⚠ Trigger Warning: Sin Record Accessed ⚠
This record contains scenes of soul branding, suppressed trauma, execution threats, and memory warping
[Content includes: violence, torture imagery, psychological distress.]
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The crimson fire spelled out a name,
"The Butcher of Mercy?"
Screeched the priestess, stammering as she stumbled backwards.
Silence.
Someone dropped a goblet. The knights stepped forward, their halberds just inches from my neck's reach as the room erupted. I could barely think as noble's rambled over one another
Ah. So they've seen it.
My truth.
My failure.
My punishment.
"Get rid of him," one noble barked. "That's not a bodyguard, that's a curse!"
"How did this filth pass screening?!"
"This is treason! The summoning stone must have been corrupted—!"
I closed my eyes, letting the noise wash over me. Their panic was almost funny, expecting a hero, receiving a monster.
Finally… Someone sees me for what I am. No more hiding.
"Guards! For the good of the kingdom, kill him!" the high priestess ordered.
Maybe this world can do what the last couldn't.
But then —
The air shifted.
Someone with power entered the room.
The sudden nervousness in their expressions, their panic silencing as the figure approached.
No… They've been here all along.
Waiting. Watching.
"No one is to kill him," a voice commanded. Deep. Calm. Demanding.
Then, slyly: "Not until I see what he has to offer."
"But, Your Majesty!" cried a noble, instantly hushed by a raised fist.
The king's glare shifted to a guard, threatening,
"What are his sins? Read it. Now."
Nervous, the guard cleared his throat, stammering as the priestess handed him the scroll. He listed my crimes like a war report. Each new crime, more heinous than the last.
Just numbers. Countless Bodies. Ruined Cities. No mention of the choices.
No mention of why. The losses.
And then…
"The murder of a king and the destruction of a royal empire."
The room gasped. Even the collected king flinched. Nobles moved towards the exit as mages quickly prepared runes in defense.
One stepped forward, putting himself between the king and I.
"Your Majesty… We can't control someone like him. Not, without a soul contract."
The king, still slightly stunned, exhaled shakily. Clearing his throat nervously, he chuckled.
"You're right. Dispose of him."
Walking away, the king declared,
"By royal decree, the sinner is to be executed for his crimes,"
The mage sighed in relief, as nobles cheered. Glowing runes sprawled across his arm,
"Thank you… Your majesty."
I looked up for the first time.
Smiling.
"Any last words, sinner?"
I softly shook my head. I wanted to see it. Feel every moment of it.
Suddenly, my life flashed before my eyes.
Memories flooded my vision. Time as a commander. Campfires with my squad. Laughing around burnt rations. The cheers of freed demi-humans.
Then…
The fall. Heads of the king and queen at my feet. Years of sacrifice for peace crushed beneath my sword. Mel.
It's really happening. See you soon, Mel…
The eyes in the shadows moved.
She stepped forward, clearly going unbeknownst until now.
The crowd parted for her like the tide. A girl with a long white coat. Crimson sash and silver eyes that were sharper than any blade.
She didn't speak at first. Just looked at me.
Smiling.
Princess?
Maybe, Queen?
No… Too young. Probably Princess. But, in this world, who knows?
As a twenty year old, I was considered young for a warrior. It wouldn't surprise me if someone my age ruled a kingdom.
With a dramatic sigh, my head dipped, cursing under my breath,
"Just my luck. I won't be dying after all."
The king scoffed.
"We'll see about that sinner. Guard! Kill the monster."
Then… Her voice.
"Guard, please wait a moment." She paused as they turned, smiling at their shocked faces.
"He piqued my interest."
Her words echoed through the hall.
Murmurs followed.
"What is the princess doing here?"
"She already has a guard right?"
"Yeah, handpicked by the king!"
"What do you mean he's piqued your interest?" The king growled.
But she ignored them, walking right past her angry father.
Instead, she turned to the guards.
"Touch him and I'll take your heads myself. Please, repeat his crimes."
Then she looked at me, softly smiling as her face flushed slightly. A pleasant fragrance, sweet flowers, filled my nose. Strong, but not overpowering.
"Sorry," she said. "I couldn't hear clearly."
She listened to every word. Her expression, unflinching. Like she already knew.
Then she walked closer, crouching beside me.
Her whisper barely reaching my ears,
"Saikuro… You're not a hero, or a monster… You're human."
Sudden tears fell from my eyes. I haven't cried since that day, yet her warm smile, tearfilled eyes and soft voice, made a hardened criminal collapse.
She waited, recomposing herself.
"Saikuro, I need you to save me. From what's inside and outside this room."
My heart stopped.
