The gold in my purse is heavy. It is the weight of freedom, the fruit of violence and cunning. I could leave Kryndal today, disappear, start a new life elsewhere. But an invisible bond, stronger than any chain, holds me back. A face. A voice. A debt of kindness I can never fully repay.
I allow myself one day's break. Just one. Not to rest, but to remember why I fight.
I return to the royal barracks. This time, I do not sneak in like a shadow. I enter through the main gate, my Bronze-rank plate clearly visible on my belt. The guard who once shoved me sees me, recognizes the plate, and straightens up, giving me a respectful nod. The world has not changed. It is power that changes how the world looks at you.
My presence in the main courtyard creates a small shockwave. The laborers stop their work to stare at me. The quartermaster, emerging from his office, nearly drops his stack of ledgers. I am no longer the vermin. I am the aberration. The boy who survived the Guild's trial and then returned with the axe of a Hobgoblin warlord. I am a story they tell each other, a myth in the making.
I am not looking for anyone in particular. I simply walk, soaking in this place that was my prison and my crucible. This is where I learned hatred. It is also where I met hope.
I find her in the small herb garden behind the officers' quarters. It is a quiet place, a haven of peace amidst the martial bustle. Roxis Heart is sitting on a stone bench, sharpening one of her training swords with a whetstone. She is not in armor, but a simple training tunic. The morning sun catches silver glints in her hair.
She is so focused that she doesn't notice me at first. I stand there, a few feet away, unable to speak, content just to watch her. In her presence, the beast within me, Gluttony, is silent. It is not sleeping. It is observing, respectfully. Roxis is the one thing in the world my skill does not see as a potential meal. She is... something else.
She must feel my gaze, because she looks up. Her blue eyes widen in surprise, then a sincere, radiant smile lights up her face. That smile alone is worth more than all the gold in the kingdom.
"Reinhardt." My name, spoken by her, is a caress. "You're back."
"I'm taking a day off," I say, my voice a little hoarse. "I wanted to... see you. Make sure everything was alright."
She sets her sword and whetstone on the bench. "I should be the one asking you that. Rumors travel fast in Kryndal. A Hobgoblin's axe, a promotion to Bronze rank in record time... I must admit, I had a hard time believing it."
She stands up and approaches. She stops right in front of me, her gaze scanning my face, then moving down to my Guild plate. She reaches out and touches the bronze-colored metal with her fingertips.
"So it's true." There is wonder in her voice. "You did it. You found your own strength." She looks up at me, and I see a genuine pride in her eyes. "You've become strong, Reinhardt. Truly strong."
That simple sentence, coming from her, hits me harder than any blow I have ever received. It is a validation. A recognition. My heart is beating so hard I'm afraid she can hear it.
"I got lucky," I murmur, out of habit.
"Luck had nothing to do with it," she retorts softly. "I saw the determination in your eyes the day Caelan humiliated you. I knew you had something inside you. I'm glad to see you didn't let him crush it."
We stand in silence for a moment. The air between us is charged with an unspoken complicity.
"You chose a good time to come back," she says finally, her tone growing more serious. "The barracks are on high alert. We're expecting an important visitor."
"A visitor?"
"King Alistair," she confirms in a low voice. "He is coming in person in two days for an inspection and to preside over the induction ceremony for the new Holy Knights. It's a rare event. Everything must be perfect."
The King. The absolute pinnacle of the power pyramid. A man whose level, it is said, is so high it is no longer quantifiable. The mere thought of his presence within these walls makes me dizzy. It reminds me how insignificant I still am, despite my progress.
You are so close, I think, looking at her. Our shoulders are almost touching. I can feel the warmth radiating from her. The smell of cut grass and clean steel. I am in love with her. The realization is so sudden and so obvious it is almost painful. I am in love with this woman who embodies everything I am not: nobility, light, justice. I am a creature of the shadows, a monster that feeds on death, and I am in love with an angel.
As if she can read my thoughts, she smiles at me again, more gently this time. She notices a smudge of mud on my tunic collar and, without thinking, she reaches up to wipe it away.
Her touch is like lightning. Her fingers brush against the skin of my neck. An intense heat spreads through my entire body, silencing all thought. The world shrinks to this single point of contact. My hunger, my anger, my fear... it all vanishes. All that remains is this feeling of peace, this feeling of finally being... home.
I must have a strange expression on my face, because she pulls her hand back abruptly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Sorry," she says, a little embarrassed. "An old big-sister habit."
"No... It's... thank you," I stammer, feeling more awkward than a goblin at a royal ball.
She looks away, trying to fill the awkward silence. "Be careful, Reinhardt. Your new strength will attract attention. Not just from monsters, but from men. And men are often far more dangerous."
"I know." My voice is barely a whisper.
I know I should leave. I no longer belong here. But the thought of walking away from her is physically painful.
"I have to go," I finally say, forcing the words out. "I have preparations to make."
"Of course." She gives me one last nod, her gaze holding a myriad of emotions I cannot begin to decipher. "Be safe."
I leave the garden, my heart both heavy and light. I have accomplished my goal. I reached the ruins, I unlocked the secret of my skill. I am stronger, richer, and freer than I ever dared to imagine.
But as I walk toward the barracks exit, I realize my goal has changed.
It is no longer just about survival. It is no longer just about power.
It is about becoming someone. Someone who can stand by her side, not as a servant or a protégé, but as an equal. Someone strong enough to protect the goodness she represents, in a world that constantly seeks to extinguish it.
The King is coming. The highest authority in the kingdom will be here. It is a concentration of power, prestige, and opportunity. For a predator like me, it is a coming feast.
The Whisper-Rock arc is over. I found what I was looking for in the silence of the ruins. Now, a new arc begins. One where I must prove myself, no longer in the shadows, but under the blinding light of the throne. And the hunger I feel is greater than ever.