A Soul Reclaimed
Falco silently watched Billy's retreating back. He walked over to where Yohan stood and exchanged a few words with the Troll Chief, who was pinned beneath Yohan's boot. Because of the distance and the relentless wind, she couldn't make out the details of their conversation, but she could guess the general flow of it from his expression. Having said his piece, Billy turned back with a much lighter expression. He had undoubtedly poured out everything he had kept bottled up inside to the Troll Chief—the monster who had shattered his life and tried to reshape it to his own sick whims. As Billy walked back toward them, Falco smiled and gave him a warm nod.
"Billy!" At that moment, Yohan's voice suddenly rang out from behind Billy's back. The Troll Chief, whom they had assumed was completely pinned and helpless, had somehow managed to slip free and lunged straight at Billy. Or so it seemed.
"Out of my way!" Pushing Billy violently aside, the Troll Chief charged forward. Only then did Falco realize that his target wasn't Billy—it was her.
"..." Falco froze in horror. The sheer obsession and madness of a man-eating monster that had devoured countless humans bore down on her. Crushed under the weight of that pure malice, she couldn't even think of reacting, despite fully grasping the danger. She could feel his venomous intent—he was determined to drag at least one of them down to hell with him. She was utterly paralyzed by the terrifying pressure.
"Falco!" Billy's desperate cry echoed from behind the Troll Chief. Though he had been thrown to the ground by the chief's violent shove, he had scrambled back to his feet instantly. But Billy was too far. It was already far too late for him to tackle the monster from behind.
For a split second, time seemed to slow to a crawl. She felt the earth-shaking impact of each heavy stride the Troll Chief took. She saw the dirt and bone fragments scattering in all directions beneath his stomping feet. And she saw his massive, unblinking eyes, locked onto her with relentless focus.
I have to run, Falco thought. If I take this hit, I'm dead. Yet, she couldn't move a single muscle. The demonic expression on the chief's face as he lunged at her kept her rooted to the spot. That wasn't just a man-eating troll anymore; it was a demon incarnate. The primal terror radiating from him wrapped around her like heavy chains.
The distance between the frenzied Troll Chief and Falco shrank rapidly. Accepting that there was no way out, Falco was about to squeeze her eyes shut. But just as the monster closed the gap to a mere few meters, she suddenly sensed someone's presence beside her. It was Jack. Perhaps the realization that a companion was by her side broke the spell; the paralyzing fear that had bound her body vanished, and she could move again.
"Jack—!" Falco cried out, her voice trembling. But Jack didn't say a word. He simply reached out and shoved her out of the way. Immediately after, the Troll Chief's massive frame collided heavily with Jack.
Thud! Hit by the Troll Chief's massive bulk, Jack was sent flying like a cannonball. It happened in the blink of an eye. Falco could only blink in dazed disbelief, staring in the direction Jack had been thrown.
"My, my. To think you'd quickly shove her aside to save her even in this state." But she had no time to check on Jack. The Troll Chief was standing right next to her. Up close, the chief was a gruesome sight. His entire body was covered in wounds inflicted by Yohan, and one of his arms was bent at an unnatural angle, dangling uselessly. On top of that, deep lacerations marred the flesh already charred by Yohan's flames. Even Falco, who had seen all kinds of horrific sights during her days as a grave robber, felt her face go pale.
"Now, don't dodge this time, child." The Troll Chief's soft, eerie voice echoed in Falco's mind. Covered in blood and wounds, the green giant flashed a sickening grin and reached out toward Falco with his one remaining good hand.
Slash! "Argh!" But his hand never reached her. Yohan, who had finally caught up, swung his Light Sword and severed the chief's last remaining arm.
"You piece of shit!" Yohan didn't stop there. After slicing off the Troll Chief's arm, he used the momentum of his swing to unleash a follow-up strike. His second blow aimed precisely for the monster's neck. It was a completely unexpected, yet utterly anticlimactic end. Thud. The cleanly severed head fell to the ground, blood pouring from the stump.
"Falco! Are you okay?" Yohan asked urgently.
"I-I'm fine. But..." Jack. Falco trailed off, quickly turning her head toward the direction Jack had been thrown.
"Oh, dammit." Realizing what had happened from her reaction, Yohan cursed and immediately ran toward Jack.
He had screwed up. He had tried to control the fight instead of just landing a decisive blow, and now this stupid accident had happened. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Yohan cursed repeatedly as he sprinted toward Jack's collapsed form in the distance.
"Jack! Jack!" Yohan called out his name over and over. Thud. Running blindly, he tripped over a rock and tumbled to the ground, but he scrambled right back up and kept pushing forward, not even bothering to wipe the dirt from his face and palms. Only after tripping and getting back up several more times did Yohan finally reach Jack.
