[ VOLUME 2 ] ✣ Whispers of the Wind ✣ 風のささやき ✣ King Of The Weak Arc ✣

Introduction: First Dance, Last Chance (2)

'A feeling of weakness is not only shown through tears,'

'In a way that even I can't describe,'

'You can still feel powerless.'

'There are a variety of ways to feel weakness,'

'But you can't put them into words, can you?'

Iru's head had thoughts invading him over and over, and not once did it ever try to stop flowing in and out. The sounds of swords clashing and crossing horrifies him, the fact that he was facing the Captain— But he needs to focus on this now, otherwise, he'll face even more consequences,

He had very few options, accepting defeat was not one of them. To him, if he'd lost, he would have returned to square one.

Back to the starting stage,

He could not afford to lose this chance, he thought.

This battle he's fighting is difficult, but not impossible to overcome.

Iru swallowed his courage and drew out his blade, pointing it to the person he least expected to point to. He furrowed his brows and mustered the most austere expression he could make, one mistake, and he'll ruin everything.

The prince swiftly takes several steps forward, "Light Element, release: Stars outburst!" And tossed his sword with force as it pierces through the ground, altogether, the prince disappears,

'Where did he go!?'

Cypher's eyes fixated everywhere yet Iru was nowhere to be found.

Iru's blade shone a bright gold color and parts from the ground, as he reappears behind the captain's back, he swung his sword the moment he took a grip on the handle,

Light and lightning rivals each others' speed, although Cypher knew that fact already, he was still caught off guard by the sudden unpleasant sensation of a portion of his skin tearing apart from the sharp blade,

It hurt to see his best friend in pain but that was what's holding him back as well. The captain quickly got back on his feet and built up his elemental power within his palms, giving the look of grimace and disdain. Feeling a shot of energy within his wrist, he dashes towards the Prince's direction and unleashes all of it, carving a permanent scratch on Iru's sword,

Iru was required to step it up a bit.

Even if it felt wrong, he had to do everything in his ability to make it right.

Iru fixed his vision on all of Cypher's movements and his, hearing both elements clang to each other made it tough to focus.

He continues to swing his sword in defense against the captain's shadow that fought him with relentless attacks. One there, one here, you could only hear the curses of the prince that wanted this to end.

In every strike that the prince made, he had asked himself many times during battle.

'In each and every strike I make, is it leading me to victory, or a bait to lose?'

He disliked the thought of it and his face widening its frown, aware of his possible defeat, but thinking like that can't do any good. Cypher raises his hand and casts it back down that summons a stream of dark colored chains, "Shadow element, release: Blank life."

The chains hit the ground and slithered all the way up to the prince's torso, trapping his arms tightly around himself. The prince was sent flying to the back and fell to his knees as he lost balance from the tight chains he was captured in,

"Follow." He strictly demanded and pointed to Iru's blades.

And so the chains wrap around the prince, with his blade that flung out of his grip.

The prince's breath lost balance and began to get unsteady, his brows furrowed at the denial of his loss and balled his fists to the point his knuckles turned a little light yellow.

He refused to lose.

"Let me at it again!" His mouth curves into a frown and he yells, eyes of desperation as he struggles to get out of the chains.

"...But, you already lost." Said coldly by Cypher.

He was crushed to hear such blatant and blank words come out of Cypher, "Again. Let me go again!" At this point, the prince was infuriated, he begged with his hands and knees to go and fight one more time.

Yet the two other boys– Ichiro and Hachiro refused, their expectations broken.

"Cypher, let him go."

The captain obeyed and reversed his spell of the chains that captured Iru.

Iru used this chance to argue like his life depended on it, and stood up, walking to his brothers, "First! Okay, first, you tell me to prepare for 2 weeks just to–"

He was then cut off.

"Shut your mouth." Ichiro toned his voice down to match his dead-seriousness. "I warned you, didn't I?" He crossed his arms and shut his eyes to think of the right words,

"Your life would be a living hell, a permanent excruciating pain as a demon. I trusted Itzukii to perform a perilous spell on you and you're here on your knees, begging?"

… "Pathetic."

He scoffed, "Tsk, we didn't fail you. You failed us." He spoke every word with no hesitation, as if waiting for the right moment to speak it out loud.

"And now who's going to investigate the abyss for us?"

"I'm begging for you to select me to investigate! This is for a good reason, you monster!-" Enraged by his last word, Ichiro decided to spit it back to him.

"You're the monster here out of all of us in this kingdom." ..In which it turned into a fast regret, "Wait– Iru, you misunderstand–" his tone of voice switched into that of guilt. He messed it up, didn't he? Ichiro thought.

He clenched his hands into a fist, "Then fuck all of you. I don't need anyone by my side, besides one person." He didn't take a second to hear them out and left the area with the boys in shock.

Cypher reached his arm out to him, but shudders as he hears the door slam shut.

As Iru stood up and dusted his clothing, he undressed his black coat and threw it away. Storming off to his room to think in silence. Once done, he twisted the doorknob and shut it closed once he was inside of his room.

Just as he was about to have some sort of breakdown, he was greeted by the maid, Aaliyah.

…

Both of them stood quiet in the presence of each other, none of them uttered one sound until the prince chose to open his mouth. "Aaliyah."

"Yes sir?" Curious, she pays attention,

"Tell me– Tell me something." Iru looked up at the maid for a response,

"Yes sir!" She immediately obeyed.

"Define a monster to me. What do you think of when you hear the word, 'monster'?"

Aaliyah could only assume that Iru was going through some tough past occurrences and tries to think of a vague reply. After a while, she comes up with her chosen words.

"A monster who… Is heartless." She says the last word with an unsure tone, but nevertheless, it causes the prince to carve a smile on his face. "Then…"

…

"Am I a monster to you?"

"Huh? Of course not!" She drops the wet towel and bucket down to the floor, approaching the prince with a concerned look on her face, which quickly turns into a frown.

"You're not a monster to me."

She looks up at him with a light smile,

"You're a hero."