Tainted in Red

Chapter 1

The first sound Ishwar heard was the cheerful chirping of birds. It was muffled at first, like it came from an enclosed room not too far from him. Gradually, the sounds turned crisp and along with the chirping, he could hear the soft sound of falling water.

A waterfall?

His mind was still in a groggy mess but he heard himself groan painfully when he tried to move. He opened his eyes and could fuzzily make out the wooden ceiling in front of him. He narrowed his golden eyes slightly, letting his eyesight adjust to the sudden light.

He lay in a daze for a while. The long parts of his hair sprawled messily, revealing the faded undercut that started just above his ears and faded downwards. The events of last night came back to him and by the time he'd remembered everything, he had already forced himself up and looked around.

He seemed to be inside a simple wooden house, a residence just enough for a small family. It didn't have that much furniture, only a small wooden table with two wooden stools and the single bed he lay on. On the fireplace, a pot of soup was gently boiling.

He winced slightly when the injuries on his chest were stretched by his sudden movement. He looked down and realized he was no longer wearing his haglendian armor but had changed into more comfortable clothing. His injuries were carefully wrapped in bandages.

Did someone save me?, He thought with furrowed eyebrows. His thoughts were muddled but he remembered he was in the middle of nowhere when he fought against the havoc that night. There were no signs of civilization. So how could anyone save him?

"Ah—You're awake." A figure suddenly entered from the door. "You should lay down a bit more. Your injuries could bleed if you move too much."

The voice sounded extremely warm and comforting, and Ishwar couldn't help but raise his eyes to look. The person was slightly tall and had wide shoulders and a thin waist. He wore a green tunic, black baggy pants, and boots. His complexion was slightly pale, had emerald eyes that looked calm, and had long golden hair that was tied into a high ponytail but still reached up to his waist. When Ishwar looked closely, he could see the pointed ears this person had. The person was an elf.

Upon knowing the person's race, the next thing Ishwar did was look at the back of the elf's hand. He looked for a certain mark - Attendant's Shackles. If the elf had one, then he was an elven attendant. If he didn't have one, then he was an Elvar.

Elven attendants were elves who'd given up their Elvar heritage to live with humans. Many of these elves could be found in human kingdoms and serving human nobles. The Elvar, however, were very rare. Not many people had seen them. They mostly kept to themselves, living in the forests and never revealing themselves to humans. But their abilities were once recorded in old scriptures. Just one of them could turn the tide of war to their advantage.

Ishwar didn't find a mark and right then he concluded this elf had indeed saved him. He didn't know just how powerful an Elvar was but if he went by what he read, then they could probably get rid of one havoc on their own.

"Y-you... You're an Elvar?" Ishwar spoke and found his voice was slightly hoarse. He flinched slightly but forced himself to sit up straight, at least to offer his thanks to his savior. "May I know my savior's name?"

"My name is Vyll…" The elf replied. "…but I wasn't the one who saved you."

Ishwar looked puzzled. What?

Vyll smiled but didn't say anything more on the matter. He turned to check on the boiling soup in the fireplace. "And you? May I also know your name?"

"Ishwar.", Ishwar replied. "My name is Ishwar."