Chương 1: Noah Fafnir

A man in a white cloak stood atop the branches of a tree, looking down at the city of Gram. An owl mask covered his face, and in one gloved hand, he casually tossed a black apple into the air, catching it each time without ever looking away from the city below.

"My dear wife," he muttered, "you will be avenged for what the gods did to you." He lifted the apple to the mouth of his mask and kissed it gently.

"Let the next era of apocalypse begin." Beneath the tree, three other masked figures stood in silence. Each of them prepared for the invasion in their own way, waiting for the moment to move. At the center of Gram stood an old manor, built generations ago by the Fafnir family. Inside, a young man barely fifteen years old crawled out of bed. His black hair was a mess, and small black spots covered parts of his skin, resembling the markings of a ladybug.

White draconic horns curved from the top of his head as he dragged himself toward the mirror. Before he could reach it, he coughed violently. Blood splattered against the floor. Noah stared down at it for a moment, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. When he finally looked into the mirror, green draconic eyes stared back at him.

"Damn it," he muttered.

"Not again." He clenched his chest and forced himself to stand upright. He had to look strong. As the heir to the Fafnir family, he could not afford to look weak, not when everyone already saw him as useless. Noah straightened his clothes as best he could, then left his room and made his way toward the stairs. Before he could take another step, something struck the back of his leg. He stumbled, catching himself against the wall. Behind him stood his younger brother, Isaac.

Isaac was only eight years old, with snow-white hair and black draconic horns. A medical eye patch covered his right eye, leaving only his red draconic eye visible. He stared at Noah without much expression.

"Shouldn't you check on Isabelle?" Isaac asked bluntly.

"As the older brother, you should make sure your sick sister is feeling well." Noah glared at him.

"You know I'm sick too, right?" Even so, he was already walking toward Isabelle's bedroom. Isaac turned and started down the stairs.

"So are all of us," he said bitterly.

"The heirs of the famous knight family, tied to the emperor himself, and all three of us are barely surviving." He paused for a moment.

"All cursed in a different way." Noah said nothing. He continued down the hall until he reached his younger sister's room. For a moment, he stood outside the door, his hand resting on the handle, before forcing himself to open it. Isabelle was curled beneath her blanket. Her long white hair was spread across the pillow, and a single white draconic horn rose from her head. She was Isaac's fraternal twin, though she looked far weaker than him now.

A black substance clung to the corner of her mouth, and only one of her eyes was open. Her right green draconic eye looked toward Noah as he stepped inside.

"Big brother," Isabelle whispered. Noah softened his expression as much as he could.

"Hey, Isabelle." She coughed into her blanket, and a thick black sludge stained the fabric near her mouth.

"Will I be able to go outside soon?" she asked. Noah's hand tightened at his side. Then he smiled. It was a poor smile, but he tried his best to make it look real.

"Y-yeah," he said.

"Soon. We'll go outside, explore the town, and stop by your favorite bakery." Isabelle's eye brightened a little.

"You promise?" Noah nodded.

"Just get well soon, okay?"

"Okay, big brother." Her small smile stayed with him as he left the room. Once the door closed, Isabelle looked back toward the ceiling.

"Big brother is a bad liar," she muttered softly. Then her smile returned.

"But at least he's nice." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Noah made his way downstairs. In the dining room, his parents were already eating breakfast with Isaac. Isaac sat quietly at the table, keeping himself within the shade. Even the smallest reach toward the sunlight spilling through the window seemed to make his skin burn. Noah glanced at him for a moment, then looked away.

"I'm going to train in the forest," Noah called out. He walked toward the wall and grabbed his father's sword. Walter, Noah's father, lowered his cup slightly.

"If you're going out," he said, "you might as well head to Artem and visit Ava." Noah froze. At the mention of his fiancée, his eyes lit up.

"Of course," he said, grinning.

"I'll hunt a massive monster just to impress her." Sarah laughed softly from her seat.

"He reminds me of you at that age," she said, looking at Walter.

