"It's finished. My sword is finally ready. I can't wait to begin my adventure," Alfie exclaimed as he burst out of the forge and raced toward the house.
"Welcome back, Mama," he called when he spotted Margaret returning from the garden.
She smiled at her energetic son. "How are you, Alfie? I hope you haven't hurt yourself while forging today."
"Just a little scratch, Mama. Nothing serious," he replied with a proud grin.
"Let me see."
Alfie held out his palm. "See, I told you it's just a scratch."
Before Margaret could examine it properly, he pulled his hand away and hurried inside.
"Eli. Marcus."
"Big brother, did you finish the sword?" Elijah asked, rushing over to him.
"Yes, it's finally finished. Come on, both of you. I'll show you."
Grinning from ear to ear, Alfie led his brothers back toward the forge, their laughter filling the yard.
"Here it is," he announced proudly, holding up the newly forged blade. "The Sword of Justice. I made it myself, so you'd better be careful. It's sharp, and I don't want either of you touching the edge."
"Okay, big brother," Elijah replied, carefully reaching toward it.
Before he could touch the blade, Margaret appeared at the entrance.
"Alright, boys. How about helping me prepare dinner?"
"Of course, Mama," the three brothers answered together.
They hurried back into the house, eager to help.
"We'll start by washing the grains and slicing the beef," Margaret explained. "Alfie, you handle the meat. Elijah and Marcus, help me with the grains. I'll take care of everything else."
"You can count on us, Mama," Alfie declared, raising his fist. "Let's begin our cooking adventure."
"Yes, big brother," Elijah and Marcus replied.
"Be careful with that knife, Alfie. And don't forget, I still need to treat your scratch after dinner."
"Alright, Mama."
The hours passed as the family worked together, laughter and the clatter of utensils filling the house while food sizzled over the stove.
For a while, everything felt peaceful, just another ordinary evening in a family's life.
"Mama, look at this," Elijah complained during dinner, pointing at his plate. "My piece of beef is much smaller than Alfie's. He did it on purpose."
"That's not true," Alfie protested. "I'm just not very good with knives. When I noticed the pieces were different sizes, I figured I might as well keep the biggest one."
He grinned at his younger brother.
"You did it on purpose."
"Did not."
"You did."
"Did not."
"That's enough, both of you," Margaret scolded.
The boys fell silent.
"Eat properly, and mind your table manners."
"Sorry, Mama," they muttered before returning to their meals.
Eventually, dinner came to an end. After cleaning up, the boys prepared for bed.
Margaret tucked Marcus in before heading toward Alfie's room. However, she found him standing quietly by the doorway.
"Mama."
"Yes, my boy?"
"Is everything alright?"
Margaret paused.
"You've looked worried all day," Alfie added gently.
For a moment, she said nothing. Then she forced a small smile.
"It's nothing, my boy. You should get some sleep. You'll need to wake up early tomorrow to continue forging, alright?"
"Okay, Mama. Goodnight."
Alfie stepped into his room, but before closing the door, he glanced back at her.
"Don't worry too much."
Margaret smiled faintly and gently ruffled his hair.
"Goodnight, Alfie."
Once the house had fallen quiet, Margaret stepped outside and sat alone on the wooden bench beneath the night sky.
The stars shone brightly above her, yet she found no comfort in their light.
Midnight came and went, but she remained seated, lost in thought.
Something was wrong. She could feel it, especially after hearing about Elijah's strange dream.
An unfamiliar fear weighed heavily on her heart.
Eventually, she returned inside and lay down, closing her eyes as she tried to sleep.
But the uneasy feeling refused to leave her.
---
Elsewhere ---- Mechan Kingdom
The morning sun rose over the Mechan Kingdom as two Shinras made their way through the castle grounds.
One was a young Shinra, full of energy. The other was Marco, the captain of the court.
"Good morning, Captain. What's on the schedule today?" the young Shinra asked.
"Nothing special, kid. Just keep training and getting stronger."
Marco glanced at him with a slight smile.
"Who knows, maybe one day you'll even surpass me."
"That's impossible. You're the strongest Shinra in the entire kingdom. You could probably defeat most of the Special Darkside Knights from other kingdoms."
Marco chuckled.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. If you want someone to admire, save your praise for the true legends, the god Slaying Knights. Those are the warriors you should aspire to become."
The two continued through the grand halls of the castle until they reached the ruler's chamber.
The ruler was already waiting for them.
"Marco. Thank you for coming."
"This is my duty, Your Highness."
Marco bowed respectfully.
"I live to follow your orders."
The ruler smiled as he descended the steps.
"You truly are a rare one. Most kingdoms are ruled directly by their Special Darkside Knights, yet you have remained loyal to the throne, despite being the strongest Shinra in this kingdom."
Marco gave him a dry look.
"Let's not get sentimental this early in the morning, Your Highness. What's the mission?"
"Straight to the point. I like that."
The ruler's smile faded as his expression turned serious.
"I received a report from the Kingdom of Bashen. A Special Darkside Spirit was sighted there. It wiped out half their troops before disappearing."
The young Shinra listened intently as the ruler continued.
"I'm sending you both to investigate. We need to find out what it wants and why it attacked before it strikes again. We cannot afford to wait for another attack."
Marco fell silent, lowering his gaze.
For several seconds, he remained kneeling without saying a word.
"Marco?" the ruler asked. "You heard me, didn't you?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Marco slowly raised his head, a hint of unease in his expression.
"I just didn't expect this. I thought it would be another simple mission. A target appears, we find it, and we kill it."
He paused, his expression growing serious.
"But this feels different."
The young Shinra glanced at him in confusion, while the ruler narrowed his eyes.
"What are you trying to say?"
Marco stared ahead, his thoughts weighing heavily on him.