"O wielder of the sword... if you are listening, let this be my final warning. Leave the blade to the one destined to bear it. If you are truly from the future, it means your part is played and your time has passed. Rest your weary shoulders, and let the Chosen One continue the journey."
The echoes of that voice reverberated in the corners of my mind as I bent down, gathering herbs. I muttered bitterly, as if speaking to a phantom: "You say I did what I had to do? I did nothing... not for them, nor for her. I stood powerless, and in the end, my sacrifice was nothing but ashes scattered by the wind. I returned through time only to drink from the same cup of helplessness, and this feeling gnaws at my soul. As for the new Chosen One... I will find him, and I will force him to relinquish this sword."
The voice whispered again, heavy with warning: "So you still insist on your search. Remember, tampering with the fabric of the past will create ripples and consequences you cannot bear."
I replied sarcastically, "And what about changing your master? Is that not changing the past as well?"
The spectral knight sighed, a sound like rustling wind, and added, "I will not argue with you, but you are looking in the wrong direction. The Chosen One is closer to you than you imagine."
I raised my head, intrigued. "Close? Do you know where he is?"
The knight replied, "No, but I can sense the pulse of his energy. It is very faint, making me unable to pinpoint his exact location."
I smiled a ghost of a smile. "That makes things easier. I will roam the village under the cover of darkness and find him by tracking his energy."
The knight's aura faded as he whispered, slipping into the void, "Good luck, my master from the future."
I gathered my herbs and headed towards David's cabin. As I approached, I was surprised to see Mrs. Violet walking out of his door. We exchanged morning greetings, then I stepped inside to find David standing before a cracked mirror, fiddling with his collar, trying to add a touch of charm to his appearance.
I let out a teasing whistle. "Well, what a surprise! The lovebird is preening for his mate."
David wasn't bothered by my mockery. Instead, he confidently adjusted his collar and said, "Do you think my upcoming stroll with Mrs. Violet would be the right moment to confess my feelings... and then ask for her hand in marriage?"
I raised an eyebrow in astonishment. "A confession and a proposal all at once? It seems you are head over heels in love!"
He answered, his eyes gleaming with passion, "Madly in love, my friend. And next Tuesday, I will tell her everything."
I interrupted, warning him, "And what if it's unrequited?"
David smiled a knowing smile. "Do you think I would risk my heart like this if I wasn't certain she felt the same way?"
My smile widened, and I stepped forward to adjust his collar myself. "Then go get her, you lucky bastard."
David ruffled my hair, laughing. "What are you spouting, little one? Does my beloved look like a commodity to you?"
I looked at him, my chest swelling with joy. In that quiet moment, I made a secret vow: I will protect this village, and I will protect David, to my very last drop of blood.
Days passed quickly, and David poured his heart out, the story culminating in Violet's acceptance. David threw a small celebration for just the three of us. Amidst the warm atmosphere, I asked him what he planned to do after getting married. He surprised me by saying, "The first thing I'll do is build a small cabin for you to live independently."
I laughed loudly. "What? Are you kicking me out already?"
He replied with brotherly affection, "Kick you out? No, you fool. Your brother's door will always be open to you. But I don't want your little mind whispering that you are a burden to us. You'd imagine that the wonderful, handsome David is getting married, and you must leave immediately."
I replied with a mischievous grin. "First, I am not a good enough liar to call you wonderful and handsome. Second, I will stay and be a burden on you until we are sixty!"
David laughed from the bottom of his heart. "By then, I would have passed away and been rid of you, boy! But I do wish Violet a long life."
I interrupted with feigned coldness, "Love is cruel. It even ruins friendships."
David's tone deepened. "You will know love one day, my friend. And when you do... believe me, you will feel as if your heart has been bound by eternal, unbreakable chains."
I yawned, intentionally breaking the emotional moment. "Boring lover's words... enjoy them yourself. As for me, I am exhausted and going to sleep."
David replied with a laugh, "Go to your bed, you joy-killer."
The next day, I was working vigorously with the villagers to build wooden fortifications to repel the monsters should they attack—a project that took immense effort on my part to convince them of. While we were immersed in the work, the forest canopy parted, and a figure strode confidently toward our village.
Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down my spine. A familiar, dense, and unsettling energy emanated from behind me. I turned to find the stranger standing nearby, looking at me with disdain. "So, it is you, you wretched villager... just scum holding a legendary weapon, a weapon that was supposed to be mine."
As he spoke those words, the spectral knight's claim that the Chosen One was nearby flashed in my memory. I slowly drew my sword and stepped toward him steadily. "So, you are the Chosen One the sword spoke of? Excellent. I was looking for you."
The stranger smiled arrogantly. "It seems you know your place and have volunteered to hand over the sword willingly."
I slowly shook my head. "No... I want you to give up your claim to it. This sword belongs to me."
The stranger's eyes flared with manic rage as he shouted, "Give up the sword? And for whom? A lowly peasant insect who would beg to lick my boots just for a few crumbs?"
I pointed the blade of my sword directly at his throat and said with icy coldness, "If you continue to bark like that, I will separate your head from your body. Abandon the sword and leave."
The stranger erupted in a wave of fury, and a terrifying magical aura burst from his body, suffocating the air around us.
"Cut off my head? You ignorant peasant, do you not realize who stands before you? I am Gaius Archimede, scion of the illustrious Archimede family! And you dare threaten me? Do you know the penalty for that? The penalty is death!"
As soon as he clenched his fist tightly, the ground beneath our feet shook as if in its death throes. A roar echoed from the depths of the forest, and my pupils dilated in shock and terror as I saw hordes of bloodthirsty monsters surging toward us like a black flood.
In that defining moment, the veil of illusion was lifted from my sight.
This person was not the Chosen One... he was death incarnate. He was the catastrophe that crushed my village in the past timeline! He was the cause of every tear shed and every drop of blood spilled!
I squeezed the hilt of my sword until my knuckles turned white, the fires of wrath roaring through my veins as I screamed in his face: "I will kill you... I swear by the heavens above that I will roast your corpse until it becomes ashes scattered by the wind!"