Chapter 3

Ushinawareta Yogen no Saigo no Eiyū
The Last Hero of the Lost Prophecy
Enalya Village – Plaza of the Blue Lanterns, riverbank
6:38 p.m. – The sun burns high, but the air has just bowed to a child who never asked for attention

SCENE – “The Tree That Answered Boredom”

Hunters return to the village
The hunters cross the village entrance with baskets full of meat, wild roots, and fruits gathered from the twilight forest.

Young hunter (raising the haul) –
“Tonight we don’t sleep hungry!”

Huntress (sniffing the air) –
“The river… does it smell clean?”

Elder hunter (stopping with wide eyes) –
“By the branches of the ancient tree… look at the river!”

The river no longer sick
The stream, once greenish and broken, now flows with clear light.
Turquoise and crystalline.
The stones reflect the sky.
The banks are alive.

Adults murmur –
“It’s like before… better than before!”

Chief of Enalya (placing his staff before the water) –
“He did it. The little prince of Arathen.”

Everyone turns at once.
And they see him.

The reader beneath the tree
Kagayaku sits beside the central tree, surrounded by the village wolves.
One rests on his legs, another nudges a closed book with its nose.
He doesn’t look at anyone.
He only reads.
The books given by the mages lie open on the roots:
Legends
Pentagrams
Spells
Elements
Alchemy
Pacts

Mage 1 (smiling softly) –
“He asked to read… not to be celebrated.”

Mage 2 (watching from afar) –
“And every word he touches… seems to make the world listen.”

The sun scorches
But the sun descends harshly.
Too much.
The children shield their eyes.
The shadows are small.
And Kagayaku… frowns slightly.
Without speaking.
Without calling.
He simply extends a hand.
His palm touches the tree’s trunk.

Tree transformation
The tree vibrates.
As if waking from centuries.
The roots expand.
The trunk… changes.

It turns deep blue.
Like a deep ocean.
Like silence full of history.

The branches rise.
20 meters…
50…
120 meters high!

The leaves whiten.
Soft. Delicate.
They shimmer in the breeze.
And bloom: small flowers, five petals, soft pink.

The shade it casts covers more than half the village.
The heat fades.
The air breathes differently.

Reactions from the village

Chief of Enalya (stepping back) –
“This… this isn’t done even by the great mages of the high regions.”

Baker (flour on her face) –
“How can he… change the sky with just a gesture?”

Eden (touching a fallen flower nearby) –
“And all this… because he was bored…”

Elder woman at the well (looking at the blue trunk) –
“That child… that prince…
has something not even the wind knows how to explain.”

Garden girl (with a choked voice) –
“Is he protecting us… or is he simply what he is?”

The villagers tremble.
But not from fear.
From wonder.
From the kind of respect that needs no ceremony.
Kagayaku doesn’t move.
Doesn’t smile.
He keeps reading.
And the tree… keeps protecting.

SCENE – The Dream That Brushed the Edge of the Cosmos
Mages’ house, Enalya – next morning
5:58 a.m. – The sun begins to draw light behind the rooftops, but inside the house, all is still

The child slept among pages
Kagayaku had fallen asleep among his books.
The six magical works open beside him: legends, pentagrams, spells, elements, alchemy, and pacts.
The wolves surrounded him with silent instinct: protectors, living pillows, synchronized breathing.
The mages approached with food… but upon seeing him, said nothing.
They simply left warm bread and covered him with a fine petal blanket.

THE DREAM — The chaos that demanded a name
In the dream, Kagayaku was not in Enalya.
He was in another plane.
A world devoured by darkness.
Cities submerged in silence.
Civilization corpses.
Skies shattered like broken mirrors.
And from that rift between dimensions… he arrived.

