The last one let out a horrible shriek as it fell—half its body missing, its head fal off to the ground.
And just like that, it was over.
No more of these things.
Just the wheezing of tired men, and the quiet crackle of distant flames.
The knights stood still for a few seconds. Maybe to be sure it was real. Maybe because they were too exhausted to move.
Then one of them spoke. "That was the last of them…"
Another muttered, "Since when do whispering demons travel in packs?"
No one answered.
Because no one had ever seen that before.
But I had.
---
A few soldiers started checking the wounded. Some tended to the broken barricades. But the higher-ranked ones—captain types—grouped near the center of the camp. I didn't have to be close to hear their voices rise.
"We have to move her."
"The princess shouldn't have been this close in the first place."
"Get her to the capital. There's no safer place."
"And her guard's stationed there, isn't she? The Royal Guard?"
"Lady Celyne, yes."
That name again.
I didn't know who she was, but they said it like the word safety.
---
A few minutes later, Lana walked through the camp—still upright, still calm—but there was a tightness in her expression. The kind people wear when they're trying not to look shaken.
They gave her updates. She just nodded.
"We leave at first light," she said. "Prepare the wagons."
No one questioned it.
Everyone got to work.
---
Things had finally gone quiet.
The fires were under control, the villagers safe. The soldiers—bruised, bloodied, breathing—stood guard, muttering low as they prepared for whatever might come next. The air still smelled like ash and burned flesh.
Silence.
I sat a little ways off, cleaning the blood off my stick—no, my spear. My hands moved on their own now. I didn't need to look.
I heard footsteps approach. Light. Careful.
Her.
Princess Lana stopped just a step away and didn't speak at first. I didn't look up.
"I understand Mina more now," she said quietly.
My grip paused for half a second. I looked at her.
She wasn't smiling. She looked... tired. Not physically, just deep down. Like someone who'd been holding their breath for hours.
"She told me you were strange," she continued, eyes on the fading treetops. "Different. Not in a bad way. I think I understand what she meant now."
I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.
Lana inhaled slowly. Her hands were clasped in front of her like she was trying not to fidget.
She looked down at her hands.
"I'd never seen one before. Not directly. Not until yesterday, when the knights came back from the hunt and dropped its head in front of us."
Her fingers curled slightly, as if remembering the shape of it.
"I was scared out of my mind. I tried not to show it, but… when everything started, when people were screaming and the walls were cracking—"
She glanced at me, eyes hesitant.
"Then I saw you. Charging in alone to protect those villagers. No hesitation, no fear. Just... moving."
She smiled faintly, a little embarrassed.
"I don't think you realized what that did. To see someone move like that—it gave me the courage to fight too."
My chest tightened.
"I thought I was going to die," she admitted, voice softer. "I've trained, yes, but I've never actually fought one of those things. I thought I'd panic or freeze… but when I cast the light, I was trying to help you."
She looked away, embarrassed.
"I guess I just made things worse."
"…No," I said.
She turned back, surprised.
"You didn't make it worse," I said, quietly. "You acted."
Lana's expression shifted. She almost smiled.
"Still," she murmured. "Thank you. For saving me. And… I'm sorry I looked at you like you were the monster."
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Rubbed the back of my neck.
"…You're welcome," I said.
We stood there for a moment. Just two people, trying to make sense of things we weren't ready for.
---
Footsteps approached, light but hurried. Mina.
She gave a small bow. "Princess, the wagons are ready. The knights are waiting."
Lana nodded, then looked back at me. Her expression shifted—composed again, but not cold.
"I have to go to the capital. It's for my safety, apparently." She rolled her eyes just slightly, but there was tension behind it.
"I'll be leaving with the first group. You'll follow later, once the rest of the convoy is ready."
She paused. "When you get there… I'll try to find you."
A small, almost-smile touched her lips.
"Don't go dying on the way, Ark."
Then she turned, walking toward the carriage where Mina waited—her hair catching the evening light, her steps slower than usual.
She didn't look back.
---
Some time passed.
The first convoy rolled out with creaking wheels and clanking armor. Dust kicked up behind them, sunlight catching on the banners. I watched from the edge of the square, arms crossed, my old stick resting on my shoulder like always.
The knights that stayed behind weren't giving me the same suspicious looks anymore. One of them even gave me a nod—just a flick of the chin, but it meant something.
