus.
At the human that was cursed with immortality, forever living a life of battles, wars and death. Which was ironic, she thought. A mortal, blessed by the Goddess of Life, yet only able to show his true potential when in the presence of Death. She then shifted her gaze once more towards the canvas, and couldn't help but ask,
"Since when have you taken an interest in Art?"
He froze.
He honestly didn't expect someone to ask him that question, and he would have preferred it if no one did. But now that someone actually asked, he couldn't quite think of a proper answer. So, he grinned. He raised his hand to his side, where a small rip in space formed. He then pushed his hand through it and pulled out a bottle of wine and a single chalice, engraved with ancient symbols.
He poured some wine on the chalice and offered it to Ellie, but she only shook her head in response.
James then stared at the air for a good while and thought if it'd be a good idea to tell her. She thought of Ellie, the only friend he ever had that managed to live this long, and would probably still live for many more years to come….
He then sighed and said,
"A little girl once asked me a question…."
—"Hey mister! Can you paint a little flower for me?"
"She was a cheeky little brat…"
—"Eh? You can't? But my father said you could do anything!"
"She laughed at me when I said I couldn't…."
—"I guess there are some things even mister can't do."
"It infuriated me. I tried so hard to hold in my rage at that time.... and then──"
* * *
──and then, the castle shook.
The stone floor they were standing on rumbled, and they started hearing the sound of men screaming from outside. James approached a nearby window to see what was going on, and was shocked by what laid in front of him.
A sea of flames.
The castle grounds burned in a fiery inferno, leaving nothing but ashes behind. He then heard a mighty roar from above, making him raise his head, and saw something he never thought he'd see again. A mighty Dragon with white scales and three pairs of wings on its back, flying majestically in the sky.
"Aura."
James glared as he called out its name, bringing out his spear and holding it with his hand. He was about to jump off the window and face the Dragon, when──
"M-Mister…?"
──he suddenly heard a little girl's voice behind him.
He turned back, only to see the frightened face of the five year old girl he was talking to earlier. He then cursed silently under his helm. The girl was shaking in fear with tears in her eyes. James really wanted to help her calm down, but he simply didn't know how to do so. But hearing the ever increasing screams of men and the Dragon's roar outside, he cursed silently once more, took his helmet off, kneeled, and stared the little girl in the eyes, then said,
"Princess Natalia." He coughed and continued. "Everything's going to be fine. This mister just needs to go out there and beat the bad guys, alright? So just stay here and wait for me to come back."
Hearing his words, Princess Natalia's nervous face eased a little bit. She wiped the tears in her eyes and asked,
"You promise?"
"I promise."
James replied then turned to face the window once more. He put his helm back on and then glanced at the little princess behind him.
"I'll be back in a minute."
He said one last time before jumping down the window.
* * *
The sky flashed.
A beam of white light streaked through the clouds and made direct contact with the ground, destroying it and everything in the surroundings. The sky then flashed once more, but this time, it was dyed with an intense, crimson color.
On the sky where an intense battle was taking place, a strange event was happening. A man, wearing blood red armor, was holding for his dear life, as he strengthened his grip on the Dragon's scales. Aura, noticing this, folded her wings and dived straight to the ground. And as they started descending at a rapid pace, James strengthened his grip even more, making sure he wouldn't fall. And then──
"F*ck."
──they crashed.
James lost his grip on the Dragon's scales and rolled on the ground for a while, hitting every building along the way. He then stood up immediately, with his right hand tightly gripping his spear. He could feel the ground caving in from the crash, and the earth cracking under his feet.
He then shook his head to clear his mind, and immediately ran off to where the Dragon landed. And there, he saw it.
Aura, The White Dragon, representing Purity and Virtue, lying weakly on the ground.
Most of her scales had been ripped off, and what remained were now dyed in gold by her own blood. James approached the Dragon slowly, with his spear pointed directly at it. His helm then disappeared in a form of red mist, once more revealing his face. He was about to ask the Dragon a question, when──
"Mister!"
──he suddenly heard a voice behind him.
