Ethereal Maelstrom

We were not ready for this.

He had made up his mind far long ago, and its expected to have a lot of struggles along our journey. After all, we've already abandoned our home and decided to never ever return. But for mere children like us, holding hunger and thirst for days, and having zero comfort on our sleep are something we were really not ready for.

The scenery of tall trees spreading everywhere across our vision, soils and muds we've been stepping on for days, we've been able to go through all of them out of sheer hope, and only hope alone. I wonder how far we'll have to walk for the nearest town...

*growls*, an oddly audible sound of stomach growling coming from the young master.

I opened up our backpack to see how much food we have left.

- A hunting knife

- Several bandages

- Three paper scrolls of healing magic

- One bread loaf

- Eleven gold coins, twenty silvers, and thirty five bronzes.

I grimaced. One bread loaf, one bread loaf is currently our only food, which i do not care and immediately gave it to the young master.

"I'm... i'm fine, please do not worry too much about me." he refused timidly. He must've known it was our last food from the expression on my face, but his hunger must've made him think twice about refusing it, hence why he answered so shyly.

"I can't do that, young master. Your life and safety is my biggest priority." I responded. I owed my whole life to him for everything he has given me, and suffering through starvation is nothing for me to accompany him by his side.

"Please... do not say such stuff. I can keep going, you have to worry about yourself too..." he said smiling weak and frail.

"Can't do. You have no choice but to eat this, young master." I insisted.

"Fine..." he finally agreed. "But, you also have to eat it too, understood?"

"As i have said before, young master, your life and safety is my biggest-"

"As i have said before, dear best butler and best friend, you also have to eat it too. And that is an order from me. Understood?" he cut me off while smiling, this time brightly rather than weakly.

"U-understood..." I have no choice but to agree, as he cut the bread loaf to two pieces.

We opted to sit on the dirty soil as we enjoyed our only meal left.

I do not know why, either because of the natural environment we were in or due to the fact that we were now pitiful travellers, but the bread taste better than usual.

*thud thud*

As we were about to stand up to continue our journey, a faint voice of footsteps can be heard. And they're not human footsteps. This might be a huge chance for us.

"Sshhh, follow me and try to not make a lot of sound" I whispered. We must not let this chance slip pass us or else we'd be forced to starve for days yet again.

I quickly grabbed the hunting knife from the backpack and went to hide behind a tree. I need to look at the prey we're hunting for right now.

Long wooden antennas, body of a bull, and legs of a deer... An elk. Perfect, it'd be enough stock for us to survive for weeks.

*thud thud thud* the elk walks closer to where we were hiding and starts drinking at a small pond nearby. To think we'd be able to find a food source and water source at the same time...

"Are... you sure? What if it starts retaliating...?" he said with concern of me.

"Do not be afraid, young master. I've trained myself in hunting for years, i know what to do."

I sneaked on the elk quietly as i try to get closer as nimbly as i could before it gets away. When i'm near enough, i instantly threw my knife with every force into the body behind its front legs.

Even if it tried to escape, it can no longer move as fast as it could, and we'd just have to walk slowly until it gets tired and dies of bleeding.

Or so it should've been... The elk does not budge and instead turn around to face me. I noticed that there was a red glow in its eyes.

Before i could even process what was happening, the elk charged towards me with such speed impossible for a tiger to reach, let alone an elk.

"𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿"

It didn't reach me however, as the young master immediately controlled the flow of the surrounding mana and forming it to a barrier in front of me to block the oncoming charge. The barrier was broken from the impact but the elk was also knocked far back away as the result.

For the young master's barrier to break instantly, not to mention its outworldly endurance and speed, whatever that thing was, it's definitely far from an ordinary elk.

"Let me handle this. I may have a weak body, but i have this power that even father is afraid of!" he said as he stepped in front of me.

"𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲"

He twirled the flow of mana around his body as if he's controlling the wind itself and transforming it into deadly orbs of energy all floating near him, ready to shoot into anything unfortunate enough to be its target.

"But young master, it is very dangerous to-"

"I'm also very dangerous as well, am i not? It's time for me to know why father has... why he has been..." he cut me off as he stared to the ground, pondering. "Am i really that dangerous for him to lock me up for my whole life and treat me as if i'm not his son..."

"...as if i'm a monster..."

He sighs for a brief moment before facing straight again as he said, "And to fight a monster, you'd need another monster, wouldn't you?" while forcing a bright smile on his face.

Yet again i have no choice but to accommodate his request. "Very well"

"However, with one requirement: I shall be your decoy"

"Huh? But-"

"You wouldn't want to be rammed before you could even aim at the elk to begin with, would you?" I cut him off this time. Once again, his life and safety is my biggest priority, so it will be the best option if i'm in the front line instead.

Before he could answer my rhetorical question, the elk has managed to catch up to us after being flown so far away. Speaks volumes of its unimaginable power unfitting of an ordinary forest elk.

"Alright... But please, do not die."

"By all means, i shall not." I smiled as i bowed to him.

I rushed to the elk, at what may be the worst possible time as it suddenly charged towards me in an instant yet again.

"Whoa-" I barely managed to dodge it as it crashed onto a nearby tree and its antlers were now stuck.

"Chance!"

The young master would then shoot the barrages of orbs towards the elk. Holes were made across the elk's whole body. It did inflict significant damage as it growls in pain, but not enough for it to fall dead.

The elk would then turn around with the log of the tree still stuck in its antlers, and are preparing to charge towards me again.

"S-seriously...?"

"Quick, get behind me!" the young master suddenly shouted, and i moved immediately.

"𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅"

As the elk dashed forward, it couldn't reach us at all, as the young master manipulates the flow of the mana and swirls it round and round, creating a huge violet whirlwind as a result. A whirlwind so beautiful, so ethereal. An ethereal maelstrom.

The elk were caught in it and were now stuck in the air immobilized. The swirls would then flow around the elk as it sliced and tear through its body repeatedly.

"Goodbye."

"𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲"

One swipe to its head was the end to the life of the elk. Cut pieces of its body fell to the ground as the whirlwind ceased to exist.

"We... WE DID IT!" he exclaimed joyfully. "We managed to...-"

The young master suddenly fainted and i was fast enough to catch him before he fell to the ground. The reason why was because he unnecessarily put too much effort in subduing the elk.

"You overdid yourself, young master. You could've just sliced its head in the first place and it could've saved us a lot of trouble."

"I know, but it wouldn't be challenging for me, you know? I want to have fun too if i fight for my life, so it would be really worth it." he said casually with a smile.

*sighs* "This is exactly the reason why Master Barlowe locked you up in your room, young master." I responded sarcastically.

"Pft- hahahaha! Maybe you're right... Hey, just call me by my name. We've been friends since ages, did you forget?"

"Thank you, young ma- Gwilym..."I almost fumbled.

"You're welcome, Robin." he giggled.

*crack*

Our delightful moment were interrupted by the sound of a fractured twig. All the attention went to the man in brown robe that covers all of his body. His face is hidden beneath the hood of the robe.

The man wearing brown robe would then walks towards us while clapping.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Thank you very much for helping me get the rewar- get rid of that foul beast! Oh how would i be able to pay for what you have done for me..." said the man endearingly.

"Who the hell are you?" I immediately responded with caution

"Ah, no need to be vigilant around me, for i am..." he said as he takes off his hood.

"...the infamous charismatic merchant, Jack Resfalt. Pleasure to meet you."