DULLMINIUR, KING OF THE COSMOS
A titanic entity, covered in intergalactic armor of purple metal, floating above nonexistent land.
A three-pointed crown spun suspended above his head — made of stellar fragments, living constellations, and galaxy dust.
His black metal mask hid his face.
His eyes were pure white. Luminous. Like holes in time.
In his hand, a sword:
the hilt formed from ancient ice,
the blade… a cut of cosmos.
Stars moved within it.

Dullminiur (voice like broken stone crossing void) –
“I’ve waited for you since before the first millennium.
Since the galaxy didn’t yet know how to name you.”

Kagayaku trembled.
But did not retreat.
Did not lower his gaze.

Dullminiur began to circle him.
Observing. Measuring.
His steps floated, yet felt like earthquakes.

Dullminiur –
“You’re smaller than I imagined…
but your eyes have already seen more than they should.”

And without more… both activated their weapons.

The duel that almost was
Kagayaku raised his sacred sword — pure, radiant, woven by voices of origin.
Dullminiur wielded his stellar blade.
Both launched with impossible speed.
The cosmos compressed.
Ruins trembled.
The dream ignited…

AWAKENING
But just before the weapons clashed…
Kagayaku opened his eyes.
He was no longer among ruins.
He was in a small bed, wrapped in a blanket woven with lunar dust.
The air smelled of tea and old wood.
The three mages slept in other beds, covered by soft lights.

His books were on a table.
One still open, showing a page about cosmic entities.
The wolves slept by the door, as if they knew he hadn’t left…
but something had entered.

Narrator (voice like a soft echo between dawn and blade)
“Sometimes it’s not the enemy who appears first…
but the memory that one day it will.
And the child who dreamed of a broken cosmos…
did not flee.
Because some battles begin…
in dreams where there are still no witnesses.”

SCENE – When Iron Was Not Borrowed
Enalya – Training yard behind the eastern forge
7:04 a.m. – Sunlight filters through the high branches of the celestial tree, workers and hunters already awake

The village is in motion.
Bakers mix flour with sweet roots, farmers water enchanted fields, and hunters sharpen blades while the air smells of wood and training.
Kagayaku steps out of the house with firm stride.
His eyes do not wander.
They seek something concrete.
He finds it near the old well, where hunters stretch their arms, check their sheaths, and move their ankles with discipline.

Kagayaku (clear voice, without hesitation) –
“I want to learn the art of the sword.
I don’t care if I bleed.”

REACTIONS – Silence becomes a smile
The hunters exchange glances.
No one mocks.
No one doubts.

Split-bearded hunter (smiling as he pulls out a practice sword) –
“You know you’re going to fall, right?”

Kagayaku (looking at him firmly) –
“But I won’t give up.”

The hunter holds the sword out to the boy.
Kagayaku observes the practice blade, well-balanced, coated in reinforced wood.

Young hunter (softly) –
“Not bad for someone just starting…”

Kagayaku extends a hand.
He doesn’t take the offered sword.
He smiles.
And draws his own.

THE PERSONAL SWORD
It doesn’t shine.
It doesn’t burst with power.
It’s modest: clean blade, old leather grip, firm structure.
Acceptable to any eye.
But not to all eyes.
The mages had altered its celestial appearance.
No one knows.
But its essence remains.

Elder hunter (raising an eyebrow) –
“You have your own?”

Kagayaku (nodding calmly) –
“It’s enough.”

The hunter smiles, puts away the practice sword without another word.
The others nod.
Not because of what they see…
but because of what they sense.

Ushinawareta Yogen no Saigo no Eiyū
The Last Hero of the Lost Prophecy
Enalya – Training field, southern edge of the clear forest
10:22 a.m. – High sun, warm breeze, dust suspended with every impact

SCENE – Three hours of steel and will
The training field rises among trees that have already learned to respect the sound of effort.
Hunters surround the boy, each teaching with mastery what they learned from wounds, hunts, and silent war.

One shows the basic thrust: firm, direct, without embellishment.

Kagayaku repeats it three times, four, six, until his arms tremble.

