The Burden In Our Hearts

--Loop Mines, Twenty-four hours after the incident--

The First Epic and his elite soldiers arrived at the mines after hearing about the collapse of the Loop mines.

The First Epic asked the third elite soldier, "Did you find out what happened here?"

"Yes, sir. The prisoners rioted unexpectedly," replied the soldier.

"Rebellion? They're too weak to survive a rebellion," said the First Epic.

"One of the prisoners didn't defeat the guard. They say a young man from outside did," explained the soldier.

The First Epic looked at the guard's body and said, "So the boy we're looking for did this?"

"Are you sure it was him, sir?" asked the soldier.

"No one in this kingdom is foolish enough to defy me. As an elite soldier, you should know that. But the question is why he wanted to save these people," said the First Epic.

The first elite soldier turned to face the First Epic and said, "Or could they be building a force against you?"

The First Epic laughed and said, "So they want to fight? Then we'll give them what they want. Tell all the soldiers to prepare for battle. I'll show them pain."

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--Nest of the Naiton Lineage--(Babu)

I held Xolis's farewell letter in my hand, still hesitant to give it to his parents. I was nervous about how they would react to it after his death. But I knew I had to deliver it.

As I pondered how to approach them, Hiroshi approached me and said, "Hey, fluffy panda! You'll run out of time if you keep thinking about whether or not to give them the letter. If you're not ready, I can do it for you."

I smiled and replied, "Thanks for your help but don't worry, Hiroshi. I can handle it."

Hiroshi was quite impressed by my brave reaction. "Well then," he said, lit his cigar, and left me.

Without wasting any more time, I made my way to Xolis's house. After a six-seven minute walk, I arrived at their small and quaint home. So this was where Xolis lived? I gathered my courage and knocked on the door before entering.

Inside, a woman was taking care of two children who were running around. She occasionally stopped them and tended to other tasks. It was clear that she had received news of Xolis's death, but she remained cheerful in front of her children. After she finished tending to her children, I approached her and said, "I'm sorry to intrude, but may I speak with you in private?"

"Of course," she replied. "Akami, Runo, go play in your room, okay?"

After the children left the room, I introduced myself. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Babu."

"It's nice to meet you, Babu. I'm Hotaru," she said with a smile.

"I wanted to speak with you but didn't want to intrude if you were busy or not ready to talk yet," I explained.

"I am not busy," she replied. "Whatever you want to say, I am listening."

After a short silence, Hotaru called out to me once more.

Hotaru's expression turned serious as she asked, "What did you want to talk about, Babu?"

I pulled the letter from my pocket and said, "Xolis was your husband, wasn't he? He asked me to give this to you."

Hotaru froze. I could tell she was scared to take the letter. But she slowly reached out and began to read it. With each line, her eyes filled with more tears.

"Thank you for bringing this, Babu," she said as she looked up at me.

Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks. I had seen people cry while saving their lives, but this was one life I couldn't save. It pained me to see her like this.

"Your husband helped me a lot in the mine," I explained. "If it weren't for him, I don't think we would have made it out. The least I could do was deliver this letter for him."

Hotaru clutched the letter tightly as I spoke.

It was difficult to say these things, but at least I had told her the truth.

After a while, Hotaru wiped her tears and spoke to me, "Thank you, that means a lot to me."

"It doesn't matter, it was an honor," I replied. "And I should be going now. Take care."

"You too," she said. "May your path be clear."

I left without saying anything else. After delivering the letter, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.

I remembered that Ryuu and the others were gathered in the Leader's room to discuss our plan, so I headed straight there.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Ryuu)

After Babu arrived, we all gathered together. Once everyone was present, the leader began to explain our plan.

"First, there's something you all need to know," he said. "We have to act quickly and execute our plan as fast as possible. It's only a matter of time before the First Epic discovers us.

"Secondly, if we can choose the location of the battle, we may have a chance at victory. If we attack the First Epic's castle, we'll be easily defeated. His army is vast and his castle is like an impenetrable fortress."

"But if we can change the location of the war, we may have a chance," he continued. "My people have the ability to camouflage themselves using their powers. This will give us the upper hand. If we fight in Getsu Forest, the advantage will be ours."

Getsu? I didn't recognize that name. I suppose it's because I don't venture far from where I live. I spoke up and said, "Getsu Forest? I've never heard of it."

"Yes," replied the leader. "It's known as the largest forest in the first Kingdom. And since no one lives there, it'll be easier for us."

Lezlie asked, "I understand, but how far will we have to travel?"

"A hundred and twenty kilometers from here," replied the leader. "And seventy-five kilometers from the kingdom."

"You want to attack using trees and camouflage," said Lezlie. "It might work, but I don't think it'll be effective against elite soldiers."

"My people can't fight them," said the leader. "But I believe you guys can."

Hiroshi replied, "Even if we defeat the elite soldiers, which is very difficult, the First Saga is too dangerous for us to fight alone. At least that's what they say."

"Leave him to me," said the leader. "I'll fight him."

"But that's extremely risky," warned Babu.

"I must do this for my brother and my people. I cannot allow your regrets, sadness, and loss to go unrequited," the leader said.

Hiroshi asked, "Is he really going to come to the forest we've chosen to fight in?"

"The First Epic is quite arrogant. He will come without hesitation, even if we say the war will take place in the forest. He is confident that he will always win."

"Then I guess everything is ready," Hiroshi said.

"I don't want to make you nervous, but I want you to know that if we lose this war, there is no going back and I am sure that during the war he will attack with everything he has. We will fight to the end to prevent this from happening. We'll fight back with everything we've got."

"Let's make sure this is all we have. That's enough for us," I replied.

"Actually, we can still do something. One last thing before we go to war to decide the fate of the First Kingdom," he said.

I asked, "What do you mean?"