Chapter 9
Season Two – Part One
End of Part One
The Next Day
The morning was too quiet…
A silence that pressed on the chest instead of easing it.
Kaith looked around, confused, as if searching for a presence he had grown used to.
Kaith (frowning):
"Where is Alia? I haven't seen her today…!"
Without taking his eyes off the horizon, Reinhardt replied:
Reinhardt (calmly):
"She left this morning… didn't you know?"
Kaith froze for a moment, as if the words hadn't fully reached him.
Kaith (shocked):
"What?! Reinhardt, don't joke like that… are you serious?!"
Reinhardt turned to him, his expression firm—cold eyes hiding something deeper.
Reinhardt:
"Kaith… what does it matter to you? Whether she left or stayed, it was her decision. You have no right to stop her. Who do you think you are?"
Kaith hesitated, his voice lowering despite himself:
Kaith:
"Because… she's my friend. And she didn't even tell me she was leaving."
Something flickered briefly in Reinhardt's eyes… but he hid it quickly.
Reinhardt:
"Maybe she knew you'd be too hurt… so she chose not to tell you."
Kaith bit his lip.
Kaith:
"But—"
Reinhardt cut him off sharply, almost as if escaping something within himself:
Reinhardt (angrily):
"No 'but'! Are you going to stand here crying? Where's your pride as a dragon? Your kingdom is in ruins, and you're complaining because Alia left?!"
Kaith lowered his head for a moment… then raised it again, stubbornness mixed with real pain.
Kaith:
"I'm sorry, Reinhardt… but put yourself in my place. Your only friend leaves you."
Silence fell—heavy and suffocating.
Reinhardt's gaze drifted away… as if the past had grabbed him against his will.
He laughed quietly, placing a hand over his eyes, tilting his head back… then looked at Kaith.
Reinhardt (quietly):
"When I was your age… I wished he had left me… instead of what happened to him. Back then… I regretted it. I regretted it a lot."
Kaith was caught off guard.
Kaith:
"What happened to him?"
Reinhardt looked at him with a deadly seriousness… a gaze that didn't allow further questions.
Reinhardt:
"He died."
A chill ran through Kaith's body—not from the word itself… but from the way it was said.
Gilgamesh Enters
The silence was broken by Gilgamesh's voice, carrying the weight of a king with limited time.
Gilgamesh:
"Reinhardt, Kaith… you both know I'm a king. I can't stay here much longer. My kingdom will be in danger. But Kaith… I'll send Arion in my place."
Kaith's eyes widened instantly:
Kaith:
"Arion?! I haven't seen him in three years!"
Gilgamesh smiled faintly:
Gilgamesh:
"He'll arrive in about three days… after I leave, of course."
For the first time since morning, something lit up in Kaith's eyes.
Kaith (with slight excitement):
"That's great!"
Inside Reinhardt's Mind
Arion…
A person I once trusted.
How strange… to see him again after everything that happened…
His thoughts stopped abruptly.
After Gilgamesh Leaves
Kaith stood, looking at Reinhardt as if the world was closing in.
Kaith:
"What do we do now, Reinhardt?"
Reinhardt stepped closer, his movements steady.
Reinhardt:
"Do you want to stay weak like this? Of course… I'll train you."
A spark of challenge ignited in Kaith's eyes.
Kaith:
"Of course. Let's go. I won't disappoint you."
Under the Royal Palace Mountain
Kaith stood in shock before the massive mountain.
Kaith:
"Why are we here?"
Reinhardt:
"Climb to the top."
Kaith smiled confidently:
Kaith:
"That's easy with my new flying ability—"
Reinhardt raised an eyebrow.
Reinhardt:
"Who said you're allowed to use it?"
He pulled out a medium-sized stone… but something about it felt wrong.
Reinhardt:
"You'll carry this on your back… and climb."
Kaith chuckled lightly:
Kaith:
"That's still eas—"
But the moment he tried to lift it… it slipped from his hands—
CRACK! The ground beneath it shattered.
His eyes widened.