Another teaches the thousand cuts, a style of successive movements with circular shifts.

The blade becomes a dance. Kagayaku stumbles, gets up, tries again.

A huntress shows the art of breaking, a twisted strike to deflect force with technique instead of muscle.
The boy tries it on a wooden dummy. The blade vibrates. The dummy splinters.

SCENE – Kagayaku gives it his all
For three hours, sweat, dirt, and ragged breath are the boy’s only companions.
His sword, though disguised, responds as if it knows this training is not ordinary.

The wooden dummy is marked.
Small cuts decorate its flanks.
One shaped like a petal. Another, like a star.
The hunters no longer correct harshly.
They correct with respect.

SCENE – The mages observe him
From a gentle hill, the three mages watch him through white branches.

Mage 1 (with serene gaze) –
“The sword hasn’t awakened yet,
but he’s beginning to deserve it.”

Mage 3 (thoughtful voice) –
“What matters most…
is that even tired,
he doesn’t stop looking forward.”

Narrator (voice like an echo inside every cut)
“Three hours.
Fatigue.
Falls.
But he continues.
Because power without training is noise.
And will without a sword… is only desire.
Kagayaku isn’t mastering steel.
He’s letting steel get to know him first.”

Ushinawareta Yogen no Saigo no Eiyū
The Last Hero of the Lost Prophecy
Enalya Training Field – Southern Expanse
11:54 a.m. – Sun exploding overhead, wind still, tension etched into every crack in the ground

SCENE – “The day he fell, after surpassing the world”

The field is silent.
Kagayaku faces the hunters of Enalya, one by one, without magic, without advantage.
Only will.
Falls and cuts are all he reaps at first.

Once: the earth mocks.

Twice: blood mixes with dust.

Three times: fatigue shows.

Five: muscles tremble, hunters halt their steps.

Elder hunter (firm voice, without judgment) –
“If you can’t now, there will be more time.”

SCENE – The memory that didn’t let him fall completely
Kagayaku remains on the ground.
Eyes half-closed.
Pain in every inch.
But in his mind… ruins, chaos, death.
The dream.
Dullminiur.
The floating cosmic crown.
The sword with living galaxies.
The voice that called him.
The promise no one yet knows.

Kagayaku stands.
He says nothing.
His body trembles.
His will does not.

SCENE – The strike that shattered the world around him
With a single breath, Kagayaku launches.
Not with rage.
With a thrust.
One that isn’t announced.
Isn’t measured.
Isn’t expected.

The air bursts.
The sound barrier breaks.
A 50-meter crack opens behind him.
As if the earth itself surrendered.

He faces the entire group.
Clean cuts, impossible movements, thrusts with supernatural precision.
His body firm, moving as if time were on a different rhythm.

REACTIONS FROM THE HUNTERS

Young hunter (eyes wider than ever) –
“Was that… a thrust?”

Huntress (stepping back, unable to raise her weapon) –
“We didn’t train him.
He only let us believe we did.”

Elder hunter (looking at the crack with restrained fear) –
“It’s not about power.
What we saw… was destiny in motion.”

Huntress 2 (breathless) –
“And if that’s only the beginning…
who will be able to stop what’s coming?”

SCENE – The collapse
Kagayaku, still standing among them.
His eyes slowly drift.
His body firm…
but already empty.
He takes one more step.
And falls.
Without trembling.
Without warning.

Dust rises.
The sword still in his hand.
Held as if guarding a sleeping secret.

SCENE – The mages arrive
From the hill, the three mages descend.
They don’t run.
But their steps are urgent.
The hunters step back to let them pass.

Mage 1 (kneeling beside him) –
“He’s asleep.
But what brought him here… is still awake.”

Mage 2 (touching his forehead with a calming spell) –
“His body couldn’t endure…
because his soul wanted to move ahead.”

