Sasaki reached the town as his footsteps crunched against the snow.
As he walked through the streets, he noticed a family of three.
A happy family.
A mother.
A father.
And their child.
Sasaki froze for a moment.
He stared at them.
Then, he looked away and continued walking.
Eventually, he reached a bar.
As he entered, he heard whispers coming from a nearby table.
"...An elf..."
Sasaki stopped.
He walked over to the two bandits.
"Hey. What were you two talking about just now?"
One of the bandits looked him up and down.
"Huh? Why would we tell you, shrimp?"
The other laughed.
"Get lost, kid. Before you get yourself hurt."
Sasaki stared at them.
He asked again.
The bandits' expressions became hostile.
"I'm going to count to three."
The first bandit reached for his weapon.
"And if you're still here, I'll know you want to die."
"One."
Sasaki looked down.
His expression darkened.
Before the bandit could continue counting, Sasaki raised his hand.
He slowly closed his fist.
Crack.
The bandit's body suddenly contorted.
His eyes widened.
Then he collapsed.
The second bandit stared in horror.
"H-Hey, kid! You'll pay for that!"
He grabbed his sword and began drawing it.
Before he could even raise it—
Sasaki's sword flashed.
The bandit's head fell to the floor.
Silence filled the bar.
Sasaki looked around at the other patrons.
"I'm sorry for the mess."
He calmly walked toward the counter.
He placed a single gold coin on it.
"Keep the change."
Then he left.
Sasaki already had the information he wanted.
He had read their minds.
He killed them because they annoyed him.
As he stepped outside, his blood-covered shoes left footprints in the snow.
Sasaki continued walking.
He reached into his coat and pulled out his leather book.
His hands were still stained with blood.
He opened it and began writing.
[Day 394]
Random bandits being annoying.
He closed the diary.
Snow slowly covered the bloody footprints behind him.
Sasaki never looked back.
He only kept walking.
Somewhere...
Sister was waiting.
Sasaki stopped.
He looked back at the town.
"...Should I just blow this entire place up?"
He raised his arm.
Energy began gathering around his hand.
He didn't even look back as he prepared to destroy the entire town.
But then—
His hand trembled.
A little girl.
A mother smiling.
A father laughing.
...
Innocent people.
Sasaki's expression remained blank.
Slowly...
He lowered his arm.