As far back as Harian could remember, Sparrow was an assassin born of nightmares. A ghost in the wind. In his previous life, Harian had fought him only once during the height of the civil war, when Sparrow slaughtered rebels, nobles, mercenaries, knights, and civilians alike with the same indifference all enemies of the royal family. By then, Sparrow had already ascended into a Grand Knight after Wyre's death. A monster whose strength even Harian treated seriously. But there was one thing Harian remembered even more vividly.
"What a fucking ugly bastard you are," Harian muttered with a deadly grin.
For a heartbeat, the world froze. The wind stopped howling. Leaves that had been swirling in the air dropped silently. Then a presence descended from above. Both Harian and Muliad looked up instinct, dread, and experience telling them the same thing.
A silhouette floated in the sky, suspended by a spiraling column of wind. Armor glinted faintly through the haze, and beside the figure hovered a second weapon long, slim, reflecting the sun like a shard of silver lightning.
His spear.
Harian's expression tightened. "Muliad," he said quietly, "if you don't create distance now, we die."
There was no hesitation. Muliad slammed his foot into the ground, drawing world essence into his legs. The Song Sword Art activated instantly, his veins pulse, and the force of the gathered essence cracked the dirt beneath him. He shot forward like a cannon blast, dragging Harian with him.
Behind them, the sky split. A streak of silver and blue Sparrow's descending fury came crashing down. The air screamed, pressure collapsing the treetops as if a giant hand had pressed the whole forest flat.
The spear hit the ground where they had stood.
Earth split open. Trees vaporized into splinters. A crater swallowed half the clearing. Harian and Muliad sprinted through the forest as shockwaves chased them. Bark ripped from trees, leaves shredded in the air like paper.
Vex shouted in Harian's mind, [KEEP MOVING, OR YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST.]
"I KNOW THAT!" Harian yelled back in his thoughts, clinging to Muliad's shoulder.
The shockwave hit the ground like a falling star, tearing through earth and roots as if the forest were made of paper. Shards of dirt and splintered wood exploded upward, pelting his back as he sprinted. Even when a chunk of debris nearly clipped his ear, he didn't dare slow down. He gathered essence into his legs, pushed his body harder, and ran.
The world around him blurred trees snapping, leaves scattering in violent spirals. Harian clung onto his back, barely conscious but awake enough to feel the vibrations. For a brief moment Muliad thought Maybe we escaped.
He was wrong.
A shadow flickered ahead of them, and before his next footstep landed, a figure was already standing in their path.
Sparrow.
He stood calmly in the middle of the forest trail, as if the violent destruction behind them had nothing to do with him. He wore a long deep-blue coat that swayed with the wind, untouched by dust or dirt. His face was hidden beneath a wide cavalier hat, tilted just enough to obscure everything except a faint curve of his mouth a smile, sharp and mocking.
People said Sparrow was an assassin.
Looking at him… he didn't seem like one at all his clothes weren't of that of a typical stealth assasin. He looked too relaxed, too casual, too composed like someone who knew the world could not touch him. The wind settled. The ringing from the explosion died down and then his voice drifted out, soft and light, carried by the breeze.
"You're a brave kid."
That was all he said. But the way his smile widened beneath the shadows told Harian very clearly. He hadn't meant it as a compliment.
Muliad froze in his steps. His boots scraped against the dirt as his entire body locked up, instincts screaming danger. The moment he saw the figure blocking their path, he didn't need Harian to say anything the killing intent radiating from that silhouette alone was enough to suffocate a grown man.
Damn it…He hadn't expected this. Not this early.
Sparrow's appearance meant one thing the future had shifted far more drastically than Harian anticipated. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not until the civil war. Not until Sparrow became a monster who even Harian had struggled against.
A flash hit Harian's mind. Sparrow standing above him in the city center, Harian beaten and bleeding, the sky red with fire. Sparrow lying dead at his feet, neck twisted, eyes wide with the shock of defeat. Yes. Harian had killed Sparrow in his past life. But that was after he had climbed high right before he became the nightmare king.
Right now? Sparrow was still a divine knight class. Still absurdly deadly. And Harian… was still too weak.
He swallowed quietly. Muliad, still holding Harian on his back, clenched his grip on his sword and forced himself to speak.
"W-What are you doing here…?" he demanded, breath uneven.
Sparrow tilted his head lazily. The subtle gleam of amusement showed under the shade of his hat.
"What am I doing here?" he repeated, as if the question itself was beneath him. His voice was smooth too smooth and carried that familiar arrogance only someone untouchable could speak with. Then Sparrow chuckled lightly, a soft sound carried by the wind.
"I'm here to fulfill the wishes of the royal family, of course."
He shifted slightly, and the faint glow of essence flickered around him dangerously light, dangerously sharp, like a blade hidden inside a breeze.
Sparrow lifted his face just enough for the brim of his hat to stop hiding it, and the moment the light hit him, Muliad's breath caught.
Now he understood why Harian had called him an ugly bastard.
The man was… impressive, in the worst possible ways.
A thin, patchy brown beard clung to his chin like it was fighting to survive. His teeth were uneven and crooked in every direction some too long, some too small, as if each tooth had decided on its own how it wanted to grow. Deep, sleepless bags hung under narrow eyes that looked half-dead. His skin was pale, sickly, the kind of face that made you wonder if he had ever seen a healthy day in his life. It was truly, objectively, painfully ugly.
And Harian? Harian didn't even try to hide what he felt. He burst out laughing.
Not a stifled laugh. Not a forced chuckle.
A loud, uncontrollable, he-can't-help-himself laugh that echoed through the trees.
Muliad stiffened, horrified. "Boy..."
[YES. OBSERVATION: HIS FACE HAS NOT IMPROVED.] Vex added helpfully in Harian's head.
Harian laughed even harder.
Sparrow did not.
The divine knight's smile froze unnaturally, like his facial muscles weren't used to moving that way. A thick vein pulsed at his temple, and the playful wind essence that always surrounded him suddenly became sharp and suffocating.
Air pressure dropped. Leaves rustled violently. The forest itself seemed to recoil as Sparrow's aura thickened.
Muliad felt the hairs on his arms rise. The killing intent radiating from Sparrow was unmistakable; he had seen divine knights angry before, but this was the fury of a man whose pride had just been shattered in the ugliest, most personal way possible.
"You…" Sparrow muttered, voice trembling with rage. "You dare laugh at me?"
He didn't shout. He didn't need to. His voice was low, cold, and somehow far more terrifying than Leon's earlier threat. Muliad slowly shifted his stance, subtly bracing himself. Harian had provoked him. Damn the boy, he had provoked him too much. Harian didn't seem concerned. In fact… he looked like he was enjoying this.
"Oh, relax," Harian said lightly. "I'm just pointing out the truth. It's not my fault your face looks like.."
Muliad slapped his hand over Harian's mouth. Too late.
Sparrow's aura detonate outward, a violent rush of wind essence cracking the ground beneath his feet and tearing through the branches overhead. The pressure alone forced Muliad to dig his heels in just to remain standing. The divine knight's voice was a growl now.
"I was ordered to kill or capture the escapees," Sparrow said, each word dripping with murderous intent. "But for you.."
His hand shifted, two fingers lifting slightly. World essence gathered instantly. The air behind Harian twisted. A Javelin spear formed from pure wind essence.
"...I'll make an exception."
Muliad's eyes widened.
"Harian, MOVE!"