Mage 3 (looking at the sword still gripped) –
“He didn’t let go…
not even at the end.”

Scene — The roar that didn’t come from the throat
Enalya Training Field – Eastern zone, under the sun without witnesses
12:19 p.m. – The heat falls dry, the earth still marked by cracks that won’t heal

SCENE — “The roar that didn’t come from the throat”

The hunters surround him, without hostility.
Blades have been lowered.
Respect now weighs more than steel.

Elder hunter (calm voice, arms crossed) –
“The boy has given everything.
He must rest.
He’s done what no one expected.”

The voices are soft.
But not soft enough for Kagayaku not to hear them.
His body sprawled.
Dry blood on his neck.
Broken breath.
But his eyes… open.

SCENE – Rising even when the world says ‘enough’
Kagayaku slowly sits up.
His arm trembles.
His ribs burn.
But his hand reaches for the sword.

He grips the blade.
Raises it with one hand.
His fingers cling.
His legs wobble.

Kagayaku (broken but unyielding voice) –
“I won’t give up…
I need to suffer…
to understand.”

He spits blood.
Not for effect.
For truth.

Kagayaku (looking at no one, but feeling everything) –
“I don’t know if I’ll die in the future…
but I won’t die on the ground.
If I must die…
I’ll do it standing.”

SCENE – The blink that shattered the air
In an instant, his body slides forward.
Not running.
Not leaping.
Sliding as if the wind itself obeyed.

In a single blink…
the hunters watch.
Muscles don’t react.
Time seems to ask permission.
A muffled explosion.
The hunters are thrown, scattered in different arcs.
Dust rises.
The earth trembles.
A shockwave…
and another 50-meter crack opens silently beneath their feet.

REACTIONS – The awe no one can disguise

Hunter 2 (spinning midair before landing) –
“What was that?!”

Huntress 1 (eyes wide as moons) –
“The boy… moved like he no longer belonged here!”

Elder hunter (barely standing) –
“It’s not technique.
It’s not magic.
It’s something born when someone decides they won’t fall by another’s will.”

Mage 1 (running to the field) –
“Stop everything! This is no longer training!”

Mage 2 (extending her arm with a cushioning spell) –
“He’s collapsing!”

SCENE – The blackout
Kagayaku stops.
Doesn’t move.
Sword still gripped.
His body no longer responds.
More blood.
One last blink.
And he falls backward.

This time… there’s no force in the landing.
Only unconsciousness.
The field falls silent.
Hunters on the ground.
Mages on their knees.
The wolves arrive.
And the celestial tree drops a petal on his chest.

Narrator (voice like a crack breathing from the root of the world)
“He didn’t scream.
He didn’t ask for help.
He simply decided…
that if the price of understanding was to break…
then he would break without asking permission.
And when the body fell,
the respect no one spoke…
was already placed upon him.”

Scene — Where the child sleeps and the world trembles
Enalya – Healing room / Northern plaza
3:08 p.m. – The sun has stopped warming. The sky now watches with fear

SCENE – “Where the child sleeps and the world trembles”

Interior – Healing room
Kagayaku rests on a bed surrounded by white flowers with five petals.
His body is bandaged, weak.
His breathing is labored.
The village children care for him, with small hands and confused eyes.

Girl (to the mage adjusting the blanket) –
“Why does he try so hard? He’s like us… but he doesn’t play.”

Boy (holding his sword to clean it) –
“Why does he fight like he’s alone against everything?”

Mage 1 (calm voice) –
“Because even asleep… he knows his battle isn’t future.
It’s now.
And you… haven’t seen it yet.”

The mage gently lays Kagayaku back down.
The wolves surround the bed, one by his chest, another at his feet.
The air grows thick.
The boy murmurs in his sleep.

Kagayaku (broken, trembling voice) –
“…I won’t be weak…”

Exterior – Northern plaza
Suddenly, screams.
Shrieks.
The earth trembles.
Daylight turns gray.