"You brought me the head of a griffin just to impress me." Walter took a calm sip of his coffee.

"It worked." Across the table, Isaac rolled his eyes and continued eating his eggs. Noah left the manor and made his way through the city of Gram. The city was built within the forest of Álfheimr, a place humanity had never truly conquered. The forest was cursed. If people tried to take too much from it, the trees would fight back. So the people of Gram had learned to coexist with it. They cleared only what they needed for homes, roads, and shops. Everything else was built around the forest instead of against it.

Houses rested beside ancient roots. Bridges curved around thick trunks. Even the city walls had been raised with the largest trees in mind, weaving stone and wood together as if the city itself had grown from the forest floor. Noah walked beyond the busier streets and into the deeper parts of the forest. At first, everything seemed normal. Then he noticed the silence. There were no monsters.

The cursed forest constantly created beasts, and hunters were usually forced to deal with them before they wandered too close to the city. Yet today, the paths were empty. There were no growls, no rustling branches, no distant screams from something being torn apart in the dark. Nothing. Noah's grip tightened around the sword at his side as he continued forward. Eventually, he reached a clearing. Four masked figures stood there. Noah quickly stepped behind a tree, keeping himself hidden as he looked at them.

He recognized one of them instantly. A man in a plague doctor mask stood near the center of the clearing. He wore a black jacket, crimson gloves, black boots, and a black top hat that covered most of his green hair. The Doctor. Beside him stood a swordsman with blond hair, a katana at his side, and a fox mask covering his face. Above them, sitting casually on a tree branch, was the man in the owl mask. The last figure was a young girl, around Isaac's age.

She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and freckles scattered across her face. A raincoat covered her small frame, and a masquerade mask hid her expression. Noah's blood ran cold. He had seen the wanted posters before. The Doctor was the leader of a terrorist group known as The Crows. No one truly knew what they wanted. Some believed they were extremists who sought to overthrow the emperor. Others claimed they were a doomsday cult, trying to bring about the next apocalypse.

And some believed they had no goal at all, that they simply enjoyed killing.

"Boss," the swordsman said, tilting his fox mask slightly, "I believe we have a visitor." Noah's heartbeat quickened. The clearing went silent. The Doctor slowly turned his plague mask toward the trees.

"Handle it," he said. The swordsman placed one hand on the hilt of his katana.

"Spring Style," he said calmly.

"Sixth Form." In one smooth motion, he drew his blade.

"Branch Cutter." The katana flashed. For a brief moment, pink cherry blossoms seemed to bloom from the edge of the sword, scattering through the air like petals caught in the wind. Then the tree split apart. The trunk groaned as it was cleaved clean through, collapsing to the side with a violent crash. Noah stumbled back, exposed behind the broken stump. The Doctor stared at him for a moment. Then he chuckled.

"So the older Fafnir heir has graced us with his presence." Noah's hand tightened around his sword.

"Sadly," The Doctor continued, walking past him, "we were looking for your younger brother. Not the worthless older one." The words struck harder than Noah wanted to admit. The Doctor did not wait for a response.

"Inari," he said, "handle it. We'll go on ahead." The Doctor walked away with the owl-masked man and the young girl in the raincoat. Noah's eyes widened. They were heading toward Gram. Toward the manor. Toward Isaac and Isabelle. He tried to move after them, but Inari stepped into his path and raised his katana.

"Draw your sword," Inari commanded.

"Die with honor." Noah's breathing grew heavy. His hands trembled as he pulled his father's sword from its sheath. He was afraid. Of course he was afraid. The man in front of him had cut through a tree like it was nothing. The others were already moving toward his family. His body ached, his chest burned, and blood still lingered at the back of his throat. But he could not run. Not now. Not when monsters were walking toward his home. Noah lifted his sword with both hands. His stance was uneven.

His grip was too tight. His fear was written across his face. Even so, he stood between Inari and the city. Inari's blade lowered slightly. Cherry blossoms drifted from its edge once more.