The train came to a screeching halt at Yatagarasu’s train station.
As the doors swung open, the passengers departed the train with still-taken-aback expressions.
The train trip was quite something.
Some of them planned this to be their last train trip ever. After the strange experience, they never wanted to suffer through it again.
Ambrose stepped out of the train with backpack slung over his shoulder.
He looked at the nearly-ruined Yatagarasu with a nostalgic expression. It was currently in the rebuilding process, and most of the streets were still in ruins and had collapsed.
It would take years until Yatagarasu returned to its former glory.
“Back here…” Ambrose followed behind the passengers, who left in the same station.action
It was mostly construction workers and old residents who were trying to rebuild and restore the city. It was a slow and arduous process, but they were determined to bring back its former beauty.
As they stepped through the gated entrance, the sound of hammering and drilling filled the air.
Near a collapsed building with its roof sunk under the rubble, a group of workers worked tirelessly to clear the debris and salvage any salvageable materials.
A bushy-bearded man with a rough-looking countenance tried to lift a heavy-looking piece of wood but struggled under its weight.
In that moment, he noticed a strong-looking man walking down the sidewalk with his backpack dangling from his back. He looked like he could lend a helping hand.
“Hey, brother, mind giving me a hand?” He asked with a rough voice and waved his hand, signaling who talked.
Ambrose looked over to him, saw him wave towards him, and nodded briefly. He walked over to the ruined building with hands on his pockets and saw the bushy-bearded man trying to lift a heavy-looking wooden plank.
“Thank you, brother.” The bushy-bearded man said in gratitude and bent his knees to lift the wooden plank with more force. “Grab it from the other side!”
Ambrose nodded and without taking the backpack off his back, he grabbed the wooden plank with both hands.
“3… 2… 1… now!”
They lifted the wooden plank effortlessly and dumped it beside the other construction materials.
“Whew…” The bushy-bearded man wiped his sweat and chuckled. “You are strong. That didn’t feel like anything!”
“Mm, you are rebuilding this building?” Ambrose nudged his chin towards the collapsed building.
It looked like it had been through a war. Its pointed roof was now a pile of rubble, and its walls were crumbling in various places. Only a few beams remained standing, barely holding the structure together.
The other construction workers were busy repairing the damage and clearing away debris. They occasionally found some old framed pictures that had miraculously survived the destruction.
“Yeah, this building had historic significance.” The bushy-bearded man spoke, his voice filled with a hint of nostalgia for the past.
“This was once the home of the Emperor.” The man’s words hung in the air, reminding them of the grandeur that once filled the now dilapidated building.
“Oh, I didn’t know this was empire once.” Ambrose stepped on one of the collapsed beams and gazed over to the overgrown gardens, imagining what they must have looked like in their prime.
“Haha, it never was.” The bushy-bearded man said with a chuckle and crouched on the ground, taking a few pebbles into his hand that had almost turned to powder.
“I am not talking Emperor as in the leader.” He tossed the pebbles away and dusted off his hands. “Ever heard of the Emperor of the Crimson Blade?”
“No, doesn’t ring a bell.” Ambrose crossed his arms and shook his head.
“Here, follow me.” The bushy-bearded man stood up, motioning for Ambrose to follow him.
They left the collapsed building and walked down a cracked sidewalk while the bushy-bearded man began to recount the tales of the Emperor of the Crimson Blade.
“The Emperor of the Crimson Blade lived countless eons ago. He was said to possess unimaginable power and ruled over an empire of blood and steel.
“Back then, humans weren’t ruling over anything, and he was the first human to ever receive the title of Emperor.”
Ambrose listened closely while watching construction workers rebuild the fallen city. Their hammers echoed through the air, their rhythmic strikes symbolizing the resilience of humanity in the face of adversity.
“Back then, it was the Gods who ruled over us mortals!” The bushy-bearded man pointed towards the bright skies with his weathered hand.
Rumble—it was as if lightning struck the ground somewhere far away because of his statement.
“Emperor of the Crimson Blade challenged their rule and became the official leader of humanity. It is unknown how his life ended, but his legacy is still etched into these very walls!”
They came to a stop in front of Yatagarasu’s towering walls. The walls had stood tall for countless generations and even the goblins couldn’t break through them.
“This is the Wall of Champions.” The bushy-bearded man looked at the countless engraved pictures on the walls and smiled. “These are all the recorded heroes of Yatagarasu.”
Ambrose stood beside him with his arms crossed.
“This is the Emperor of the Crimson Blade.” He said, pointing at the single figure in the middle of the wall. It was as if every other picture was created around it.
That figure was wielding a crimson sword, its blade gleaming with a fiery intensity that could rival the sun. He was surrounded by hordes of bloodthirsty enemies.
Ambrose looked at the figure with a strange sense of familiarity. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen that crimson sword before.
In that strange moment, he also felt a strange pulling force coming from his inventory. However, as soon as he looked away the engraving, it stopped.
‘Strange…’
The bushy-bearded man then noticed the newest engraving. It had appeared after the destruction of Yatagarasu and it was the city’s newest hero.
“This is our newest hero.” He said with a smile and traced his hand across the engraving. “A single person fought against the might of the goblin army, and single-handedly defeat them.
“In the same process, he saved many citizens of Yatagarasu, and made this whole rebuilding possible.”
“Oh, who…” Ambrose looked over to the engraving and his breath stopped momentarily.
It looked oddly familiar.
The engraving had a lonely-looking person wielding two mighty swords while facing the might of the goblin army and their malevolent leader.
It looked very heroic.
“The hero’s name is Ambrose.” The bushy-bearded man said with a deep sigh. “I know that he is nowadays considered a highly dangerous criminal and is an enemy of justice.
“However, we’ll never consider him one. He is the hero of our people.”
“Ahah…” Ambrose let out a short chuckle and said. “It sure looks heroic.”
lightsΝοvel “Haha, it indeed does!” The bushy-bearded man then brought out his pocket watch and said, “I’ll have to go back to work.”
“By the way, what is your name?” He looked over to the purple-eyed man.
From the moment he saw him, he thought he looked familiar, but he couldn’t really pinpoint where he had seen him before. He was sure that maybe his face was on the newspaper once.
“You may call me as Jesse.” Ambrose chuckled and asked. “Do you know if there any horse rentals nearby?”
“Ah, yes, in that direction.” The bushy-bearded man pointed towards a far-away field where a ranch could be seen. It was a picturesque view, with horses grazing peacefully in the distance.
It was located outside Yatagarasu and was a pretty small neighboring town. It was mostly farmers town, and it was also completely destroyed by goblin’s attack.
However, it had been rebuilt rather quickly.
“Ah, thank you.”
“No proble—” The bushy-bearded man turned around, but to his surprise, the purple-eyed man had vanished into thin air.
“Eh?”