Four Years Later…
Akira, Sato, and Seraphina walked slowly toward the outskirts of Eldravon at sunrise. A deep silence hung in the air, broken first by Sato.
— I wonder what our new mission will be like.
Seraphina brought her hand to her chin, thinking.
— It's probably going to be another soul-hunting mission.
Sato scratched his head in frustration.
— I'm going to lose my mind from killing innocent souls! Makise is practically torturing us!
Seraphina glanced at Akira. He was far quieter than usual.
— Akira does all the work anyway. You don't need to feel guilty.
Sato turned to Akira.
— That's true, but…
There was no trace of Akira's former self. He wore an eye patch over his left eye, and the area under his right eye was bruised. His expression was cold, though he gave a faint smile.
— I could never have done it without your help.
Sato chuckled.
— No need to be so humble.
Akira didn't respond. Seraphina pointed toward a tiny village visible in the distance.
— Look! Our new mission must be in that village.
Squinting, Sato tried to see the village clearly.
— I think… Makise called it "Ilder Village."
Seraphina yawned.
— After this mission, I want some rest.
Sato grumbled.
— That cursed woman will never allow that.
Suddenly, Sato tripped over a rock and fell. Seraphina laughed, while Akira continued walking, speaking in a cold tone.
— Watch your words. She can hear us.
Startled, Sato jumped up.
— This is terrifying… Hey Akira, slow down a bit!
Seraphina looked at Sato with a teasing expression.
— Come on, hurry up. Let your legs work.
Sato began complaining as usual.
— What's the point of going fast to the village!?
Akira stopped and answered in the same cold tone.
— I want to kill them quickly.
At these words, Sato and Seraphina fell silent and continued walking together. When they reached the village, two soldiers were stationed at the gate. Sato immediately approached them.
— Hello!
One soldier ignored him, while the other smiled.
— Hello. How can we help you?
Sato looked toward the village.
— We're entering the village. Is there anything we need to do to enter? Any rules?
The soldier replied in a low voice.
— Sorry, entry is forbidden.
Seraphina and Sato exchanged surprised glances.
— Why?
Suddenly, the soldier's voice took on a frightening tone.
— Recently, someone from this village was found dead here, and the kingdom has prohibited entry and exit. It is also said that a spirit resides here.
The soldier stepped toward Sato, who flinched slightly. Seraphina displayed her insignia.
— We are high-ranking soldiers. We're here to handle this matter.
Before the soldier could reply, the other soldier behind him intervened with a dismissive tone.
— Sorry, entry is forbidden.
Sato objected.
— But we're here on a mission—
The man cut him off.
— The order is clear.
Sato and Seraphina grumbled as they turned away. They were about to leave the village when they noticed Akira hadn't moved. He was staring at the soldier. Sato shouted.
— Akira, stop!
The indifferent soldier slowly stood up, but suddenly his hands began to tremble. Two enormous purple eyes glared at him intensely. The other soldier didn't understand what was happening; his friend was frozen. He tried to wake him.
Akira, however, continued walking indifferently into the village. Sato and Seraphina hurried to catch up.
— What do you think you're doing? — Sato asked sternly.
Akira walked as if he hadn't heard. Sato became angrier.
— Akira! Answer me—
Akira finally spoke.
— I didn't kill him.
Sato froze.
— You thought about killing him?!
Seraphina touched Sato's shoulder.
— Let's keep moving. We need to find a place to stay in the village.
The village wasn't as crowded as Eldravon, but the market was packed. Everything was being sold: wooden and steel swords, food, toys, armor…
Seeing the insignia on the three of them, the market-goers were shocked and whispered among themselves.
— These are high-ranking soldiers!
— Closest to the Council!
— Are they like Valen?
— No, not as strong as Setsuna's cruel master, but I've heard they are very powerful!
— What are they doing here?
Akira walked on, indifferent. A woman shopping in the market became excited upon seeing them. She nudged the man beside her.
— Honey, look! These are high-ranking soldiers!
The man sighed.
— What are they doing here?
The woman ran toward them.
— Maybe it's related to your brother.
Sato stopped when he saw the running woman.
— A fan or something?
The brown-haired, cheerful woman bowed and spoke.
— Hello, welcome!
Seraphina smiled.
— You can lift your head, it's okay.
The woman slowly lifted her head.