Mage 2 (turning to the door) –
“Something has crossed the forest’s boundary!”

The mages run out.
The children remain behind, one places a hand on Kagayaku’s forehead.
Outside… horror has descended.

The enemy appears
A roar.
A shadow covers entire houses.
Emerging above the western mountains… a demonic dragon crawls.

Its body measures over 300 meters.
Its eyes glow like black flames.
Its breath breaks trees without touching them.
Its scales shed liquid darkness.

All the village’s mages form up.
Hands to the sky.
Magic circles activated.
Buried crystals begin to glow.

A shield rises.
Giant.
Golden and white.
Surrounding the village.

But each strike from the dragon…
devastates the defense.
The shield remains standing,
but each impact leaves cracks, explosions of light and dust.

Reactions

Commander mage (urgent voice) –
“Charge the seals! There’s no time to retreat!”

Young mage (watching the split sky) –
“This shield won’t hold much longer…”

Mage 3 (looking toward the healing room) –
“Don’t wake yet, Kagayaku…
but if you do…
do it like you did before.
Do it like you know why you’re here.”

Scene — Where the ground feared the child
Enalya — Northern plaza border / divided sky / shattered mountain range
4:58 p.m. — The afternoon has no time left. The village stands in the presence of a story just beginning to reveal itself

The shield falls
The last defensive runes shatter like betrayed crystals.
The magical shield explodes.
Sacred light fragments and the shards float as if unwilling to touch the ground.
Silence.
And then… laughter.

Demonic dragon (voice that crawls like venom) –
“Bring me… the last hero!”

Reactions from the village

Elder woman at the well –
“What did it say…? Hero?”

The mages do not respond.
Their eyes do not seek defense.
They seek containment.

It devours a villager
A man runs.
A claw.
A burning breath.
And he is devoured.
No ashes remain.
Only emptiness.

The world begins to float
Books spin like desperate objects.
Tools levitate alongside stones as if seeking direction.
Flowers float, and the air swirls as if remembering that time is never enough.

Kagayaku appears — golden gaze, white hair
From the forest’s edge, Kagayaku walks.
Without urgency.
Each step leaves a crack that seems to contain a celestial language.
His golden eyes do not blink.
His sword held in one hand:
Golden, vibrating with celestial symbols.
Silver blade glowing red-hot, with threads of magma dancing beneath the surface.
Each rune shines as if it knows what is about to break.

Attack and counterattack
Kagayaku launches forward.
He places both hands on the ground.
The earth rumbles.
He propels himself with a kick that strikes the dragon in the face.
The monster flies and crashes into a distant mountain.

The dragon responds with infernal breath.
Kagayaku opens his hand.
A golden shield appears, circular, spinning like a solar disc.
The pressure pushes.
The fire tears.
But Kagayaku closes his fist.
The shield compacts and… the attack explodes inside it.
Without touching anyone.

Transformation and duel
The dragon changes form.
It becomes a hybrid being:
Half human, with a red spear, red gaze, claws that breathe rage.
Kagayaku doesn’t change stance.
He holds the sword with one hand.
Attacks.
Blocks.
Slides through the air.
Grabs it by the nape.

Smash!
The hybrid crashes into the ground and a 300-meter crater opens.
The edges tremble.
Roots creak.
Houses shake without collapsing.

Combat in seconds
They fight side by side.
In less than a second, they’re no longer where they were.
Kagayaku attacks in a curve, precise thrust, retreats and counterattacks before the enemy blinks.
The hybrid throws its spear.
Kagayaku disarms.
Catches.
Pushes.

Spear toward the village
The hybrid creates a red spear in the sky.
Size: 200 meters.
Direction: the village.
Children scream.
Villagers retreat.
The mages begin to conjure without finishing their words.
Kagayaku appears before the village.
Diagonal thrust with fire element.
The energy collapses.
The spear shatters into a thousand burning fragments.

