Two years later
James still hadn't found a proper name for the boy. It scratched at his mind. But spending time with him made him lose all sense of time. The boy had much to learn. James had taught him how to speak, write, count… and fight.
Yes, fight.
Even though the boy was barely five years old, he possessed immense talent in everything he did. He had learned to speak and write within six months — even though there were still things to fix in writing, it was still incredible.
Currently, they were out hunting. Over the past two years, they had moved around a lot. Settling in the desert? Impossible. No civilization nearby. Even if James didn't want to expose the boy to civilization, his past and city life experience wouldn't be pleasant either.
"Father?"
A small voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned around and saw the boy hanging from a branch, looking at him with a puzzled expression. The boy had grown well. He now had a strong, healthy body, and a beautiful face that revealed his Afro-Asian heritage. His curly golden hair reached his shoulders. James had tried to cut it, but the boy had shown intense resentment. It was already an achievement that James had managed to cut it to shoulder length. Any shorter — he refused. He would even bite James. And damn, this kid was quick as hell.
As James continued to stare at the boy, the latter made a disgusted face.
"Father, are you crazy? Why are you looking at me like that?"
A vein appeared on James's forehead as he yelled:
"Why are you making that face?! Damn it! I was just thinking how much of a difficult child you are! Do you know how many times you almost died this week? Don't stray from me again!"
The boy blinked, sat on the branch, and covered his mouth with his hands to hide his laughter. He was trying not to burst out laughing.
But James suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere. He frowned and spoke in a heavy voice:
"My boy. Get behind me. Right now."
Sensing the seriousness in James's voice, the boy didn't ask any questions. With a smooth motion, he jumped just behind him.
The sounds of the forest animals could be heard, trees and bushes rustling in the wind.
The wind had grown stronger. Like a bad omen.
And, as if responding to James's bad feeling, a wave of birds frantically flew into the air.
James drew a sword — onyx black with a white guard.
On the blade were incomprehensible markings. As if a secret was buried within the metal.
"Kid, today you're going to see how an Awakened one fights. Watch and learn."
"You better win quick, I'm starting to get hungry," the boy replied, placing his hands on his stomach.
"Hahaha! We'll rejoin Solga soon, it won't take long," said James, thinking of the golden lion guarding their home.
Heavy footsteps echoed. Like a sentence of doom. A creature appeared behind the bushes, scattering the rabbits around.
"Shit… our dinner," James muttered, annoyed.
Even the boy frowned at the sight of the fleeing rabbits.
The creature before them had a humanoid form. It wore blood-red armor, like an ill omen. It left a trail of red in its wake. Blood still stained its boots. It didn't speak, but its mere presence screamed rage. Its red helmet completely covered its face, leaving no room for eyes. A long burgundy-red sword gleamed with a bloody shine, betraying the fresh blood of its victims.
The boy wondered how the creature could even see. But looking at the flowing blood, the stench of death, and the pressure it emitted, he vomited and stepped back slowly, seized by terror.
The creature reeked of blood. It had clearly slaughtered everything in its path.
James turned to the boy and smiled:
"What are you afraid of? I'm here."
The boy smiled, slightly reassured by his father's words. But before he could even respond…
The creature moved. Too fast for the eye. It leapt at James in an incomprehensible motion, its sword already prepared to split his head in two.
With a casual gesture, James raised his sword and blocked the creature's strike. The weapons clashed. Then, with a swift kick, he sent the creature flying into a tree.
BOOM.
The tree, unable to withstand the impact, collapsed. The creature got up as if nothing had happened. It had understood James would not be easy to kill.
"Hmm… A Titan-level creature here? Lucky… or unlucky?"
A Titan-level creature was already abnormally rare, but to encounter one while he was with the boy… James cursed his luck. Though handling it wasn't an issue.
Not giving the creature a chance to charge, James launched himself forward with such speed that the air seemed to warp around him.