— My name is Yuzuki! It's a great honor to meet you!
Sato puffed out his chest proudly.
— Of course, I won't disappoint my fans when it comes to autographs.
Seraphina smacked Sato's head.
— Don't mind him, he's a bit weird.
Yuzuki looked at the pair in surprise, then her gaze fell on Akira, who had his back slightly turned.
— Hello! Could you turn around for me?
Akira slowly turned toward her. The moment Yuzuki saw him, her hands began to tremble. A terrifying aura emanated from him.
Seraphina held Akira's hand. Akira smiled.
— Hello, how are you?
Yuzuki was astonished. She had never seen an aura like that before. Yet, when she saw Akira's smile, she realized she had misjudged him.
— May I know your name?
Akira thought for a moment.
— Murasaki. Yours is Yuzuki, I presume.
Yuzuki nodded.
Sato and Seraphina looked at Akira in surprise. They knew there was a reason he hadn't revealed his real name, especially since he was so well-known in the world—it made sense to keep it hidden.
A man appeared behind Yuzuki.
— Yuzuki, what are you doing? Why are you running around the market like this…
Yuzuki turned to him.
— Haru, you know I really like soldiers.
Haru sighed.
— I know, but this is a bit much.
Haru studied the trio. Akira stared at him sharply, making Haru a little uneasy.
— Sir, is there a problem?
Akira smiled.
— No problem. I was just lost in thought… thinking about where we might stay here.
Sato turned to Akira.
— I heard there's a hotel nearby.
Akira grumbled.
— I don't like staying in hotels. It feels too impersonal.
Seraphina looked surprised.
— Then where will we stay?
Akira pondered for a moment.
— I wish someone here would invite us into their home. It would also give me someone to talk to about my soldier experiences.
Yuzuki was bursting with excitement. She ran ahead of Akira and shouted enthusiastically.
— You can stay with us!
Haru objected.
— Yuzuki, you know that's impossible.
Yuzuki faced him with a smile. Haru took a deep breath.
— But how can I say no if you insist like that…
Yuzuki started jumping with excitement.
— It'll be so much fun!
Yuzuki led them toward her house. The trio followed. They walked to the edge of the village and finally arrived at a beautiful two-story house. Along the way, Yuzuki had been swinging Akira's black sword around like a soldier; it was clear she really wanted to do that.
When they reached the house, Yuzuki returned Akira's sword to its sheath and opened the door.
— Finally, we're here!
Inside, the house resembled a dojo: a spacious hall, a small kitchen, a bedroom, and futons for guests in the dojo area. The first thing that caught Akira's attention were two paintings hanging on the wall. One depicted Haru, and the other showed a man who looked very similar to him.
— Who is this man? — Akira asked.
— The one on the left is Haru, and the one on the right is his brother, — Yuzuki answered.
Akira curiously asked,
— Where is his brother now?
This time, Yuzuki didn't answer. Silence fell over the room.
Haru looked at his brother's portrait and spoke:
— You must be hungry… We'll talk about these things at the table.
Sato held his stomach.
— Yeah, I'm a bit hungry.
Seraphina smiled.
— Food sounds good.
Yuzuki headed to the kitchen.
— Then I'll let you try my special recipes!
While Yuzuki cooked, Haru prepared the table. Akira, Sato, and Seraphina sat at the table, eagerly waiting for the food. Though they didn't say it, they were all quite hungry. Finally, Haru brought the dishes, and Yuzuki joined them at the table.
The spread was impressive: almost everything they could want—beautifully cooked steaks, rice, an unusual-looking soup, and homemade fruit juice.
Before eating, Yuzuki spoke politely:
— Enjoy your meal.
Akira picked up his fork and knife and began cutting the meat carefully. Meanwhile, Yuzuki watched him excitedly. Akira noticed and, after swallowing a bite, spoke:
— Do you want to hear my soldier stories?
Yuzuki nodded. Akira took a deep breath.
— First, I've been a soldier for almost five years.
Haru was surprised.
— But you look so young.
Akira smiled.
— I started palace service at sixteen. I'm twenty-one now.
Seraphina interjected.
— Sato and I are the same age as Murasaki.
Haru smiled.
— Being a soldier at such a young age… and trained by the Council… that's impressive! By the way, I'm Haru.
Sato, still chewing, raised his head slightly.