Another passed me a water skin without a word.
I guess saving a princess earns you a few points.
Didn't make me one of them. But it was better than silence.
I leaned back against the wall, eyes on the forest.
Second group would leave soon. I wasn't sure what waited for me in the capital, but... at least it wasn't another monster horde.
I hoped.
---
While I was double-checking my pack, a familiar pair walked up—the man and his kid from the village.
"Thank you," the father said with a deep bow. "Truly. You saved us."
I gave a stiff nod. "...Just did what anyone would do."
The man shook his head. "No. Most people would've run."
His son stepped forward, puffing his little chest out like a fledgling warrior. "When I grow up, I wanna be just like you!"
For a moment, I blanked out.
That line.
That was the line. The classic scene. The one right before the camera pans up to the sky and inspirational music kicks in.
I couldn't help it.
I smiled.
A full, unfiltered, face-cracking grin.
"Eww—"
The kid's voice cut off mid-syllable as his dad quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and gave me the most awkward smile I've ever seen. "eh...."
I stood there, still smiling, frozen in my own cinematic smile.
"Second group! Move out!" a knight bellowed from the road.
"...Right, goodbye" I muttered, turning away before anyone else could react.
As I walked, I slowly let my expression die.
No more smiling.
That was a mistake.
Smiling was dangerous. Reckless. Humiliating.
From now on, I'd be a stoic shadow of a man. A brooding hero with zero emotion.
Cool. Mysterious. Unapproachable.
Basically… emotionally constipated.
Perfect.
But god damnit they didn't have to react like that. TWICE .
---
I got a seat inside the wagon this time.
No more guards eyeing me like I might sprout claws.
Just cushioned seats and knights who didn't know what to do with me.
"You really punched its head clean off?" one of them asked, eyes wide. "Just crack—like that?"
"Pretty much," I muttered, picking at the bread they'd given me.
Another leaned in, barely hiding his excitement. "So? What's your training secret? What kind of aura manipulation do you use? Or is it some ancient body-refining art?"
"…Uh." I chewed. Swallowed. "Hundred push-ups. Hundred sit-ups. Hundred squats. And ten kilometers of running. Every day."
They blinked.
"What's a push-up?" one asked, genuinely confused.
"And what in the goddess's name is a kilo…killo…?"
"Kilometers," I corrected.
Blank stares all around.
I sighed and leaned back.
"Forget it," I muttered. "It's classified."
One of them nodded like that made complete sense. Another whispered, "He must've trained in a forgotten monastery or something."
I didn't correct them.
Honestly? That was probably more believable than the truth.
---
The journey was longer than I expected.
The knights joked, dozed, and occasionally tried to get more training tips out of me. I pretended to be asleep most of the time.
But when the wagon finally slowed, I peeked out—and forgot to blink.
Massive walls towered over us, casting shadows across the road. Polished white stone, lined with gold inlays that shimmered under the sun. Watchtowers stood like silent sentinels, and beyond them, rooftops stretched like a forest of marble and slate.
The capital.
Elaria.
A line of carriages and travelers waited at the gates, flanked by armored guards who looked like they hadn't smiled in years. But when they saw our banner, they straightened and saluted. The whole convoy rolled in without question.
People watched as we passed—merchants, nobles, servants, children. Some stared at the knights with admiration.
Some stared at me like I'd grown an extra head.
I didn't blame them.
My clothes were still partly burned. My stick—I mean, my spear—was strapped to my back. And apparently, my expression was permanently set to "stone face."
We rolled through the gates.
I sat there, quiet, watching the city open up before me.
Stone-paved streets. Ornate fountains. Flower stalls. Flags fluttering from balconies. It was beautiful. Alive. Normal.
It felt like a movie scene.
---
The wagon finally rolled to a halt.
We'd reached the capital.
The others began unloading—knights stretching stiff limbs, horses snorting, leather creaking as gear shifted. I stepped down, taking in the city beyond the gate. Stone roads. Towering walls. Layers of buildings stacked uphill like puzzle pieces. It was loud, busy, alive.
A few knights exchanged glances.
Then one of them walked up to me—one of the older ones who'd treated me decently since the village.
"We know you saved lives back there," he said. "We respect that."
He paused. His tone shifted.