The boy was awestruck. James's black blade began to glow. The black faded, giving way to a blade of pure white.
James launched a barrage of strikes at the creature. Calculated, precise. He looked like an angel condemning a demon. But the creature didn't stay down.
It stood slowly. Its dented armor was smoking. Its blade dragged along the ground. It took a step. Then another.
James waited.
The creature charged.
James smiled.
And this time, he moved.
One step. Just one. He vanished. The air shattered. An instant later, he stood behind the creature.
It stopped abruptly. Hesitated. Then…
— CLANG!
It parried. Just in time. James frowned. That blow should've severed its arm. But it had raised its sword at the exact moment, at the exact angle.
James stepped back two paces.
This wasn't just a beast anymore. It had learned. The creature no longer looked at him like prey. There was hatred, yes — a cold madness — but also… something else. Logic. Will. It took a stance. Tight posture. Compact. More fluid. More precise.
James let out a joyless chuckle.
"So, you're adapting. Interesting."
He charged at it again, white blade gleaming like dawn. He chained strikes. High, low, diagonal, feint, backhand. Each attack aimed at a vital spot. Each motion surgical.
But this time, the creature blocked. Countered. Moved.
The boy, frozen behind a tree, watched this duel between two storms. James's black and white blade lit the forest with every impact. The creature's red sword hissed like a promise of death.
The air vibrated.
Gashes formed in the ground.
The trees around fell, one by one.
The creature shifted its style. Brutal at first, then fluid. Then unpredictable. Disjointed movements — but deadly. It switched from a soldier's form, to that of a duelist, to a beastlike frenzy.
It struck with its blade. With fists. With feet. At one point, it even threw its sword and tried to kill James with its bare hands.
But James was too strong.
Too calm.
Too far ahead.
He took a strike to the arm — on purpose. Just to get close. Then drove his blade into the creature's hip.
The metal screamed. The knight staggered back, black blood pouring through its armor plates.
James gave it no chance to breathe. He charged.
A strike to the leg. A thrust to the shoulder. A spin, then a vertical slash.
— CRACK!
The knight's blade broke in two.
James grabbed it by the collar. A knee to the ribs. Another. Then a hard, brutal slam to the ground.
The creature tried to rise… but James was already there. He placed a hand on its forehead and whispered:
"May your rest begin."
Then, he plunged the white blade straight into the red knight's head.
Silence.
The armor trembled. A red light pulsed in its chest. Then… went out.
The body slowly slumped to its side.
The boy stared at his father, mouth agape. This wasn't just a man anymore.
It was a hurricane contained in a human body.
Then…
A voice echoed in James's mind. Dark. Cold. Emotionless.
[You have slain the blood-red knight, Lyros. You have received a servant.]
[Description: In an ancient kingdom, a blood-red knight, protector of the king, lost everything and disappeared. It is said he wandered the world, but alas, went mad. All who encountered him never lived to tell the tale.]
James gave his best smile upon hearing the voice of the world. Looked like his luck had paid off. The creature had been far too strong for a normal Titan. Though, for him, it didn't change a thing. He sheathed his sword — now black again — and walked toward the boy, glancing at the battlefield.
"I wanna fight like you too! What was that? Why did your sword suddenly turn white?"
The boy fired off a barrage of questions. James was taken aback by his energy. The creature's pressure had gotten to him a bit, his body still trembling.
"I'll tell you everything there is to know about the Awakened when we get home," James said with a smile. The way the boy looked at him with admiration made him proud. Yes, he clearly liked praise.
As if remembering something, James looked around and cried out while grabbing his head:
"We forgot today's meal!"
"Oh, don't worry. You killed several animals fighting that creature, so I picked up a bunch of rabbits. They're in the bag,"
the boy replied calmly, pointing to the bag behind the tree.
James sighed and walked over to grab the sack.
"Well… let's head home. Otherwise, Solga's gonna shoot me death glares again."