— I'm Sato. This is Seraphina, and this is Murasaki.
Haru quickly chewed his bite.
— Pleased to meet you.
Yuzuki was still excited.
— How did you feel when you first became a soldier? Were you scared or excited?
Akira thought for a moment.
— When I first became a soldier, I felt happiness. I had been trying to become one for a long time, though at that time I couldn't even control my energy properly.
He laughed softly.
— On my first mission, I almost died.
Haru chuckled.
— Being a soldier must be tough.
Haru was curious about the eye patch over Akira's left eye.
— What happened to your eye?
Akira touched the eye patch.
— It happened while fighting a powerful spirit. I almost lost both eyes… I barely survived.
— Do you regret being a soldier? — Yuzuki asked.
Akira's expression darkened. He remained silent at first, then spoke in a cold tone:
— When I first became a soldier, I had two very close friends: Raiga and Yui. I got along with them perfectly. No matter how many times we faced death on missions, we were happy. But during one mission, Yui died… Raiga left the army and moved outside Eldravon… The worst part about being a soldier is this: your loved ones keep dying, and you can't save them.
Haru and Yuzuki's faces turned somber.
— That must be hard…
— I'm sorry, that's terrible.
Akira broke the sad atmosphere at the table.
— Our life stories are similar, so we don't need to go one by one. Now it's your turn.
There was a moment of silence. Then Yuzuki broke it.
— I will tell you because I fully trust good soldiers like you.
Haru interjected.
— I'll tell it.
Yuzuki nodded. Haru took a deep breath and began:
— I had a younger brother named Aki. Both Yuzuki and I loved him very much. He was more talented than me in many ways, so he became a soldier and served for three years. Normally, he would come at least twice a month and stay here. But two months ago, when he came, his expression was terrifying and his behavior was strange. That evening, he ran outside without saying a word. Worried, I followed him to the edge of the village. When I finally reached him, he was lying in a pool of blood… I checked his heartbeat. He was dead…
Haru clenched his fists, tears streaming from his eyes. Sato and Seraphina were saddened.
— I'm sorry…
Akira stared at him with a stern expression. Haru stood, wiped his tears, and went to the bedroom.
Yuzuki spoke softly, sorrowfully:
— Losing his brother hit him very hard…
Akira slammed his fork down on the table.
— I understand… Yuzuki, I want to ask you something.
Yuzuki looked up.
Akira asked:
— How much did Aki love you?
Though Yuzuki didn't understand why he asked, she answered:
— We loved each other as friends, but a few months before he joined the army, he told me he loved me more than a friend.
— And you've always cared for soldiers, right?
— Yes, I've always admired soldiers.
Akira smiled.
— Alright… I got the information I needed. Thank you.
Sato and Seraphina didn't fully understand what had happened. After a while, Sato yawned.
— It's late.
Yuzuki pointed to the futons in the dojo.
— If you want, I can prepare your beds.
— That would be great, — Seraphina said with a smile.
Yuzuki stood and prepared the futons. Akira, Sato, and Seraphina helped. Then Yuzuki went to her room and turned off the lights. Akira stared at the ceiling. Seraphina had already fallen asleep.
Sato turned to Akira.
— You noticed something again, didn't you?
Akira raised his hand.
— You'll find out tomorrow.
Sato sighed.
— Of course, you weren't going to tell me. Good night.
— Good night.
Both closed their eyes and fell asleep. When morning came, the sunlight woke Akira. After changing, he gazed out the window. Outside was beautiful: mountains, greenery, trees… For a moment, he forgot all his troubles and lost himself in the view.
Sato woke and yawned.
— Finally awake, — he said to Akira.
— You didn't even wake me up, — Sato murmured.
Akira strapped his sword to his waist, slung Setsuna across his back, and stepped into the garden.
— Wake Sera.
Sato struggled to stand and tried waking Seraphina. Akira sat near the door that opened to the garden. After a moment, the door opened; Haru came out and yawned. He was surprised to see Akira.
— Murasaki, what are you doing here?
Akira's gaze was on the ground.
— Sit next to me.
Haru didn't understand but sat beside Akira.
— You're already ready… Are you going somewhere?
— I almost finished my mission.
Haru smiled.
— That's good… I'm happy for you.
Akira still looked at the ground. He spoke in a cold tone:
— Aki… why did you kill your brother?