Prologue
As flesh and bone ground beneath the steel fists, faint whimpers slowly faded as the pair of agonized eyes stared at her. More splattered noise followed and a bloody pool completely soaked her rested knees.
Her erratic beats thumped as she exhausted the little strength within. A slight shiver crawled her skin, until finally, the gauntlet halted and she raised her chin.
Scattered limbs and a corpse entered her sight while she rose to her feet. A little stumbled for a moment before they became steady. Soon, she marched forward with a stream of yellowish reek behind her and a stone pedestal before her.
An image of a small baby reflected in her bright blue eyes, causing a soft tremble at the tip of her fingers. Saliva gulped and her heartbeat calmed down, she stretched out to hold the harmless being.
More than a few times, her hands would stop midair, and her frown would deepen. Teeth gritted as she held her breath. The second she finally grabbed it, a heavy sigh escaped her lips.
Separated from the pure, snow white fabric was a male newborn that looks no older than a month. With the smell of iron drifting off her gauntlets, the baby didn't even let out the softest cries. Only gazing at her with his adorable, brown eyes.
A surging warmth flooded within and she skipped a beat. Taste of bitterness slithering inside of her mind before she shook her head. In a gentlest tone that would even surprise herself, she whispered.
"Who are you, little one?"
Silence ensued, and she smiled wryly. Then, the newborn raised his hands and touched her bloodied cheek. Though a tingle of pain emerged, her attention wholly focused on the loveliest chuckle she ever saw.
"Da Daa!"
His smile immediately drove away all the weariness and wariness inside. A resolute glint flashed, and she brought the newborn closer to her embrace. Walking to the almost intact corpse at the end of this spacious passage, she mumbled.
"Let's take you home then."
Pulling out her sword, she sheathed it before she strode to the opposite path. Leaving the battlefield and taking out a clean handkerchief to cover the baby's nose while simultaneously paying attention to her strength.
After a considerable amount of time, she passed the scattered corpses and guts of the creatures she had slain. They had humanoid frames but grew only to children's height. Their dark reddish skin has bulged veins despite their scrawny physique and they had four fingers. One of them was wearing a shabby stitched up mask that had the face of an unfamiliar adult human male. While the rest have disfigured features that would sow anyone's disgust. One of their eyes was caved in, as the other one had no eyelid. Their lips were crooked and scraped as their nasal bone showed out and they had no nose.
Havlin, the dwellers of this underground sewers and were once the reason for her standing in this place.
At last, a ray of blinding light could be spotted in the distance. Her pace hastened as she glanced at the baby. Eyebrows raised, and she silently thought of how quiet and obedient the baby was through their entire journey.
"Captain."
A crisp, male voice fell on her ears as a figure neared forward to receive her. The familiar face lifted the corner of his lips before it was frozen when his gaze looked at what she held. Eyes widened and mouth slightly agape, he quickly asked, "Pardon me, captain. If I may know, whose baby is that?"
"This little one..." following the man's sight, she replied. "..Is mine."
"Yours…?"
"Mhmm," without minding the man's sudden turn of expression, she passed him and went to the stone stairs. Not long after, a series of footsteps followed behind her before she finally arrived upon an opened, dilapidated wooden door and entered it immediately.
More of the Havlins' carcasses appeared all around the place. Rotten stench permeated in the air as she stepped forward. After more than fifteen steps, a group of armored figures showed up. Spears raised up high while they put their other fist on their chest and shouted at the same time.
"Welcome back, Captain Ebina!"