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Sebek’s eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was training with Lilia-senpai in the Diasomnia dorm, perfecting a spell that should have been simple.
But something had gone wrong ...terribly wrong. His body ached, and the air smelled thick with smoke and ash.
“This isn’t… Night Raven College?” Sebek muttered, forcing himself upright.
All around him, the sounds of battle echoed—clashing steel, pained cries, and the thud of heavy footsteps making startled making his mind clear.
His heart raced as he scanned the chaotic scene. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over a battlefield strewn with bodies, fae and human alike.
Sebek’s chest tightened. This couldn’t be real. He wasn’t on some school training ground anymore; this was war.
But which war?
Suddenly, a familiar sight caught his eye—black armor and black hair with crimson eyes. His breath hitched.
Sebek was about to call out when suddenly he saw the figure kill a human infront of his eyes making him froze..
“ Lilia-Sama,” Sebek whispered hesitantly his voice cracking recognizing his mentor, but this wasn’t the playful Lilia he knew or the gentle kind Lilia who raised Silver and Waka-Sam.
The general stood tall, commanding the fae forces with ruthless efficiency. His once mischievous smile was replaced by a hardened, unreadable expression.
There was no hint of mercy in the swift orders he barked to his troops. Fae soldiers launched relentless attacks on the humans, their magic burning the land in a way Sebek had never imagined.
It was bloody
“This must be the war,” Sebek realized, heart pounding.
' The war between the fae and humans.'
His admiration for the fae warriors soared; these were the heroes he had idolized just like his grandfather and Lilia-Sama. The ones who fought for the future of their people, the ones who...
A shrill scream tore through his thoughts. He turned just in time to see a young human soldier, barely older than him, struck down by a fae’s magic.
The boy crumpled to the ground, eyes wide with fear and pain. Sebek froze, his sword half-raised.
“Don’t falter, Sebek!” he scolded himself yet his tone was trembling.
“This is war! A fae must not show mercy to humans. They are the enemy.”
But the words felt hollow in his throat as he watched the fae press forward, cutting down anyone in their path, regardless of age or experience.
These weren’t the glorious battles he’d dreamed of; this was carnage..... A massacre
“General Vonrogue!” one of the fae commanders called out, running up to the Crimson eyed leader.
When Sebek saw who is it his breath falter. Seeing those greens hair and sharp features.
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Grandfather....
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“We’ve driven the humans to the edge of the forest. Shall we press the attack and wipe them out?” The Fae.... no...Grandfather said completely cold in his tone making Sebek who eavesdrop turned like a stone.
Lilia’s crimson eyes gleamed, and for the briefest moment. Making Sebek who saw it knew what it meant.... As he had seen that look when somebody dared to harm Silver and him in the Briar Valley.
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' No...'
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Sebek saw something darker in his mentor something cold and unforgiving.
“No survivors,” Lilia said flatly. “Ensure they do not live to retaliate.”
Sebek’s heart sank. NO......
"No survivors? But..." Sebek muttered as his mind raced, trying to reconcile the orders with the Lilia he knew. Lilia had always been kind and believed in equality between races.
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So Why?
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No....
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He is not in his time..
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Or is this just another dream?
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He had always believed in the superiority of the fae, their right to rule, but to kill them all? He knew the history, the fae had been at war with humans for years, but witnessing it firsthand was entirely different.
His hand trembled on his sword hilt, and for the first time, doubt crept into his mind. He then looked at Lilia.... No...General Vonrogue.
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He is not Lilia...
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He is not the kind Lilia
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He is General Vonrogue....
With that realization Sebek knew he had no time to linger not noticing a presence.
A human.... no...A human soldier
A human soldier charged at him from the side, sword raised.
On instinct, Sebek parried the blow and thrust his sword forward, but as his blade pierced the soldier’s armor, the soldier's face, full of terror and desperation, reflected back at him. The light faded from the soldier’s eyes as they slumped to the ground.
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He killed....
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He killed a person
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He killed a human...
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He killed him...
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Sebek gasped, stepping back. His heart thundered in his chest hitting the realization of his actions on what he had done.
He had killed before in training however those were justostly chicken or boar in simulations, but this… this was real.
He shakily looked at his hands that was trembling almost slipping his sword.... His bloodied sword...
A sword with blood.
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A sword that he wield...
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A sword that he use to kill a life
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The weight of his actions crushed down on him as he then looked around of his surroundings.
Trying to calm his mind down as he could feel the sword threatening to slip from his hands.
The battlefield was a mess of bodies, both fae and human, and all around him, there was no mercy, no honor, just survival.
His mind screamed that this was what it meant to be a knight, but his heart wavered.
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Was this really the glory he had aspired to?
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Was this the path he had chosen, to become a ruthless warrior who cared only for victory?
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No.......I'm just affected....
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Yeah....
He turned back to Lilia, who remained unfazed, issuing more orders.
Sebek's respect for his mentor warred with the confusion brewing inside him.
'Was this the cost of loyalty? '
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' No! Bad Sebek! ' Sebek thought as he slap himself as his mind then gone clear making him sigh in relief.
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I'm just in another time...
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That's why it affected my mental health... Lilia- Sama said that his mind would be deeply affected based on the surroundings.
“General Lilia! The Knight of Dawn approaches!” A fae soldier shout making Sebek snap out.
The Knight of Dawn.
The fae's greatest enemy. Sebek had heard tales of the knight’s valor, of his strength in battle he even heard his grandfather praised the man, but now… now the Knight of Dawn would meet Lilia’s wrath.
Sebek’s grip on his sword tightened, but his legs felt like lead.
' What is right? '
The words circled in his mind. He had always been so certain.....so sure of his loyalty, his duty to the fae....but now, watching this battle unfold, he wasn’t sure if he could justify this violence anymore.
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It was so wrong....
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As the Knight of Dawn's forces appeared on the horizon, Sebek took a step back. Lilia hadn’t noticed him yet, and for the first time, Sebek wasn’t sure he wanted him to.
This wasn’t his fight, not yet. And now, for the first time in his life, Sebek didn’t know where he stood and just watched..