Eamon, Damien, and Roneth found themselves trapped once again.
The glowing cage surrounded all four of them, including Haizer. The magical threads shimmered under the moonlight, making escape impossible. Outside the cage stood Gorochi with the few surviving soldiers who had remained loyal to him. Even though he was badly injured, the governor's laughter echoed across the quiet riverside.
Eamon gripped his burning fists tightly.
"This old man just refuses to die..."
Damien sighed.
"And now we're trapped again."
Roneth remained silent. His eyes shifted between Haizer and Gorochi. His expression had become unusually serious.
Outside the cage, Gorochi slowly limped closer until he stood directly before Haizer. His face twisted with anger.
"I still don't understand something."
Haizer looked at him without saying a word.
Gorochi continued. "I trusted you."
His voice became louder. "I gave you food when you had nothing. I gave you shelter. I gave you power."
He spread both hands dramatically.
"I even made you my closest associate. Everyone in this town feared you because I allowed it. You stood beside me for years."
His smile slowly disappeared. "And this is how you repay me?"
His injured body trembled from anger.
"You stabbed me in the back."
"You betrayed me."
"For what?"
Haizer simply stared back. There wasn't even hatred in his eyes anymore. Only disappointment.
Then he finally spoke. "Trusted me?"
A bitter laugh escaped his mouth.
"You bastard."
His voice remained calm.
"You trust nobody."
"You only use people."
His left hand tightened around his sword.
"You made me your right hand because I was useful."
"You kept your soldiers because they obeyed you."
"You tortured innocent people because you enjoyed watching them fear you."
He looked directly into Gorochi's eyes.
"You don't understand a single thing about trust."
The governor's face immediately turned red. "The audacity..."
He clenched his fists so tightly that blood dripped from his wounded palm.
"You betray me..."
"And you still have the nerve to call me a bastard?"
He laughed loudly.
"Fine."
His laughter slowly stopped.
"Then let's hear your side of the story."
He crossed his arms.
"After all..."
"I'm going to kill you anyway."
"But before you die..."
"I want to know why."
Silence followed.
The breeze from the river gently moved Haizer's hair. For several seconds he said nothing. His breathing had become uneven. Blood still flowed from the stump where his arm had been torn away. His entire body felt numb. Inside his mind, countless thoughts collided.
He was exhausted. His wings had been damaged. He had lost an arm. The pearl was still with him, but Gorochi stood outside. Eamon, Damien, and Roneth stood inside.
Even if a miracle happened, he couldn't defeat all of them. Not tonight. His mission had failed. Slowly, Haizer closed his eyes. For the first time in many years...He accepted defeat. When he opened them again, his expression had changed. He no longer looked angry. Only tired.
He let out a long sigh."Fine."
"I'll tell you."
Everyone inside the cage immediately looked toward him. Even Eamon lowered his fists. Damien exchanged a glance with Roneth.
Roneth quietly walked toward one corner of the cage and leaned against it. His face remained unreadable. But inside, his heart was racing. He already suspected where this story was heading. Maybe he knew Haizer. Or at least...He knew of him.
He slowly clenched both fists. "Tell us."
Eamon and Damien looked at Roneth's face. Roneth's interest in Haizer's story made them curios about him as well.
Haizer looked toward the flowing river. His eyes slowly lost focus. His voice became quieter.
"This happened ten years ago."
The night around them suddenly felt heavier. The sound of the river continued flowing peacefully.
Haizer continued.
"Back then..."
"I lived in the land of the Seraphims."
"There were three nations in our homeland."
"My country was called Kolark."
A faint nostalgic smile appeared on his face. "It was the strongest among the three."
Gorochi frowned.
"Kolark?"
He thought for a moment.
"Wasn't that the nation that was destroyed?"
Haizer nodded slowly.
"Yes."
His voice carried deep sadness now.
"I served there as one of the Royal Knights. My duty was simple. Protect the kingdom. Protect the people. Protect the King."
He looked toward the moon.
"Our nation was prosperous. The harvests were good. Our cities were beautiful. The skies were always filled with Seraphims flying freely. There was laughter. There was hope. There was peace."
A faint smile crossed his face again.
"I had everything. I had friends. I had brothers-in-arms."
"And..." His voice softened. "I had my wife."
For the first time there was warmth in Haizer's eyes.
"She was expecting our first child."
The entire cage fell silent.
Haizer continued looking into the distance.
"I believed my future would be peaceful. I believed my child would grow up in the safest nation in the world. I believed our King would always protect us."
His smile slowly disappeared.
"But then, everything changed."
His expression became cold again.
"One day our neighboring nation attacked. They didn't attack alone."
He clenched his remaining fist.
"They had already bribed several knights from our own kingdom. They betrayed us from inside. The gates were opened. The enemy marched straight into our capital. The entire kingdom fell into chaos."
Smoke. Fire. Screams. The memories still haunted him.
"We all believed, our King would lead us. Our soldiers waited. Our people waited. Our children waited."
He slowly lowered his head.
"But our King..."
"...ran away."
The words echoed through the silent night.
"He abandoned every single one of us. He left the capital. He escaped. And he left our country...to burn."
Roneth's entire body stiffened. His breathing became heavier. His fists trembled violently. His nails dug into his palms until blood began dripping.
Eamon noticed.
"Roneth..."
The adventurer didn't answer.
His eyes never left Haizer.
Hatred.
Pain.
Regret.
All three emotions mixed together inside them.
Haizer took another slow breath.
"The war lasted for days. We fought until our swords broke. We fought until our wings bled. We fought until there was no strength left."
His eyes slowly closed.
