Five Years After Izak's Departure
Pinky, now twenty-one, stood in the Knight Village's main square. His armor was no longer that of a trainee. It bore the markings of a Senior Knight, the second-highest rank possible.
He had risen through the ranks with terrifying speed. Every mission completed. Every monster slain. The villagers whispered about him in awe: the Silent Blade, they called him. The strongest knight of his generation.
But he took no joy in it.
He turned, scanning the crowd, searching for a familiar flash of silver hair. As always, he found nothing.
Zilvie, now twenty, watched from the shadows.
She had received her official knight name three years ago, after completing her trainee mission. Zero X, they called her now. A name that felt like a cruel joke. Zero. Nothing. That's what she was compared to him.
She had avoided him since Izak left. At first, it was just a few days. She needed space, she told herself. Time to process. But days became weeks. Weeks became months. Months became years.
Now, five years later, she couldn't remember how to be near him.
She watched him accept a mission scroll from the Knight Council. Watched him bow respectfully, turn, and walk away. His movements were graceful, powerful, every step radiating controlled strength.
She should go to him. She should say something. Anything.
But her feet wouldn't move.
***
That night, alone in her small room, Zero X stood before a cracked mirror.
Slowly, she reached up and removed her mask.
The face beneath was pretty. Silver hair framing delicate features, large eyes that held too much sadness for someone so young. A face that Pinky had never seen. That no one had ever seen.
"How can I show him this?" she whispered to her reflection. "How can I stand beside him and remove this mask when I'm still so weak?"
The promise she had made as a child echoed in her mind. When we grow up, when we become real knights, will you marry me?
Naive. Foolish. The words of a girl who didn't understand how cruel the world could be.
She put the mask back on. The familiar weight settled against her face like a shield.
Tomorrow, she would train. The day after, she would train again. And the day after that. Until she was strong enough. Until she was worthy.
Until then, she would watch from the shadows. Close enough to see him. Far enough to hide.
***
Pinky noticed her, of course. He always did.
He would see a flash of silver hair disappearing around a corner. A familiar silhouette in the crowd. The echo of footsteps that stopped whenever he turned.
He tried to reach her. Countless times. But every time he approached, she vanished. Every time he waited where he knew she would be, she didn't appear.
He didn't understand. Had he done something wrong? Did she hate him now? The silence between them felt heavier than his own muteness.
One day, a female knight approached him after a mission briefing. She was pretty, confident, her armor polished to a mirror shine.
"Sir Pinky," she said, her voice smooth. "I've admired you for a long time. Perhaps we could share a meal together? Get to know each other?"
Pinky looked at her. Then past her, at the corner of the building where a flash of silver had just disappeared.
He shook his head and walked away.
Behind the building, Zero X leaned against the wall, her heart pounding. She had seen the other knight approach him. Had seen her smile, her confident posture. Everything Zero X wasn't.
She should have stayed. Should have watched. But she couldn't. The thought of seeing him accept another woman's invitation was too much.
She walked away, assuming the worst.
She never saw him refuse.