"Don’t Take Me for a Fool"

I woke up in the shelter, lying on a cold stone floor that felt harder than anything I'd slept on before. I stared at the ceiling, letting out a bitter chuckle as I thought about how everything had changed. Not long ago, I was in a cozy inn, one that even had a bathtub.

Back then, it seemed like a luxury, a reward for having some money and a bit of stability. But now… here I was, in a cold, empty shelter. The irony wasn't lost on me.

I got up, rubbing my arms to warm up, and looked for Lyris. She wasn't in sight. Feeling a bit worried, I walked toward the back of the shelter, where I spotted her without her noticing me. She was crouched down, gathering what looked like supplies for the journey.

I watched her silently, surprised by the care with which she touched the plants, as if they were more than just resources. There was a kind of reverence in her movements that made me pause. It was as if she were saying goodbye to them. And I understood.

In an era where most life had been wiped out, the little that remained became precious—sacred.

For Lyris, who had the ability to connect with, protect, and nurture life, maybe this was the closest thing she had to family—to a home.

I stepped out of the shelter, stretched a little, and approached Lyris.

"Good morning," I said, though the cold, gray morning air didn't exactly make the day seem good. She glanced over her shoulder at me and returned the greeting with a slight smile.

"Need help with anything?" I offered, seeing the provisions she was organizing.

"You can take the bag over there," she gestured with her head toward a half-full travel bag. "Pick what you think will be useful. It's going to be a long journey."

I gathered some fruits and vegetables from the garden, along with a canteen of fresh water. At least we had that—something we could rely on. Lyris finished her preparations and said firmly, "It's time to go," as she stood up and adjusted her cloak. Her face grew more serious as she shot me a stern look.

"We need to make use of the daylight while we can."

I noticed her tone growing colder, almost distant. "We have to move cautiously. Don't rush, Darius. There are creatures out there with abilities we can't underestimate. And if we come across people, we'll need to evaluate whether it's worth approaching them or not."

I took her words seriously—she was the guide.

"Even the survivors might have bad intentions. There's hunger everywhere, and many resort to stealing… or worse. Some, in their desperation, feed on the flesh of others."

I grimaced. The reality of this place was becoming more tangible, more brutal. It wasn't just the danger of the creatures that worried me but also how the few remaining humans had become something even more terrifying.

I realized then how much Lyris had endured to survive here and how hard it must have been to keep her sanity amidst this madness.

We prepared in silence, adjusting our belongings and making sure we had everything we needed. Without further delay, we set off, leaving the shelter behind.

As we walked through the vast desolation, the silence was broken only by the crunch of our boots against the cracked ground. Lyris broke the silence with a question that seemed to have been on her mind.

"I wanted to ask you something since yesterday," she began, her tone casual but curious. "It's about your swords."

"My swords?" I repeated, intrigued. I didn't talk about them much, so her observation surprised me.

Lyris nodded. "That style of sword… I've seen it before. Where did you get them?"

I thought for a moment and then answered. "Both were forged by a giant friend, an exceptional blacksmith. One of them is magical, synced only with me. If someone else were to use it, it'd just be a normal sword."

"Giant friend?" Lyris asked, and I noticed her eyes light up with a smile. Her reaction piqued my curiosity.

"Yeah, his name is Eldrek," I said, watching her expression change.

Lyris let out a soft laugh. "That's why that sword style seemed familiar," she said, and before I could stop myself, I blurted out:

"Wait, you know Eldrek?"

Lyris nodded, clearly enjoying my surprise. "Yes. Eldrek was my family's blacksmith for generations. In fact, the dagger I carry was also forged by him."

She showed me the dagger, and I couldn't resist my curiosity. I took it in my hands, examining it closely. Of course, the style was unmistakable. Eldrek's craftsmanship was evident in every detail.

"Wow, I didn't know you could identify blacksmiths just by looking at their weapons," I commented, surprised by my own discovery.

Then a question crossed my mind, filled with melancholy.

"Do you know how he died?"

Lyris raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Dead? No, Eldrek isn't dead."

My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn't hide the joy that overcame me.

"He's alive!?" I asked with excitement.

Lyris smiled. "Yes, though he's very old now. He managed to escape all this a long time ago. I haven't seen him in a while, but I know he fled to some distant lands."

I felt relieved. Eldrek, my friend from so many eras, was still alive.

"I'm glad he's still alive," I said enthusiastically. "I'd love to see him, maybe after I finish what I have in mind… That giant is ancient! If he's survived all this time, he must be tougher than a rock," I murmured to myself.

Lyris paused for a moment, and her expression turned more serious. "I'll give you directions when we arrive. But…" she said with a sharper tone, "don't take me for a fool, Darius."

I looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Since we started this journey, I've noticed something," she continued. "You said you had amnesia, but it's obvious that's not true. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to tell me everything about Eldrek and his swords in such detail."

The weight of her words hit me, making me realize just how observant she had been. While I was distracted, she had been watching, analyzing.

Lyris sighed at my silence. "I get that these aren't easy times to trust others. But from now on, I'd like you to be honest with me. You don't have to go into details if you don't want to, but don't lie to me."

I lowered my gaze for a moment, then looked at her again. "You're right. I apologize. Everything I told you about Eldrek is true, but I lied about the rest because I wasn't sure if I could trust you. I won't do that again."

After getting past that awkward moment, we managed to move forward as if starting from scratch.

We had been walking for hours without any signs of life. The silence was absolute, and any sound stood out in the stillness.

