The woods just outside of Lune were deceptively dangerous. Lune itself never entered into significant conflict, but a common task for adventurers was to clear out dangerous enemies within. It paid well, and helped merchants go along their day without worry.

  Grimace seemed to be taking that duty today, though. From the request of Governor Luan, he was to eliminate a set of Darkwalkers. Tall, humanoid monsters with no face, all covered in shadows. They walked with a strange demeanor, and tended to be a menace to lone carriages.

  But for Grimace, it was not a problem at all.

  The boy stepped into the forest. Lune had treated him well so far. He had relaxed in their baths, read their books, and participated in their festivities. His purpose was to do a wellness check, and he thought that the city was succeeding. He felt obligated to repay the kindness the city had given to him by fulfilling one of their tasks.

  There was little light in the forest, but Grimace was used to dark spaces. Searching through alleyways meant that he was used to seeing things he shouldn’t. And, in the darkness of the woods, Grimace felt an arm reach to his shoulder. A long, stretching, and slithering arm touching him. He looked over his shoulder, and saw the faceless monster grasping at him.

  “First target found. It is now time to enact judgment,” Grimace spoke.

  The scythe on his back flew off, spinning in such a way that it cut off the monster’s arm instantly, causing it to recoil backwards in shock. With a quick turn around, Grimace took out both of his guns and unloaded into the creature.

  Fire bullets. One of many kinds which he used. These bullets served two purposes: immolating the monster where it stood, and lighting up the entire area around them. The monster erupted into flames as it ran around, creating a walking bonfire that gave Grimace a better view of the area.

  He found himself surrounded by more darkwalkers. It seemed like he attracted the entire crowd. That was good, it meant that he didn’t have to waste anymore time searching. The scythe floated around him, with his third, invisible arm spinning it in the air. He then commanded it to strike, cutting at a nearby darkwalker.

  The rest of the darkwalkers noticed the imminent sign of aggression, and began to attack themselves. Their long, extended arms attempted to grab at Grimace. They had holes on their hands, likely used for feeding off of their prey. With a switch in artillery, Grimace pulled out electrical bullets. As they reached at him, he would call back his scythe to block and dismember their arms. Then, he would continue attacking with a single, paralyzing electric bullet. It ensured that they couldn’t move, allowing for the scythe to do a final strike.

  This dance continued, with the darkwalkers that surrounded him being cut apart one by one. With every shot, he changed the bullet. From flame, to freezing, to electrical, to biological. Soon, all that was left would be the fallen bodies of the monsters, either burnt, frozen solid, or torn apart.

  His scythe returned to his back, and he holstered his gun. The area had been cleared, as he had taken out nearly fifteen of them at once. These monsters travel in packs, so he knew he would have to take out most of them at once.

  He was just about to report back, before another arm grabbed his shoulder. It seemed like he missed a few. Grimace immediately turned around, his guns drawn, but before he could pull the trigger, something happened.

  A golden sword cut through the darkwalkers that stood behind them, rendering them bisected. An amazing power reverberated through the air, as all of the darkwalkers fell to the ground in one fell swoop.

  Standing behind the fallen darkwalkers was a blonde girl. Her dress was tattered. She was looking downwards, her face covered by her flowing long hair. Her sword was glowing through the darkness. Grimace opened his eyes, in surprise. She was the spitting image of one of the most important people in the country.

  “Princess?”

  Grimace looked at the girl in shock. His normally stoic facade finally dropped at the sight. He wasn’t expecting to find someone so important while on a normal mission in Lune. But, the girl responded to his call, and looked directly at him. Her eyes were revealed. Red eyes.

  “No. I think you’re mixing me up with someone. My name is Joyce. I was just hunting some monsters.”

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  “What?” Grimace stared at the girl in confusion. From what he knew, this girl was the spitting image of the princess. A normal person wouldn’t be able to tell, because the princess’ life was usually quite private, but he would know. But there was one thing throwing him off.

  Those red eyes. The princess had green eyes, just like her parents before her. No princess in the history of Lunasa has had any other eye color. Yet…

  “You are the spitting image of Princess Grace Luminis, ma’am,” Grimace said, eyeing her suspiciously. “I thank you for your services but… I would like you to come with me.”

