2 Ex-Paladin (Revised)

A dreadful incident was going. Bloody scent smell awful in the room in front of the throne room. A big square place with a big few large pillars.

In the middle stands a man. Gripping a sword in the right hand and expend an arcana disc in left. His body remains of the sword that has cut down every enemy in front of him.

With a bestial looking face, he looks at every enemy who remains standing. Although his enemy was a kid, he could never look down on them. Few scratches on his body were their doing.

His enemy looks like in their 12 years of life. Even though they are part of the kingdom assault. It's even worse than they are children of the cursed clan who has a special power.

Bloody red hair and eye color. When their hair blends with blood, you wouldn't notice how long or short their hair. Just like a dead girl laying down beside the man.

Their tough skin as white as bone. It seems like their skin made by bone itself. It's not beautiful like snow skin because the skin makes them didn't have proper nutrition on them. That seems right though.

They can manipulate their blood to any shape. For example, a red bloody blade held by a kid in front of the man, that is their power. Furthermore, they have a fighting ability like a veteran soldier, or even better than them.

Although their numbers are lower, their murderer aura remains strength as like it's better if the man kills them already. But the man remains still on his stand. Waiting for them to come for himself.

However, that's doesn't easy as it looks. Because his enemy was injured, badly. Moreover, a few of them already lost their body parts. Like kick or hand or even three of them and only remain one in four.

However, the man still wants to end his life on his own hands. He just wants to wait for their coming.

One of the kids grasping his blade tightly. Looking at the man full of rage.

The kid screaming loud and throw his blade to the man strongly. The blade swinging in half oval lane. But before it lands on the man's body, in the middle of air the kid appears. Just two meters away from the distance between the kid and the man. At that moment the kid swinging his blade to the man.

In that unexpected speed of time, the kid split into two. His hand that wants to cut down the man throwing to behind the man along with his upper body.

Just like that, the man kills all of the kid. With a face full of anguish that said he had no other choice.

-------

A vague of painful dream makes Roland waking with whirly head. That was the few times he had dreaming it again. The best part of his dreadful memories.

He wakes up and holds his dizzy head. Then get out of bed just like that.

He walks out through his room and headed to well. Washing his face while hoping the hurt faded away.

In front of the water bucket, he sees a 40-year looking 30 old man. Blue-sphere ball stick into his two hole face. A depressed expression has stuck on his face from that day. The day of destruction in his life.

Don't want to sleep in turmoil, he lifts his large body that has shrunk because of an unhealthy way of life. Going into the living room. Takin a half ate bread and eat the rest.

Feeling uncomfortable, he takes his shirt in the head chair and going out of the house.

He lives in a suburban hut. A small house that only fit for one adult man. From a proper hero became a poor man. That is Roland.

He walks through a small forest. To the edge of the city where he can see what he wants to see.

He lives in the proper kingdom in that century. Named as the Francia Kingdom. Who had been ruled by a proper king, Charlemagna.

The people live peacefully in the kingdom. Although the kingdom has been in the war between a neighbor kingdom or who wants to raid the kingdom, the people can feel safe in the central.

Life goes accordingly. T\hat is because of the king and his loyal knight, Paladin. Who has been protecting and managing the kingdom properly this beautiful time can be enjoyed by the nation.

After walks through the forest, Roland arrived at the suburban park. From there, he sits on one of the park chair facing east north. Looking far away at the royal building. Feeling nostalgic, sore, and angry at the same time.

"Hey mister, you coming again!"

A childish voice calling at him.

That is a 12-year old happy kid who had the knowledge and always meets him every day, at that time.

Roland responds to his bright face with a faint smile, looking curious about his habit of meeting him every day with that kind of expression.

"Hey kid, why do you always in this place at this time every day?"

Roland advancing his body closer to the kid. Thinking that the kid didn't have a friend to come along with him, Roland feels a bit pity for him. But surprisingly his thought isn't correct.

"I came here because I feel sorry for you"

"And why is that?"

"Well, you know. You are kinda like my limping father. He always stares at the guardhouse with a pity face like you. Did you lose your friend too?"

Roland raises his brows as his heart feel surprised. The kid knows their pain and he feels like to ease their burden.

Roland lowers his head because he feels ashamed for himself. Looking pity in front of a bright kid like that.

He raises his head and gives the kid a more honest smile then answers his question.

"Well kid, I do, lost my dearest friend. But you know, that doesn't make me want to stop fighting"

"Then why you are still always in here?!"

The kid looks like he wants to drag Roland and take him to somewhere else. But then Roland laughs a little bit and make the kid even mad.

"Why do you laugh?!"

"Ha ha... well kid, I'm not that ashamed adult who doesn't know what to do in his life"

He lies. Still, it's better than looking weak in front of a big guy who wants to help you.