Triple kick — absolute mastery
Kagayaku appears behind the hybrid.
Side kick.
Launches it to one side.
Appears on the other and sends it back.
Appears below and launches it upward.

The golden fire spear
In the air, Kagayaku forms a golden fire spear.
Size: 400 meters.
It pierces the sky.
The hybrid dodges.
But Kagayaku appears beneath the same attack.
Grabs the spear.
Redirects it with a vertical thrust.
Pierces through.
Terrifying explosion.

The mountain trembles.
The sky screams.
The hybrid is disintegrated.
No voice remains.
Only air that no longer wants to respond.

Reactions from the village

Temple elder (with tears) –
“It’s not magic…
It’s judgment.”

Hunter (soft voice) –
“That… that boy defended us…
with will older than the sun?”

Girl (looking toward the sky) –
“Then… he was the hero all along?”

Mage 3 (closing her eyes) –
“He didn’t present himself as a savior…
because one who awakens to protect…
never announces when he’ll do it.”

Ushinawareta Yogen no Saigo no Eiyū
The Last Hero of the Lost Prophecy
Scene — “Where silences still remember the one who never asked to be remembered”
Enalya – Central Plaza and Silent Wind Forest
5:58 p.m. (Years ago) / 6:42 a.m. (Present day)

YEARS AGO – The day of descent
After defeating the demonic dragon, Kagayaku descended among fading fire, floating petals, and stardust suspended in the air.
His golden eyes shone without demand.
His sword still burned, and the ground recognized each step as more than a footprint: as testimony.
But he did not celebrate.
He simply walked toward the village.

One by one, the villagers surrounded him.
And without instruction… they knelt.

Elder hunter (soft, reverent voice) –
“Nothing will leave our mouths… ever.
This… is not history. It’s promise.”

Baker (crying as she touches the ground with her hands) –
“He didn’t ask for respect.
And that… is what makes him deserve it.”

Garden girl (whispering through sobs) –
“We won’t say anything.
This silence… will be eternal.”

Everyone cried.
Not for what had happened.
But for what they finally understood:
That boy was no accident.

The day he arrived in Enalya
A decade earlier…
Dawn broke with thick fog.
And from it, a lone boy walked.

Mage 1 (upon seeing him for the first time) –
“Do you see his eyes?
They have no age.
That’s not a child… it’s a story not yet spoken.”

The “Last Hero” was not a battle title.
It was a name sealed in the Book of the Lost Pact.
A warning disguised as hope.
Not born of lineage.
Born of the accumulated pain of a thousand collapsed worlds…
that finally decided not to remain silent.

PRESENT — Kagayaku, 18 years old
Forest edge – Departure toward the Lelyona Academy of Magic
With the sun barely filtering light through the trees, Kagayaku arranges his things: vials, scrolls, a rolled letter with golden seal, and a star map.
Beside him, his sword…
now ordinary.
Without glow.
But everyone knew what it contained.

His tall figure (1.80m), fair skin, golden eyes, white hair falling gently…
and a hood covering his entire body as if guarding secrets even the sky doesn’t deserve to hear.

Two wolves watch him from the hill.
And make no sound.
As always.
As part of the pact.

Dialogue before departure

Mage 2 (approaching with firm steps) –
“Kagayaku… I don’t need to wish you luck.
I only need to remind you that what you are… doesn’t need to introduce itself.”

Mage 3 (looking at the sky) –
“And if one day silence needs to be broken…
we know you’ll be the one to choose how it should be.”

The three look at each other.
Nothing else is said.
No hugs.
No farewells.
Only respect.

Reactions from the village

Elder at the well (trembling voice from his chair) –
“He leaves today.
But he doesn’t leave emptiness.
He leaves… sealed memory.”

Girl now 12 years old (to her mother) –
“Do you think the world will know who he is?”

