threat for family?!
1238 Words
Time flowed quietly through Guram Village.
The seasons changed.
The storms came and went.
And before anyone realized it—
Three years had already passed.
The two abandoned babies once left beneath the storm had now grown into children.
Light Vanhard.
Grey Vanhard.
Together with Shesha and Algar, the small Vanhard family continued surviving within the forgotten corners of the Vestine Kingdom.
Though poor…
They were happy.
At least for now.
---
Morning sunlight spread across Guram Village as crowds slowly gathered near the center square.
The atmosphere felt unusually tense.
Poor families, hunters, beggars, and laborers stood silently with their children beside them.
Some parents prayed quietly.
Others looked terrified.
Because today was the day every child above the age of five would have their talent examined.
Their future.
Their value.
Their fate.
Everything would be decided today.
---
Among the crowd stood the Vanhard family.
Shesha held Light's hand while Grey quietly stood beside Algar.
Unlike the nervous children around him, Grey remained calm and silent as always.
But Light…
Light observed everything.
His silver eyes moved quietly through the crowd.
The nervous expressions.
The fake smiles.
The trembling hands of parents pretending not to fear the results.
Even at his age—
Light noticed things most adults failed to see.
Especially fear.
---
The villagers whispered anxiously among themselves.
"They're finally here…"
"The kingdom knights…"
"I heard talented children can enter noble academies…"
"And untalented ones?"
"…They disappear into poverty forever."
The tension only grew heavier.
Then—
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
The sound of armored footsteps echoed throughout Guram Village.
A group of knights entered beneath the symbol of the Vestine Kingdom.
Silver armor reflected beneath the morning sun while expensive swords rested proudly at their waists.
Behind them rode a tall man atop a black horse.
Unlike the others—
His presence alone felt oppressive.
Cold.
Sharp.
Like a predator calmly observing prey.
The villagers immediately lowered their heads.
One knight stepped forward arrogantly.
"We are the Honored Knights of the Vestine Kingdom."
His voice instantly silenced the square.
"We are here to measure talent and identify potential Lotus candidates."
Children immediately became nervous.
The knight raised a strange metallic object around ten inches long.
A Scale.
Its left side glowed faint blue.
Its right side glowed faint crimson.
"This is friqency Scale."
The knight's voice carried pride.
"It determines your natural zone."
He pointed toward the glowing blue side.
"Mantra Zone."
"Children born with mantra possess talent in magic but lack physical compatibility."
Then he pointed toward the crimson side.
"sayif Zone."
"Those born with sayif possess talent in physical combat but possess weak magical affinity."
The villagers listened carefully.
"There has never been someone capable of possessing both."
The knight spoke with complete certainty.
"Your zone is decided from birth."
"And it can never change."
---
One by one, children stepped forward.
Some caused faint blue light.
Others weak crimson.
Most barely reacted at all.
The knights quickly lost interest.
To them, Guram Village was nothing more than a poor wasteland.
Then—
"Next."
Shesha nervously stepped forward.
Her tiny hands trembled slightly.
Algar silently watched from the crowd.
The knight lowered the mantra Scale onto her forehead.
"Close your eyes."
Shesha obeyed quietly.
Several seconds passed.
Then suddenly—
FWOOOOOSH.
Brilliant silver-blue light exploded from the left side of the scale.
The surrounding air trembled slightly.
The villagers gasped loudly.
Even the knights looked stunned.
The scale vibrated violently in the knight's hand.
"…Absolute compatibility with mantra Zone," he muttered in disbelief.
The entire square erupted into whispers.
"Absolute talent?!"
"In Guram Village?!"
"That girl?!"
The knight stared at Shesha carefully.
But someone else was watching too.
The man atop the black horse.
His cold eyes locked directly onto her.
The moment Algar noticed that gaze—
His expression changed instantly.
Because he recognized it immediately.
Greed.
Not admiration.
Not curiosity.
But the greedy gaze nobles carried whenever they discovered something valuable enough to own.
Or eliminate.
---
Light quietly noticed it too.
His silver eyes slowly narrowed.
Unlike Grey, Light understood people frighteningly well.
And the moment he saw the man's expression—
He understood something dangerous instantly.
That man was already thinking ahead.
Calculating.
Weighing value against risk.
The same way predators observed weak animals before deciding whether to kill or capture them.
Light hated that look.
Not because it frightened him.
But because that man was looking at his family that way.
---
The examination ended shortly afterward.
Without wasting another second, Algar grabbed Shesha's hand.
"Let's go home."
Shesha blinked in confusion.
"But father—"
"Now."
His voice was sharper than usual.
Light quietly walked beside him while Grey followed silently behind.
As they moved away from the square, Light looked back once more toward the mounted knight.
The man was still staring at them.
No—
Specifically at Shesha.
Light's innocent smile slowly disappeared.
For a brief moment—
His silver eyes became cold.
Calculating.
Dangerously calm.
Then he quietly asked:
"Father…"
Algar remained silent.
"Why was that man looking at big sister like that?"
Algar's footsteps slowed slightly.
"…You imagined it."
But Light instantly understood he was lying.
Adults often lied when they wanted children to stay ignorant.
Light hated ignorance.
Because ignorance made people weak.
---
Night eventually covered Guram Village.
Inside the small Vanhard house, everyone slowly fell asleep after dinner.
Everyone except two people.
Grey quietly opened his eyes.
Beside him, Light was already awake.
The two brothers silently stepped outside beneath the moonlight.
Cold wind drifted through the sleeping village.
For several moments, silence remained between them.
Then Grey finally spoke.
"That man wants to kill them."
Light lowered his head slightly.
"…I know."
Grey looked toward him calmly.
"You noticed too?"
Light nodded slowly.
"The way he looked at father and sister…"
His fists tightened slightly.
"…it felt disgusting."
Unlike Grey—
Light could understand the intentions hidden behind human expressions frighteningly well.
And that knight's eyes carried the same emotion Light had seen in starving wolves before hunting prey.
Possession.
Control.
Threat.
For the first time—
Light felt powerless.
And he despised that feeling.
"He's strong," Light whispered quietly.
"Right now… we can't stop him."
The moonlight reflected within Grey's emotionless black eyes.
Then Grey calmly spoke:
"We'll become stronger."
Light looked toward him silently.
Grey's voice remained calm.
"But before anyone touches our family…"
A cold wind swept through the night.
And for the first time—
Something dark flickered deep within Grey's eyes.
"…they'll have to face us first."
Silence filled the air.
Then slowly—
Light smiled.
Not his usual innocent smile.
But something sharper.
More dangerous.
Then he extended his hand.
"Together?"
Grey stared at it briefly before quietly grabbing it.
"Together."
---
The next morning—
Light and Grey stood seriously before Algar.
"Father…"
Algar looked toward them curiously.
Both boys lowered their heads slightly.
"We want to learn swordsmanship."
For several moments, silence filled the room.
Then—
Algar smiled.
A real smile.
Because he saw determination burning within their eyes.
Not childish excitement.
Resolve.
For years, Algar had abandoned his former life as a knight.
He hunted animals to survive.
Sold fur for food.
Lived quietly.
But perhaps fate had never truly allowed him to escape the sword.
Slowly, Algar walked toward the old rusted blade hanging on the wall.
For years, it had remained untouched.
Forgotten.
Just like him.
- Writer
