Star-crossed Night

"Fate... Yes, fate truly is a reverie of a thought."

A soft yet cold voice echoed in the presence of the bonfire in the wilderness of which two people were gathered.

A lush, dark forest loomed over the two figures, with nothing but the warm flame of the crackling bonfire proving light and comfort.

Be that as it may, a slightly tense atmosphere was present, bringing an awkward air to the small camp.

"Although that's true... Marveling over that thought may not be so bad..."

Replying to the aforementioned cold voice was that of a meek voice, with the presence of timidness. However, despite that, the voice was firm.

A young man and a woman sat in front of the crackling bonfire, sharing its warmth and light, occasionally talking to each other.

The young man wore a set of clothes consisting of a white dress shirt, black blazer, black pants, and leather shoes.

He had lush grown black hair, from its unkempt appearance and the presence of leaves, it appeared as though he had tumbled to the ground not too long ago.

Adorned on his face were thin-rimmed glasses which complimented his black eyes, adding to his timid look. Finally, a bandage was wrapped around his forehead, with faint red stains present.

"...Well then." Just then, amidst the silence of the bonfire, the woman whom the young man was sharing the light with spoke. "I suppose you're now comfortable to talk?"

"Yes... Thank you— for lighting up the bonfire and saving me, I mean."

After replying, the meek young man raised his eyes and looked at the woman he had just recently met.

Sitting gracefully on top of a stump of wood she had chopped off with her flames, a woman with cold air looked at the young man.

She wore a black overcoat with long sleeves that covered her whole arms, along with a fitted grey shirt underneath and black fitted pants that flared out just above the ankles. Finishing this was a pair of black short heels.

The woman had striking silver hair which had streaks of black, complementing her fair skin.

However, what caught the attention of the young man the most were her eyes.

Those menacing infernal-crossed eyes...

He saw them once and never dared to look at them again. For he knows that it might bring danger upon himself.

Trying not to look at her directly in the eyes, the young man lowered his head. "I'm sorry for troubling you like this..."

"It's fine." The woman replied as she continued to look down on the young man from her wooden stump of a seat. "Moreover, seeing as you were about to meet your inevitable demise with those Hilichurls, I saw no reason to not lend my help."

"Child."

'I'm not a child...' The young man subconsciously retorted but never dared to speak it aloud. However, despite this, he still felt grateful.

"Even so, thank you... I never would have survived without your help."

"Mhm." The lady merely nodded her head with a hum of acknowledgment. "And? What were you doing in the middle of nowhere in the first place? For a child like you... This is naught but foolish behavior."

"That's..."

"Before you answer..." The young man was just about to answer back when the lady interrupted him with her cold demeanor. "You should do your best to introduce yourself first. That is basic courtesy."

"Ah... Okay..." Feeling defeated, the timid young man nodded. In the face of this terrifying lady, all he could do was comply.

"My name is Lukas... Lukas Adler." The young man started introducing himself.

"Very well, Lukas." Slightly nodding her head, the lady acknowledged his introduction. "Now then, indulge me the reason as to why you're out here in the middle of the woods?"

"I... I don't remember."

That was a lie.

"...You don't remember?" Raising one eyebrow, the lady scrutinized the young man named Lukas. "Elaborate."

'That's...' In the face of the frightening woman, Lukas, who lied about a reason, desperately rummaged through his mind for a valid reason to satisfy her curiosity.

'I... I obviously can't tell her that I just appeared here... can't I?' Lukas thought as he felt more and more nervous by the second. 'Who would even believe that...?'

It is as Lukas thought. He, who was on his way home from school, suddenly found himself in the middle of the woods.

There wasn't anything like a truck or stabber like those stories he had read before, but instead, a bird.

All Lukas saw was a crystal bird flying in the sky. It was so surreal that he was caught in a trance.

The next thing he knew, he was in the middle of the forest and was then chased by a group of savages that the lady in front of him called Hilichurls.

Lukas thought for a moment before uttering a response, "I'm sorry... I truly can't remember..."

"..." Listening to Lukas explain, the lady merely glanced at him in silence, not uttering a word. Her silent, menacing eyes merely watched him in the middle of the night and the crackling bonfire.

'She won't do anything to me, would she...?' Remembering the crimson flames she used which instantly killed the savage beasts that chased him earlier, Lukas couldn't help but tense up.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the lady opened her mouth and spoke clearly. "That hit you took earlier must have given you some sort of amnesia... Though Hilichurls are common monsters, they are still capable of inflicting sufficient injury to their victims."