Kaith:
"What the hell is this?! How heavy is it?!"
Reinhardt pointed at the mountain.
Reinhardt:
"About fifty times its weight."
Kaith:
"What?! You were holding it like nothing!"
Reinhardt smirked slightly:
Reinhardt:
"I'm far stronger than you. Don't compare yourself to me… you'll only get disappointed."
Kaith lifted the stone onto his back… his knees nearly buckling.
Reinhardt leaned closer and whispered coldly:
Reinhardt:
"I forgot to mention… this is a gravity stone. Along with its weight, it multiplies the gravity on you tenfold."
Kaith shouted in real anger this time:
Kaith:
"Reinhardt! You damn bastaaaard!"
Reinhardt smiled mischievously:
Reinhardt:
"I'll be waiting at the top. If I don't see you within a day… I'll add another stone."
He launched toward the peak.
Kaith:
"REINHAAAARDT!!!"
Kaith began climbing…
After sunset…
After night fell…
Just before dawn—
His breaths were heavy…
His hands were bleeding…
His body trembling…
But he reached the top.
Kaith (exhausted, victorious):
"Finally…"
He found Reinhardt lying down as if he'd done nothing.
Reinhardt:
"I didn't expect you to finish it in less than three days."
Kaith approached, anger mixed with exhaustion:
Kaith:
"You knew it was nearly impossible!"
Reinhardt suddenly stood and stepped right in front of him.
Reinhardt:
"Since you're now a near-complete dragon… I'll test something."
Kaith:
"What—"
He pushed him.
No warning.
No hesitation.
Reinhardt:
"If you survive… I'll teach you some of my abilities."
Kaith screamed as he fell, the wind tearing his voice apart:
Kaith:
"I'LL KILL YOU IF I SURVIIIIIVE!!"
He hit the ground.
Silence.
Reinhardt looked down.
Reinhardt:
"Did he die…?"
He descended in seconds.
Kaith was bleeding… but alive.
Kaith opened his eyes with difficulty:
Kaith (smirking proudly):
"I survived… now give me your abilities."
For the first time… a genuine, satisfied smile appeared on Reinhardt's face.
Reinhardt:
"Well done, Kaith."
…
Reinhardt:
"Do you know… last time I defeated you using less than a fraction of my power."
Kaith stopped breathing for a moment.
Kaith:
"You're joking… right?"
Reinhardt:
"No. I'm under a restriction… I can currently use less than a quarter of my full power."
Kaith:
"Why?!"
Reinhardt's expression changed.
Reinhardt:
"You, of all people… I can't tell you the reason."
A strange voice cut through the air behind them:
???
"I am Nox, the royal advisor of the Kingdom of Arlin… Kaith Asterion, heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Ars. King Arx orders you to either surrender this land… or face war. You are granted one year to decide. I do not advise refusing the king's mercy."
He vanished… as if he never existed.
Kaith froze.
Kaith:
"What do we do now?!"
Reinhardt:
"We fight. This is your land."
Kaith:
"But they're extremely strong!"
Reinhardt:
"And you… are a near-complete dragon. In a few months, the balance will change. And Arx won't participate personally… because he knows Gilgamesh would intervene."
Kaith took a slow breath.
Kaith:
"How do they know I'll refuse?"
Reinhardt looked at him with certainty:
Reinhardt:
"Someone who returns to rebuild his kingdom… won't abandon it easily."
A short silence passed.
Then Reinhardt said:
Reinhardt:
"I have a surprise for you."
He led Kaith to a wide field.
There… stood the nobles who had once abandoned the kingdom.
When they saw him…
They all bowed.
And in one voice, filled with awe and final acknowledgment, they said:
"We welcome you… Crown Prince… and the new King… Kaith Asterion."
Time seemed to stop.
"Your Majesty."
He was no longer just an angry young man.
No longer just a potential dragon.
Kaith swallowed hard.
The title felt heavier than the gravity stone itself.
Then Reinhardt said, with confidence:
Reinhardt:
"Don't forget… I'm always with you."
End of Chapter — End of Part One of Season Two