Lordsbane

FROM AURION'S PERSPECTIVE

"I am home."

Shin opened the front door as he said this. The building was high-rise, and his apartment was on the tenth floor. The warm light in the living room flickered on, making the two-room apartment even brighter. A small human ran up to Shin with fire in his eyes and asked:

"Did you bring ice cream?"

"Of course, just like you asked."

Shin handed the small human a bag of ice cream, making the latter exclaim, "Wow!"

The little copy of Shin happily ran into another room and lay down on the bed, continuing to watch his favorite anime. The two looked alike—both in their eyes and the color of their thick hair.

"Is this your... kin?" Ennerd asked thoughtfully, to which Shin nodded.

The brown-eyed one closed the door to his kin's room. "Today, you can put the volume of your series at full."

"Hooray!"

"This human is indistinguishable from you."

"I know, Ennerd, everyone says that."

Shin sat down on the couch and silently stared at the reflection of the large TV, soon noticing how two abyss knights appeared around him.

"It is difficult to get used to this kind of life, where two supreme beings, almost reaching my ceiling in height, appear out of nowhere. Thank god no one noticed you on that street."

"Which god are you praising?" Ennerd chuckled. "You, human beings, know nothing about gods."

"You have kin," Aurion added. "You must have someone to be responsible for."

"Yes, that's my younger brother. We call such people our relatives."

"We, knights, have no such nonsense," Ennerd crossed his arms. "We have brothers in arms, those to whom we entrust our lives in the midst of bloodshed! I have seen the downfall of my kin, I have seen my lord almost meet death. And you, humans, cannot understand even a fraction of what I have seen."

"Maybe that is for the best. We, humans, have also fought for lands and glory. Every sentient being ends up with the same story."

"The same story? Don't make me laugh, human. Unlike you, we do not kill our kin—we fight side by side for common ideals. Responsibility for your kin? Foolish tales. There are no strong ones in your world—only weaklings, so why take responsibility for another in such a world? Though I will say one thing, you are sentient creatures, you have personality."

"You think within the limits of your nature. Humans on Earth are the most intelligent beings. You yourself noticed that both you and I have two arms and legs."

"Maybe we should stop arguing and start thinking about how to understand each other?"

Shin and Ennerd looked at me intently.

"Human," I continued, "tell us about your world."

"Our world is bright... People live in peace and prosperity. Today, we can communicate from different corners of the world and fight using that black box behind you."

"Sounds incredible, but how?"

Shin pulled a small rectangular object from his pocket and smirked.

"With the help of the internet."

"Fighting from different corners of the world?!" Ennerd was shocked. "What magic is hidden in this large box? At first glance, it seems impossible..."

The broad knight in armor began inspecting the TV and pointing his finger at it.

Shin looked at him, disappointed: "Not in a literal sense. You, supreme beings, turn out to be just like us in character."

"This world is different from ours," I said. "I have not felt any magic all this time. Did you truly achieve all of this without magic?"

"As for magic... There is none here—everything follows the laws of physics."

"How far behind we are from your world... I can't wait to start fighting someone from another corner of the earth!"

Ennerd seemed pathetic and foolish to me in that moment. He was nothing like the Ennerd I remembered in battle. Back then, he was a true beast—facing him in war felt like a struggle for survival. The ferocious knight, crushing all enemies in his path, was now in the same situation as me.

"We have so much to learn..."

Shin gazed at me thoughtfully.

"By the way, shadows. Who did you fight against?"

"Fool! What do you mean, shadows?!"

One thing that hadn't changed about Ennerd was his short temper. Perhaps that was why his ferocity was more prominent than in others?

"You emerge from my shadow. I think it is tied to your nature. Is your world dark?"

"Our world..." I answered. "Abyss is not a place for the weak. We, knights of underworld, have safeguarded the hearth of the great castle for millennia, and our lord, Malakar, rules over our night lands."

"Then who do you fight?"

"If there is a Hell, there is also a Heaven. Higher beings live there, in a form similar to ours. Compared to ours, their world is bright and luxurious. They live by the Eternal Sun."

"You mean angels?"

"If that's how you name them," Ennerd added. "These angels of yours started a bloody war with us. The losses were too great. In the end, both sides were forced to sign a treaty to end the war. But I know—these angels of yours know revenge. They are used to bloodshed. Our treaty carries the balance of all worlds. If this code is broken... Apocalypse will come."

Shin fell deep into thought after hearing this. "How powerful you beings must be..."

"That is why we have protected the hearth of Abyss from other eyes for centuries."

At that moment, Ennerd seemed notably serious, gazing out the panoramic window.

"We can no longer leave Abyss, nor have heirs to the throne. Because of the code, we cannot die in our own world, and the road to other worlds has been closed to us for too long."

"But if you are here, that means..."

"Exactly," I answered. "The code has been broken—someone violated it, summoning us to another world."

Shin looked at me with shocked eyes.

"Could this be sabotage? Are you mortal now?"

"Yes, and someone either wants our death or chaos between both sides of power."

LATER THAT NIGHT

I sat with Ennerd on the rooftop of this high-rise building, breathing in the breeze of this beautiful land. From this height, we could see the marvelous world ruled by humans. All those flowing lights below—what are they?

"This human can be trusted," I said. "He has no reason to betray us. It is clear he is not that kind of person. What do you think—will he handle the duties of a lord? Could he be the next heir to Malakar?"

"He is weak," Ennerd said, gazing at the distant high-rises. "Compared to Malakar, his thoughts are those of a young being. He is not even fit to shine his boots. I cannot accept one who has not tasted the blood of war."

In some ways, he was right. I also could not accept this turn of events. How did we end up in this situation... And why us?

"This cursed pact..!" my comrade exclaimed, standing up. "Shame upon my blood that my lord is a pathetic human. I need some air."

Ennerd leaped off the rooftop of the high-rise. He is no fool—he would not reveal himself to the other humans. And yet... interesting. Humans sleep so sweetly. Shin fell asleep shortly after our conversation, as if nothing had happened. The inhabitants of this land worry about nothing; for them, rest is something granted by nature.

And yet, I feel something is wrong. We must not relax.

Ennerd understands this too. If we stay here for too long, we will have to adapt to humans—especially to Shin and his daily life.