World Without Song

Chapter 1: Adversaries

Ara

I can't believe a month has passed since we swore the oath to Yhidawach. It all passed far too quickly, everyone now has their own red blades... and our first big mission has arrived at our doorstep. Yhidawach had been mostly kept away from the battlefield for this time, or at least kept away from the battlefields we were sent to.

But now he is coming with us, on the eastern front where the Adversaries have seemingly sprung up out of nowhere.

Rather, we are already here. The small village beset by flesh monsters... And yet, I see no enemy.

Yhidawach has been silent from the start of our journey, still as unapproachable as before.

We swore an oath to him and we never once saw his face.

I respect him a great amount and yet I cannot help but feel horribly uneasy... Not once have I heard him complain about that Sin hanging on his back.

"My lord... Where are our enemies?" I asked him, knowing that his instincts are leagues above mine.

"A storm is coming." Was all he said in response.

The sky was clear of any clouds, and a slight breeze was all you could feel on the red grassy fields of the Fire-heart's land.

He didn't answer my question.

We continued into the village, I can't even remember the name of it, if it even has one.

"Beset by Adversaries... So now... Where is the enemy?" Yhidawach spoke into the wind, repeating the question I asked him. "Enter the houses, if there are enemies there, kill them. That is an order."

"What about you lord Yhidawach?" Alice asked.

"I will do what I am best at." He said as he walked away further into the village. I followed his order and marked a house for breaking into.

It was small, not unlike most homes in the village, as I smashed through the door, I unsheathed Hope.

There were three horrifying creatures, feasting on a man's corpse.

They quickly stood ready, all three taking swipes at me with their long fleshy limbs.

I had to jump back outside, using the door as a chokepoint, making sure only one at a time could face me.

Easy kills for me, Hope is incredibly sharp, it even prevents whatever regenerative abilities some of these monsters tend to have.

I move on to the next empty house.

Yhidawach

The screeching of dying monsters is ever so annoying. At least these ones aren't yelling in my head.

A few of them jump out at me from my left and right side, mid strike. Certainly an ambush, I let them strike me and felt no bite.

I cut them in half, leaving their top halves to drag their way towards me as I went deeper into this beast's mouth.

The largest home in this village, more of a mansion with three floors, I've never been here before so I can't say if this is a recent addition or if it existed here from the start. Either way it was about to welcome an unwanted guest.

The doors were broken through easily, it was filled to the brim with Adversaries, and I've learned that they are close relatives of those things that lived in the Silent Cathedral, though some appear to have more intelligence than others. They even fly their own flags... It resembles a serpentine creature with the head of a horse, the body resembles land-dragons with its claws and thick belly.