Paradoxicality

Chapter 8

The Beast's corpse still steamed, a massive, cooling shadow sprawled across the ruins. Black ichor hissed in the cracks of the floor, releasing a stench that made Sakura’s stomach clench. The fight had shaken her to the core—body and spirit. Her hands still spasm slightly when she tried to clench them, and her lungs burned as if she’d inhaled smoke and fire.

Renji was in worse shape. He stood doubled over, one hand braced on his knee, the other gripping the spear—a construct of Sakura's power that had not dissolved. Sweat soaked his shirt, and his breath rasped like a runner who’d collapsed at the finish line. His eyes kept flicking back to the Beast, as though it might lurch back up despite the cavernous wound carved through its chest.

A heavy, ringing silence settled over the space. The jungle, which had been driven back by the ferocity of their battle, was only just beginning to stir back to life. A few cautious birdcalls echoed from the canopy above.

Sakura swallowed hard, the effort painful. “We… *hah*… we did it.”

Renji coughed out a laugh. “Barely. If that thing had twitched one more time, I’d be nothing but paste on the floor.”

Sakura lowered herself to the ground, her back finding the unexpected coolness of a half-crumbled stone pillar. Her shield had held longer than ever before, and she’d managed a new feat: an offensive construct born from pure imagination. Only that one weaponized spear had remained solid, the one Renji still held. But the effort had drained her so thoroughly that keeping her eyes open felt like a monumental task.

Her gaze fell into her hands. Fine, silver strands of hair clung stubbornly to her damp skin, a clear sign of the subtle transformation she hadn't been able to fully accept. Another change, she thought. Another price paid.

Renji limped over and dropped beside her with a rough groan. “If all the monsters in this world are that nasty, we are totally screwed.”

Before Sakura could reply, the sound reached them.

At first, she thought it was just the forest shifting. But it grew louder, sharper, and unmistakable. Metal against stone. Dozens of feet moving with disciplined purpose.

Renji stiffened. “We’ve got company.”

Figures emerged from the tree-line beyond the ruined archway, their weapons catching the filtered light. These weren’t villagers with farm tools—they were trained men, clad in sturdy leather brigandines and mail, shields strapped across their backs. Spears bristled, and bows were strung and ready. Behind them rode several mounted figures in heavier armor, their warhorses snorting and stamping as the smell of the Beast’s corpse reached them.

Sakura counted quickly: at least twenty footmen, and five knights on horseback. Their arrival was far too organized to be a coincidence.

Renji muttered a curse under his breath. “Well, damn. Guess we made a bit too much noise.”

One of the mounted knights urged his horse forward, raising a gauntlet hand. He was lean, but carried an undeniable aura of command. His dark hair was cropped close, though a distinct streak of silver ran through it, and his steel-grey eyes studied the two of them with unreadable calm.

“Hold,” he ordered his men. His voice carried easily. “Do not approach the corpse, nor the strangers.”

The guards halted instantly. Bows lowered slightly, though they remained tense. Spears stood like a thicket of thorns.

Renji stood slowly, making a point of keeping his hands visible. He muttered sideways, “They look like the type to skewer you first before asking.”

Sakura straightened as well, ignoring the protests of her exhausted legs. Her gaze locked with the knight’s. This man, she realized, was shrewd. He wasn't rushing. He was assessing, measuring, and judging.

The knight spoke again, addressing them directly. “Greetings. I am Sir Kael Veynar, Captain of the Third Expeditionary Order of His Majesty's Elite Knights. By what names do strangers such as you claim this kill?”

Renji blinked. “Uh… names?”

Sakura answered firmly, cutting him off before he could fumble further. “Sakura N. Yuugana. And this is Renji Akaru.”

Kael’s expression didn't shift, though his eyes flicked briefly to the Beast’s corpse. “Impressive. Few in these lands would stand against a Ragebeast and live, much less slay it.”

Renji raised an eyebrow. “Ragebeast? That's what you call this ugly bastard?”

A visible ripple of unease moved through the footmen at Renji’s casual tone. Spears shifted as though the men expected some kind of trick or aggression.

Kael, however, simply regarded them with cool patience. “You are not of this world. That much is plain. Your clothing, your accents, your… methods.” His gaze lingered on Sakura’s hands, which still faintly glowed with residual energy, and on Renji, whose exhaustion seemed out of place beside the Beast’s immense, mangled body.

“You wield powers,” Kael continued, “powers I do not yet understand. Which makes you both a danger.”

Renji bristled. “Dangerous? Hey, we just saved your village from getting turned into a chew toy by that thing!”

Sakura shot him a sharp, silent glare, urging restraint. Then she looked back at Kael. “You’re correct. We are not from here. And yes, we possess powers. But we have no intention of bringing harm to your people.”

Kael tilted his head, studying her. “Words are but air, Lady Sakura. Actions weigh heavier.”

The silence stretched, tense and brittle. The knights behind Kael watched intently, hands near hilts. The footmen—guards by the look of them—shifted nervously, torn between awe at the Beast's death and suspicion of the strangers who had accomplished it.

