Azron's POV
It has been six years. Six years since you were gone. Time moved forward, but it never took the weight with it. Your absence stayed the same.
I have regrets. I should have been honest with you… and with myself. I kept things I should have said. If I hadn't, maybe things would be different. Maybe we would have had more time. Maybe I wouldn't be left with words I can no longer give you.
Your absence made everything feel empty. The government office is quiet now. It used to be filled with your relentless snores. I used to ignore it. Now, the silence lingers. The military grounds feel different too. The sound of weapons you once carried is gone. Everything feels incomplete.
You changed my world. I didn't see it then. I see it now. And because of that, nothing can return to what it was before.
Sometimes, I think I see you. Or hear your voice. I know it's not real. Just memory. But it stays. It doesn't leave.
You were always near me. I knew that. But I never reached for you. Not until you were gone.
I have been wandering for years, moving from one place to another without rest. I go to places you would have liked. Places with freedom. Places without rules to hold you down. And every time, I look for you.
I think of impossible things. A way to your world. A path I can follow. I don't know if what you told me was true. But I keep searching.
Because stopping means accepting that I've lost you.
My search brought me here. Orchid Village. The people are free. There are no strict rules. The mountains are high, and the view stretches far. It is the kind of place you would have chosen.
And I met a child. Strange...he had my father's name. His eyes were like yours. But the color… was like mine.
For a moment, I thought—
He could be ours.
The thought stayed longer than it should have. Then I pushed it away. It didn't make sense. It couldn't be true.
Where are you, Sera?
Is Rin with you?
If he is, then he is still doing what he promised. Protecting you.
And Pearl… he is alive. I know it.
All of you are.
You have to be.
Azron stood at the mountain facing Orchid Village. His gaze stayed on the village longer than necessary, as if searching for something his eyes could not reach. His expression remained controlled, but there was a quiet weight behind it. Another place. Another search without answers. He drew a slow breath before turning away and mounting his horse, preparing to return to Mort City once again.
He had been doing this for four years. Traveling to distant lands, following any trace that might lead to Sera and Rin. Then returning to Mort City to fulfill his duties, as if nothing had changed. As if he had not been searching at all.
MORT EAGLE FORTRESS – Eastern Territory
"Lord Azron, Vaiel's army has conquered two free lands again," General Jidu reported, his voice steady but cautious.
Azron stood with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the map before him. His eyes did not move, as if he were not only looking at territories—but measuring something beyond them.
"Shouldn't we do something about their expansion?" General Jidu asked, watching for any shift in his lord's expression.
"Let them be… for now," Azron answered. His voice was calm, firm, without hesitation. "Let them savor their win for a short while."
His gaze remained on the map, unmoved. But his mind was elsewhere—searching, calculating, not just for war… but for something lost.
General Jidu gave a slight nod before stepping away. Outside, he approached Generals Wang and Dan, who stood observing the warriors during their training.
"Let me guess," General Dan said, crossing his arms as Jidu approached. "He's on the map again?"
Jidu nodded, his expression heavy.
General Wang let out a quiet breath. "It's been six years. Do you think he'll ever stop?"
"It's his way to stay standing," General Dan replied. "He has lost too much."
The three generals stood in silence, watching the warriors train. But none of them were truly focused on the movements before them. Their thoughts were elsewhere.
On Rin.
On Sera.
They never spoke of it, but the loss remained. Just as deep as their lord's.
A warrior approached, breaking their silence.
"Generals, Vaiel's army has marched toward a free land on the far side of the continent."
General Jidu lifted a hand, signaling him to stand down.
"We'll just let Vaiel continue taking those lands?" General Wang asked, his tone uncertain.
"His Lordship gave the order," General Jidu replied, letting out a quiet breath. "Let them enjoy their short victory… before we take it all back."
ORCHID VILLAGE
Sera stared at the candy bar in her hand when Runar stepped inside the kitchen. For a brief moment, she hid it in her pocket, almost instinctively, as if it carried something too personal, too fragile to be seen. But Runar had already noticed it. He always noticed things about her that others would miss.
"You've been staring at that thing for days. Are you okay?" he asked as he stepped beside her, helping her quietly tidy up the bowls.
"Yeah. It's nothing."
"You know you can tell me if something's bothering you."
Sera paused. Her hands slowed slightly, caught between honesty and silence, as if his voice had reached a part of her she usually kept locked away. Then her gaze lifted up to Runar.
"Runar, I appreciate everything you have done for my family. But my answer is still the same…"
"I know…" Runar looked at her, his expression soft and steady, a faint smile forming as if he had already made peace with her answer. "I am not doing this to convince you to accept me. I just… think of this as my way of thanking you for bringing me to the right path. And this makes me happy… doing this with you… and Arelus."
He continued tidying the bowls, his movements calm and unhurried, as if the moment itself was something he didn't want to break.
Sera couldn't dismiss him. Not completely. Runar had never forced her, never pushed her beyond what she was willing to give. He simply stayed—patient, consistent, quietly present in her life even after being rejected again and again. Somewhere along the way, she had grown used to him. So much that his presence no longer felt like something foreign, but something that belonged there. Familiar. Almost like family.
They both continued tidying the kitchen when the door suddenly burst open.