"But you're still under suspicion. You appeared out of nowhere, talk about red skies and... things no one's ever seen. You're not exactly normal."
I didn't argue.
"So," he continued, "you'll need to be looked at. Standard investigation. Questions. Maybe magic stuff. Don't cause trouble, and it won't take long."
He glanced at one of the younger knights. "You, go with him. Make sure it's all done proper."
The knight nodded and motioned for me to follow.
So I did.
---
We moved through the city on foot.
The knight led the way without much talk, and I followed, taking in everything.
It was… different.
Stone buildings with curved roofs. Hanging banners I couldn't read. People in robes and armor, merchants shouting, carriages rattling past pulled by beasts that didn't exist in my world.
And not just humans.
I saw a tall man with pointed ears arguing with a dwarf-looking guy near a fruit stall. A girl walked by with glowing blue markings running down her arms like tattoos. A couple of kids floated a ball between them—literally floated, like with magic.
Fantasy.
I was in a fantasy world.
The realization hit all at once. For a second, I almost grinned like a fool.
Then I remembered the last time I smiled like that.
...Right. Better not.
I rubbed the back of my neck and kept walking.
---
After a while, we came to a stop in front of a tall, slate-colored building with silver spires and arched windows. It didn't look like a palace, or a church. More like the kind of place where people dissected mysteries—and didn't mind getting their hands dirty doing it.
"What is this place called?"
"Observatorium Arcanum."
Yeah. That sounded about right.
"This is where they investigate… unusual cases," the knight said beside me. "Magical anomalies, unidentified creatures, and, well—people who fall from the sky."
I gave him a look. "That happened before?"
He grinned. "Nope. You're the first."
We stepped through the gates. The air inside was colder—quiet, polished, too clean. Robes rustled. Quills scratched paper. Nobody smiled.
The knight walked me up to a tall desk manned by a thin man with sharp eyes and ink-stained gloves.
"This is the one," the knight said.
The man looked at me like I was a puzzle missing most of its pieces.
"…Very well. Follow me."
Just like that, I was handed off. No cuffs, no chains—just quiet tension and too many eyes.
I glanced back once. The knight gave me a nod, then turned and walked off.
And I was alone again.
---
we walk for a while and stopped at a big pair of door at the end of the hallway.
The metal door groaned open ahead of me.
I stepped through.
It wasn't cold, not physically, but my skin prickled all the same. The room inside felt… ancient. Like secrets were soaked into the walls. Three people sat at the far end—robes, pendants, eyes sharp enough to cut through steel.
I didn't know if they were priests, mages, or something else entirely.
They gestured for me to sit. I did.
No one spoke at first. Then, finally, the woman in the middle raised her gaze.
"State your name and origin."
"My name's Ark," I said. "I'm from... Myanmar."
A pause.
"Where is that?" one of the men asked.
I hesitated. "Far. And… I don't know how to get back. If I did, I wouldn't be here."
More writing. Pens scraping quietly on parchment.
"Describe your arrival."
I told them. About the red mist. The endless walk. The monsters. The Eye in the sky. The second portal that opened on its own. I left out some things. The voice. The clock. The woman in the void. I didn't know what they were yet, and I wasn't in the mood to be locked up for sounding crazy.
When I was done, one of them—bald, deep wrinkles, sharp tongue—leaned back and scoffed.
"What nonsense. This could all be a constructed story. A ploy."
The other man grunted. "He may be a cultist. A shapeshifter. The Order has seen stranger."
I stayed silent.
Then the woman closed her eyes.
Her voice came out smooth, but final.
"He's telling the truth."
They both turned toward her.
"You can't know that," the first man snapped. "Even light magic can't penetrate—"
"I said," she repeated, "he's telling the truth."
That shut them up.
I frowned.
Light magic…?
Something about that rang in my head. A memory.
Golden beams pushing through monsters in the village. Radiant, divine—almost too bright to look at.
Princess Lana's magic.
Then… her face the night by the fire. When she asked about my "friends." When I lied and she looked me dead in the eye and said:
"Liar."
I blinked.
That wasn't just a guess.
She knew.
A moment later, the man beside the woman chuckled, clearing his throat. "Hmph. Perk of being chosen by the Light, I suppose."
That sealed it.
She could sense lies. And so can Lana.