Chapter 21 Quiet Steps Fading into the Night

Rein's boots echoed as he strode down the stone corridor, a backpack slung across his back, sword at his side. He was dressed for battle. 

He found Liora waiting outside the teleportation chamber, arms folded neatly, dressed in her commanding uniform. The usual calm smile curved her lips. 

“Rein... I had a feeling you'd come. Don't tell me you're thinking of—”

“I’m going, Liora! With Aura. With the army. I’m not staying behind this time!”

“Rein, we talked about it many times. You’re not authorized. His Majesty—”

“To hell with his ‘authorization,’ I’ve been patient. I’ve done everything you all asked. I trained. I protected this kingdom from the monsters while Aura fought out there on the front lines. And now, the final battle comes, and I’m told to sit still again? I’ve grown stronger — you know that. I’m not the grieving boy I was four years ago. I’ve put in the work. I’ve faced monsters, led missions, fought for this kingdom. And I’ve watched Aura walk through fire, again and again. She’s not alone anymore. She shouldn't have to fight alone anymore.”

He turned to face her, eyes burning with his overflowing mana.

“You said yourself — one day, I’d lead this kingdom. But what kind of king would I be if I never fought for it? What kind of man would I be if I let the one person who saved me go off to die while I just sat here in silk sheets?!”

Liora watched him quietly, her hands still folded.

“I won’t be left behind. If you deny me that teleport... I’ll find another way. I’ll march across the whole damn continent if I have to. But I am going.”

She opened her eyes slowly; this was the first time Rein saw her serious face.

“...Is that all, Prince Rein?”

"No, I will not back down, like it or not, I'm coming with you!"

Liora stepped forward. Her gloved hand lifted and landed gently, slowly on his shoulder — a gesture that should’ve been comforting. But the weight behind it was wrong. It was crushing. Rein’s knees almost buckled from the sheer force of it. Her fingers didn’t feel like fingers. They felt like enhanced steel.

“I’m under orders, boy. The king was clear. You are not to leave the capital. Not for this battle. Not even to say goodbye. Don't make it difficult for me. King will—”

 “Then the king can—”

“Sleep it off, my prince,” she interrupted.

Before he could speak again, her other hand moved — faster than anything he’d ever seen. There was no technique, no wind-up, just a blur and then impact. A single, brutal punch slammed into his gut.

All air left his lungs. There was no time to brace, no defense. His vision tunneled as pain exploded through his core. For a moment he thought he might vomit — then everything went black.

“I’m sorry, Rein. I know what she means to you. But orders come first.”

Liora laid Rein down gently on the soft bed in the chamber beside the teleportation hall. She brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead. Then she whispered under her breath, “When you wake up, you’ll hate me for this... Maybe you should. But I’d rather you hate me and live... than die out there. Your different, Rein. Kind, caring, not like your grandfather, the King. You need to live and one day replace him.”

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Later That Day

Somewhere outside, bells rang to signal evening watch. Rein stirred. A low grunt escaped him as he sat up, his hand immediately clutched to his abdomen. A sharp ache bloomed across his core, and then — it all came flooding back.

“Liora...”

His eyes open wide as memory slammed into him. He threw off the covers and stumbled to his feet, disoriented and still sore. 

“No... no no no—”

Rushing to the window, he yanked the curtain aside. Outside, the castle grounds were quiet. Empty. Too empty. No formations. No knights. No shining armor under the torchlight. No Aura. They were gone.

“Damn it! I missed it—!” he shouted, slamming a fist against the wall, cracking it. 

Another punch. Then another. The stone cracked even further.

“She punched me out—why the hell didn’t I see that coming? How did she even manage that! She's a diplomat not a fighter! Never seen her train once and she knocked me out?!”

He grabbed his sword, threw it onto the bed, ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“No, Aura! She’s gone... They’re all gone. I was supposed to go with her. Fight with her. Be there. Like I promised myself! Without Liora, there's no teleportation. No shortcuts. No fast roads to Demon Plains. I’d be forced to ride. Walk. Maybe it would take weeks. Maybe months. And by then... What if it’s too late?! This was my only chance, now I will have to wait for Liora to come back and try again!"

“DAMN IT!!” he screamed, slamming both fists into the wall this time. Stone cracked again.

He leaned forward, forehead against the cold stone.

“How did I let this happen...? I was supposed to protect her. I promised I’d be strong enough... I was supposed to be there... and I failed again...”

The room was silent now. Heavy with guilt. With that awful silence that comes after the moment is already lost.

After a while, he slowly slid down the wall and sat on the floor, fists clenched on his knees, staring into the dark. Waiting for something that would never come.

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Six Months Later, Castle Grounds – Sword Training Yard, Early Morning

The training yard rang with the sound of wood striking steel. Three opponents surrounded Rein — Selene with her long spear darting in thrusts powerful enough to blow a hole through stone wall, Mari unleashing bursts of fire that could melt a rock, to distract his vision, and Kaia flashing in and out of his guard like a sun beam with her twin short blades.

They were the best the Hero Academy had to offer, the top candidates in the kingdom. And yet…

Rein weaved between them without so much as a scratch. His wooden training sword cracked against Mari’s staff, swept aside Selene’s spear, and flicked Kaia’s short blade harmlessly away — all in the same fluid movement.

“No magic, Rein? Still trying to show off?” Mari asked while dodged his next strike.

“Don’t need it,” Rein replied, parrying Selene’s spear and sidestepping Kaia’s lunge in one breath.

 “Besides—” He tapped Selene’s shoulder with the wooden blade, earning a faint sigh from her. 

“—it’s more fun this way.”

“Fun for you, maybe!” Mari yelped as he disarmed her for the third time.

“He’s not even trying…” Kaia whispered, brushing sweat from her face.

Then he heard it.

Shouting. Loud steps. Panic.

He paused, sword still raised. Shouts echoed through the corridors, knight armor clanged, and hurried footsteps filled the palace air.

He turned toward the sound — and froze.

A procession of knights stormed past the arches, two of them carrying something — someone — slumped between them.

“Commander Kael!”

His armor was scorched, cracked open along the chest plate. His right arm hung limp, blood trailing down his gauntlet. His face was pale, jaw clenched tight in pain.

The sight of more injured soldiers followed — some walking, others carried, stained in blood and ash. It was a parade of exhaustion and failure.

Then—

Liora.

She stepped through the archway with her usual grace. Her robes were stained with ash, a shallow gash on her cheek. Her left arm was bandaged, her gait just slightly off — but her expression?

That same closed-eye, serene mask. That same fake smile.

Rein stormed up to her.

“Liora! What happened? Where is Aura? Why is Kael injured? What the hell is going on?!”

She tilted her head just a little, that plastic smile still painted on her lips.

“Talk, Liora! Tell me what happened. Tell me!”