Heath watched as Kaiden quickly disappeared from sight.

“What are you doing?” Iz shouted sharply from behind.

“You let His Grace leave? Where is he going?” Iz’s eyes narrowed, her tone full of alarm.

For a moment, Heath couldn’t find the words. Why hadn’t he thought of it when the Caladrius appeared from the north?

“Surely not…”

“Heath!” Iz’s urgent voice pulled him back to the moment.

“Rohana is in danger. It seems she’s headed toward Lazar,” Heath finally responded.

“What are you talking about?” Iz’s pale eyes hardened with concern.

“Are you saying His Grace went there in his current state?” Iz asked in disbelief.

“We need to finish the battle first,” Heath said, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Don’t worry about that,” Iz replied, her gaze shifting toward a familiar figure who had just dismounted and was approaching them.

“Heath.”

It was Isla, with her bright red, curly hair tied up high. Behind her, Shatonwell’s army was advancing.

“Isla.” Heath approached her without any formalities, but she didn’t seem to mind and looked up at him.

“Send a message to the army still in Nopthal. Tell them to head to *that place* immediately.”

“’That place’? Now? Why?” Iz’s eyes widened.

The palace army was still fiercely retaliating, and the lords of various regions, as subjects of the Empire, were laying down their lives. Pulling the troops from Nopthal and other regions wasn’t an option.

Even though the emperor was dead, some would continue to resist.

And, more importantly, many were still unaware of the emperor’s demise.

“That’s too dangerous,” Iz argued.

“Kaiden has gone there,” Heath said.

“What?” Isla’s brow furrowed.

“Why?”

“Rohana,” Heath answered honestly. “She’s there.”

For a moment, something flickered across Isla’s face, and Heath caught it instantly.

“Why would Rohana go there?” Heath pressed, moving closer. Isla hesitated briefly before speaking.

“I gave her an ancient book.”

“A book?” Heath asked.

“Yes, to Rohana Delcliff, specifically.”

“What kind of book?”

“It talks about how, when an Arin tribesman becomes the embodiment of a demon, they gain immense power but also immense responsibility. Especially when wielding weap*ns infused with demonic energy, like swords or bows, those weap*ns can even destroy beings beyond human comprehension,” Isla recited quickly and quietly.

Heath blinked and opened his eyes slowly. He had known Rohana had a special plan, but he never imagined that her target would be Lazar.

If he had known, he would have stopped her.

Heath glanced down at his wrist, where the scar had almost faded.

“Send a search party from Nopthal. I’ll command the Nopthal army, and you…” Heath trailed off.

“Alright, I got it,” Isla replied, quickly dispatching a messenger bird as she looked around. Bardi Rentworth was gone, and the Kark tribe was winning the war.

“What should we do now?” Isla muttered uneasily as she gazed at the battlefield.

“What else is going on?” Heath asked, sensing her unease.

“There’s something odd in one of the history books we have,” Isla confessed after a slight hesitation.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s more of a prophecy book,” Isla finally said.

Heath’s brow furrowed.

“It predicted a war like this one, with the Arin tribe—essentially, the Empire—emerging victorious. The Kark tribe is described as betrayers, despite the Empire’s grace,” Isla said, her voice trembling slightly.

“How could that be in a history book?” Heath asked, puzzled.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? The book is thought to have been written before the Unification War, so even we don’t know how to interpret it,” Isla replied.

“It’s probably just a coincidence,” Heath suggested.

“Maybe,” Isla agreed, shuddering slightly.

“But it’s so strange,” she murmured. “Everything in that prophecy has come true, except the roles are reversed.”

“What do you mean?” Heath asked, confused.

“In the Battle of Leaf, the Kark tribe suffered a great defeat, right?” Isla continued. “But in the prophecy, it was written the other way around. And the battle at the palace…” she trailed off, her gaze shifting toward the platform.

The emperor’s body, now covered in thick cloth, lay in a glass coffin.

“Even the way he died and how he looks… it’s all exactly the same.”

Isla shook her head vigorously.

“It must be an unbelievable coincidence, but…”

Heath listened to her quietly before turning to call Iz and Galad. Iz looked ready to chase after Kaiden immediately.

“Kaiden will help from Nopthal,” Heath said. It was the most logical decision.

“So we’ll do what we can,” he added.

