(Meanwhile in the village of Wysteria, near the capital)
People were running in all directions in fear, seeing the army. The Entities began rampaging, attacking the village and its people by shooting beams and launching strikes.
The village turned into a war field—wrecked houses, screams, dead bodies, and the eerie laughter of Entities.
"Are you sure, President?"
"Yeah! I used to be a swordsman in my younger days. Don't worry!"
He picked up his old sword. Before heading out, he looked at Aiden with a courageous smile.
"Watch me, Aiden. You're the future. Make sure you become a knight like him!"
Aiden was sobbing. "Yeah... Please win your battle, old man!"
"Yeah, Aiden. I will win."
Then he marched toward the Entities at a steady pace, yelling,
"Get ready to protect your stones, bast*rds! I'm coming!"
Suddenly, he burst into a sprint, attacking the soldiers in his way. He was so fast that the Entities couldn't even see him.
But as he moved forward, his body began to shrink—he was aging rapidly. Still, with no concern for himself, he focused only on saving the village.
The people, including Aiden, watched his battle in awe. Aiden whispered to himself with fear and sadness,
"Please, old man… don't die. I want you to see my dream… please."
Despite coughing and spitting blood, he pushed himself even further, slashing through soldiers. There were about 20 to 30 of them—but no leader, since this was just a village outside the capital.
Flashback
"Hey kid, your name is Aiden, right? I heard you lost your parents during the Entity attack."
"Yeah… I'm an orphan now. I have nowhere to go."
"And you're the president, right?"
"Yeah, kid. I'm the president. I understand how you feel. I also lost my son and my grandson during the attack."
Aiden replied, "Oh… you too. But you handled the sword so easily and defeated some of them. You really protected the village."
"It's not a big deal. You said you've got nowhere to go, right? I'm here with you. Come with me—I'll raise you."
He reached his hand out, smiling warmly. Aiden replied with tears in his eyes,
"Thank you, old man!"
"And Aiden, what's your dream?"
Aiden answered, smiling brightly,
"I want to become a strong man who can protect others… like you."
Back to the battlefield
After countless strikes, he was nearing the last soldier. But he looked pale and exhausted—like death was just around the corner.
As he stepped forward, he suddenly collapsed, coughing violently. Blood poured from his mouth and nose.
Still, he tried to reach the last soldier, crawling and pointing his sword toward it. The people noticed and panicked, shouting for him to get up—but he didn't respond. He lay there, unconscious.
The soldier raised its weapon and began walking toward him, ready to deliver the final blow.
Seeing this, Aiden suddenly ran forward, screaming,
"Wake uppp, old mannnn!!!"
Tears streamed down his face as he rushed to protect the one who had once protected him.
To be continued…