A wounded village guard stumbled inside.
"Chief…"
He fell to his knees as blood poured from his stomach, his strength failing him in an instant.
Runar caught him immediately. "What' happened?"
Sera froze for a second, then swiftly removed the apron tied around her waist, her movements controlled but sharp—like something inside her had already prepared for bad news.
"In…vaders."
The warrior collapsed lifeless onto the floor.
Sera and Runar stepped outside the restaurant at once—and the sight that met them stole the air from their lungs. The village had already fallen into chaos. Villagers were being chased through the streets by cavalry warriors, their screams cutting through smoke and steel.
Sera's eyes widened the moment she recognized the insignia.
Vaiels.
"Where's Ru and Arelus?" Sera asked quickly.
"Arelus is at Mr. Soh's shop. Ru… he's at the gate."
"Go to Ru." Sera said immediately, already running.
Runar sprinted toward the gates. The deeper he went into the village, the worse the destruction became. Vaiel's army moved like a blade through flesh—precise, unstoppable, merciless. Every attempt to resist was met with overwhelming force.
Runar fought back when he could, but the enemies were too skilled. Too coordinated. It felt less like a battle… and more like being swallowed alive.
Then Rin appeared, cutting through the chaos and pulling him to cover.
"Where's Aila and Arelus?" Rin asked, dispatching two attackers in a single motion.
"Mr. Soh's shop."
They barely had time to breathe before more enemies closed in. Runar's eyes caught sight of his fallen men—some still moving, most already gone. Vaiel's forces were not just strong. They were disciplined. Relentless. There was no hesitation in their killing.
A Vaiel warrior suddenly charged at Runar. Before the strike landed, Rin intercepted it, locking blades mid-air. The force of the impact sent sparks flying. The warrior stumbled back, then froze when he saw Rin's face.
"General Rin… You're… alive?"
Runar ended him in the next second, blade cutting through before the man could speak again.
Rin stayed still for a moment, eyes fixed on the body.
General…?
Why did he call me that?
The thought lingered, but did not settle. Not while more enemies surged toward them. Yet something inside him tightened—an unfamiliar familiarity in the blood, the steel, the rhythm of war. It did not feel new. It felt remembered.
Meanwhile, Sera arrived at Mr. Soh's shop—but stopped at the entrance.
The place was destroyed.
Completely.
Her chest tightened as she saw blood scattered across the floor. She moved inside quickly, searching until she found Mr. and Mrs. Soh wounded and hiding beneath a table.
Sera signed urgently, her hands steady but tense, asking where Arelus was.
I made him escape when those men attacked us. Mrs. Soh signed back quickly.
Sera immediately checked their wounds. They were not fatal. Relief barely had time to form before Mrs. Soh urged her to leave and find Arelus.
Hide. Be careful. Sera signed before stepping out again.
Her heart was pounding hard now, each beat heavier than the last. Her eyes moved through the chaos, refusing to stop. The village was collapsing around her—fire, screams, steel, and running shadows.
Where are you, Arelus…
She grabbed a fallen guard's sword and stepped into the chaos.
Her movements changed instantly.
Controlled. Precise. Merciless.
Enemies fell one after another as she advanced. Fear was there—but it never reached her hands. Her blade did not hesitate. Each strike ended a life cleanly.
Some Vaiel soldiers saw her and froze mid-step.
Like they had seen something impossible.
"Lady Mort?...Go to Lord Lurion and report what you've seen here," one ordered to another sharply.
A soldier mounted his horse and fled the village at full speed.
Sera did not stop.
She searched every corner, every shadow. No sign of Arelus. Not at the restaurant. Not at home.
At the gates, she finally saw Rin and Runar standing among the destruction, scanning for survivors. The village was no longer what it was. Only ruins remained—burned homes, broken bodies, silence replacing life.
Rin noticed her immediately and walked toward her.
"Where's Arelus?" he asked.
Sera shook her head slowly.
A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.
A village guard suddenly stood, barely alive.
"I saw him… He was taken by the invaders. Along with some women and children."
Sera dropped to her knees.
Her breath broke.
Tears fell freely now, her body trembling under the weight of it all.
Rin stood frozen.
Runar moved quickly and held her shoulders.
"Hey… toughen up! You need to toughen up. Arelus needs you!"
Sera slowly lifted her gaze to him.
For a moment, something in her shifted.
The breaking stopped.
The panic settled.
And something harder took its place.
She inhaled deeply, forcing herself back into control.
Then she stood.
She walked toward Rin.
"Take Pearl. Tell him to take you to Lord Azron of Mort," Sera said, her voice steady, her eyes sharp and unshaken.
"What?" Rin asked, confused.
"Do what I said."
Without another word, she turned and walked out of the gates.
"I'll go with you," Runar followed immediately.
"No."
Sera stopped and looked at him. She didn't need to say it. The truth was already there—that this path was beyond him.
Runar understood.
He didn't follow further.
Before she left, Rin stepped forward and held her hand.
"Find Arelus… please be careful."
Sera mounted the horse and rode out without hesitation, chasing the trail of Vaiel's army into the distance.
Behind her, Rin and Runar stood still, watching her disappear into the mountains.