Vol 1 CH Extra 2 (1/2)
Special Extra Chapter Two:
The Flag on the Kid’s Meal
“I’ out!”
“Make sure you are back for lunch!”
“Okay!”
The weather is a today!
After I said bye to my parents I headed for the town square Keel and the others aiting for me there
“Hey, you really came!”
“Sure”
Keel wiggled his little dog-like ears while he waited for me
The other kids were already there
“They said we can’t go to the ocean today because Sadeena isn’t here I said it would be fine, but still…”
“But Keel, you almost drowned last time”
“Oh shut up! Anyway, let’s play in the fields today”
“Okay!”
Everyone nodded in agreement
“All right, let’s go! You’d better stick with et lost!”
“Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m a fast runner!”
We all raced each other out to the fields
But really, I was a fast runner I was probably just as fast as Keel, and everyone said that he was the fastest
Once I started running, everyone fell into line behind me
“You really are fast!”
“If you throw your ar faster, you’ll really increase your speed”
I was trying to tell one of the slower kids how to run fast, and as ere talking about it we arrived at the field
My parents had said that we needed to be careful because there were er
“What do you want to do today?”
“Ah shoot! I lost I swear that I’ll beat you next time!”
Keel shot me a nasty look
Heh, heh This was going to be a good day
“Let’s play tag!”
“Sounds good!”
“Yeah!”
Everyone agreed with my plan
“I’ll be it! I’ to catch you!”
“You won’t catch me!”
Keel really hated to lose, but that was one of the best things about him
“Ahahaha!”
“Shoot! Wait up!”
Keel seemed like he was actually upset He only chased after me
Eventually we all tired out, and we all decided to take a break
“What should we do next?”
“Everyone can still play, right?”
“I don’t have to help out at home, so I can still play”
For whatever reason, there were times when everyone had stuff they had to do at home I helped my mom cook
“Let’s play tag again!”
“But I’m so tired Let me catch my breath”
Keel had way too uess boys are like that
“Whatever Then the rest of us will play without you”
“Yeah!”
All the boys got up and went to play tag
“They sure are energetic”
“I know!”
The girl next to reed with me We both sat and watched the boys play
“Hey, who do you like?”
“Hmmm…”
We were all close to the age where we started to care about love and relationshi+ps
We started talking about as dating who, and e thought would getexcitedly
“Maybe someone like my dad!”
“That’s cheating! He needs to be the sae as you!”
“Hmm…”
I turned to watch the boys playing
Keel was probably the coolest boy aood face But, and I know I shouldn’t say things like this, I’d never liked the look of my own face in the mirror
If ent to the nearby town there were a lot of cute girls around, and the older we got the more obvious their beauty became
And arded for our beauty…
But my dad was cool, and he was handsome I wanted to be like my dad
Everyone said that my mom was cute She was really nice too, and she kne to cook…
I wonder… Will I be pretty when I grow up? I’d asked my mom that question before
She smiled and nodded
So I was pretty sure I’d be pretty once I grew up
Another time, I asked her what it was like to fall in love with ayour family?
She looked confused
I guess she loved men differently from the way she loved me
“I think there are different ways to like people My mom once said that she liked people differently from the way she liked me”
“Yeah! I get that But I want to endary shi+eld Hero!”
Rifana was irly than I was, and she liked to talk about love and boys She especially liked to talk about the Records of the Four Holy Weapons, because it said that the shi+eld Hero was nice to demi-humans
“Well I…”
But just then…
Up until that point I had never thought thatother than a succession of peaceful days I had really believed it
Ping!
A loud sound echoed over the fields
Just as I started to wonder what it could be, the air started shaking, and a sudden and powerful wind blew
“Ah!”
“Kyaaah!”
“What the?”
We all fell to the ground and waited for the wind to die down
Awas quiet
“What was that?!”
“Hey, look at that”
Keel was pointing to the sky
I looked to where he was pointing and was stunned to silence
The sky looked like it had been ripped open with a knife It was coved in a deep red crack, like a tortoise shell It was eerie
“What should we do?”
“My parents said to co happened”
“If we don’t check it out noe ain”
“No! Keel!”
The other kids and I all held Keel back, and ent back to the village together
“Raphtalia!”