'Yeah... I can still feel it...' Lukas subconsciously touched the bandage wrapped around his head by her. 'Even though that's not the case... Let's roll with it.'

Opening his mouth, he spoke meekly. "Th-that must be it..."

"Aside from your name, do you remember anything else?" The lady then asked another question as she continued to watch Lukas. "Your nation, family, or affiliation?"

"I'm sorry... But I don't know." Lukas shook his head lightly in denial. "I'm... I'm having trouble remembering."

As things stand, he doesn't know anything about the place he found himself in. He doesn't even know if he's on the Earth he knows.

'I don't know where I am and I might even encounter more of those monsters earlier...' Staring at the crackling bonfire, silence descended upon the two.

Lukas then slowly moved his eyes, carefully trying to look at the person who saved him. 'Right now, she's the only person I know... Given that supernatural ability of hers earlier...'

'I must stay by her side no matter what... Until I get to at least merge with civilization again...'

Lukas valued his survival first and foremost. To live and see the next day, he will do anything to ensure his safety.

'The problem is... Will she keep my company?'

Just then, while Lukas was in the middle of pondering over his survival, the lady's mouth opened and she spoke. "Very well... For now, rest, child."

"I shall keep watch for the night. By tomorrow's spark of dawn, you shall accompany me for the time being."

'Huh?' Upon hearing this answer, Lukas couldn't hold back his curiosity and raised his head, looking up at the lady with stunned eyes. "Pardon...?"

Catching Lukas' confused eyes, the lady quickly understood and satisfied his curiosity.

"You may view this as an adult's appropriate responsibility over this matter." The same cold yet soft voice came from the woman, giving Lukas an odd sense of comfort.

"That's..." After hearing the lady's offer, Lukas couldn't help but contemplate in his mind deeply. 'That easily? No... There must be something more to this... I mean...'

'There's no way someone so scary is so lenient... right?'

Having thought of this, Lukas entertained the idea for a moment before subconsciously shaking it off.

"B-before that..." Mustering up his courage, Lukas decided to ask a question that had been in his mind since earlier. "May I... I mean— How may I address you?"

Lukas had already told her his name, yet, he was still none the wiser of the person who saved him. As such, he saw this as the perfect opportunity.

The lady, who had been sitting down on the tree stump since earlier, looked at Lukas for a moment in silence for a few moments. Moments later, she opened her mouth.

"You may address me as... The Knave."

'The Knave? Is that some kind of title?' Confused, Lukas raised his head and curiously glanced at the woman named Knave. "That sounds more like a title than a name..."

"That might be so, but it does not change the fact that it is something you can refer to me as." In response to Lukas' curious remark, the Knave merely retorted with quick cold words.

"I can't argue with that logic..." Lukas uttered under his breath as he tried to lighten up the mood. However, his lighthearted remark was met with nothing but silence.

Sensing the tense atmosphere is still present, Lukas could only comply with the Knave's offer.

Lukas walked over to a tree nearby and sat beneath it. He then took off his black Blazer to substitute a blanket.

'Hm?' Just then, Lukas noticed something in his pockets. He reached out with his hand and found his phone. 'No way... Even this?'

He was just about to open its screen when he felt a lingering gaze. Holding the black rectangular object, his eyes moved between his phone and the Knave who was looking at the bonfire.

'Would it be dangerous to expose my phone here...?' Lukas hesitated to turn the screen on with the Knave's presence.

In the first place, he doesn't even know how technologically advanced this world he found himself in. Depending on the situation, something like his phone would result in unforeseen circumstances.

'It's best to hide it for now...' In the end, he chose to act wisely and hid it inside his clothes.

Huddling to himself beneath the tree he found himself in, Lukas silently watched the crackling bonfire not too far from him dance in the wind with his Blazer atop him.

The bonfire's warmth reached him, but the occasional cold gusts of wind made him cling to his Blazer even more.

Faced with all these circumstances, as well as his eyelids which are feeling heavier by the minute, Lukas couldn't help but let out a small yawn. "Hawn..."

His eyes now felt heavy, and were ready to enter sleep. Staring at the crackling bonfire, Lukas' mind slowly drifted to sleep.

'In this new world... I swear, I'll survive...'

'No matter what happens.'

He will live.