The Bells of Fantom City

"Trust?" she whispered bitterly. "I’ve trusted people before. I know what it feels like to arrive too late."

"You think I don’t?" Lane replied quietly.

Videl finally looked at her.

For a brief moment, neither of them heard the explosions or the desperate cries echoing through Fantom City.

There was only silence between two girls who had grown up side by side.

"I still remember..." Lane continued, her voice softer than before, "when we were children. You always rushed ahead before anyone else. Even when you were scared, you pretended you weren’t."

Videl gave a weak, frustrated laugh.

"And you were always the one chasing after me."

"Because someone had to keep you alive."

A faint smile appeared on both of their faces before disappearing just as quickly.

Videl looked toward the burning streets.

"Nothing’s changed."

Lane shook her head.

"It has."

"It doesn’t feel like it."

"It does."

Lane stepped closer until they stood shoulder to shoulder.

"Back then, you only had to think about yourself."

She looked toward the distant sky where dark clouds continued to gather.

"Now people are counting on you."

Videl bit her lip.

"And every scream makes me feel like I’m failing them."

"I know."

Lane’s answer came without hesitation.

"I can hear them too."

"Then how are you standing here so calmly?"

Lane remained silent for several seconds before finally answering.

"Because if I let my emotions control me..."

She glanced toward the sky where the undead dragons circled beyond the smoke.

"...then Victor would have to protect both of us instead of fighting beside us."

Videl lowered her eyes.

"...You always know how to use him against me."

A tiny smile touched Lane’s lips.

"I’m simply reminding you what he would want."

Videl let out a long sigh.

"He’d probably flick my forehead for acting recklessly."

Lane nodded.

"And then he’d tell you that being strong doesn’t mean fighting every battle yourself."

Videl couldn’t help letting out a quiet chuckle despite everything happening around them.

"...That idiot."

"Our idiot," Lane corrected gently.

The two girls exchanged a brief glance.

There was no jealousy in their eyes.

Only mutual understanding.

Both of them loved the same man.

Both of them had walked beside him since childhood.

And because of that, they understood his heart better than anyone.

Videl smiled faintly.

"He’d be angry if he saw me ignoring everyone else’s efforts."

"He would."

"And he’d praise every knight charging into those streets."

"He would."

As if fate itself wished to prove her point, several squads of knights immediately rushed down from another staircase leading into the city.

"For Fantom City!"

"Protect the civilians!"

"Split into groups!"

Their captain quickly pointed toward different streets.

"First Squad, east district!"

"Second Squad, market square!"

"Third Squad, protect the southern shelters!"

Without hesitation, the armored knights sprinted into the city, chasing after the undead that had broken through.

Watching them disappear into the streets, Lane spoke once more.

"If Victor were here..."

Videl slowly turned toward her.

"I’m sure he would say this to you."

Lane’s usually emotionless eyes softened ever so slightly.

"How can you become a hero if you don’t trust your comrades?"

She paused.

"How can you become a hero if you cannot carry the weight of their trust?"

Those simple words struck Videl harder than any weapon.

For a brief moment, she could almost hear Victor’s calm voice saying those exact words with his usual confident smile.

She lowered her head.

"...Damn it."

Her grip around her sword slowly loosened.

She knew Lane was right.

Every defender had a responsibility.

If she abandoned her position now and the undead dragons attacked, no one would be able to stop them.

Taking a slow breath, Videl closed her eyes before opening them again.

"...You’re right."

Lane gently squeezed her shoulder.

"We’ll protect this city together."

"And when this is over..."

Videl looked at her with renewed determination.

"...we’ll make Victor treat us to dinner for making us worry."

A small laugh escaped Lane.

"I’ll hold you to that."

The two women shared one last understanding look before returning their attention to the battlefield, silently waiting for the true enemy to move.

...

Inside Fantom City, the warning bells rang without pause.

Dong!

Dong!

Dong!

Their heavy echoes rolled through every street and alleyway.

Every citizen immediately understood what they meant.

The enemy had breached the walls.

Doors slammed shut.

Wooden bars were dropped across entrances.

Curtains were tightly closed.

Families hurried into cellars and basements prepared weeks ago.

The streets that had once been lively with merchants and children became nearly deserted within minutes.

Yet not everyone hid.

Many men stepped outside carrying whatever weapon they could find.

A blacksmith emerged from his forge gripping a heavy iron hammer.

A farmer tightened his hands around an old pitchfork.

A butcher carried a broad cleaver stained from years of work.

A carpenter held a thick wooden mallet.

Even elderly men who had once served as soldiers retrieved rusty swords hidden beneath their beds.

None of them were trained knights.

None expected to survive.

But behind them were their wives.

Their children.

Their parents.

Running was no longer an option.

An old merchant looked toward his frightened grandson.

"Stay behind me."

The boy nodded with tears filling his eyes.

Nearby, a baker quietly kissed his wife’s forehead before picking up a burning fire poker.

"If they come..."

"I’ll stop them."

She grabbed his sleeve.

"You’ll die."

He smiled weakly.

"Maybe."

"But they won’t reach you first."

The sound of rattling bones suddenly echoed through the narrow street.

Clack...

Clack...

Clack...

Three skeletal warriors turned the corner.

Their hollow eyes immediately locked onto the living.

The citizens froze.

For just a heartbeat...

Fear nearly overwhelmed them.

Then the retired soldier standing at the front raised his old shield.

"They’re only bones!"

"They can bleed us!"

"But they cannot frighten us anymore!"

His roar broke the silence.

"Fight!"

The first skeleton lunged.

Bang!

Its sword slammed into the old shield.

The retired soldier pushed forward with all his remaining strength while the blacksmith’s hammer crashed into the skeleton’s skull.

Crunch!

Bones scattered across the street.

The butcher immediately stepped forward, smashing another skeleton’s knee before driving his cleaver into its neck.

Elsewhere in the city, similar battles erupted.

Knights rushed through the streets in organized formations, intercepting wandering undead before they reached residential districts.

Some protected evacuation routes.

Others guarded churches and shelters filled with civilians.

The entire city had become a battlefield.

Fear remained in every heart.

Yet beneath that fear burned something stronger.

The determination to protect their home.

Above the rooftops, smoke drifted into the darkening sky while the warning bells continued to ring across Fantom City, refusing to fall silent.