Finally, Kael exhaled softly. “We will not quarrel here. You will come with us to Greendale. There, you will answer questions before the elders. If you mean no harm, you will find no chains. But if you resist…” His voice hardened just enough to send a chill down Sakura's spine. “…then we shall not hesitate to act.”

Renji muttered, “Yeah, that definitely sounds like a threat.”

“More like caution,” Sakura corrected under her breath, then spoke aloud. “Very well. We’ll go with you.”

Kael inclined his head once. “A wise choice.”

.

.

.

Greendale

The journey to Greendale was tense.

The guards maintained a respectful distance, forming a loose perimeter around Sakura and Renji as they walked. Two knights rode close behind, their hands resting casually—but not comfortably—on their swords. Renji kept his arms folded, and his mouth shut after Sakura’s third glare in under an hour.

The forest eventually thinned, giving way to open fields. Greendale appeared on the horizon, a sturdy settlement tucked against rolling hills. Simple, wooden palisades ringed it, complete with watchtowers at each corner. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys, and fields of grain stretched outward, dotted with farmers who stopped their labor to gawk at the sudden procession.

The gates creaked open as they approached. Children darted out to see the knights, their laughter abruptly stifled when they caught sight of Sakura and Renji in the middle of the column. Whispers spread quickly: outsiders, sorcerers, slayers of the Ragebeast.

Inside, the village was humble but bustling. Wooden homes lined packed-earth roads. Merchants hawked goods from open stalls. Chickens scattered underfoot. But everywhere Sakura looked, she felt the eyes on them—curiosity, wariness, and a deep-seated fear.

Kael dismounted near the central square. He gestured for Sakura and Renji to halt. “Wait here. The council will be summoned.”

Renji muttered as he scratched his neck, “Council, huh? Sounds like we’re about to be put on trial.”

“Better than executed on the spot,” Sakura whispered back.

Minutes later, three elders emerged from a long public hall near the square, their robes marking them as village leaders. Kael greeted them with a bow before stepping aside.

The oldest elder, a woman with braided silver hair, studied Sakura and Renji with sharp, assessing eyes. “So these are the strangers who slew the Ragebeast.”

Sakura inclined her head respectfully. “We did what we had to survive.”

The elder hummed. “Survival breeds many choices. Few of which end with victory over such a Beast.”

Renji finally spoke up, a touch of frustration in his tone. “Look, if it wasn't us, that thing would’ve wandered here and wrecked your nice little walls. We’re not your enemies.”

The crowd that had gathered murmured uneasily. Some nodded in agreement, others scowled in suspicion.

Kael stepped forward smoothly, his voice calm yet firm. “They fought with discipline and power unlike any I have seen. We do not yet know the source of that power. But I advise against rash judgment. They may prove to be allies, if handled with care.”

The elders exchanged silent looks. The silver-haired woman finally nodded. “Then we will not judge swiftly. Strangers, you will remain among us for a time. We will watch. We will listen. If you mean harm, it will be revealed. If not… perhaps the gods have sent you as aid.”

Sakura bowed again, a wave of relief washing over her. “Thank you.”

Renji muttered, “Guess we’re guests under guard.”

Kael’s grey eyes lingered on them both. “Guests. For now.”

That night, they were given a small hut near the edge of the village, watched by two guards posted outside. It wasn't a cell, but it felt a lot like one.

Renji flopped onto the straw mattress with a theatrical groan. “Well, this sucks. We saved their asses, and now we’re treated like walking plagues.”

Sakura sat cross-legged by the small wooden table, tracing patterns absently in the rough grain. “To them, we are walking plagues. Powers like ours… they’ve never seen them. Would you trust strangers who dropped from the sky and bent reality like clay?”

Renji grunted. “Fair point. Still feels like sh*t.”

A sharp knock at the door startled them both. It opened to reveal Sir Kael, torchlight casting deep shadows across his lean, serious face.

“I will not stay long,” he said, stepping inside. His eyes flicked to the silhouettes of the guards outside, then back to them. “You should know—word of your victory will not stop here. The Kingdom will hear of it. And when they do, you will not only face councils of villages, but lords, knights, perhaps even the King himself.”

Sakura’s breath hitched. “Why warn us?”

Kael studied her in silence for a long moment, then spoke quietly, almost confidentially. “Because power such as yours attracts chains as easily as it attracts crowns. Decide quickly where you will stand when those chains come. Whether you will be our allies, enemies, or tools.”

With that, he turned and was gone, the door closing behind him with a decisive click.

Renji let out a low whistle. “Well, that’s real comforting.”

Sakura stared at the flickering candle on the table, Kael’s stark words ringing in her ears. Chains. Crowns. Choices.

The firelight caught in her hair, gleaming intensely silver where jet-black once was. She didn’t even notice.

Far beyond Greendale, in the marble halls of the capital, a courier knelt before a richly-dressed lord. His voice trembled slightly as he delivered the message:

“My lord… a Ragebeast has been slain. Not by knights. Not by Ingeniosi. By strangers. Strangers wielding unknown powers.”

The lord’s lips curved into a thin, predatory smile. “Then the age of whispers ends. Send word to His Majesty. The hunt begins.”