Mother (squeezing her hand) –
“Maybe not.
But if they ever hear him…
the world will know when to fall silent again.”

Narrator (like a noble shadow walking behind the light)
“He doesn’t leave with glory.
Nor with chants.
Kagayaku departs as he arrived:
with soft steps…
and silence as his escort.
Because when the last hero walks…
the world doesn’t celebrate him.
The world respects him.”

Scene — “Where beauty still warns that monsters lie ahead”
Silent Path, trail toward the Kingdom of the Rising Dragon
9:24 a.m. – The air smells fresh, the world smiles, and the hero no longer rushes

The departure
Kagayaku walked with calm steps, sheathing his now ordinary sword, biting into a red apple with a serene expression.
His cloak swayed with the gentle wind flowing from the heart of the forest.
Before crossing the final boundary of Enalya, he turned.

 The villagers were gathered at a distance.
No words.
Only soft, reverent gazes.

Kagayaku (with a kind smile, slightly raising the fruit) –
“Until soon… what was will never be told, but will always be felt.”

Silence was his farewell.
And walking, his way of honoring it.

The surroundings
As he advanced, the world opened as if waiting patiently.
The land turned emerald green, with small golden reflections beneath the sun’s rays.
The air smelled of sweet humidity, and everything seemed slower:

Waterfalls fell between slopes decorated with glowing moss.

People tilled the land with tired but sincere smiles.

Children played with enchanted ropes that left trails of color as they moved.

Birds danced over the crops as if marking the path.

Encounter with the family
Further ahead, Kagayaku stopped before a young family.
Father, mother, and three children surrounded a luminous crop field.
The youngest played with a scarecrow that shimmered under the sun.

Kagayaku (gentle tone, still biting the apple) –
“Excuse me… am I on the right path?
My destination is the Kingdom of the Rising Dragon.”

Father (warm voice, nodding) –
“Yes, you’re on the right path, traveler.
Take the narrow river trail, follow the red stones along the western slope.
But keep in mind…”

Mother (adjusting a basket) –
“It’s a long journey… a day and a half if you don’t stop much.”

The children looked at Kagayaku with curiosity.

Older boy (stretching his voice like sharing a secret) –
“And they say there’s a minotaur!
He’s big, strong… and kind of grumpy.”

Kagayaku finished his bite, smiled calmly.

Kagayaku (looking at the boy with tenderness) –
“Thanks for the warning…
If I see him, I’ll try not to ask for directions.”

The family laughed.
Not out of humor, but from the humanity of the moment.

Scene — “Where the one who cuts doesn’t need to turn”
Border of the Smoking Valley – Territory of the Exiled Minotaur
3:11 p.m. – The sun filters golden light between cliffs, but tension hides in beauty

Kagayaku was already far… very far
The family watched him. Still talking and laughing, when the boy pointed down the path:

Boy (wide-eyed) —
“Mom, Dad… he’s gone?! Look there… way up ahead!”

Three kilometers away, on a broken trail between green hills, Kagayaku’s figure crossed the highest rock with a calm that seemed incompatible with the distance traveled.

Father (mouth agape) —
“He didn’t run…
The path simply couldn’t hold him.”

Mother (soft voice) —
“Was it speed… or has the world learned to step aside when he passes?”

Three hours later – The invisible border
The sun had lowered.
The air thickened.
Flowers vanished.
Grass turned to stone.
Kagayaku kept walking, calm, golden eyes toward the horizon.

The rocks were marked with ancient symbols: claws, blood, spirals of threat.

Grave voice from the shadows —
“You’ve crossed where no one crosses…
And you didn’t ask permission.”

The minotaur appears
Emerging from vapor,
split horns,
red eyes without pupils,
a scar on his chest like the signature of a war never told.

Minotaur (approaching with brutal steps) —
“This territory is mine.
Those who cross without speaking…
lose without asking.”

Kagayaku walked past him.
Without changing pace.
Without turning.