How did she know my name?
Her hand gently cupped my cheek,
"Please… I know it's been hard, continuously searching for a way to die.
But I'm going to die.."
I stared at her, my mind filled with overwhelming questions.
She's going to die? How does she know so much?
What's out there that would make her ask a stranger, a criminal for help?
The king's voice boomed,
"Guards stop her! KORALEI, EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"
A guard grabbed Koralei's shoulder, yanking her back. But her fingers, interlaced mine, clinging, refusing to let go.
Her kind, composed, expression broke, frantically spewing words.
"I, Korelei Velmira, form this blood contract with you sinner.
Accept and atone for your sins by... being my guard. Do you accept?"
She stared at me. Her silver eyes glistening as she mouthed one final word:
"Please…"
And something in me…
gave.
"I'll be your guard," I whispered, hesitant.
I don't know what she's up against, but I won't let her die.
I helplessly watched as she was dragged back toward her father, eyes never leaving mine.
She mouthed,
"Thank You…"
Then at the top of her lungs, she shouted,
"SINNER, DRAW YOUR WEAPON!"
A faint smile crossed her expression, her voice softening,
"Saikuro… As my guard, I give you the freedom to choose your own path."
The room gasped. A mage protested,
"Princess, you didn't! That will activate his Sin weapon..."
But it was too late.
The summoning circle surged.
Something boiled inside me, my skin warmer than ever.
This weapon... responded.
Without notice, it began to form between my hands, straight out of thin air. A blackened metal blade, jagged edge. The hilt wrapped in red cords.
Each cord…
Had a name, a memory… the names matched members of my squad.
"GUARDS! KILL HIM ALREADY!" Demanded the king, holding the princess as he hid behind the mages.
But they didn't move. Couldn't… They saw the blade, heard my crimes. One sudden move meant asking to die.
I finally understood her words,
"As my guard, I give you the freedom to choose."
I spun the blade toward my chest. Driving it through my body, clipping my chains, straight through the scarred center of my heart.
Or tried…
No blood.
No pain.
Just Silence.
Then… my metal bands struck the floor, echoing throughout the chamber.
I looked up, smirking, eyes locked on the girl being pulled away.
She played me…
In one swing, sparks flew. My blade collided with the chains around my ankles, demanding the attention of the room.
I don't know what scared them more, that I tried to end it right there. That I didn't hesitate…
Or their monster was free.
Panic erupted. Nobles fled towards the exit as the king and his guards released the princess, awaiting to fight.
It was too late.
My body had already moved on its own, forgetting the exhaustion as adrenaline spiked through me. Months of inactivity, now racing towards their forces.
Their halberds fell, metal clashed as sparks flew from my blade. Rune's whipped past like arrows.
The closer I got, the more worried they became.
In seconds, ten guards laid on their back, halberds strewn across the floor. While mages lined the doors, their spells, missing wildly.
I was bleeding from the shoulder, a surprise attack from a panicked halberd. But, I held the princess in my arms.
Her gaze fell upon the bodies. Her voice faltering,
"Are they dead?"
I shook my head softly,
"No… I only knocked them out, your highness."
Her expression brightened. Her smile, softer than before, almost relieved.
"Thank you… Saikuro." Then her head hung, her voice breaking,
"I'm sorry for deceiving you. But, you're the only one I could rely on."
I didn't say anything, just smiled softly, wondering... why did I move? This world has nothing to do with me, so why?
I knew the answer… I just refused to believe it.
Her words touched the heart of a monster.
As we walked towards the exit, the king's reinforcements arrived with his majesty at the center.
"Attack!" Shouted the king, as a platoon rushed the door.
Confident, the princess' voice rang out, stepping out of my arms.
"Father! By ancient law, I invoke my royal override."
Silence.
The guards froze.
"I choose him," she said. Raising my hand, calm and unphased.
"Saikuro will be my guard!"
My head spun, my adrenaline dumping as I collapsed on one knee.
"Saikuro!" she yelled, panicking.
I nodded, waving her off as my body paralyzed from exhaustion.
She nodded back, softly smiling as her attention returned to the pale face of the king,
his expression darkened.
"Koralei… I forbid this."
Every guards' eyes snapped toward her. Her smile twisting to a scorn as her voice challenged the king's,
"Not even you can stop a royal override, father. I forbid anyone from harming him."
His expression shifted, pleading,
"Koralei… Please reconsider, I forbid you from entering the games."
But, she waved him off. Knelt beside me, her palm resting gently against my blood-stained hand. I felt... warm as I stared into her cloudy, silver eyes.
Then she whispered,
"Saikuro… will you live for me?"