Peacekeeper's Wrath

The journey of two little larvae began as they crossed the eastern section of the Zomzalyan forest. Areina, or Lhara as she now preferred to be called, tripped and fell, her ankle twisting beneath her. She winced in pain, trying to stand, but the sharp throb in her ankle made it impossible to walk.

"Argh, I've become a burden again," she thought, gritting her teeth. "I don't want him to leave me behind."

She gritted her teeth and pushed herself to her feet, taking a deep breath. She looked down at her ankle, her face contorted in pain.

"Can you still walk?" The boy asked, offering his back.

"No... I can still walk..." Lhara mumbled, trying to appear brave.

"Don't force yourself, let me carry you." Miku insisted, his voice firm but gentle.

"But, that's just..."

"Whatever, just hop up, you're already a burden." He said with a playful smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm sorry..." Lhara quietly climbed onto his back, feeling a mixture of frustration and embarrassment.

"And please remember, I'm not your master," Miku muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Yes... umm... then how should I address you?" Lhara asked, her voice hesitant.

Miku thought for a few moments, then he answered, "Miku, you can call me Miku, that's my name."

"That's a lovely name," Lhara mumbled, a surprised look on her face. "Umm... Miku, you can also call me Lhara."

"Hmmm... I didn't ask!" Miku retorted with a playful grin.

"That's too ruthless," Lhara commented, laughing softly.

"You shouldn't laugh like that, Lhara. You're tickling me with your..." Miku trailed off, his cheeks flushing slightly.

Lhara pouted her lips. "Pervert, you offer your back just to feel my body."

"I'm not a pervert. It's your fault for tripping." Miku defended himself, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Don't make any excuses. You love my body, don't you?" Lhara teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Nonsense!" Miku retorted, shaking his head.

The two argued playfully, their laughter echoing through the forest. They eventually calmed down after reaching a beautiful lake. The water was crystal clear, and the edges were adorned with vibrant flowers. They found a grassy area and settled down to rest.

"Now get down, you're so heavy," Miku said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Lhara seemed to be upset. She looked at Miku with a quiet smile, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and defiance. Miku sat down at the edge of the lake and grabbed a strip of a flower, its petals gleaming a bright red like a spider. The petals were arranged in a graceful curve and shaped like spiraling tendrils, swirling in the wind.

He glanced at the flower and remembered Lhara's ruby eyes. He stole a glance at her again. Her silky smooth golden hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of chestnut strands.

Her striking red eyes, bright and expressive, seemed to hold a depth beyond her years, sparkling with curiosity and wisdom. Despite her young age, her mature physique hinted at an early blossoming, blending childlike innocence with an emerging grace.

Even with her injured ankle, she moved with an effortless confidence. Her laughter rang like music as she engaged with the world around her, capturing the attention of those nearby. With a heart full of dreams and an adventurous spirit, she embodied a unique blend of youth and maturity, a promise of the person she was becoming.

"Do you like red spider lilies, Master Miku?" she asked curiously.

"No... This flower is even present in this area. I thought it only grew at my hometown..." Miku explained, glancing at her eyes.

"Umm, that flower is rarely seen in this region. Legends talk about their connection to the afterlife. It also symbolizes the fleeting nature of life and argues for us to behold and cherish the present."

"You are knowledgeable, huh..." Miku commented, impressed.

She smiled and asked, "By the way, where do you plan to go?"

"I don't have anything in mind, but I want to look for a peaceful place to stay..." Miku answered.

"I think everywhere you go, peace is around... If you are looking for a specific location, you should head to the Kingdom of Maharlika..."

"Kingdom of Maharlika!?" Miku exclaimed, his eyes widening in curiosity. He grabbed her hands, his grip firm but gentle.

"Yes, but that place is just a mythological place located at the archipelago in the far east. But no one has ever reached that place, nor even seen if it is true or not." She explained with confidence. "Going to an unknown place without knowing if it even exists is a suicidal decision." She added, her voice laced with concern.

"Right now, I don't have any place to go, so I will just follow my feet wherever they want to go. I know it's a bad idea, so I recommend you to leave me alone." Miku said, his voice filled with a mixture of resignation and determination.