“Daddy!”
My father returned fro town I rushed over to him
“Are you okay? I was so worried!”
“I’ happened, so I rushed back here”
“Good girl”
He rubbed my head
Hee hee hee…
My dad started talking to all the other adults
“Everyone listen up I’ve just gone to see the lord of these lands He says that those cracks in the sky lead to the ground and that huge crowds ofout of them”
“Does that ht them?”
“I think it does”
There was a terrifying howl co from the cracks in sky
My tail started swishi+ng aggressively at the sound of the howl It was so scary
“Will we be okay?”
“Hm…”
“H…Hey! We’re in trouble! The monsters have already flooded the town! It’s like hell out there!”
An old e ran in and announced the news His face was pale
“But… Ho could they have gotten here so fast?!”
“The lord has commanded us to evacuate as quickly as possible! He has already called for support from the castle!”
“What had happened to the lord?”
“I don’t know, but he has left instructions for everyone to evacuate as soon as possible!”
“Ugh…”
The adults looked very upset as they talked
“And Sadeena is away, and all the hunters are out fishi+ng…”
“There’s a big storm out at sea too Who knows if they will be able to return safely?”
The sky was looking worse and worse
Just then there was a large, strange sound Everyone turned to see what it was
“What… is that?!”
There was so there, like… like a personits feet as it walked in our direction”
It was carrying so like a weapon in its bony hands, and it was shi+ning with a dull light
I was scared I was scared down to my bones
It was a monster
That was the only word that fit, and it described it perfectly
“Uh… aaaaaahhhhhh!”
The adults all screamed and started to run away
The rest of the villagers all started to scream too
My father jumped in front of the monster to head them off
“I coht! Slay the beast before me!”
“First Holy!”
A ball of ht flew from my father’s outstretched hands, and the bone monster collapsed
“Everyone please calm down and listen to me We need to evacuate here as soon as possible While our tribe co up to such numbers”
“You’re right”
My reed with my father
But there were still large nue
“We will stay here and buy time The rest of you…”
“Uh… okay”
“Y…Yes”
“All right If you are sure…”
Everyone caught their breath for athe evacuation
They decided to head for a town on the harbor Even in a storht be able to escape on boats, out into the sea
“AAAHHHHHH!”
But things didn’t go as planned
“damn these monsters!”
A large beast with three heads was running for the village
My parents were fighting with all their h The beast was too fast; it kept dodging ic and my mother’s hatchet
“Gaahhhh!”
The beast violently swung its clawed paw, and h the air They both fell to the ground, their joints twisted
Huh? What?
I couldn’t believe it…
“Wh… WHAAAAAAAAA!!”
“AAAAAHHH!”
The villagers started panicking and running as fast as they could
They ignored my father’s shouts for order and ran for the ocean
The panicking villagers pushed by round
“Everyone, wait just a second!”
“Are you okay?”
Myme
But her face was pale
A three-headed dog was chasing down the villagers, attacking thes and claws
“I’m… scared…”
My h my hair
“It’s okay We’ll be just fine, don’t you worry”
“Um…Um…”
If ht?
“We’re going”
My father started running off after the other fleeing villagers My mother and I followed close behind
The villagers arrived at a cliff by the sea and started ju into the ocean
The dog was chasing after the ju villagers
The ocean turned red
“Wahhhhhhh!”
“Dammit, ere too late!”
My father was screa and defend the reers I hid behind them
“Aaaaah!”
The huge, three-headed dog leapt out of the ocean and turned to face us It howled It cornered us against the cliff, so that we had nowhere to run
“Grrr…”
The three-headed dog leapt at us, its claws out
My father ic, but then a shower of blood sprayed from his shoulder
Huh?
“Dear, are you all right?”
“I’m fine… But…”
We were up against the cliff The other villagers were all already in the ocean, but more than half of them had been… had been…
“Ahhh…”
“I was so scared I held onto my mother’s back
Everyone beloi, and they kept getting pulled further out to sea They were going to drown
“If we don’t take care of this thing, he’ll follow the villagers into the sea and kill them all”
“I know…”
“‘I’m sorry, honey…”
“I was prepared”
They finished talking and both turned to me
“Raphtalia”
“Wh…What?”