"Fuck." Yohan closed his eyes tight as he took in Jack's condition. The impact had left him covered in blood, his legs completely crushed, and his left arm was missing entirely, dark red blood pouring from the ragged stump. The Troll Chief's charge had been powerful enough to inflict heavy damage even when Yohan had been shielded by the Goddess's Authority. Taking that headbutt with a bare, unprotected body meant there was no way he could survive.
"Ugh..."
"Jack!" Yet, Jack was still breathing. Even with such fatal injuries, he refused to let go of his consciousness. It was a vitality that far exceeded the limits of the human body—a miracle born purely from the sheer willpower of a seasoned warrior.
"Yo... Yohan..." Jack rasped, his voice barely a whisper. Yohan nodded frantically. "H-Hold on. Just hold on. I-I'll heal you right away..."
Wait, how do I heal someone else with my Authority?"Hey! Hey, you useless Goddess! Heal! Healing! Medic!" Panicking, Yohan screamed every word that popped into his head directly into his mind, completely unfiltered.
The Goddess, who was telling Yohan to calm down, was stammering just as badly in her own panic.
"R-Right, right. Focus the power at my fingertips... My hand is a healing hand..." Calm down. Yohan took a deep breath and extended both hands toward Jack. A faint light began to radiate from his palms.
"Stop... it."
"What? What did you say?" But for some reason, Jack stopped him. When Yohan asked back in confusion, Jack slowly shook his head from side to side. Just then, Falco and Billy caught up. Both of them gasped in horror upon seeing Jack's mangled state.
"Yohan! What are you doing? You can save him!" Falco cried, showing a rare, raw burst of emotion toward Yohan.
"Y-Yes! Yohan! Please, use your power—!" Billy pleaded, pressing him just as hard. With both of them shouting at him at once, Yohan felt like he was going to lose his mind from the sheer frustration.
"Dammit, do you think I'm doing this because I don't want to?!" Yohan finally snapped, roaring back at them.
"Haa..." "Agh..." Falco let out a heavy sigh, while Billy clutched his head, utterly helpless.
"Fuck, do you really think I'm holding back because I'm incompetent?! Huh?!"
"Everyone... calm down." It was Jack who quieted the three of them. Squeezing out the last of his strength, he placed his remaining good hand on Yohan's knee.
"This is... enough. I have... no regrets left." Jack nodded weakly as he spoke.
"Enough?" Yohan, who had been glaring angrily at Falco and Billy, quickly reined in his emotions and turned back to Jack.
"Yes. Ever since the day I lost those two, I've lived as nothing more than an empty shell... cough!" Jack suddenly coughed violently, dark red blood spraying from his lips.
"Huff... I-I'm running out of time." Yohan used his sleeve to gently wipe the blood from Jack's mouth. Seeing this, Billy squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away.
"But thanks to you, I found my soul again. I no longer... have to live locked up like livestock." Jack reached his hand up from Yohan's knee. His trembling, weak fingertips slowly moved toward Yohan's face. Yohan stared blankly at Jack's hand before instinctively reaching out with both of his own to clasp it. It was so cold, it was hard to believe it belonged to a living person.
"Thank... you. Now, even if I die, I can look those two in the eye. Whew..." Jack's voice grew fainter and weaker as he expressed his gratitude. The other three could tell his life was slipping away by the second.
"Billy." Jack called out. Billy, who had been avoiding his gaze, immediately knelt on the ground to meet Jack's eyes.
"I-I'm listening. Please, speak."
"There was... one more thing I always wanted to tell you."
"Something you wanted to tell me?" Billy asked quickly, but Jack only grimaced in pain, finding it difficult to even draw breath.
"Indeed..." Yet, Jack endured the agony and forced the words out. "What happened that day... it wasn't... your fault."
Everyone present knew exactly what 'that day' referred to. Jack looked up at Billy with eyes full of deep affection. Then, he parted his lips once more.
"Billy. You didn't do anything wrong..." But Jack couldn't finish his sentence. He drew his last breath, his eyes remaining open.
"..." The faint pulse Yohan had felt through the hand he held vanished completely. Clasping Jack's rough hand, Yohan bowed his head. The three of them fell into silence. The only sound left in the area was the relentless howling of the wind.
After a few minutes had passed, Yohan gently laid Jack's hand down. He then reached out and closed the man's staring eyes. Carefully, he scooped Jack's body into his arms. Falco and Billy's eyes naturally followed his movements.
"What are you standing around for? We have to go back to the village," Yohan said quietly, looking down at the two of them.
They had successfully wiped out the man-eating Troll Village. The villagers were finally free. It was time to deliver the good news.