Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C (1) Prologue

Prologue

It was a night as dark as ink.

Whoosh.

The chilly wind rustled the branches, making them sway. The cries of beasts mixed together, echoing in the air.

Five men concealed themselves amidst the natural sounds, moving through the tall grass towards a certain location. The sinister glints in their eyes flickered like the gleam in a beast’s eyes.

At the end of their gaze, there was a faint light.

Almost burnt out, it cast a soft glow in the surroundings. A campfire, almost dying out. And beside it, a sleeping bag.

Inflated like a bubble, and its owner appeared to be sound asleep, completely unaware of the world around them.

‘Just as I expected, a rookie.’

One of the men inwardly smiled. To fall asleep without caution in a place like this! If this skilled fellow had resisted, it would have been troublesome. Things were going well.

The five men exchanged signals. Swiftly, like closing a net around their prey, they closed in on the sleeping bag.

The man at the front drew a dagger. The dagger descended menacingly like lightning from the sky.

Swoosh! The leather sleeping bag was punctured by the dagger and crumpled deeply as if it had been empty from the beginning.

The man opened his eyes.

“What?”

A shiver ran down their spines.

Then, from above, a voice dropped.

“Over here.”

Their gazes immediately shifted. A young boy appeared casually, raising his hand from a tree.

He must have been around sixteen. His youthful face was refined and neat like that of a noble’s son.

But there was an unusual aura about him.

In the moonlight, his face, glowing pure white, had pitch-black pupils that stood out like abysses.

They hadn’t sensed his presence at all. Goosebumps spread over the men’s bodies.

“You ambushed me armed, so it wouldn’t be a crime to kill you all, right?”

The boy, who had been contemplating for a moment, said. There were five attackers in a one-on-five situation without any room for doubt.

“So, this would be self-defense.”

The boy concluded decisively. A boy placed a branch on his bowstring and nonchalantly aimed the bow at them.

“Watch out for the arrow.”

With those words, an arrow was released.

“Is he joking?”

What could he possibly do with a tree branch like that? Before they could even think about it, the arrow flew at them with lightning speed.

Kwaang!

A shockwave, as if iron was colliding, resonated through the air. The result was shocking.

“Ugh!”

The stench of blood spread. One man’s entire arm was torn off, and he writhed on the ground.

They were struck by a shock bordering on panic. If a mere tree branch could deliver such an impact, then…

“It’s Vis!”

One man exclaimed in astonishment.

“Yes.”

The boy who responded nonchalantly once again hooked a tree branch onto the bowstring. As he pulled back, the next arrow flew.

Swoosh! There was no avoiding the invisible arrow. Another man collapsed to the ground without a sound this time.

Despair.

The faces hidden behind the three remaining masks turned pale.

They couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Overwhelming and crushing strength!

Fear swallowed them whole.

“If you dodge, I’ll spare you.”

‘Should I give them a glimmer of hope?’ The savage grin of a predator spread across the boy’s face. He hooked another tree branch onto the bowstring.

“Aaaah!”

As they began to flee, screaming, he leisurely drew back the bowstring, watching the backs of the men. The boy’s lips moved.

“One, two… three!”

Thwack!
An arrow laden with force shot out and cut through the darkness of the forest like a nocturnal predator. And in no time,

“Ugh!”

It pierced the throat of a fleeing man. The boy’s lips moved again, pulling the bowstring consecutively. “One, two, three, four.”

Eeeeeeeek!

Along with a deafening sound of agony, the air was torn apart.

One arrow, one life.

Dull arrows pierced through the darkness in succession.

“Pl-please…”

Looking down at the fifth and final man who knelt and begged for mercy, the boy said calmly,

“If you had thought of killing, you should have been prepared to die.”

The last arrow was released.

The boy, who had eliminated the five attackers from the tree, leaped down to the ground.

Thunk! A sound almost inaudible as he touched the ground, moving lightly.

He approached the lifeless bodies with an air of indifference. His cold, black eyes looked down apathetically at the faces twisted in terror.

“You’re as weak as insects.”

His voice carried an expression of absurdity.

The boy slightly wrinkled his face and clenched his hand before releasing it. His hands were unstained by the handful of blood spilled just moments ago. This was nothing more than a light exercise.

The people from ‘outside’ are weak. They lack even the instinct to protect themselves. Blinded by greed, they can’t even recognize their opponents.

The attackers approaching from a distance had been known to him for a while. His keen senses alerted him to their approach.

Then, all he had to do was wait and eliminate them. The fact that the opponents were five trained individuals was not a problem.

Helmut, the only human to emerge from the Forest of Beasts, muttered with dry eyes.

“Darien, contrary to what you said, the human world is quite boring.”

Casually, Helmut rummaged through the attackers’ belongings and gathered items worth pilfering near the campfire. He dug a deep pit near the campfire.

Having cleanly erased the existence of the five men, as if nothing had happened, he gathered his belongings and left the place.

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