The taste of blood.

Darkness filled my vision, and I thought I had gone blind. I twisted my neck and saw the flickering flame on one side, realizing that I was lying face down on the ground.

As my vision returned, so did the feeling in my limbs. I tried to flex my fingers, and with a creaking sound similar to a poorly lubricated robot, I was able to make a fist.

Good, my arms and legs were still intact. I touched my face, finding that all my facial features were intact as well, and there was no pain anywhere on my body. It seemed that the smell of blood I smelled didn't come from myself.

I slowly pushed myself off the ground and managed to stand up with the help of a nearby wall. Where was I? I remember being involved in a car accident with my boss and thinking that I was for sure dead. But it seemed like I was still alive, but I had no idea where I was. The torches mounted on the walls and the luxurious red wool carpet on the floor gave me a feeling that I was in a strange place, especially with the strong smell of blood in the air.

It looked like I was in a corridor, but how did I end up here after a car accident? Moreover, the decorations seemed ancient, who would use torches for lighting nowadays? I touched my clothes, which were still the formal suit I wore when I went out. My white shirt was torn, but there were no injuries on my body. My belongings, like my briefcase, wallet, and phone, were gone, and I couldn't even call for help.

Could it be that I've traveled through time?

No, that couldn't be possible, right? But if it was true... would I have two well-endowed mothers fighting for me?

But there was no one around me...

I looked around and found myself in a corridor with two paths. But as someone without a good sense of direction, I had no idea which way to go. I was not panicked - as a secretary, I have been through a lot, and the most important thing in such situations is to stay calm and think of how to survive.

Otherwise, I would've been caught in the crossfire long ago as a secretary surrounded by strange people.

At that moment, I heard footsteps. Even though they were muffled by the carpet, the sound seemed amplified due to the silence. I excitedly ran towards the direction of the footsteps, hoping that there would be someone who could tell me what was going on and where I was. I just wanted to see a person, anyone would do.

I turned around the corner and shouted, "Do you know where this place is?!"

"Ah!"

As I excitedly reached the corner, I collided with a little girl who fell back. Before I could be too shocked, a gust of wind blew past my ear, and I instinctively ducked down. A heavy metallic sound roared above my head, and the light momentarily disappeared. A sword swung past my head, and as I looked up in surprise, the blade was pulled out.

A sword?! A real sword?

I felt death inching closer for the first time. It was unlike the car accident when I didn't have any sensation. This time, I could clearly see a sword passing by my head. The gust of wind and the cold metal signaled the threat of death to every cell of my body.

I could die!!

But it seemed that the attacker didn't intend to kill me. After withdrawing the sword, she did not continue to stab me but instead raised it high while looking at the little girl in front of her. The skinny girl fell to the ground, crying and desperately trying to retreat. However, the cold wall behind her ruthlessly pushed her towards the blade. Her eyes were filled with panic and fear, and the red pupils reflected the sword.

"May the gods forgive my sins."A cold voice came from above the sword, the blade slowly raised, pointing at the girl in front of it. The girl had nowhere to run, cornered against the wall. She cried loudly, her red eyes overflowing with tears like droplets of blood. Her shaking legs could barely keep her standing.

"Please... please... I beg you... don't kill me, don't kill me! It has nothing to do with me... I... I... My father never cared about me... I'm just living here... I have nothing to do with them! Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

She was begging for her life. But her voice was so soft and weak, helpless against the heavy metal of the sword, unable to stop the blade from striking.

She was going to die.

I was really going to die.

What could I do? I had nothing on me. Could I push away the assailant in the metal breastplate? I thought I would be chopped directly in half. How could I save this girl? What else could I do?

"Please... Don't! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!! Don't do it! Please save me! I beg you, save me! Don't! I don't want to die, I really don't want to die!"

The girl's cries accompanied her tears, flying under the blade. In the end, she turned her gaze to me, crying out loudly.

What could I do?

Should I try to save her?

What else could I do?

Was I just going to watch a little girl get slaughtered in front of me? No matter how you looked at it, she was just a child. What had she done to deserve being killed like this?

I didn't think of any solutions.

But my body had already started to move.

I didn't know where I had ended up, but it was clear that I had traveled through time. I didn't know where I had traveled to, but nowhere on Earth would people still use long swords to kill each other. Since I had traveled through time, it seemed like I was already dead in the other world.

I didn't know how to survive this new world yet, and the feeling of being alive felt so unreal. Everything seemed like a dream or just my imagination.

In that case, I wanted to be a hero. Every man had a hero dream, but mine had been crushed by reality long ago. At the very least, let me be a hero for this little girl in this new world.

I threw myself forward, tightly hugging the child, holding her close to my chest. My hands held her firmly, a pleasant floral scent mixed with the pungent smell of blood came from her. Was the blood from her? Regardless, children and blood shouldn't be together.

The heavy sword swung above my head, bringing a gust of wind my way. My body tensed from fear. People say that on the verge of death, your life flashes before your eyes, but my mind was blank. All I saw was the terrified face of the girl in front of me.

I had never seen such a beautiful girl before. If she grew up, she would surely be a stunning beauty. Unfortunately, during my past life, I rarely had any opportunities to interact with beautiful women. I would usually just help them meet my boss, and then that was the end of my involvement. This was the first time I had held such a beautiful girl in my arms, even if it was only for a few seconds.

"It's okay."

These were probably the last three words I would ever say.

The sword brought death's breeze to my ears. I closed my eyes, waiting for the final blow. How embarrassing, I had wasted this precious chance for a new life. But at least, I had done something I always wanted to do.

This time, the little girl would remember me.

"Clang!"

The sound of the sword clashing against the wall was deafeningly close to my ear. The noise almost made me grit my teeth. Holding the girl tightly, even with my eyes closed, I could feel the threat of the blade against my neck. I waited for the strike, but the sword didn't move.

After a long silence, I carefully opened my eyes, lifted my head, and looked up.A head of silver hair swayed slightly in the air, a pair of blue eyes stared at me. She was wearing a metallic breastplate, with scars shimmering under the firelight. She didn't wear any more armor, and I didn't have time to see more, because my eyes were drawn to her face. I once said that I had never seen a girl as beautiful as the one in my arms, but now I have to say that this girl is so beautiful that it makes one forget to breathe. Under her cold, sharp eyes was her tall, straight nose, and her slightly pale lips were motionless but full. A small beauty mark gently gazed at me, but her expression was not soft.

Her sword stopped above my neck, not cutting down any further. It could be said that it was at the very limit, the blade was right at the edge of my neck. If I moved even slightly, I would be directly cut by the sharp blade.

I looked at her, and she looked at me. Neither of us spoke. We just maintained this silence, silently looking at each other.

The sword was still on my neck, and I was still holding the child in my arms.

"Move."

I don't know how long it had been when those full lips coldly spat out two words.

"I won't."

Well, this was our first exchange.