"Going with someone is better than dying alone... I know I'm a burden, but let me help you and be with you. I can cook and serve. I'm a former maid after all..." She mumbled, her dedication evident in her voice.

After hearing the word "cook," his belly rumbled. Lhara laughed upon hearing his hungry stomach. "We can try to catch some fish from the lake..." she suggested.

"I'll catch!!!" Miku muttered, his eyes gleaming with determination. He went to the middle of the lake and tried to catch some fish. He used his quick dash and caught a big one. Meanwhile, Lhara tried to collect some firewood, but her injury prevented her from walking straight.

Miku returned to their resting area. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Do I look alright?" Lhara retorted, her voice laced with a hint of sarcasm.

Miku had the ability to heal her ankle, but he chose to test her loyalty and gauge her intentions. He was being sensitive to his surroundings. He didn't want to have a companion who would betray him.

"Let me see your ankle!" Miku offered his hand, his expression serious.

Lhara showed him her ankle. Her cheeks and lips were red like a cherry, her excitement and embarrassment evident.

Miku placed his index finger on her ankle. A black mist emerged and wrapped the injury. The warmth made the girl moan. 'Her reaction is weird as ever,' he thought.

"Don't make that weird noise, it doesn't suit you..." Miku said, trying to stifle a smile.

"Ahh... It felt ticklish... It's your fault..." Lhara mumbled, her voice laced with a mixture of embarrassment and amusement.

Her ability to walk returned, but she remained sitting on the ground. He left her and prepared the fire. As soon as she regained her posture, she cooked the fish, and they both ate together.

After their bellies were full, she demanded that he tell some stories. He accepted her demand and recalled the memories of the bandits he had killed. He told her the unfortunate story of the bandit leader, the story of his family's downfall, the dedication that turned him into a soldier of the Empire of Tanozo, his struggles and failures, and the reason that triggered him to kill the royal family.

An hour passed, and she was sleeping silently in his lap. Her young face was priceless; her cuteness flooded around him.

He reserved his attention and swam inside his head. He recalled from the memories of the bandits he had killed that there was a mana core that regulated inside the body to release magic. He wanted to find that core and enhance it to the fullest.

Inside the depths, his consciousness traveled around, and a golden core waved to him. He tried to regulate his mana flows, and he managed to unleash the third-rate flow. Upon surging his mana flow, he sensed an unknown flow inside his body. He followed that flow, and a black core emerged. He didn't sense any mana from it, but a lust of pieces of soul was residing there. He remembered that he could summon a servant, maybe this core was related to that. It was a blast, a [core of soul]. He didn't understand why he had that nor could recall anything about it.

He proceeded and engulfed his arm, trying to gather the flow of his soul core. Then he tried to think of a form and summon it.

A voice emerged from his head.

[Do you want to summon a servant?]

[You currently have three attempts]

He released the flow but failed to summon any servant.

[You failed to summon a servant. You still have two more attempts.]

He fused his consciousness and his mana with the soul flows, but he also failed to summon a servant.

[You failed to summon a servant. You still have one more attempt.]

He forced his consciousness, mana flow, and soul flow to fuse together, and then he released the fusion material. "Rise up, my servant," he muttered with an emotionless expression.

[You successfully summon a first-grade servant.]

A black mist emerged a few meters from his position. A black shadow in the form of a bear emerged. He tried to touch the servant, but it didn't have any physical form. He instructed the bear to catch a honeycomb and return within ten minutes.

The time passed, and he could feel his soul core being drained. The bear returned with a honeycomb in its mouth. Miku grabbed the honeycomb and started to sip the sweet honey from the comb. The shadow bear suddenly faded away from his sight, but he was satisfied with the honey. He ate half of the honey and reserved the other half for Lhara.

After Lhara woke up, Miku fed her the remaining honey. Lhara's face turned into a satisfied expression after eating the sweet honey.

A unsettling noise emerged from their surroundings. Miku stood and prepared his body for the upcoming fight. A girl with long ears emerged, and they were surrounded by other long-eared creatures.

"Miss Kimberly, here they are!" The other long-eared creature muttered.

***

A: Hatdog emerge?