Buzz.

A ringing sound filled her ears.

How much time had passed? It felt like an eternity in a moment.

Rohana was in Heath’s arms. If he hadn’t completely shielded her, her body would have been shattered.

“Heath!”

Startled, she shook him to wake him up. His eyelids fluttered, and as he looked at Rohana, a glimmer of relief appeared in his eyes.

“Are you alright?”

She nodded, and his arms tightened around her. However, his half-open eyes suddenly widened in shock as they focused on something behind her.

Barely managing to turn her head, Rohana froze at the sight before her.

The ground not far away had split open.

A trap.

Bardi and his guards were quickly escaping, leaving the cliff created by the bomb behind them.

Below the newly formed crevasse, imperial and kingdom soldiers alike were falling as if they were being sucked into it.

“Kaiden!”

Rohana’s scream echoed.

Even the song had stopped. Amid the chaos and screams, the cracked ground continued to erupt with a series of explosions.

Her body trembled uncontrollably.

Tears fell from her eyes, driven by instinctual terror.

Then, it happened.

A pure white bird soared up from the cliff.

***

“I will.”

Kaiden’s body was pressed close against his galloping horse, cutting through the wind. He repeated to himself:

“I will kill him this time.”

His mother’s words about “waiting for the right time,” and the constant letters from his grandfather, the former emperor, saying “you must return,”

None of it mattered anymore.

He wasn’t going to wait for the right time, only to find himself in another humiliating situation like this.

He didn’t want to allow even the possibility of that again. Return? What was so great about returning to that place?

The past fifteen years had been enough, protecting his self and his people.

Kaiden furrowed his brow.

He had tried to live by closing his eyes and ears, thinking of ways to live so that no one would get hurt.

Even when Axton, a fellow member of the Kark Tribe, betrayed him, calling him the empire’s loyal dog, he didn’t care.

The living must survive.

The thought of sacrificing countless lives just to engage in battle had always felt reckless.

The memory of blood filling his lungs, suffocating him, still haunted his dreams. He had feared that he, and the people he couldn’t control, would all die in the same way.

“Duke Delcliff! Hurry up! The troops are falling behind.”

A commander, presumably leading the kingdom’s army, shouted. It seemed they couldn’t cover him. It didn’t matter.

But not anymore.

Underneath his silver hair, Kaiden’s sharp eyes didn’t waver, focusing on a single point.

‘Even a coward like me can’t avoid this reason.’

‘If things stay like this, she’ll never find peace anywhere.’

He would end the situation that prevented Rohana from resting anywhere.

‘If things stay like this, I can never be with her.’

He would end the life where he couldn’t even look at Rohana.

Suddenly, ice pillars shot up, faster than Kaiden’s speed, binding the legs of the imperial soldiers’ horses from the ground up.

The horses, galloping at full speed, had their legs tied, and the soldiers were flung violently onto the hard rocky ground due to the momentum.

Those lucky enough to avoid the ice pillars were cut down by the blue blade as they passed Kaiden.

‘I will become the emperor so that no one can stand in my way.’

The imperial army was practically becoming human shields, trying to slow down Kaiden’s advance.

‘Deliberate.’

It seemed the leader was fleeing at the front.

Kaiden’s brows furrowed in frustration at that moment.

Boom!

A sudden deafening sound shook the ground. He tried to stabilize himself with ice and magic, but when he realized the ground was collapsing beneath him, it was too late.

In moments like these, every decision counts.

Kaiden abandoned the horse’s reins and drew his sword and dagger, driving them into the wall to slow his fall.

The tremendous impact and weight bore down on his wrists. The combined force of his previous speed and the sudden shock caused his body to continue falling along the wall.

‘At this rate, the sword will break.’

Imperial and kingdom soldiers alike were plummeting into the bottomless crevasse below.

Using his magic, Kaiden raised ice pillars, allowing many soldiers to climb onto them, avoiding death despite the harsh landing.

Damn it.

The blue light from his sword shifted to white.

Damn it!

If he stopped using his magic with one hand, those soldiers would fall to their deaths again.

Rohana’s face flashed before his eyes.

He would become emperor.

That was the only way.

Kaiden gritted his teeth. His muscles bulged as he pulled himself up, but then he heard a *crack* as the rock beneath him began to crumble.

It was Shatonwell’s unique rocky terrain.

If he planted his sword in the wrong spot, the rock would split.

‘Give up the ice.’