"But in the end...We lost."
Haizer remained silent for a few moments. The only sound around them was the gentle flow of the river. Even Gorochi, who had mocked him moments ago, said nothing. The pain in Haizer's eyes was enough to tell everyone that what came next was not something he enjoyed remembering.
"I lost everything in that war."
His voice had become heavy.
"My comrades died one after another. The capital was reduced to ashes. Every street where children once played was filled with corpses."
He closed his eyes.
"And..."
"My wife died."
The words came out slowly, almost like they were cutting through his own heart.
"She was carrying our child."
Nobody spoke. Even Eamon lowered his head.
Haizer continued.
"When I reached our home... it was already burning. I found her beneath the collapsed roof. I tried to wake her up. I kept calling her name."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"But she never answered."
His remaining hand trembled.
"I didn't even cry. I couldn't. I simply picked up her body."
He looked toward the river.
"And I started walking."
His eyes had become empty.
"I don't remember where I was going. I didn't know why I was still alive. I had lost my nation. My King had abandoned us. My friends were dead. My wife..."
He stopped for a second.
"...was gone."
He took a deep breath.
"I carried her body for days."
"My wounds were still open."
"I had barely eaten."
"Sometimes I fell to my knees."
"Sometimes I thought about dying beside her."
"But every time I looked at her face..."
"I stood back up."
The silence around the cage became almost painful.
"I walked through mountains. I crossed valleys. I wandered through forests. I didn't know where the borders of the Seraphim lands ended. I simply kept walking."
His voice became quieter.
"One day...My body finally gave up. I saw a small group of people camping in a valley. I tried walking toward them. I only managed a few more steps. And then, I lost consciousness."
Haizer slowly opened his eyes again.
"When I woke up, I was no longer in the Seraphim lands. I had been rescued."
He looked down at his remaining hand.
"A group of strangers had saved me. They had treated my wounds. They had fed me. They had buried none of my belongings."
His expression softened for the first time.
"Their leader was a man named Kael."
Eamon quietly repeated the name in his mind.
"Kael..."
Haizer continued, "He had ordered his people to preserve my wife's body."
"He said..."
His voice almost broke.
"'A man deserves to say goodbye to the one he loves.'"
For several seconds Haizer couldn't continue.
He swallowed hard before speaking again.
"When I became strong enough to stand..."
"Kael took me to where they had carefully preserved her. I saw her face one last time. I thanked him. Then, I buried her with my own hands."
A faint breeze passed across the river.
Haizer looked toward the moon.
"I had no purpose left. I didn't care whether I lived or died. My country no longer existed. My family was gone. My King had betrayed me. I had nothing."
He smiled sadly.
"Then Kael came to me. He placed his hand on my shoulder. And he asked me to join his group."
Haizer looked directly at Gorochi.
"Tell me. How could I refuse? My own King abandoned me. But a complete stranger saved my life. He protected my wife's body. He gave me the chance to bury her with dignity. He gave me food. He gave me shelter. And most importantly...He gave me a reason to keep living."
His eyes became firm once again.
"So I followed him. I swore my loyalty to Kael. I have worked for him ever since. It was Kael who ordered me to come here. It was his wish that I steal the pearl."
The words hung heavily in the air.
Nobody interrupted him.
Even Gorochi had stopped laughing.
Eamon exchanged a silent glance with Damien.
Kael...
Another new name. Another mystery. Another thread that maybe connecting to something much bigger. Just as Haizer finished speaking, something unusual happened.
The calm river beside them suddenly rippled. At first, nobody paid much attention. Then the ripples became waves. The waves became violent.
Water began rising unnaturally into the air.
One of Gorochi's soldiers noticed it first.
He frowned.
"Governor..."
He slowly turned toward the river.
"I think something is—"
Before he could finish, a razor-thin blade of water shot out from the river with unbelievable speed.
Nobody even saw it move.
There was only a sharp whistle through the air.
Then,
Slash.
The soldier's head separated cleanly from his neck. His head flew several meters before rolling across the ground. It stopped directly at Gorochi's feet.
For a second, nobody reacted.
The soldier's body remained standing where it had been. Blood sprayed from his neck like a fountain. Only then did the headless corpse finally collapse onto the ground.
Gorochi stumbled backward.
His face turned completely pale.
"A...!"
His voice refused to come out. Every soldier instinctively raised their weapons. Everyone's eyes turned toward the river. The water continued rising.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher.
It no longer looked like ordinary water. It twisted like living silk beneath the moonlight. A gigantic figure slowly emerged from within it. Long strands of wet silver-blue hair flowed over graceful shoulders.
Pale skin reflected the moonlight like polished marble.
The lower half of the figure remained hidden beneath swirling water.
The pressure surrounding her was unlike anything Eamon had ever felt.
The river itself seemed to bow before her.
She slowly stepped onto the shore.
The water beneath her obeyed every movement.
No one dared breathe.
Gorochi's lips trembled uncontrollably.
His legs almost gave out beneath him.
His eyes widened in pure horror.
"The..."
His voice cracked.
"The Mermaid..."
He stumbled backward again.
"It's..."
"It's the mermaid!"
Every surviving soldier froze. Even Haizer's confident expression disappeared.
The legendary guardian, the goddess they had only heard about in stories, now stood before them.
Eamon felt every hair on his body stand upright. Damien's vampire instincts screamed danger.
Roneth slowly tightened his grip on both katanas, though deep inside he knew they would be useless against such a presence since this was the same monster that gave him the wound on his chest.
None of them could move. None of them could speak. The demonic aura surrounding the mermaid spread silently across the riverside. Everyone stood frozen in fear.