Chapter 3 – Crimson Flames Beneath the Leaves
The forest was deserted—utterly silent.
No wind stirred the branches.
No leaves whispered against one another.
Only Sam stood there, alone.
Slowly, his eyes ignited with a deep, blood-red glow. The air around him bent and warped, as if reality itself had begun to lose stability. Yet Sam did not move. Not a step. Not even a breath.
Shadows formed in front of him.
Figures—humanoid, hostile—emerged from thin air. They were not real beings, but reflections shaped by illusion magic: enemies that existed only to be broken.
They charged.
The moment they moved, their bodies froze.
To them, time shattered. Their minds screamed while their bodies refused to obey. They felt their legs sinking into the earth, their hands burning as if set ablaze, their lungs tightening as breath was torn away.
Sam spoke without anger. Without emotion.
"This will be my family's shield.
Anyone who looks at me… will never reach them."
The shadows shattered like glass.
Silence returned to the forest.
Sam closed his eyes, turned, and walked away—leaving no trace behind.
Life at home continued as if nothing had changed.
At the dinner table, Meera studied Sam with quiet curiosity.
"Sam… you really are just a businessman, right?" she asked lightly. "Sometimes there's a strange glow in your eyes."
Sam smirked—a calm, savage curve of his lips.
"That's just the reflection of your beauty."
Ruhi burst into laughter.
"Papa, you always confuse mamma!"
Meera flushed, torn between embarrassment and irritation.
"This man is romantic and a troll at the same time."
Sam simply continued eating, as if this chaos were the most natural thing in the world.
A few days later, chaos erupted in the city's central market.
Rogue mercenaries stormed the streets—armed, ruthless, merciless. Civilians screamed and fled as panic spread like wildfire.
Sam stood still.
He watched.
His eyes glowed faintly red.
That alone was enough.
The mercenaries believed they struck him—blades swinging, spells crashing. In reality, they stood frozen, trapped within their own minds. Illusions consumed their senses, rewriting the battlefield inside their heads.
The crowd stared in disbelief.
"What happened to them?"
"Why aren't they moving?!"
Sam spoke calmly.
"Peace can be achieved without battle."
Only Meera felt the chill in her chest. For just a second… she had seen his eyes glow again.
Days later, a royal elf messenger arrived at Meera's home, carrying an ancient scroll sealed with emerald wax.
"Princess Meera," he said respectfully, "you and your family are invited to attend the Elven Festival."
Unease crossed Meera's face.
Ruhi, however, was ecstatic.
"Mama! Papa! I want to see the elf festival!"
Sam smiled softly.
"Let's go. It'll be a family trip."
Meera hesitated.
Her parents and brother had never accepted Sam. She was an elf princess—he had been nothing but a commoner when they married. A mortal.
Still… Sam's calm presence steadied her.
The next day, they departed for the Elven Kingdom.
The moment they arrived, ancient beauty enveloped them.
Glowing trees arched overhead. Magic pulsed through the air. The land carried the weight of ages long past.
Whispers followed Sam wherever he walked.
"Is that the human?"
"How did a mortal marry our princess?"
Inside the castle, Meera's cousins approached him, half teasing, half flirtatious.
"You're quite handsome. Our princess chose well."
Sam replied without hesitation.
"She chose me.
I'm the lucky one."
Meera blushed as laughter echoed.
Her mother and brother showed no restraint.
"A mere mortal," her mother said coldly. "How can you be worthy of our princess?"
Sam bowed politely.
"Think what you wish. Meera's happiness matters more to me than approval. I respect you all—whether it's returned or not."
Ruhi snapped back angrily,
"My papa is the best! You just don't understand!"
Meera gently silenced her.
Sam remained calm.
The festival began beneath radiant lights and ancient rituals.
A holy fire arrow soared into the sky, igniting sacred flames. Elves danced and sang around glowing fire pits.
Then—
The sky turned black.
An army of Dark Elves descended—hundreds of wizard soldiers.
At their center stood a massive figure: the Dark Elf Prince. His void-infused mana crushed the air itself.
"From today onward," he declared, "the Elven Kingdom belongs to us."
The Elf King was away. No supreme protector remained.
The festival became a battlefield.
Magical arrows filled the sky. Trees shattered. Meera's brother was already wounded.
Meera activated her Ice Magic and rushed to the front.
Sam stepped forward—calm, fearless.
People still believed he was only a businessman.
Then his eyes glowed red.
Illusion magic surged.
Fifty wizards charged him.
One look.
They struck at a moon-clone illusion, while their real bodies stood frozen—helpless.
Water and wind squads attacked.
Phoenix Fire erupted.
Their mana burned away, leaving them unconscious but alive.
Lightning rained from the sky.
Sam redirected every bolt.
Thunder split the heavens.
Meera raised towering Ice Walls.
Sam fused them—turning the battlefield into a frozen wasteland.
"There is beauty even in battle," Sam said quietly.
"You only understand destruction."
The Dark Elf Prince advanced.
Towering, monstrous, he raised his hammer and shattered the ground with a single blow. His void aura crushed weaker warriors to their knees.
"A mortal?" he sneered. "You dare take an elf princess?"
Sam answered calmly.
"Your anger will destroy you.
If you boast so much… let's see your power."
The clash shook the land.
Void against Phoenix Fire.
Shadow against lightning.
Suppression against illusion.
The prince resisted part of the genjutsu.
Sam finally broke his calm.
Phoenix Fire and lightning merged—forming a flaming thunderstorm that devoured the battlefield.
The prince crashed into the earth.
Alive. Defeated.
The King Returns
As the Dark Elves retreated, a divine presence descended upon the palace.
The Elf King returned.
The entire kingdom trembled. Everyone bowed.
Everyone—except Sam.
"I hear you protected my people," the king said coldly.
Sam bowed slightly. Respect, not submission.
"I protected my family and the innocent. Nothing more."
In court, Meera's cousin spoke sharply.
"He spared the Dark Elf Prince."
The king's eyes glowed gold.
"Why let him live? He endangered your daughter!"
Sam replied evenly.
"I don't kill without reason. His defeat was punishment enough."
"You are naive," the king snapped. "He will return."
Sam's voice did not rise.
"My protection is beyond your understanding. I need no one's orders."
"I could have killed him.
I simply chose not to."
Sam healed the wounded—elves and Dark Elves alike.
Silence filled the hall.
Those who once called him mortal now looked at him with reverence.
Meera's mother said nothing.
Meera took Sam's hand and whispered,
"No matter how much you hide… you are my hero."
Sam smiled faintly and looked toward the full moon.