Lavos slowly opens his eyes.
Everything's blurry at first, but the light is soft. Warm. Unlike the forest.
He realizes he's lying in a bed—an actual bed. Clean sheets. His body feels stiff and heavy, and when he glances down, he sees bandages wrapped around almost every part of him.
He winces as he tries to sit up, his muscles aching, but he manages.
As his eyes adjust, he looks around the room. It's quiet… peaceful. Strange.
Then he notices someone sitting nearby.
A knight, dressed in polished armor, though not the rugged kind—this one looked clean, official, almost noble. His helmet sat on the table next to him, and his head was bowed, eyes hidden behind strands of silver hair.
Lavos stares, unsure of what to say.
Then, without warning, the knight lifts his head and locks eyes with him.
"Yo," the knight says casually, raising one hand in greeting.
Lavos blinks. "Y-Yo…"
Silence hangs in the air for a few seconds. Just the hum of distant voices outside the room.
Then the knight speaks again, calm but firm.
"…What the hell were you doing in that accursed place?" he asks, eyes narrowing slightly. "Alone."
Lavos doesn't answer.
He just sits there in silence, staring down at the blanket covering his legs. His fingers twitch.
Then—something flashes in his mind.
A memory.
That place.
That thing.
The jaw. The smell of blood. The screech.
His whole body tenses.
He grabs his head with both hands, squeezing his eyes shut as he starts to shiver.
"D-Don't… h-hurt me…" he stammers, barely louder than a whisper. "Please…"
The knight lets out a quiet sigh. Not annoyed—more like… understanding.
"I don't blame you," he says softly, glancing up at the ceiling. "That place is awful."
He looks back down at Lavos, leaning forward slightly so they're eye to eye.
"So cooperate with me, kid," the knight says gently. "I'm not going to hurt you."
The knight stands slowly, his movements calm and deliberate as he steps closer to the bed.
"The name's Arthus," he says, pausing for a beat. "Call me Sir Arthus."
Lavos stops shivering.
He looks up, eyes meeting Arthus's.
"S-Sir… Arthus…"
He pauses for a moment, as if trying to form a thought.
"Why do yo-"
Sir Arthus cuts in with a small smirk. "It's a bit rude not to share your name after I gave you mine."
Lavos blinks, caught off guard. "Huh? Right. Uh… I'm Lavos."
Sir Arthus raises an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Lavos, huh… that's quite a name."
There's a small pause, and then Lavos squints at him.
"Why do you look so shiny, Sir?"
Sir Arthus chuckles, an easy, genuine laugh. "It's because I'm a knight," he says proudly. "A Knight of the Kingdom of Yew."
Lavos tilts his head, studying the knight with a puzzled look.
"You look kinda… silly, Sir." he says, genuinely confused.
Sir Arthus narrows his eyes. "You little brat…"
He lets out a long sigh, shaking his head. Then his tone softens again.
"So… how do you feel, kid?"
Lavos glances down at himself—bandages everywhere, pain in places he didn't even know existed.
"Meh…" he mutters with a shrug.
Arthus raises an eyebrow but doesn't push it. He just folds his arms and continues.
"You've been out for quite a while." he says. "I just needed to check if you're awake and coherent… so you can be discharged soon."
Lavos stares into the knight's eyes, as he says to himself. "I don't care… just leave me alone."
Sir Arthus squints slightly, picking up the shift in tone. "What are you possibly thinking about, kid?"
Lavos closes his eyes for a moment… then opens them again, softer this time.
"Sir… you said you were a knight, right? What's a knight?"
Sir Arthus looks at him, surprised by the question. "That's what you were thinking about?" He chuckles. "You're a weird one…"
Then his expression changes—his posture straightens just a bit, and his voice carries more weight.
"A knight." he says, smiling proudly, "is a hero. A savior. Someone who's ready to lay down his life for his people. A knight is the shield… the symbol of protection!"
Lavos's crimson eyes shimmer faintly in the light. He lowers his head slightly, muttering to himself as a strange feeling stirs in his chest.
'This feeling… it's warm. What is it? I can feel it… like something washing over me.'
Sir Arthus watches the boy's quiet expression, then laughs gently.
He speaks to himself. 'The guards said a monster walked out of the woods… But turns out, it was just a kid. Fascinating. How did he survive a place like that… a place even knights fear to tread? This kid... he's different.'
He steps forward and gently pats Lavos on the head with a gloved hand.
"Alright, kid. I've got to head out now. Get some rest. You need it."
Arthus walks back to where his helmet rests, picks it up, and places it firmly on his head. He glances back at Lavos one last time.
"See ya." he says with a grin.
And then he's gone.
As Sir Arthus leaves, Lavos slowly lies back down, eyes fixed on the ceiling above.
His mind drifts.
"That feeling…" he mutters softly. "What really was it?"
He keeps staring upward, lost in thought.
"Could it be… admiration? Was admiration really this warm?"
He stays like that—still, quiet—his thoughts circling around the knight, trying to understand why someone like that made him feel so… safe.
He lets out a tired sigh.
"I'm just overthinking it." he mumbles. "I should just sleep, I'm tired."
And with that, Lavos closes his eyes, letting the quiet of the room settle around him.
A few minutes pass, and Lavos is still lying there, eyes wide open.
"Great, Can't sleep." he mutters, rolling onto his side.
He shifts, flips to the other side, lies on his back, then groans. "Ugh…"
Eventually, he gives up and pushes himself into a sitting position with a sigh. "Guess I'm not getting any sleep tonight…"
Carefully, he swings his legs over the edge of the bed. As soon as he tries to stand, pain shoots through his legs and back.
"Ouch…" he winces.
Wobbling on his feet, he looks down at himself—bruised, skinny, wrapped in bandages. His body feels like it could fall apart at any moment.
He takes a step.
"Aghhh… it hurts!"
But even then, he keeps trying to move.
Lavos limps over to the window and pushes it open slowly. A soft breeze flows in, carrying with it the scent of trees and quiet.
He leans against the windowsill, gazing at the night sky.
"This place…" he whispers, hugging his arms.
A small shiver runs down his spine. "It's cold…"
But then, a faint smile forms on his lips.
"Still… it's calm. Kinda soothing."
Noticing that the room is on the ground floor, Lavos glances down—then without thinking much, he climbs out and jumps.
He lands awkwardly on his back.
"Augh! Damn it…"
Groaning, he sits up, brushing off dirt and wincing at the sting in his muscles. Slowly, he gets to his feet.
The village around him is quiet, peaceful. Simple wooden houses lined the path, some lit faintly by lanterns on porches.
Lavos starts walking, limping gently, eyes scanning everything with wonder.
"So… this village is part of the Kingdom of Yew…"
There's a sense of strange peace here, so different from where he came from.
Lavos pauses, glancing up at the sky again—only this time, something catches his eye.
His breath hitches.
Floating above the quiet village are two moons. One, large and pale, glows softly like a watchful eye. The other, smaller and tinged with a deep red hue, hangs nearby like its silent companion.
Lavos stares, wide-eyed.
"W-What… What are those?!"
His voice trembles with awe and confusion. The world feels even stranger now—unfamiliar and far from anything he's ever known.
He keeps staring, unable to look away.