Cynthia Dreadnaught's Point of View

  * Grip!*

  As we walked out of Union Park, I saw the bodies of My Country's Soldiers. They were massacred. Without realizing it, I grabbed onto John's arm for comfort. I was met with cold armor instead of warmth. Perhaps feeling sorry for me or maybe not wanting to draw attention to us, John sent his armor back into his bracelet. From that, I saw that the Glamour Potion that Sarah had given him had worn off. Though I think the timing is odd... It must've been from that burst of Mana he had earlier when that mod overwhelmed him.

  * Warm.*

  I felt the warmth I was panicking to feel. We began to walk, following Ms. Julia's Directions at all times. John began to speak to me in an effort to calm me down.

  " Cynthia, are you sure you want to come with me? It's most likely going to be more of this."

  He spoke to me softly, just like when we first met, when he noticed my shyness. While I appreciate his kindness, even now as he indulges my selfishness. I can't sit still and do nothing while something happens to my Sister again! So, I answer John with determination in my voice.

  " I'll be ok, I was just startled."

  " Ok, as we walk, how about you tell me why you followed us?"

  To his question, a mix of emotions went through my mind. After meeting him for the first time and his introduction, I noticed that he was the first person outside of my Family, to actually try to meet me halfway. I couldn't help but steal glances of his face that day. The guilt that I was somehow interested in my Sister's Fiancé overwhelmed me. When my Sister told us of her plans to fight However, I wanted nothing more than to help her. But I was rejected by him. I was so angered by this! But in the end, I still watched him as he trained the following days. I was impressed by how hard he worked. I saw how he worked with my Sister so seamlessly. The trust they had, I wanted that with them. Then, When I heard about their date, my mind went back to the first day my Sister collapsed. I felt compelled to follow them. It seems my intuition was correct. He can't be trusted to protect Sarah yet. After all these thoughts, I remembered to answer him.

  " Just in case, I wanted to be near my Sister to help her. As we now know it seems my feelings were correct!"

  " Yes, you were."

  He looked saddened by my words. I didn't like the look on his face. But my disappointment was stronger. He looked forward and began to speak.

  " But that was that and this is this. They had the element of surprise before. I didn't know how to handle the mob. I thought Sarah could handle that guy in the robe. But now, they won't be expecting me so soon. And now I have answers to what they've shown. Cynthia be prepared, they're going to fight back when we get there."

  He's still trying to warn me about the dangers. It irritates me.

  " You do realize that I'm far stronger than you, right?"

  " Yes, but I'd still prefer if you didn't get hurt. Anyways, we need to turn left here. Speaking of your strengths, how does your Demonic Hunter operate? Or in other terms can you tell how many people are in an area or building?"

  " Yes, I can tell how many people are in a certain radius. About the entire size of the Royal Palace."

  " That's amazing! Turn right here."

  We were silent the rest of the way. Simply moving as directed by Ms. Julia. Before long, we arrived at an empty part of the slums. We arrived in front of a small building about 3 stories high. After John noticed 2 guards in the front of the building, he took me to a side of a building on the opposite side of the road the building that Sarah was in was on, so we won't be seen by the 2 guards. John looked at me and began to speak.

  " Can you please tell me how many people you sense in and around that building?"

  After using my Abilities, I learned there were 20 people in the building and their locations. 2 in the front, guarding the door. 8 in the entrance and the rest in the back. As well as seeing the general layout of the building. I found Sarah in the back, but she seemed to be stuck in some form of a Barrier, John began to mumble after I shared my findings as he began to wrap his overshirt over his own head. I looked at him strangely, but he didn't seem to even notice my stare...

  " ... So, it's built like a dumbbell.... Wide ends, but narrow halls. Sarah is in the back and confined with ten. In the front.. 8 combatants to our 2... But now I have that."

  John, with his eyes closed and a hand on his chin, began to think about the plan he wants to enact. After a brief moment, he opened his eyes. He quickly turned to me and spoke.

  " First, we're going to sneak to the side of the building and take care of the 2 guards quietly. I'll go first. If you see anything fishy, use small Magic to divert their attention. Don't use anything flashy, I don't want the people inside to know we're coming."

