The orphanage stood at the end of a narrow stone street.
Flames climbed its wooden walls, devouring the roof beam by beam. Thick black smoke rolled into the sky, carrying sparks that drifted onto nearby buildings. People gathered at a distance, shouting in panic, but none dared enter.
"The ceiling's collapsing!"
"We need water!"
"Someone save the children!"
Kael didn't slow down.
He pushed through the crowd until the heat hit him like a wall.
A woman in a soot-covered apron grabbed his arm.
"Don't!" she cried. "You'll die!"
"How many are inside?"
"I… I don't know." Her voice trembled. "The matron went back in after the youngest children."
Kael looked at the burning doorway.
He wasn't a firefighter.
He wasn't a hero.
On Earth, he had never faced anything remotely like this.
His instincts screamed at him to stay back.
His conscience refused.
He took a deep breath.
"If I hesitate now…"
"…I'll regret it forever."
Without another word, he wrapped a damp cloth around his mouth, lowered his head, and rushed into the inferno.
Smoke and Ash
The heat was unbearable.
Every breath burned his lungs.
The corridor was almost invisible beneath the smoke, and burning beams cracked overhead with terrifying force.
"Is anyone here?" Kael shouted.
His voice echoed through the building.
A weak cough answered him.
He followed the sound into a small classroom.
Three children huddled beneath a wooden desk, their faces streaked with soot.
When they saw him, the oldest—a girl no older than ten—stood protectively in front of the others.
"Who are you?"
"I'm here to get you out."
She hesitated.
"You'll come back for Sister Miriam?"
Kael paused.
"Sister Miriam?"
"The matron." Tears welled in the girl's eyes. "She went upstairs to save the babies."
Kael clenched his jaw.
"First, we get you three outside."
The girl shook her head.
"We won't leave without her."
For a split second, frustration flared within him.
Then he remembered what fear felt like.
He knelt until he was at eye level with her.
"Listen to me."
"If all of us stay here…"
"…then no one gets out."
The girl stared into his eyes.
Perhaps it was his voice.
Perhaps it was the desperation she saw on his face.
Slowly, she nodded.
"Okay."
Kael lifted the youngest child into his arms.
"Stay close to me."
The three children followed as he retraced his path through the smoke.
A burning beam crashed down behind them, cutting off the hallway they had just crossed.
The youngest boy burst into tears.
"We're trapped!"
"No."
Kael forced calm into his voice, though his heart pounded.
"We'll find another way."
Outside
When Kael finally burst through a side entrance carrying the children, the crowd erupted into cheers.
"They're alive!"
"Thank the heavens!"
The woman who had tried to stop him embraced the children, sobbing with relief.
Kael gently set the smallest boy down.
"Is everyone safe?"
The oldest girl shook her head.
"Sister Miriam…"
His smile faded.
He looked back at the burning building.
Smoke poured from an upstairs window.
A shadow moved behind it.
Someone was still inside.
The crowd noticed it too.
"No…"
"It's too late."
"The stairs have collapsed."
"Nobody can reach her."
Kael's legs felt heavy.
He had done what he could.
The children were safe.
The trial should be over.
But he couldn't make himself walk away.
The Cost of a Choice
The Royal Covenant System appeared once more.
Trial Progress: Incomplete.
A king may save many…
…yet still mourn the ones he cannot reach.
There was no quest.
No reward.
No instruction.
Only those words.
Kael stared at the burning window.
"I can't save everyone…"
He whispered it as if saying the words aloud would make them easier to accept.
Behind him, Osric's voice echoed quietly.
"No king ever has."
Kael closed his eyes.
On Earth, he had often believed heroes always arrived in time.
This world was teaching him a harsher truth.
Sometimes…
Even doing your best wasn't enough.
Suddenly—
A tiny cry pierced the roar of the flames.
Not from upstairs.
From the attic.
A baby.
Kael's eyes snapped open.
The crowd froze.
They heard it too.
The cries grew louder.
Without thinking, Kael took one step toward the building.
Then another.
Osric watched silently.
He did not stop him.
Because this decision…
Had to be Kael's alone.