The baby's cries cut through the roar of the flames.
Thin.
Desperate.
Alive.
Kael stood motionless, his mind torn between reason and instinct.
The front half of the orphanage had already begun to collapse. Burning beams crashed through the roof, sending showers of sparks into the street. The stone walls groaned under the weight of the fire.
A man beside him grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't."
Kael looked at him.
The man was a city guard, his left arm badly burned. Blood trickled from a cut above his eye.
"I tried," the guard said, his voice hoarse. "The stairs are gone. The upper floor is falling apart."
"You'll only die with them."
Kael looked back at the building.
The cries came again.
His chest tightened.
On Earth, he had spent years telling himself that some things were beyond his control.
That someone else would step in.
Someone stronger.
Someone braver.
Today…
There was no one else.
He gently removed the guard's hand from his shoulder.
"If I walk away now…"
"…I'll hear that child crying for the rest of my life."
Before anyone could stop him, Kael sprinted back toward the burning orphanage.
Into the Fire
The heat struck harder than before.
Smoke stung his eyes until tears streamed down his face.
Every breath felt like swallowing burning sand.
The hallway he had used earlier was gone, buried beneath fallen timber.
"Think."
He forced himself to stop panicking.
"Don't run blindly."
His eyes scanned the room.
A broken bookshelf leaned against the wall beneath a shattered window.
The second floor.
If he couldn't use the stairs…
He would make his own path.
Kael dragged the heavy shelf across the floor.
It barely moved.
His muscles screamed in protest.
"Come on…"
Another cry echoed from above.
With one final effort, he shoved the shelf beneath the window and climbed onto it.
The stone outside the building was rough enough to grip.
Slowly…
Carefully…
He pulled himself upward.
Halfway there, part of the wall cracked.
Dust rained down around him.
The shelf shifted.
For one terrifying moment, Kael's feet slipped.
His fingers clung desperately to the edge of the window.
"No…"
His body swung against the wall.
Below him, people gasped.
"He's going to fall!"
Kael gritted his teeth.
His arms trembled violently.
Everything inside him screamed to let go.
Instead…
He climbed.
Sister Miriam
The second floor was worse than the first.
Flames consumed almost every room.
The ceiling had already collapsed in several places.
Kael followed the baby's cries until he reached the nursery.
The sight stopped him cold.
An elderly nun knelt in the center of the room.
She held a small infant tightly against her chest while shielding the child with her own body.
A massive wooden beam had fallen across her legs, pinning her to the floor.
Her habit was scorched.
Her face streaked with ash.
Yet she was singing.
Softly.
Calmly.
A lullaby.
She looked up as Kael entered.
For a brief moment, surprise crossed her face.
Then relief.
"I prayed…" she whispered.
"…that someone would come."
Kael rushed to the beam and tried lifting it.
It didn't move.
He pushed harder.
Nothing.
His arms shook with effort.
The beam was simply too heavy.
Sister Miriam saw the realization in his eyes.
"It's alright."
"No, it isn't."
She smiled gently.
"Young man…"
"Take the child."
Kael shook his head immediately.
"We're leaving together."
"You have a kind heart."
She looked down at her crushed legs.
"But these old bones have reached their limit."
The room shuddered violently.
Another support beam crashed nearby.
The flames spread closer.
Kael refused to move.
"There has to be something."
His eyes searched desperately.
A lever.
A tool.
Anything.
Nothing.
For the first time since arriving in this world…
He felt utterly powerless.
A Lesson No One Wants
The Royal Covenant System appeared.
Not with commands.
Not with rewards.
Only a single line.
Strength alone cannot save everyone.
Kael stared at the words.
Anger rose inside him.
"Then what's the point of choosing me?"
His voice echoed through the burning room.
"If I can't even save one person…"
"…how am I supposed to save a kingdom?"
The System remained silent.
Sister Miriam reached out and gently touched his sleeve.
"Listen to me."
Her voice was surprisingly steady.
"A king is not the one who never loses."
"He is the one who refuses to let loss steal his compassion."
Kael looked at her.
"You… know who I am?"
She smiled faintly.
"I know only what your eyes tell me."
"They belong to someone carrying a burden far greater than himself."
She placed the baby into his arms.
The infant stopped crying almost immediately.
Outside, another section of the roof collapsed.
There wasn't much time left.
Sister Miriam closed her eyes.
"Please."
"Protect them."
Kael's throat tightened.
His hands trembled around the child.
Every instinct told him to keep trying.
Every second he stayed…
Made it less likely that any of them would survive.
Forcing himself to move felt like betrayal.
But staying would make her sacrifice meaningless.
He bowed his head.
"I swear…"
"…I won't forget you."
Then, carrying the infant against his chest, Kael turned and ran.
Behind him, Sister Miriam's lullaby continued, soft but unwavering, until it was swallowed by the roar of the flames.