James turned his back, only to find Princess Natalia, escorted by an entourage of Knights, running towards him. His mind blanked out for a while, before he immediately regained his composure and yelled,
"Princess!"
"Mister! You're safe!" Princess Natalia exclaimed in response.
"No, Princess! It's dangerous here!"
James tried to warn them of the danger they were in, but it was too late. Aura, noticing James' distracted state, immediately prepared her one last desperate attack that Dragons were famously known for.
Dragon Breath.
White flames spewed out of her mouth, heading directly towards James.
Unguarded and unprepared, James took the full brunt of the flames. He could feel his armor melting, and molten metal dripping towards his skin. He could feel his flesh burning, and his blood boiling from within. But he didn't care about the pain he was experiencing though, right now, there was only one thing on his mind──
"[Aegis]!"
──to protect the Princess behind him.
A red, circular shield, engraved with ancient symbols, appeared on his arm. He then raised his shield, blocking the flames, and then slowly, he marched towards the dragon. Now armed with a legendary artifact, James could feel the effect of the flames lessening. His armor then reshaped back to its original form and his burnt flesh regenerated instantly, bringing him back to his peak condition.
And after a while, the flames finally died down, and what now lay in front of James was the dead body of what was once known as the most virtuous dragon of all time.
"She must've used her own life force for that attack…."
James mumbled to himself as he continued to stare at what was in front of him. He then heard a scream.
"Princes!"
Hearing the noise, he immediately snapped out of it and ran directly towards the princess. And then, he saw it.
Princess Natalia, with her hair burnt and skin scorched by the flames, being carried in the arms of a heavily injured Knight, surrounded by the corpses of the men that protected her.
"Hand her over." James demanded.
Hearing the threatening tone of James' voice, the Knight handed the princess to him without hesitation. Now in his arms, James examined the princess' body thoroughly and carefully, when he suddenly noticed her flickering eyelids. She then seemed to struggle for a little bit before finally opening her eyes. She looked at James with a warm look, and in a weak voice, greeted him.
"Hello, mister…."
"Hello, Princess…"
The princess coughed, with blood coming out of her mouth. She then stared at the sky for a while, before shifting her gaze at James. Shen then asked,
"Mister…. Did you know? Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day my mother died…"
"Yes, I know…"
She smiled and continued,
"I was really young when she died…. but I do remember her saying…. that there was this flower she really liked…. it was…."
"Natalies…" James cut her off.
"You know it?" She asked, surprised.
"Yes. I used to give them to her when she was a child…. But there aren't any left in this world...."
Hearing his words, Princess Natalia's eyes shined, she then asked with a bit of excitement in her voice,
"So you know what it looks like?"
He nodded in response.
"I-I wanted…. to paint Natalies for her…. to lay it by her grave… b-but I didn't know what they looked like…."
She then looked at James with a pleading look, and a weak smile on her face, she asked,
"So mister…. will you paint one for me…?"
* * *
She sat there, listening to his tale.
When she decided to come visit him tonight, she expected to have another argument with him. About how the Elven Kingdom and The World Tree no longer concerned him anymore, about how he needed to fulfill his duty, his promise, that he made 200 years ago.
But no, nothing of the sort happened.
He accepted the request faster than she expected, and told her of a tale that happened a hundred years ago. She didn't know why he decided to do all of these, but it didn't really matter to her.
She was just glad.
That even after all the years of constant fighting and bringing death to his enemies….
"I'm glad.…"
She said as she smiled at him. Confused, James looked at Elena and asked,
"Glad of what?"
"Glad that you're still human inside…. and not a monster that everyone believes you to be…."
Dumbfounded, James simply looked at Elena like she was a fool and laughed. He laughed boisterously, coughing and wheezing as he slapped his lap while pointing his finger at Elena.
Irritated, Elena stood up and slowly went for the door. As she walked, she could still hear the fool laughing, and it seemed like he wouldn't be stopping anytime soon.
And so, she went out.
A strong, refreshing breeze greeted her, along with the light of the rising sun. She breathed in the fresh morning air and thought to herself,
The scent of blood and death became just a little bit weaker.