  " Alright!"

  Even though the sight of him was strange, John and I approached the side of the building quickly and quietly. Before he engaged the guards, he cast Reflect and Shell on me... Why is he still treating me like a child!? Before I could speak to him, he had already walked over to the guards. He began to speak to them with a face that said he was saved.

  " Excuse me! I lost my way! I'm from out of town! How do I get back to market street?"

  " Go away, child! This is private property!"

  John continued to approach the guards, at which point they walked forward, seemingly to beat him up to chase him away.

  " We aren't going to tell you again, boy! LEAVE!"

  " Damn! You guys aren't friendly! Seems a punishment is in order!"

  And like that, John summoned a sword into his left hand and decapitated the guard to his right. Before the guard on his left could do anything, John thrust his sword into the guard's chest. After that he pierced the guard's head to kill him completely. He signaled for me to come near him. As I approached, he started checking the guard's bodies, looking for something. I asked what it was he was looking for.

  " Anything that identifies this group, if we find who they are, we'll know what they want. When we save Sarah, we can report our findings to your parents."

  " I see."

  Even with all of this chaos he still is thinking about what's next. His calmness is eerie to me, so I ask him about it.

  " Hm? Ah yeah.. I also find it strange. These 2 are the first people I've ever killed but... To be honest... It bothers me how calm I am. I mean, they're the enemy. I need to defeat them to get to Sarah... Somehow..."

  John's looked confused and his hands stopped searching the guards. His hands that were now above the guard's bodies started to shake. He quickly took the shirt he had over his face off as he seemed to have lost his breath. His face seemed like he was starting to panic. I couldn't stand how he looked, so I cupped his face in my hands to force him to look only at me. He looked confused at my suddenness, but I spoke to him nonetheless.

  " You are only doing what needs to be done. These men are bad people who forcibly kidnapped my Sister and would have killed you if you didn't find a way to fight off that mob. You are a good person, John. I have seen and experienced your kindness firsthand! Any sins you will bear today, will be ours to share because I am just as guilty as you are. Do you think me a bad person, John?"

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  " What? No, Cynthia. You just want to help your sister!"

  " And what do you want to do, John?"

  " I want to save Sarah and get you both back home safe!"

  " Then let us be your guiding light! Don't fall to guilt!"

  His eyes showed that a calmness had returned to him. He then started to smile. I couldn't help but be fascinated. What is this feeling? I asked why he was smiling.

  " Well, you started out so shy, but now you're grabbing my face the same way Sarah does. I just thought that you both really are sisters!"

  At his words, I released him and tried to cool the embarrassment from my face. John picked himself up and began to speak to me.

  " Are there still 8 people in the entrance to this building?"

  " Huh!? Oh! Ah yes. Nobody has moved, they must be on guard."

  " I see.. Well from my little fight here, I realized, I overestimated the Abilities of people in this world. I was so used to fighting Warrick, Crest and Paul, I thought everyone was just as fast as them. But these guys were slow. We're going to have to fight our way through, Cynthia. Continue to be careful and watch your back in there. Okay?"

  " Yes, I understand, John."

  John proceeded to summon his armor and sword. I'm somewhat tired of being shocked by his weird behavior, so I also pulled out my daggers and placed my armor I had in my Magic Storage on. When we were prepared, we entered into the building. As we entered, I spoke to John in a whisper.

  " At the end of the hallway, a guard is on either side of us. the other 6 are also directly in front of us."

  " Ok. Watch yourself, Cynthia."

  * Grip!*

  John placed another Reflect and Shell Spell on me. He then started walking before I stopped him. I whispered to him.

  " What about you!?"

  " Julia's armor will be enough. It's the Dark Sentinel's Legendary Armor after all."

  " What!? When did you get that?"

  " Last month. Scarlet, my sword, is the Slaughter King's sword as well. I'm sorry, Scarlet, I know you don't like his name being said, I apologize."

  In my shock, I noticed that he was talking to someone that wasn't there. He noticed the concern in my eyes and spoke.

  " Oh! Julia and Scarlet both have mental links with me. Julia is a piece of the original Dark Sentinel's Soul. Scarlet is a Sentient Item."