Suddenly, Lyris stopped and stared ahead. In the distance, several dark figures were slowly moving in our direction.

"Damn! Those are Colossus Beetles," she whispered, watching the approaching creatures intently. "There are too many to take on directly. It's better if we go around them."

I nodded, trusting her judgment. We crouched behind some large rocks, moving stealthily as we tried to avoid being seen.

The rocky, arid terrain made progress difficult, with unstable stones making every step risky and prone to noise. The intense sunlight also began to burn our skin, draining our energy with each passing minute.

Suddenly, a strange sound. Some stones fell from above, crashing loudly near where we were.

I froze, confused. There was no wind or hills for those stones to have fallen from above. Where the hell did they come from? My momentary distraction was enough to alert the beetles.

Although they were far away, their reaction was immediate. The horde of Colossus Beetles began moving in our direction, their shells reflecting the sunlight like sharp mirrors. The heat was unbearable, and with every step they took toward us, the sense of claustrophobia grew.

"Run!" Lyris shouted. We both took off, desperately searching for a way out, but the beetles were too fast. In seconds, they had surrounded us, forming a living wall of shells and claws.

A deep buzzing filled the air, clouding my thoughts. Each movement became more sluggish, as if my feet weighed a ton.

"Darius!" Lyris called, launching a sphere of vital energy at one of the beetles.

"Their weakness is in their coordination! If we disrupt the group, we can beat them. Aim for the alpha—the largest one. If we take it down, the others will lose control."

I tightened my grip on my magic sword, feeling energy flowing through it. The horde was closing in, and the alpha beetle was massive; its shell reflected the sunlight, blinding me.

The heat and the deafening buzz disoriented me, but I couldn't stop. I took a deep breath and charged at the alpha. I aimed a magic-infused strike, but its shell absorbed the blow's force, sending me stumbling back. It was like hitting a wall of iron.

The alpha let out a powerful buzz, and suddenly two more beetles attacked me from the sides. Their shells flashed blindingly, and their claws tore at my arms, ripping my cloak and forcing me back.

"This won't be easy!" I grunted, dodging more attacks as the hypnotic buzzing pounded in my head, making me lose focus.

Lyris was struggling too, keeping the beetles at bay from a distance but unable to get close enough to help me.

"Focus on the alpha!" she shouted, firing bursts of vital energy to hold off the smaller beetles.

The buzzing in my head was unbearable, and my movements grew slower, as if gravity itself was pulling me down. I couldn't keep my focus on the alpha with attacks coming from all sides.

"I can't get close without being surrounded!" I shouted to Lyris.

"Yeah, I noticed!" she replied in frustration. She quickly raised her hand toward a nearby rock and channeled her magic. The rock glowed and shot forward, hitting the alpha beetle right at its weak spot, distracting it.

I seized the moment. With a yell, I drove my sword into the alpha's underside, where its shell was weaker. This time, the strike, charged with chaotic energy, pierced through.

The alpha beetle wobbled, letting out a final buzz before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud. The hypnotic noise disappeared instantly, and the other beetles, disorganized and aimless, began to scatter.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself as relief replaced the adrenaline.

Lyris approached, visibly exhausted but with a smile. "It was tough, but we did it."

"Yeah, good job," I replied, returning her smile, feeling the satisfaction of overcoming the challenge together.

Just as the beetles were retreating into the distance, three shadows suddenly lunged at Lyris. I, standing a few steps away, realized too late.

One of the attackers, armed with a dagger, rushed toward Lyris and stabbed her in the stomach, causing a profuse bleed.

"Lyris!" I screamed, running toward her, but I didn't reach her in time.

They were two humans and a half-human. As I ran over, I saw that, even weakened by the battle, Lyris was using her last bit of strength.

Just as she had done before, she projected a burst of magic with her hand, throwing the three attackers just far enough for them to fall within the beetles' reach.

In that instant, the beetles didn't waste the opportunity. The horde swarmed over the fallen bodies, their jaws tearing through flesh and bone in a relentless frenzy.

The sound of their blood-curdling screams mixed with the crunching of bones as the beetles devoured the attackers mercilessly. The scene was brutal: blood and entrails spread across the rocks, and the ground was stained a deep red under the scorching sun.

I averted my gaze for a second, knowing there was no time to lose. I rushed to Lyris, who was losing a lot of blood and beginning to pale rapidly.

"Don't move!" I said, pressing down hard on the wound, but the blood wouldn't stop. Panic was setting in, and I didn't know how to save her.

Lyris, pale but still conscious, gave me a faint smile.

"Watch and learn," she whispered.

With the little strength she had left, she channeled mana into her hand and placed it gently over the wound. Slowly, the skin began to close, and the bleeding that seemed unstoppable started to slow. Color slowly returned to her face, though faintly.

"Damn, Lyris! You're amazing!" I exclaimed, astonished.

"Not only were you crucial in defeating the beetles, but you got rid of those three attackers and healed yourself! I'm starting to wonder if I'm actually helping at all," I added with a small laugh.

Lyris, smiling weakly, responded as she tried to recover.

"It was them... they must've been the ones who threw the rocks to alert the beetles to our presence. I'd bet they were planning to feed on us."

I nodded, realizing it all made sense. Those three had orchestrated everything, but the creatures had ultimately been their downfall.

Even though Lyris had managed to close the wound, she wasn't fully recovered. The blood loss had been too great, and her steps were unsteady. Without hesitation, I crouched down and lifted her onto my back.

"Come on, let's find a safe place to spend the night," I said as I started walking. We couldn't risk staying there, not after everything that had just happened.