  “It’s an unfortunate coincidence,” Joyce said. She pointed her sword at Grimace. “Some people simply look alike. That is the fact of the matter.”

  “Your resemblance is far too uncanny for me to not question it, ma’am. If you wouldn’t mind, I could treat you to dinner, in exchange for helping me slay these beasts. I’m Grimace, the Judge of Oscur.”

  “I thank you for your offer, but I’m going to have to decline. I don’t think I can go with you, Judge of Oscur. I have things to do tonight, so leave me be.”

  Joyce began to walk away from Grimace. His mind was conflicted. This girl had red eyes, but otherwise, she looked exactly like the person they needed to end the lockdown. An aching doubt manifested in his mind, but he decided to draw his gun and point it at Joyce’s back.

  “I think you need to come with me. I need to know more about you.”

  The girl stopped and froze. She seemed nervous, especially with the weapon drawn at her. Grimace never intended to fire it, but he knew that intimidation might be the only way to satiate his curiosity. He felt bad, but he also needed this.

  “Do you point guns at every blonde girl you see?” Joyce said. It was clear she was trying to act tough, but there was sweat dripping down her forehead. “I’m not the person you’re looking for. Go and bother someone else.”

  “That holy sword. Where did you get that from?” Grimace asked, the gun still pointing at her. “It seems quite similar to one of the blades in the castle’s armory. One that went missing recently.”

  “I found it in a ruin. You seem to keep connecting unrelated coincidences to me.”

  “And what kind of adventurer wears that kind of dress? It’s quite an expensive one, I see. It’s a shame it has been tattered.”

  “That's all I have. I’ve met two girls who are adventurers, with dresses that are also fancy. They fight in them, why can’t I?”

  Grimace remained unconvinced. His guns were still pointed, as the two entered a staring contest. Those red eyes. That bothered him so much. Was it wrong of him to suspect someone when there was such a glaring discrepancy? But, his intuition was telling him that this woman was far more important than she was letting on.

  “So, you have just been out here adventuring?” Grimace asked.

  “Yes. I have a quest I need to fulfill. I can’t go home until I’ve done it, so I would like to get back to it as soon as possible.”

  Joyce looked at Grimace. The boy felt like she was trying to convey something, but he wasn’t sure what. He took one step backwards, guns still drawn.

  “I haven’t done anything wrong, so I can’t be under arrest,” Joyce said. “You’re only suspecting me because of a hunch. But I’m telling you, I can’t come with you, not under any circumstances.” Joyce pulled out her sword, and pointed it directly at him. “If you won’t let me go, then I’m going to have to make you. There’s something more important that I need to do, alone.”

  Grimace’s mind was stretched thin. On one hand, his doubt that he was suspecting an innocent woman of being the princess. On the other hand, his certainty that his observation would never fail him. It made for a messy contradiction in his perception, heightened by the standoff.

  “You can talk to me after I’m done fixing this. That’s all I ask. I messed up badly. I can’t stop until I’ve fixed what I did wrong.”

  Joyce gave one final plea to Grimace, and that’s when all of his thoughts clicked. The red eyes, the holy sword, and the striking resemblance. It all made sense to him now, but in a way he didn’t like.

  Grimace lowered his guns, holstering both of them. Joyce did the same, sheathing her sword. Both of them took a deep breath at the same time. The judge knew that despite their similarities, any calls he could make were null and void. He couldn’t afford to bring her in, and to talk to her more. This girl wanted secrecy, and it was his duty to oblige.

  “Thank… you…” Joyce said, clearly shaking.

  “It is important that when you are done with your task, you speak to me. Be safe on your travels, Joyce,” Grimace responded. “I believe I’ll see you again, soon.”

  “Don’t tell anyone about me, or this. I need you to promise that.”

  “You have my word. I believe in your mission. Complete it as fast as possible,” Grimace ordered. With a turn around, Joyce began to head deeper into the woods. From what he just saw, the girl was very strong, so he should not have to worry. But still, letting her walk away left a pit in his stomach. A question that he missed the answer to.

  He planned on keeping his promise. Only he would think about this encounter, and never speak of it to anyone else. This may have been the most important promise he’s had to keep, but there was no other option.

  Grimace knew he was right. Just not at the right time.