The Red Demonic Swordsman 1: Xendria

Solo Survivor

On the night of May 7th, the streets of Hozuki Kingdom were filled with many people roaming about. Yujia and Kojin stood by the wooden bench where the young boy had sat, conversing.

"So, that's what happened..." Yujia stated. The young boy, Kirisu Owenson, remained seated on the bench with his head lowered, not uttering another word.

"It's difficult right now. I can understand your pain, but with Roque's defeat, we are one step closer to achieving our goal of leaving Xendria," Kojin explained.

Kirisu was the sole survivor of the battle against Roque. Everyone else had perished, including Yuna. The immense grief that Kirisu felt was overwhelming, making it difficult for him to fully comprehend the situation. Since his battle, all he could think about was the loss of his comrades.

Yujia turned her attention to Kojin and spoke. "Our next stop is the Frostvale Kingdom."

"Yeah," Kojin replied. "Everyone is already making their way there."

"Kirisu," Yujia said, looking down at Kirisu. "Let's go."

Kirisu still remained silent, not moving a slight bit to even look at them or let alone speak. He kept staring at the ground, silent. Kojin momentarily closed his eyes before shifting away, reopening his eyes and then looking back at Yujia. "Let him be. He'll recover. Let's go." Kojin walked away, to which Yujia followed along.

As time passed, there were fewer and fewer people around as many of them had left to go to Frostvale Kingdom. Kirisu still remained seated. A familiar voice could be heard, a young male, slightly older than Kirisu with ginger-red hair and a scruffy facial hair, approaching him.

"Hey, Kirisu!"

Kirisu lifted his head up slowly, turning his gaze towards him.
"Kade..." Kirisu softly spoke. He had known Kade since Kirisu first entered Kingdom Village a long time ago and had taught him basic sword fighting skills from their first meeting.

"Oi, Kirisu!" Kade called out, stopping in his tracks once he reached him. "Let's go! Everyone is leaving!"

Kirisu stared at him in silence, then slowly looked back down at the ground again, once more recalling the flashbacks of what had happened in his mind.

"Come on, Kirisu! You can't be like this forever! I know you're going through a difficult time, but-"

"I'm going to fight alone..." Kirisu resolutely spoke.

"Huh? Kirisu, don't be like that," Kade said, crossing his arms.

"It's my choice," Kirisu spoke sternly. "If I had fought alone, maybe... they'd all still be here."

"It's not like you could have known this would happen."

"Just go, Kade... I'll see you on the other side."

Kade sighed, not because he was disappointed, but because he didn't know how to help Kirisu in his situation. He thought maybe it would be best to let Kirisu grieve alone, so he uncrossed his arms, letting them fall to his sides. "You better catch up, Kirisu." Kade began to walk away.

Time passed and there wasn't anyone around. The lights in his surroundings were off, and he was just sitting alone on the bench, staring at the ground in silence.
"What a poor sight to look at," Sora said, who happened to be standing a short distance in front of Kirisu. "Have you finally given up?"

Kirisu's attention turned to Sora, lifting his head up to look at him. He felt relieved to see him, yet disappointed at the same time. "Sora... wh-what are you doing here? Where have you been?"

"I had to leave for a while in search of power. I couldn't continue to stick with you, knowing that a day may come where I may also be annihilated alongside your comrades because of your foolishness," Sora explained briefly, keeping a neutral expression on his face.