Sataro returned from a late-night mission, exhausted but satisfied.
Another rebel outpost cleared.
Another threat removed.
He'd earned praise from the special forces again — and he couldn't wait to write Haruto about it.
As he walked through the palace corridors, still wearing his mask on his belt, he heard voices echoing faintly down a dim hallway.
He recognized one instantly.
King Sable.
The king rarely spoke in private.
This was rare.
Curiosity tugged at Sataro.
He stepped closer quietly — a skill he had mastered.
"…his power is growing," Sable said, voice cold and sharp.
Sataro froze.
Were they talking about him?
Another voice — a general — replied, "He's just a boy, Your Majesty."
"No," Sable hissed. "He is not just a boy. His blood… that cursed blood… is awakening."
Footsteps stopped.
Maps rustled.
The tension in the air thickened.
Sataro crept closer until he reached a cracked doorway.
Inside, King Sable stood before a table covered in documents, old drawings, and a familiar photograph—
His parents.
Sataro's breath caught.
He pressed his back to the wall, listening.
General Kaito spoke nervously.
"My king… if his blood is truly that dangerous, we should have never trained him.
He's stronger than any soldier we've seen."
"That's exactly why we trained him," Sable whispered.
"To keep him close."
Silence.
Then the king continued:
"His parents were some of the strongest mages alive. Their bloodline was ancient… forbidden. If I had not forced them into the civil war, they would have destroyed us all."
Sataro felt the world tilt beneath him.
Forced them?
Destroyed us?
What is he saying…?
General Kaito swallowed hard.
"You forced them to the front lines knowing they wouldn't survive?"
Sable smirked.
"I offered them a choice: fight until death… or I would execute their sons."
Sataro's chest tightened.
Vision blurred.
He grabbed the wall for balance.
No…
No, that can't be…
"And the boy?" another general asked. "Sataro? What do we do with him once he grows too strong?"
Sable's voice dropped into something colder than steel.
"We eliminate him as well."
Sataro's breath stopped.
"He is loyal now," Sable continued, "but loyalty fades when the truth emerges.
His bloodline cannot be allowed to awaken fully.
His parents realized it — that's why they begged me to spare him."
Another general stiffened. "So the story we told him… about them dying in battle—"
"Was a lie," Sable finished.
"A convenient one."
Sataro's hand shook violently.
A memory flashed:
His mother's gentle smile.
His father's hand on his shoulder.
Their promise to return.
Their deaths announced by Sable himself — cold, emotionless.
It all made sense now.
The king didn't honor them.
He murdered them.
The Breaking Point
A chair scraped.
Steps moved toward the door.
Sataro panicked and slipped deeper into the shadows, heart pounding so loud he worried they could hear it.
General Kaito asked, "And when do we kill the boy?"
King Sable exhaled.
"Soon. But not yet."
"Why delay?" the general whispered.
A cruel smile crept onto the king's lips.
"Because I want him to think he is safe.
I want him to believe he belongs to me.
And when the moment comes,
I want his final expression to be betrayal."
Sataro's stomach twisted violently.
His pulse hammered in his ears.
He wanted to burst through the door, sword drawn, screaming.
Demanding answers.
Demanding truth.
But he didn't.
He stood frozen.
Breathing shallow.
Eyes wide.
Every belief he ever had — shattered.
Every hope — crushed.
Every dream — poisoned.
His parents didn't die heroes.
They were forced to kill until they collapsed.
To save him.
To save Haruto.
And now…
The king wanted to finish what he started.
Sataro's Silent Retreat
When the meeting ended, Sataro slipped away unnoticed.
He stumbled into an empty courtyard, ripping off his mask and gasping for air.
His hands shook.
His vision blurred.
His heart clenched so tight it felt like it would tear.
He slid down a stone wall, knees hitting the ground.
"No… no… NO…" he whispered, choking on breath.
"My parents… you liar… YOU LIAR…"
He clenched his fists until blood dripped between his fingers.
His entire body trembled with something new —
Hatred.
Hatred deeper and darker than anything he'd ever felt.
The king he idolized…
The kingdom he worked to protect…
The man he hoped would be proud of him…
They were all lies.
And worst of all—
Haruto was in danger.
REAL danger.
Sataro wiped his eyes, breathing hard, shaking uncontrollably.
"I have to protect him," he whispered.
"I have to get him back. Now."
His decision was instant.
His path irreversible.
Tonight, Sataro Aoyami died.
And The Silent Blade was born in his place.
Not as a soldier…
But as an enemy of the king.
Sataro didn't sleep.
After overhearing the king's secret, he ran through the palace corridors like a shadow made of panic and rage.
He packed nothing.
Took nothing.
Just his sword.
His heart pounded one word:
Haruto.
Haruto.
Haruto.
He sprinted for hours through the forest, not stopping even when the trees blurred.
Branches tore at his clothes.
Blood dripped from cuts he didn't feel.
When he reached the familiar hill overlooking the orphanage, exhaustion hit him all at once.
But he shoved it away.
He wasn't a soldier tonight.
He was a brother.
Breaking In
The orphanage was dark, quiet — only the soft glow of lanterns inside.
Sataro approached silently, climbing the wooden wall with ease. His fingers dug into the grooves like he had been climbing this building his entire life.
He slipped through an open window and landed inside Haruto's room without a sound.
The boy was asleep, curled under his blanket, face peaceful in the moonlight.