“No, but still—!” Iz protested strongly, but Heath stopped her. Heath knew. And on some level, he trusted Kaiden.

Kaiden would succeed. He had to.

“It’s the right strategic move,” Heath said firmly. Iz, having no argument against that, fell silent.

“What if something goes wrong?” Galad cautiously added, concern in his voice.

“If we go now, there’s nothing we can change,” Heath replied calmly, stating the hard truth. “Get to your positions.”

Even without saying the word “order,” his eyes conveyed everything. Everyone quickly dispersed. Heath remained as calm as possible as he summoned a messenger bird and scribbled a note.

〈The army is fully deployed.〉

As soon as he released it, the bird soared swiftly toward the eastern sky.

‘May it help Kaiden, even in the slightest.’

‘May none of them be too late for each other.’

For the first time, Heath found himself praying as he moved forward.

***

Kaiden ran as fast as he could. Even though he was using magic, his speed wasn’t what it used to be. He had barely just passed Reaf, despite running with all his might.

“D*mn it.”

Kaiden realized just how broken his body was.

He let out a pained sigh, followed by a fit of coughing. Blood came out with it, leaving him so stunned that he didn’t even curse anymore.

He had forgotten how damaged his body was, especially after nearly falling to Bardi. He didn’t care what happened to him, but…

“If only I had…”

He clenched his fist tightly. His strength wasn’t what it used to be. How could he be in this condition at the very moment he needed his power the most?

“Did all this happen just for this…?”

Kaiden forced himself to stop those destructive thoughts and took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to lose control. He needed to stay calm, more than ever.

He retraced his thoughts logically. The fact that the Caladrius had appeared near Heath and then vanished must mean that something had happened to her. The Caladrius wouldn’t act strangely otherwise.

Every breath brought sharp pain to his lungs, as if they were filling with blood.

“There’s no time.”

There wasn’t much time left. If he could meet Rohana, if he could help her… he had only a short window to act.

Kaiden ran his hand through his sweat-drenched silver hair and gripped the reins tighter. His mind had never felt so clear. Had he ever been this focused before?

“Let’s go!”

His horse neighed loudly as it sped up. Ice slowly began forming on the ground beneath them. They were nearing the place that was perpetually winter.

The cliff—where Lazar “existed.” That was where Rohana would have chosen to attack Lazar.

It was the place where she could best utilize the Caladrius. And if she had acted recklessly, it was the only place she could have thrown herself from.

Kaiden bitterly regretted wanting to be a “good person” to her in the past.

Heath had been right. He shouldn’t have taught her magic.

Heath had been right. Even if he had put her to sleep with magic, she wouldn’t have quietly gone to the southern outskirts after regaining consciousness.

Heath had been right about everything.

He had acted too softly, wanting to win her favor. He had hoped that she would lower her guard, that she might see him as a good person, even just a little.

And that’s why he had done something so foolish.

He should have tied her up if necessary, kept her in a safe place, and protected her.

His selfish desire had ultimately put her in this dangerous situation.

“If I can’t undo this…”

If it couldn’t be undone, he had no intention of returning. No matter how much regret churned within him like thick mud, his determination remained crystal clear.

Just then, he sensed something in the sky. He quickly took a defensive stance, but it was Heath’s messenger bird that approached him.

〈The army is fully deployed.〉

The hastily scrawled handwriting showed just how urgent Heath had been. Kaiden conjured a small flame and burned the message, scribbling a quick reply.

〈Head to the canyon.〉

The bird flew swiftly toward the capital, and Kaiden felt a small sense of relief. Even in the worst-case scenario, Heath would find her.

Kaiden gauged how much time he had left. He pressed two fingers to the pulse on his right wrist.

Thankfully, his heart was still beating, likely due to the adrenaline rush. But that also meant his blood was draining faster. Nevertheless, Kaiden pushed forward.

“Rohana…”

It wasn’t over yet.

“This time, I’ll save you.”

Kaiden recalled the young girl who had saved him without knowing anything about him. The young Rohana had rescued him, asking for nothing in return.

Now, it was his turn.

Even if it meant he had to die to do it.

After running for another half-day, the air changed. Suddenly, a gust of wind carrying ice blew over him. The pain from his wounds felt almost welcome.

But something was wrong. He still had some distance left to cover before reaching the place.

“Why is the cold wind here already?”

Kaiden gazed up at the sky, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.