It felt as if Lazar’s voice was echoing in his mind. Kaiden couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity, even in this situation. Why was Lazar’s voice popping up in his head at a time like this?

‘Shut up.’

‘I win my way.’

At that moment, he felt a familiar gust of wind from above. Straining his neck, he looked up, and their eyes met.

Eyes as beautiful as opal gemstones.

“A beautiful yet eerie song.”

Rohana’s voice came to mind.

“How can something be beautiful and eerie at the same time?”

When he had asked that, Rohana had responded with her characteristic elegant smile.

“Of course.”

As soon as Kaiden let go of the rock he had been clinging to with his left hand, his falling body was effortlessly caught by Caladrius, who lifted him onto its back.

Using magic, he quickly raised the ice pillars, and in an instant, everyone was lifted up from the cliff.

Outside, the wind was also blowing strongly. From their elevated position, the view became clear.

‘Bardi.’

Kaiden’s sharp eyes locked onto the emperor.

Bardi, moving away at an impressive speed, turned back in disbelief. The knights beside him urged him to ride faster, pushing their horses to the limit.

‘I will kill him.’

It was at the moment Kaiden was about to jump down.

Caladrius, standing at the cliff’s edge, suddenly soared high into the air with a gust of wind.

Unable to jump, Kaiden reflexively cursed, but then he noticed the beast staring intently at him.

Its gaze, as mysterious as opals set in its eyes, was fixed on the fortress of Shatonwell. Kaiden furrowed his brows.

Standing upright, Kaiden stared back at Caladrius.

“The moment you recruited R.D., such perfect loyalty became impossible.”

The voice in his head tore at his heart.

Bardi was getting further away. Perhaps he could still catch up and kill him with the remaining soldiers.

But.

“If you don’t return now, Shatonwell will fall.”

That’s what Caladrius’ eyes were saying. Kaiden slowly raised his gaze, which had been lowered.

‘Rohana.’

As if understanding Kaiden’s thoughts, Caladrius finally shifted its opal eyes and spread its broad wings. A gust of wind blew as Caladrius rapidly descended, placing Kaiden on the ground. His blood-soaked, heavy boots hit the earth with a thud.

‘Just wait a little longer.’

Just a little longer.

“Return to the fortress!”

At his command, the kingdom’s soldiers spurred their horses faster than ever before.

‘I will settle this.’

As Kaiden jumped down, Caladrius soared high into the sky, rapidly ascending.

‘I will become emperor.’

***

Rohana screamed, covering her mouth, as Heath lifted her into his arms.

Seeing Caladrius rise from the cliff, Heath immediately placed her on his horse. Without hesitation, he rode in the opposite direction.

“Heath!”

‘What are you doing?! How can you run away?!’

Before she could even shout, Heath looked back and yelled into her ear.

“Kaiden is safe!”

His voice was sharp and harsh. Looking back again, she saw Kaiden standing on Caladrius.

As his figure grew distant, tears began to fall uncontrollably.

“Hold on tight.”

The horse began to gallop with such force it seemed it might break through the rocks. As Heath leaned forward as much as possible, Rohana, seated in front of him, had no choice but to cling to the horse.

She closed her eyes, trying to block out the sound of explosions and screams.

Tears fell without her understanding why.

How long had they been riding?

The strange rock formations of Shatonwell disappeared, and they arrived in a forest of lush, broad-leaved trees. The horse, now exhausted, slowed down. Heath, who had been holding her tightly, slumped, and the horse gradually came to a stop.

Rohana slowly opened her eyes.

The forest was beautiful, with many fresh sprouts, though not yet fully grown.

The sound of hooves on soil, heard after so long, made everything that had just happened feel like a dream.

Rohana turned around slowly. Heath, watching her, gave her a faint smile before looking ahead again.

“Where are we going?”

“We were supposed to head to Nopthal…”

Heath trailed off.

“But it seems there might be battles along the way.”

Had Bardi been so thorough?

Rohana, feeling weary, slowly nodded. At that moment, Heath’s large hand gently stroked her head.

“Don’t worry too much. I have many friends here.”

Rohana, slightly surprised, opened her eyes wider before quickly turning her gaze forward again.

Familiar sights of a village appeared in Heath’s view, causing him to let out a brief chuckle at the bitter irony.

This was Kelly, in the southern region.

The territory of Franz Soyez, one of the few remaining imperial lands with a significant Kark Tribe population.

And also, the hometown of Aurelia Bree.

Should he mention that?

Heath thought bitterly as he slowly urged the horse forward.