My mother… she died at the hands of my father. And from that moment, everything changed."
— Ten Years Ago —
Fira was a happy child, as much as one could be in Yussia. Life wasn't easy, but thanks to her father, things were good.
One day, as her father returned from work, everything turned upside down—her fate changed forever.
Nikter (entering cheerfully):
"Meg, I'm home! And how's our Fira?"
Seeing his beloved wife lying on the couch, he rushed to her.
Meg (playfully):
"Nikter, I've been waiting so long! You know, making your wife wait isn't exactly proper."
Suddenly, a four-year-old girl appeared in the room. She ran up to her father and hugged his leg tightly.
Fira:
"Daddy, daddy! You're home, yay! I want to go for a walk! Mommy's tired, and I've been waiting for you! I helped Mommy with everything! Play with me!"
Meg:
"That's true, dear. Fira is our little golden girl."
Nikter:
"Alright, I'll play with you. But you have to do one thing: listen to your father."
Fira:
"Okay, Daddy! Will you tell me a story about the bad guys and how you beat them?"
Nikter:
"Of course, Fira. You always love hearing those stories."
Nikter and Fira went to the kitchen. There, he told his daughter about how he caught two thieves that day—of course, in a very lighthearted way, so it was interesting and understandable for a child.
Fira was delighted. She snuggled up to her father, showing her love and affection for him.
Nikter stood up and went to his room. He lay down, thinking about how happy he was—he had a family, and he was overjoyed.
All this became possible when he moved from Eltvia to Yussia. Yes, for ordinary citizens, the laws were strict, but for soldiers like him, they were quite lenient.
Suddenly, waking up in the middle of the night, he heard a scream. Meg was screaming at the top of her lungs—she was terrified.
Nikter immediately jumped up, ran downstairs, and saw his wife being grabbed.
Nikter:
"What the hell?! Who the hell are you?!"
Intruder:
"We're the ones you put away for five years, bastard. This is revenge. Simple as that."
One of the four men was holding Meg by the hair.
Nikter:
"But why her?! Why did you break into my house and torment my wife instead of me?!"
Intruder:
"If you want to destroy a man—kill his family. Isn't that what they say?"
Nikter:
"Bastards… I'll—"
As soon as Nikter took a step forward, one of the attackers pulled out a knife and held it to Meg's throat.
Nikter stopped and looked into his eyes—they were filled with arrogance and enjoyment of the situation.
Intruder:
"Tie yourself up, Nikter—and we won't touch your daughter."
Nikter:
"How do you know about—"
Fira:
"Daddy… Why are these men hurting Mommy?.."
Little Fira hadn't been asleep for a while. She had come down just a minute ago and witnessed the horrible scene.
Nikter:
"Fira!.. Sweetheart…"
Nikter looked at his daughter with a desperate desire to protect her.
Meg:
"Darling… Kill me!" Meg screamed, looking into her husband's eyes.
Nikter:
"But…"
Meg:
"They're going to kill me anyway. You have no chance to save me. Save Fira, I beg you! If these four get to her—she won't survive!"
Fira:
"No, Mommy!.."
Fira, tearful, stood and watched everything happening.
Nikter understood—there was no way out. If he tried to save Meg—she would die. He might be killed too: at such close range, he was weaker in attack than in defense.
He shed two tears… and shouted:
Nikter:
"Thread Spear!"
The spear flew straight into the girl's mother, piercing her and two men behind her. Before the hit, the man decided to cut her throat, but due to Nikter's unexpected actions, he hesitated.
Nikter instantly rushed forward and, in one move, cut off the heads of the remaining two. Then he picked up Meg, looked into her eyes:
Nikter:
"I'm weak… I'm too weak!"
Meg:
"No, darling… You're the best husband one could wish for… I love y—"
Before she could finish, her head tilted back. Fira ran up and hugged her mother's lifeless body.
Fira:
"Mommy… Don't… Please, MOMMY!"
— Present Time —
Fira:
"If this had happened now, my father would have easily killed them without even touching my mother. After her death, he began to grow rapidly in strength—for me. He even joined the elite army of Yussia. He came to hate everyone who breaks the law. And the only meaning in his life left was me… That's my story."
Guko:
"Why? What do you mean by 'if it had happened now'?"
Fira:
"He didn't control the thread magic at the level he does now. He couldn't manipulate the form and the threads themselves perfectly. Now he could kill you and Edmus—easily."
Fira looked down, speaking quickly and very emotionally.
Edmus:
"That's true. But what's your motive for leaving such a father?"
Edmus didn't take his eyes off Fira. The story touched him, but he felt she wasn't telling the whole truth.
Fira:
"I found out something… Those bandits were hired by Eltvia. They wanted revenge on my father. And I want to avenge the one who hired them."
Edmus:
"You know who it is?"
Edmus spoke restrainedly, even dryly.
Fira:
"Yes… He's a well-known general now. His name is Greg."
Upon hearing this, Veikh suddenly stood up, genuinely surprised, then slowly sat down and made an angry face.
Guko:
"What's wrong, Veikh? Do you know him?"
Veikh:
"Unfortunately, yes! He's one of the five generals of Eltvia. I think he's even a bit stronger than me. In terms of skills, he doesn't lag behind a marshal. If it weren't for his attitude towards work—he would have become one long ago. He's… a slippery type."
Edmus:
"I see… Well, I'm going to cut down all of Eltvia anyway. More precisely—the soldiers and the government. So let Greg be the first."
Edmus approached Fira and patted her on the shoulder.
Edmus went to find a room for the night, followed by Guko. Only Fira, all in tears, and Veikh remained.
Veikh looked at her, then spoke with deep heaviness in his voice:
Veikh:
"Child… Don't blame yourself for this. I don't have highly developed sensing skills, but I feel your pain: the way you breathe, the way you feel. You were little; you couldn't do anything."
Fira:
"I can't, Lord Veikh, it's impossible… Watching your mother die in your arms, it's… It's something you can't forget or not blame yourself for. I must avenge her. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll bring my father Greg's head!"
Veikh:
"How did you find out it was him?"
Veikh looked more interested than usual.
Fira:
"I heard my father cursing him after my mother's death… When he was begging for it all to be a dream."
Veikh:
"You lost a loved one… I understand what that's like."
Fira:
"Really? Who did you lose?"
A tear ran down Veikh's cheek. He looked into Fira's eyes with such a sorrowful and broken gaze that Fira was frightened, as if her soul was being stolen.
Veikh:
"It was… Anyway, it doesn't matter. The main thing is that he was the only one who supported me. He was the only one I could trust. All I had to do was say the word—and he would stand up for me like a wall."
Fira:
"How was he killed?.."
Veikh:
"Someday I'll tell you that story in detail. But now it's time for us to sleep, child. By the way… you noticed, didn't you? Edmus and his feelings for you…"
Fira:
"Yes, I noticed… It's for the best. We're friends. Nothing more."
Veikh smiled and was about to leave, but Fira called out to him:
Fira:
"One last question! Why are you with us? What's your goal?"
Veikh:
"I… just want to help Edmus and at the same time take revenge on