For a moment, Sataro's breath hitched.
He still looks like a kid… my kid brother…
He reached out and touched Haruto's shoulder.
"Wake up," Sataro whispered.
Haruto stirred, confused.
"Mm… it's too early…"
Sataro shook him again, voice trembling.
"Haruto. Wake up. It's me."
Haruto's eyes snapped open.
"…S-Sataro?"
His voice cracked. "You're home?"
Sataro pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face in Haruto's hair.
"Yes. I'm here. But listen— we have to go."
Haruto blinked, confused. "Go? Go where? Why?"
Sataro swallowed hard.
He didn't want to scare him.
"We're not safe here. The king… he lied. He lied about everything."
His voice cracked.
"I'll explain later. But we have to leave. Now."
Haruto nodded slowly, trusting him completely.
"Okay. I'm ready."
Sataro squeezed his hand.
"Good. Stay close—"
A floorboard creaked outside the room.
Sataro stiffened.
Haruto whispered, "What was that—?"
Sataro grabbed Haruto, quietly pushing him behind the bed.
"Stay down."
They Arrive
The front door of the orphanage burst open.
Heavy footsteps.
Boots marching in sync.
Cold, metallic voices.
Special forces.
His unit.
The same unit he once trusted.
The same unit sent to kill his brother.
Sataro's blood turned to ice.
A voice echoed through the hall:
"Orders are clear — the younger one is priority. Eliminate the older if he interferes."
Haruto's breath hitched.
"Sataro… they're here for me?"
Sataro clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt.
"Yes. And they are NOT touching you."
He gently pressed Haruto deeper into the shadows.
"Whatever happens, don't come out. Understand?"
Haruto nodded, trembling.
Sataro stood up slowly, drawing his sword with a cold, silent motion.
The First Clash
Three masked special forces entered the room.
Identical armor.
Identical weapons.
Identical intent to kill.
They didn't hesitate.
"Sataro. Step aside."
He didn't.
Instead, he lunged.
His sword cut the first soldier down instantly, slicing through the gap in his armor.
He spun, kicking the second soldier backward into the wall.
The third swung at him, but Sataro ducked and rammed his shoulder into the man's ribs, knocking him off balance.
He fought without rage.
Without wasted motion.
Without mercy.
The room filled with the sound of metal hitting metal, then metal cutting through flesh.
Within seconds, all three soldiers collapsed.
Haruto stared wide-eyed from the shadows.
"S-Sataro… you…"
But Sataro didn't look back.
His eyes were locked on the hallway.
More footsteps.
At least fifteen.
The Hallway Battle
Special forces flooded the hallway, blades drawn, masks reflecting torchlight.
"Sataro!" their captain shouted. "Stand down!"
Sataro stepped into the hallway, sword dripping, face cold.
"No."
The soldiers charged.
Sataro moved like a storm unleashed.
He cut down the first with a single slash.
Kicked the second into a wall.
Parried three blades at once, sparks flying in the dark corridor.
The soldiers attacked relentlessly.
But Sataro was faster.
Sharper.
Angrier.
He had spent years killing for the king — and now he realized all that training had one purpose:
To kill the king's enemies.
Tonight, the king's enemies… were his allies.
One soldier tried to grab him from behind — Sataro elbowed him so hard the man's ribs cracked.
Another swung down from above — Sataro caught the blade with his own and twisted, breaking the man's wrist.
He fought from room to room.
Blood splattered the floors.
Bodies fell.
The battle wasn't fair.
Not for them.
Sataro moved with something beyond human — instinct, fear, rage, love, all fused into something terrifying.
The Silent Blade was no longer a title.
It was a warning.
"Sataro!"
Haruto's voice rang out.
Sataro turned — a soldier had slipped past and grabbed Haruto.
Sataro's heart STOPPED.
Haruto struggled, shouting, "Let go of me!"
The soldier lifted a dagger toward Haruto's throat.
"Target secured—"
Sataro's vision snapped red.
He SLAMMED into the soldier with full force, ripping Haruto free and throwing him behind him.
Before the soldier could breathe, Sataro drove his blade through the man's chest.
Haruto clutched Sataro's sleeve, terrified.
"Sataro… don't leave me…"
Sataro touched his cheek.
"I won't. I'll never leave you."
Behind them, more footsteps approached.
They would not stop coming.
The Escape
Sataro grabbed Haruto's hand.
"We have to run. Now."
They dashed toward the back door, but soldiers formed a line outside.
Haruto gasped. "There's too many!"
Sataro tightened his grip on his sword.
"There's never too many."
He sprinted forward, dragging Haruto behind him.
The battle in the backyard was brutal — blades clashing, sparks flying, torches falling.
Sataro fought like a man possessed.
Like someone with nothing left to lose.
Like someone who found something to protect more important than his own life.
Haruto did his best to stay behind him, eyes wide, heart pounding.
After carving through the last soldier, Sataro scooped Haruto into his arms and ran into the forest.
"Hold on," he said breathlessly.
Haruto wrapped his arms around Sataro's neck.
"I trust you."
Sataro looked down at him — this little boy who depended entirely on him.
"I won't let them touch you," he whispered.
"I swear."
Behind them, torches lit up the forest as special forces chased them through the night.
But Sataro didn't look back.
He ran forward.
Toward survival.
Toward freedom.
Toward a new destiny neither of them could have imagined.