In Max's eyes, the world was spinning like a carousel thrown out of control. Nothing seemed real anymore. From the moment he arrived in this mysterious world, to the awakening of magic, and now to a life-and-death decision forced into his hands, everything had happened too fast, one disaster chasing the next. Any man could have broken beneath that kind of pressure.
And yet, his heart struggled to remain strong. If not for Rosalia, he might have already collapsed, searched for some dark hole, and buried himself in it like a wounded animal waiting to die. Since ancient times, moments like these had forged boys into men, and whether he was ready or not, Max could feel that same fire beginning to shape him from the inside.
"I will fight," Max said proudly, even as his legs trembled beneath him. "I don't know who you want me to fight, but I will. I caused this, and I will fix it." His eyes shone beneath the sun, and two small flames seemed to burn deep within his pupils. Henry noticed them immediately, and his jaw tightened in a mix of fear and surprise.
"To hell with his help!" William's voice tore through the silence. He stormed toward Max with a knife clenched in his trembling hand. "Hasn't he caused enough damage? Haven't we suffered enough by bringing him here? Just kill him!"
He raised the blade at Max as he came to a halt, staring at him with naked hatred, hating him with all his heart for what he had done to both his own life and the clan.
They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, two opposites standing face to face, fighting for the same woman, fighting to prove their worth in this cruel world. Max and William looked at life through entirely different eyes, yet for this one moment, both stood on the same line between pride and fear. Even so, Max spread his arms wide.
"Kill me then!" he roared, his voice crashing over the people gathered around them. Only a moment ago, their eyes had burned with enough hatred to rip him apart on the spot, but now that hatred wavered, giving way to confusion. "Do you want my head? Do you want revenge for your people!? Then fucking kill me!"
William took a step forward, but Max's shout rooted him in place.
"You may feel better after it, but what if your people die because I wasn't here?" Max saw it clearly then, the fear in their eyes whenever they glanced toward the east. "How will you face the dead if I could have helped you?!"
He stepped forward with heavy thuds, each one pressing against William's nerves like a hammer. William's face had already lost all color. He stumbled one step back, then another, his hand shaking so hard around the knife that it looked like the blade might slip from his fingers at any second.
"Don't come here!" he screamed in a high-pitched voice.
Tears streamed down his face, twisting his expression into something ugly and broken. Fear and anger churned inside him until both turned into naked panic.
Henry watched in silence as Max stopped right in front of William.
"Kill me. Come on!"
Henry shook his head. So this was how far William still had to go. He had been meant to become the finest warrior of his generation, yet now he looked no better than a terrified cat cornered by its own weakness.
And still, a small trace of respect began to rise in Henry's chest for Max. He could see the fear in the boy clearly. He could see it in the trembling of his legs, in the tightness of his shoulders, in the strain behind his eyes. Yet Max still stood tall, ready to fight to correct his mistake, ready to die if that was the price William demanded.
"These children will be best friends one day..." Henry whispered to himself.
He watched Max extend his hand toward William. The blade that had once threatened Max's life now lay on the ground between them. Around them, the villagers wore ugly but understanding expressions as William finally reached out and shook his hand uncertainly, even with hatred still lingering in his heart.
"Then die on the battlefield for us, or survive and help us rebuild," William said through clenched teeth.
KRRRRAAAAAWWWRRR!!!
A terrifying roar ripped across the sky, throwing the people into panic. It was deep, ancient, and monstrous, as if a beast from the end of the world had finally been set free. A single cry powerful enough to make life itself tremble.
Max felt every hair on his body rise as a freezing wave ran down his spine. Never in his life had he heard anything so overwhelming, so powerful, so inhuman. He turned his head and saw something colossal tearing across the sky.
It resembled a giant lizard, but far larger, thicker, and armored in scales that caught the light like forged metal. Its wings stretched so wide they seemed to blot out the sun itself, and the monstrous shadow it cast rolled across the land like the coming of night.
"They are here... Prepare for battle," Henry roared, and the air around them turned sharply cold, as if winter had descended upon the village without warning.
GRAAAAAHHHH!!!
A violent tremor erupted from beneath the platform where the magic awakening had taken place only moments earlier. Purple flames, cold as ice, exploded upward from below, blasting stone and dirt in every direction.
Something enormous shot into the sky, trailing purple fire behind it like the tail of a falling star. Max could barely keep himself standing beneath the crushing presence of two beasts he had only ever read about in fantasy books.
"Dragons...?" he whispered, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.
"Death to the Fire Dragons!"
William roared from beside him, and the cry was quickly taken up by the others. Purple flames burst from their palms one after another, flickering wildly like living hatred.
But then laughter drifted down from above.
Something, or someone, leapt from the dragon's back and crashed into the ground like a meteor, sending dust exploding in all directions. More figures followed after, descending from the sky with leathery wings spread behind them.
"Ice Dragons~~" a sultry yet terrifying female voice purred from within the dust. "Prepare to die, once and for all..."