  "Oh. Okay, let's continue now."

  Growing tired of all of his surprises, I'm actually looking forward to fighting the kidnappers. We both begin to walk. I took the right side and John the left. We make quick work of our targets. John cuts through his man from shoulder to hip, I jam my dagger into the neck of mine. The remaining 6 all notice us from the painful wail of John's kill. They all look at us. John speaks.

  " I'll give you all one chance! Surrender now, and you live. Fight us and you will die."

  The men, not taking John's advice draw their weapons. they split into 3s and go to John and me. The men who came to me start to speak.

  " Scott, this should be easy pickings! This girl looks like she just got out of her diapers."

  Their crude language did upset me. Thankfully, they came towards me.

  * Step!*

  / Woosh!/

  * Thrust!*

  The first one to attack me was the man on my left. He attempted an overhead slash against me. I pivot on my back foot and wait for the man to finish his swing. I cut his wrist after it passed me. 1 down.

  " Ahh! Ahh!"

  The man held his wrist as he screamed. Next was the man who spoke. He wielded a Warhammer. He tried to swipe at me with it.

  * Kick!*

  / Woosh!/

  I kicked the ground and jumped back. While in the air, I shot an Ice Arrow at his neck, The man dodged.

  " !"

  * Land!*

  / thump. Boom!/

  From behind him, the man called " Scott" attacked me with Magic of his own. I landed on the ground. I shot a Fire Arrow at his Rock Blast, when they collided, they both destroyed each other. I begin to circle the two as they stay together.

  * Kick!*

  I dart in with great speed against the man who spoke. Scott fired another Earth Spell at me, this time I dodged it and ran towards my target.

  * Switch!*

  / Woosh!/

  * Throw!*

  " AHHH!"

  He swings his hammer at me. This time I pivot before the hammer hits me. I throw my dagger into the hammer wielder's eye; he screams then falls. I looked at John for a moment and he was on his last opponent as well. 2 bodies were at his feet, heads disconnected from their bodies. I turn back to Scott. He begins to channel a large amount of Mana.

  * Kick! Throw!*

  " !"

  / Woosh!/

  I rush towards him and throw my other dagger at Scott. It interrupts his focus. I use a sharp blast of wind to try to cut him. He dodges and begins to use lesser Magic to attack me.

  / Woosh! Squish!/

  * Retract!*

  I dodge his Spells and retrieve my dagger from his dead friend's eye.

  * Step. Step. Kick!*

  We begin to circle each other waiting for a moment to step in on the other. I tire of this dance, I blitz. Scott comes forward as well.

  / Boom!/

  * Step! Kick!* Throw!*

  He fires a blast of lightning; I dodge and keep running forward, he tries to escape. He turns around and tries to run to the hall leading to his friends. I throw my dagger into his back, it sinks deep into his flesh.

  " AH!"

  " Woosh!"

  He falls and wails. I use a Fire Arrow to pierce his skull. As I bend down to retrieve my dagger. I hear someone approaching me. It must be John. I begin to speak.

  " Oh good, John you've finished! We can move on after I get my other dagger."

  " DIE YOU BITCH!"

  " !"

  * Raise!*

  / Woosh! Thud!/

  A blade flashes before my eyes. It's the man whose wrist I cut. He didn't die! I can't defend! I guard my head with my hands. Then a bolt of white light swallows the man's head, and it disappears. I look at where the bolt came from. I see John holding his hand in my direction. He frowns and talks to me.

  " I told you to watch your back, Cynthia!"

  He shouts at me. I freeze all of a sudden, I feel like it's back before I met him. He begins to walk towards me. His eyes becoming serious. I begin to think about running away. John grab's my hands before I could run. He speaks to me.

  " Holy Heal!"

  * Warm!*

  I'm enveloped in a warmth similar to a blanket on a cold day. It feels so good. The warmth fades, to my disappointment. John begins to smile and speak.

  " Good! It looks like you weren't hurt! Just in case, I used my Healing Spell that healed Sarah and Warrick! I was so worried! From now on you have to be more careful. If you get hurt, I don't know what I'd do!"

