Lordsbane

A bright, sunny day in Tokyo, yet nothing new happened for me. I, Shin Tatsuya, a fourth-year university student, sat in class that day, wearily listening to the monotonous lecture on engineering. Staring out the window at the streets bustling with cars, I silently twirled my pen between my fingers.

When the lesson ended, I went to the cafeteria. After buying a meal, I sat at an empty table, carefully stirring my food with a spoon. The noise around me didn't bother me in the slightest. My bright hazel eyes watched the other students chatting endlessly about their daily lives. The spring sun shone vividly, casting a warm light on my dark blue hair as I sat by the window.

If only my daily life were as exciting—I'd have something to talk about too.

Every day is the same. Five days a week, I attend classes, thinking about only one thing—going home as soon as possible. But maybe this is the kind of life people dream of? I have no worries, no troubles. I grew up without parents; my kind uncle from my mother's side took care of me and my younger brother as we grew up. He even bought us an apartment not far from the city center.

My younger brother, Ren, looks almost identical to me. He's only ten years old, and I raise him just as my uncle raised me. But his personality is far too kind—he cries over the smallest things… I wonder how he sees the world through his eyes? What is his dream?

As for my dream… I still don't know what it is.

I feel like I want something new in my life, something to change. If things keep going like this, I might go crazy from the monotony.

Every day is the same… Everything repeats… Is this what it means to drift with the tide?

That evening, my ears suddenly rang loudly as I walked down the deserted streets. I turned around immediately, but all I saw was the dark road, dimly lit by a streetlamp above me. A piercing sensation spread within me, even though everything seemed normal at first glance.

It felt as if something inside me was ready to burst out, tearing me apart. Was this feeling… fear? No… it was something beyond human comprehension. My ears kept ringing, and I placed my hands over my head. My eyes trembled. In that moment, I felt ready for anything.

And then… behind me, I sensed something emerging from my shadow. What was this inhuman aura? I was on the verge of collapsing, my eyes slowly turning back.

From my shadow, a dark blue aura seeped out, and from it, two towering figures emerged. I couldn't clearly make them out at first, but they appeared to be clad in dark armor.

When they fully stepped out and fixed their piercing gaze on me, I finally saw them in all their terrifying glory. They were dark entities, clad in thick black armor, towering over me so much that I had to lift my head to see them properly. They had to be at least two and a half meters tall. A black mist slowly rose from their armor—a truly frightening sight.

"Hey," the broader one of the two spoke, "creature."

A chill ran down my spine at his deep, rough voice. From the open part of his helmet, nothing was visible except for two glowing blue flames where his eyes should have been. He held two swords in his massive hands—one emanating blue energy, while the curved one burned with fire.

"Do you know where we are?"

"What…?" I barely found my voice. "What do you mean?"

"There are no such places in our dimension, and I have never seen a being like you before."

"I could say the same about you…"

"Hey, you're Aurion, right?" the large one continued. "Do you remember what we were doing today? Where the hell are we?"

"All my memories of today are clouded," the other knight replied. He was more slender than the brute. His armor was more elegant, with sharp elements on the shoulders. The tail of his helmet burned with blue fire, and his cape was a deep crimson. Unlike the giant, his voice carried restraint and composure.

"You're definitely not from this world…" I took a step back. How do I escape from them…?

"And who are you supposed to be?" The broad knight glared at me angrily. "You don't seem to have a shred of power. Is your race really this pathetic? Laughable."

Indeed, compared to them, I was nothing more than an insect. The sheer power radiating from them was unlike anything in our world.

I straightened myself, trying to appear less afraid. "My name is Shin Tatsuya. I am a human."

"Hm? A human, you say? What a strange name. A name should carry honor. Behold, my name is Ennerd, the 82nd knight of the underworld! A name should be worthy. Tell me, human, in how many wars have you fought?"

"Wars…? I haven't fought in any wars. In our world, all nations signed an agreement to end wars."

"Hmph, how dull. I knew you seemed weak the moment I saw you. But there's something else that disgusts me even more. Aurion, you feel it too, don't you? There's no mistake—this human carries the aura of a Lord."

Both of them stared at me again as Ennerd folded his arms.

"Yes, it is indeed so. It seems he is our master," Aurion confirmed. "My name is Aurion. I am the 14th knight of the underworld."

"That's all well and good…" I added. "But how do you even speak my language?"

"Fool!" Ennerd retorted. "We are superior beings. What do you take us for?"

Ennerd unsheathed his blue sword and pointed it at me. My blood ran cold with fear. Was I really going to die here? Twenty years of my dull life, only to die like this?

Aurion shouted, "Calm yourself! If you kill the Lord, we may disappear along with him. We still don't understand the nature of this world, so we must not act rashly."

"This world, you say. How can I live knowing that I must serve such a pathetic being?!"

"We are not in a position to wield our weapons recklessly. We must study this dimension."

"In that case," Ennerd sheathed his sword onto his back and leapt onto a streetlamp. "Let's study this world!"

What the hell is happening here!? I barely had time to register his movement before he was already on the lamp post… What kind of beings are these? Running away is pointless—they'll catch me. But it seems they don't intend to kill me—at least not yet…

"I wouldn't recommend showing yourselves openly in public. You don't look human at all."

"What nonsense are you spewing, human? Are you saying we're ugly?"

Ennerd seemed overly proud and short-tempered. Of course you're terrifying, there's no other way to put it!

Aurion gazed into the distance, scanning the area. He thought to himself that he couldn't sense the aura of any of his kin nearby.

"You think we're alone here, too, Aurion?" Ennerd noticed his contemplation. "I don't feel anyone else from our kind either. That means… We can finally do whatever we want! My heart burns—we are free!"

"That doesn't mean we're alone. Whatever happened, we must not waste time—we need to return to our world as soon as possible. Duty cannot wait."

"Relax, we have no duty here. Who knows what happened to us? While we're here, nothing stops us from forgetting about the underworld."

I would love for them to just disappear, but it seems they don't know how they got here either.

"In that case, why don't you come to my home?" I said with a fake smile.

"Home? These uninspired buildings and high-rises—do you call them homes? Hmph, you have no sense of beauty."

"Your name is Ennerd, and yours is Aurion, right? Listen to me—while you're in this world, you have one big weakness: you know nothing about it. I'm in the same situation as you, but I don't want people dying because of you. I can tell you everything about my world and help you find a way back to your dimension. In return, you won't lay a finger on humans."

"Speaking so confidently now," Ennerd said, resting his head on his hands.

"We have no intention of killing your kind," Aurion added.

"I never said I don't!"

"He won't kill anyone."

Ennerd burst into laughter, irritating Aurion.

Aurion adjusted his cloak and said, "Your proposal is acceptable to us. Please, grant us knowledge about this world, and we will bestow upon you knowledge of our nature."

I had never felt so lost before. In such a short time, my life had turned completely upside down. I'm hanging by a thread, trying to stay alive…

"That'll suffice."

SOME TIME LATER

After they agreed to come home with me, they immediately hid within my shadow. These beings have supernatural abilities—it's fascinating… After all, it seemed like I didn't have any other choice other than making an agreement with them.

As I walked home alone, I was still adjusting to everything that had happened. I am the Lord, but what's the meaning behind this word? Moreover, these monsters are inside me now… I wonder, can they hear my inner voice?

"Who are you calling a monster?!" Ennerd exclaimed, appearing on my right shoulder as a small floating cloud.

"Looks like I'll have to get used to this."