"I just spend my holiday here because I like the quiet place"

The kid looks at him amazed. Seems like he didn't trust his words.

At that time his friend calling at him and he directly distracted.

"Looks like they searching for you"

"Okay, I have to go! But mister, if tomorrow I come here and find you looking ashamed again, I'm gonna drag you into some happy place!"

The kid finishing his words while running into his friends. Looked serious with his words. Roland feels kinda relieved that there is a person who looks after him. Unwittingly smiles when remembering the kid's words.

The kid's appearance made his heart feels warmer. He believes tomorrow would be a better day if someone new like the kid comes to his life. But there is no way someone just come to him and seeks help.

His surrounding kinda looks brighter than before. Yet it's still the same day he felt depression.

Roland does not intend to just sit in the park until evening. That scene before made him want to take a walk into town. Just for the observation that the city he guarded doesn't change because of the terrible incident in the royal palace do not interfere with the city.

That incident unpublished and if the news of the king's departure comes out to the public, chaos surely fills all over the country. Roland wants to make sure that doesn't happen.

He rises and begins to walk to the city.

The city where he lives located on the edge of the kingdom. Although the environment seems a lot busy than usual.

That is the city where the entrance to the kingdom located. So the environment fills with the bustle of delivery of goods and outsider entry inside. Guarding is even more stringent. The foremost fortress of the kingdom.

Roland reaches the middle of the city. Where crowded can be seen along with the eyes. Peaceful crowd. A place where you can search for anything you want because many merchants selling their goods there.

Roland getting distracted by a woman who brought a basket full of bread. Trying to offer bread to people who pass by. Roland then looks into his pocket. Looking for some chopper to buy food. He hopes he can find two or three, but all he gets just one little copper coins.

The woman realizes Roland was looking at his chopper. She then comes to him and offering her stuff.

"Would you like to buy, sir?"

"Just one, please"

Roland sees the woman's arrival and directly give his one and last chopper.

"Here you go"

The woman gives a bread with the size of Roland's hand. And then she turns around looking for another customer.

The bread looks like it will only fill 3/1 of Roland's stomach. But that's still better than nothing.

The crowd seems busier than before. Roland head into another place with bread in his pocket.

Roland gives the city observation around to only find peace and crowd. Nothing happens and nothing will gonna happen. Surely if no spark can splash fire. Everything will gonna be alright.

After given the city a simple observe, Roland head home when evening comes. The sun is at the edge of the horizon and only remains red rays that touched the ceiling of the building.

Roland walks through the darkness when arrived at his neighborhood. Light only came from the sky glittering green. Endless cosmos that bring light to what around it.

Roland walks alone on a small forest trail. A small forest where his hut placed. However, someone was following him when he enters the wood. He notices him/her in the first place, but he tolerates it until they in the middle of the forest.

Although he/she doesn't give dangerous aura for him.

"Now, can you tell why you following me?"

Roland turns around to look at the stalker. Find a salute was standing in the tree shadow when he talks to him/her.

That person seems smaller than him. Seen from the silhouette, it looks like that is a little girl. She wears a knee-length gown and hood covering her head.

"Can you at least show yourself, little girl? If you do not intend to do evil, I will surely treat you nice"

Roland trying to calm himself down while not lower hostility.

The girl attracted by his words. She seems to want to show herself. Yet her impotence stops her again.

Roland seems like it can make her show herself. So he changes strategy.

"You seem to have business with me? What is that? Had we meet before?"

The silhouette seems more attracted than before. If so, Roland's guess is correct that they had met before.

"So we had met before. Am I promised you something?"

"Y-yes!"

The girl answers quickly after he offered the word promised. Does he know that girl? But he remembers that he never meets a little girl before. Though the answer sounded that the girl is kinda desperate and needs his help.

"Then can you please show yourself? I can recognize you if you still don't want to appear"

Roland then offered one hand to the girl, hinted her to come out from the shadow.

At first the girl afraid to walk through darkness. But Roland manages to show her a gentle smile under cosmos ray that told her to not afraid.

The girl recognizes that smile and attains to walk. She walks just three-step but that's just okay because she stops in a lighter place.

The girl looks around the age of the kid this afternoon. She wears a slum gown and a dirty hood. Looks like a normal bum kid.

However, Roland realizes there is something strange with the girl's skin. They are very pale or is it because of looks very white that her skin made by a bone. One thing that made him surprises. The girl's hair. It looks like they are made of blood. Thick red if you can say.

Roland can hide his surprise. He even glared so wide that his eye could get out of place. The gentle smile replaced by an expression of fearful adults when they see ghosts.

"It can't be—"

He muttered when reality and fiction indistinguishable. Fear overwhelms him.

"It can't be happening"