  * Squeeze!*

  He proceeds to hug me in relief. Why does this feel as good as that warmth from earlier?

  * Release!*

  He releases me from the hug to my disappointment. Why do I feel lonely? John speaks, while I try to collect myself.

  " Let's get moving! Sarah is right down that hall!"

  " !"

  * Irritation!*

  Yes, that's right! We need to save my Sister! Wait! What is this irritation!? He's my Sister's Fiancé! Why did the feeling grow when I acknowledged that fact? Regardless, I followed John as we moved into a long wide hallway. The ceiling was only 2 feet from my head, quite a difference from the Royal Palace I'm used to. We continue to walk down the hallway closer to the door on the end. Suddenly, the door opened! Out came a man, he was a little taller than me, with a great sword on his back. Just by looking at him, I could tell he was far above us in terms of combat prowess. John and I stopped walking. John started to speak to the man.

  " Well, hi, Sir! We're just some missionaries who got lost on the way to the Church. The men behind us were nice enough to tell us that cutting through the room ahead of us is a great shortcut. Mind letting us through?"

  " Do all Missionaries carry such deadly weapons? Or leak such bloodlust, boy?"

  " When dealing with kidnappers they do... Or so I hear. What do you say? Why not let us through? I'll even let you walk out of here with both of your legs. A great deal, considering this city is so dangerous, Royals can get kidnapped."

  " I was given strict orders to let no one through."

  John pretends to be upset at the man's words. He then turns to me and speaks.

  " Sit this one out, I can handle this guy."

  " What!?"

  Shocked at what he said, I couldn't hold back.

  " John he can kill both of us!"

  " He won't, I'm going to kill him! I'll show you that earlier today was a fluke by them!"

  " NO!"

  " Cynthia, best case scenario if we both fight him, is we both get injured taking him out. I have a way to beat him without that."

  " Promise me! Promise me, he won't hurt you!"

  " ?"

  John was surprised by what I said. Regardless he turned to me and smiled, then he said.

  " I swear!"

  He said it so confidently... I could only stand down. John began to speak to the man again.

  " Well, there you go, buddy, one on one! Draw your blade."

  John sends his armor away and only has his blade out.

  " John! What are you doing!? Put your armor back on!"

  " It'll only get in the way. Trust me, Cynthia, I'm going to save your sister."

  " No! This is too much! We will fight together if you're going to do this!"

  I was so panicked I forgot about my promise. John turned and smiled at me. He then spoke one word.

  " Reflect."

  A Barrier was put up between us. I was furious!

  " John! What are you doing!?"

  " Keeping you safe! Don't worry, this fight was over before it started."

  John turned to the man and spoke to him.

  " Well, here we go, unstoppable force and immovable object. Time to see who lives!"

  The man simply got into a stance preparing a horizontal slash. John ran at the man with his blade in a thrusting position. John activates his Mana Blade! But the man's sword has greater range, John is going to die! I can't do anything because of his Reflect Spell! I can't just watch him die! Time passes and John enters the sword's range. The man swings his blade. John yells.

  " Barrier!"

  Just as the sword is about to reach max speed, it's stopped in place by the Barrier Spell John used. John goes to thrust his sword into the neck of the man. However, the man pivots to avoid it. John turns his sword's sharp blade in the man's direction. He then speaks.

  " White Slash!"

  / Shing! Splat! Thud! Thud!/

  And like that a white blade shoots out from the edge of John's blade and the man is split in half. The Reflect wears off, I rush to John. The man, now bleeding out in two on the floor, speaks to John.

  " What... Is... Your.... Name?"

  " It's John, what was your name."

  " V....en....del."

  " You've fought well Vendel, time to rest."

  The man closed his eyes and drifted off. John turned to me and spoke.

  "All these Demons, kidnapping their Princess... Something isn't right. These guys are military trained. Who would order a kidnapping?"

  John looked up then at me. He began to speak.

  " So, 9 left in there, and Sarah. Is she still in there?"

  " Yes, she is."

  John smiled at me then spoke with confidence.

  " Good! Cynthia... I got another plan!"