She was rubbingto calm me down
“Don’t forget to smile Be nice to the others”
“She’s right When you smile, everyone smiles”
Father rubbed my head
“Raphtalia… Things will be hard for you If you aren’t careful, you ht even die”
“But still… Even still, Raphtalia, ant you to live So please, forgive us for our selfishness”
My heart started pounding… It was like… It was like I wasn’t ever going to see theain
“Nooo! Mommy! Daddy!”
I didn’t want to leave them
My h the air, and fell into the ocean
All I could see were bubbles popping violently here and there I hurried to get my head above water
And then… I saw it I saw the exact second that the three-headed dog leapt at my parents
“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
The current took me, but I kicked the whole way
When I finally found myself on the shore, the sky was already dark
Huff… Huff…
There were other survivors froers had washed up as well
The sky had already returned to its normal color
I had no idea what had happened
But I wanted to seeI hurried back to the cliff where I had left them
There were bones lying all around It looked like reinforcements had arrived from the castle to drive the monsters off
When I arrived, I found strips of flesh, and the skeleton of thatit off
I was able to piece together what had happened
“Well, good thing it had already taken a beating…”
“Yeah, othere probably couldn’t have beaten it”
The adventurers and knight were bantering when they noticed me there
“What’s with the brat? Should we grab her?”
“Wait We are in demi-human territory”
“What are you talking about? The area lord is dead, didn’t you hear?”
“Oh yeah?”
“Anyway, leave her alone You knoould happen”
They all split and made room for me to pass
Then I walked to the edge of the cliff and sahat had beco
“NOOOOOOOOOO!”
How much time had passed?
By the tiraves for my parents
“Don’t forget to smile Be nice to the others”
“She’s right When you smile, everyone smiles”
“Right…”
They had given their lives to save the other villagers, and they had entrusted the survivors to me
I’d show theood to everyone! I wouldn’t let their deaths be in vain…
If I just stayed there crying, my parents would be upset
“I won’t cry anynow…”
I started walking back to the village
“Uhuuuuhh…”
“Daddy… Mommy…”
The villagers that had run for the ocean had formed a crowd There were many more children than adults
“Is that Raphtalia?!”
“Yes”
“Did your parents make it?”
An old hbor asked me He looked concerned
I tried as hard as I could not to cry I shook my head
“Oh… That’s…”
He was unable to find any words Hehe said would make me cry
“It’s okay My parents told me to cheer everyone up “
“Did they? You’re such a strong girl”
“Hee, hee”
Was I laughing?
It’s fine If I cried, my parents would be upset
“Everyone!”
I shouted to get everyone’s attention, and all the eyes of the crying children were on me
“I know that you are all sad I am too But would our parents and brothers and friends want us to stay here and cry?”
Everyone see their faces up
I put my hand on my heart and stepped forward
“To all of you that think our loved ones haven’t died, I ask you hoould they feel if they cae and found it like this?”
Right This was everyone’s village We couldn’t just leave it hoas
My dad, and the lord, had always said that the village was a faether
“I kno sad you are Believe me, I know But that is all the more reason to rebuild I mean, we’re a family!”
Yes, father had always said so He said to treat the rest of the village as if they were part of our family
So I would do it I would take care of them all, just like father had said
“Right? Please?”
I did all I could to summon a smile
“Raphtalia…”
“Raphtalia, aren’t you sad?”
“Why are you s? Your father died!”
My smile weakened at their exclamation
I wouldn’t cry… If I started crying, I’d never be able to stop…
“Right… I’m… not… sad”
I can’t cry If I started to cry, no one would be able to comfort me
“Oh…”
“Look at how hard this girl is trying! Come on everyone If she can do it, we can do it!”
“Yeah!”
“Okay!”
“You’re right, Raphtalia! I’ll do my best too!”
Keel had been crying, but he turned to orated
“Yes!”
The lord had given our village a flag It had been a present, and a symbol of the town Just then it fluttered down fro with me
That was it It was a sign, a sign thatover us
I picked up the flag, and the other villagers brought over a large pole for it We attached the flag to the pole
“It’s a sign froe!”
“Yeah!”
And so everyone decided to try and rebuild
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
I was instantly awake I was inside of the tent we had set up