Kagayaku (soft voice, barely audible through the vapor) —
“I didn’t come to take your land.
I’m just moving forward.”

First attack
The minotaur roars.
Stone fist.
Destructive charge.
Kagayaku dodges with elegant movements, effortlessly.
Turns left, then right…
as if the air guided him.

The great strike — rupture
The minotaur lets out a cry.
Raises a massive axe forged from volcanic pit mineral.
Brings it down on Kagayaku with tectonic fury.

Kagayaku (raising two fingers)
The axe splits.
Splinters.
Then bursts into dust.

The minotaur steps back, panting.
His expression mixes rage… with incomprehension.

The insult that never came
Minotaur (charging the air, about to shout) —
“Damn—!”

But he doesn’t finish.
His body trembles.
From neck, shoulders, torso…
Clean cuts.
As if the very intention had been punished.

His body falls.
Splits.
In silence.
In respect.

Kagayaku keeps walking…
Doesn’t stop.
Doesn’t turn.
His eyes remain fixed on the golden hill.

The vapor dissipates behind him.
The world breathes slower.
As if it had learned the difference between dominance… and purpose.

Scene — “Where the threat didn’t wait for the army… because it had already fallen”
Grey Territory – Path of the Lost Echo, beneath cracked skies
4:44 p.m. – The wind blows, but gives no warning. The danger lies dead… and the one who defeated it is no longer there

Vegetation was sparse. The air dense. The trees offered no shade, as if honoring what had just happened.
Leaves didn’t rustle. The wind didn’t whistle.
The path seemed forgotten by the world, but not by the memory of something that had just occurred.

The princess’s carriage continued its course among dark rocks carved with runes by unknown hands.
It was an enchanted vehicle, suspended by floating root magic, reinforced with lunar steel and ceremonial sky-blue fabric that didn’t flutter… only waited.
Inside, the princess watched with a furrowed brow, her hand firm on the golden window frame.
The light armor she wore shimmered faintly from contact with a protection spell.

Princess (with uneasy voice) –
“This place… should be where the supposed minotaur is.
Where is the threat our sages swore would pursue us here?”

Ahead of the carriage, royal knights advanced in tight formation. Tempered armor, activated spears, enchanted visors glowing.
Captain Aerth raised his hand:

Captain Aerth –
“Stop.
We’re entering the forbidden stretch.
Registered territory of the minotaur of the Broken Veil.
No one crosses here without preparing prayers.”

The knights tensed. The mounts stepped back half a pace by instinct.
But the march didn’t stop.
The carriage continued… because there were no clear signs.
Until they saw it.

The body.
The creature.
The minotaur.
Split.
Disarmed.
Disintegrated with clean cuts that showed no blood, only surrender.
Its torso lay beside the stone altar marking its territory.
Its great ceremonial axe was reduced to fragments dissolved in the hot ground.

Knight 2 (with choked voice) –
“Demons shredded it.
And not by numbers… by someone who’s no longer here.”

Elenara (descending, looking at the remains) –
“Where are the footprints?
Where are the signs of battle?”

Aerth (touching the stone where the torso lies) –
“The heat from the crack… still vibrates.
This happened minutes ago… not hours.”

Knight 3 (looking toward the horizon with fear) –
“Who crosses this land…
without leaving tracks…
and without the trees daring to speak their name?”

Elenara (soft voice, contemplating a white feather floating in the dust) –
“Perhaps… someone crossed whom the world chose not to announce.
Someone who no longer needs a path opened for them…
because they create it as they walk.”

The knights looked at each other in silence.
Not out of fear.
Out of respect.
The carriage resumed its slow advance, without fanfare or raised shields.
The princess sat down.
She said no more.
But her thoughts… no longer traveled toward the Kingdom of the Rising Dragon.
They turned toward the one who crossed before them all.
And who left, as sole witness…
a body that never understood who it had faced.