Aether approached the bed with hesitant steps.
His father, Mark, lay motionless beneath warm blankets, his pale face covered in bandages.
Aether looked at him with tearful eyes.
He had never seen his father like this before.
Standing beside him was Commander Sirvan.
He spoke quietly, a hint of sadness in his voice:
"Mark... was the strongest Fire Knight in the kingdom. I fought alongside him in dozens of battles... He was always the wall that could never be broken."
Sirvan looked at Aether and continued:
"Don't worry about him too much. Men like him don't fall easily... He's still fighting."
At that moment, the doors to the room opened quietly.
Eyria entered, accompanied by an elderly man wearing a blue royal robe with a golden insignia on his shoulder.
His sharp eyes revealed years of experience, while his voice was calm yet decisive.
"I am the Royal Healer, Ilaros."
He approached the bed and examined Mark before speaking firmly:
"Everyone out. The patient needs rest and precise treatment."
Sirvan nodded and gestured for everyone to leave.
Nero lifted Kartithia into his arms and whispered to Aether:
"Come on. Let's leave your father in good hands."
Everyone quietly left the room.
Nero led Aether and Kartithia to a nearby resting chamber, where soldiers remained nearby to watch over them.
Outside the Medical Wing
Sirvan stood beside Eyria near a stone balcony overlooking the capital's courtyard.
Smoke still rose from several areas.
Destruction could be seen in every direction.
Eyria stared toward the horizon.
"What exactly happened in Canria?"
Sirvan slowly shook his head.
"We don't have enough information... Not about the reason behind the attack, nor how Dark King III managed to move from there to our village so quickly."
Eyria continued:
"And Canria is in the southwest... far from the capital."
She narrowed her eyes.
"That's strange."
The two fell silent.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Sirvan finally said:
"Right now, only one thing matters..."
He looked toward the ruined city.
"How did we survive?"
They looked at each other in silence.
Their expressions were grim.
The weight hanging over them wasn't simply fear.
It was realization.
What had happened was only the beginning.
At that moment, a soldier emerged from the guard hall and stood at attention.
"Commander Sirvan... Deputy Commander Eyria. His Majesty requests your immediate presence."
Sirvan sighed and looked toward the palace gates.
"Looks like the king is going to hear a lot of bad news today..."
He began walking toward the royal chamber with steady steps.
Eyria followed behind him.
Her eyes shimmered with worry.
The battle was over.
But somewhere beyond the kingdom's walls...
something far worse had already begun to move.