Chapter 5 ( The last knight, Vol. 1 )

The weeks blurred into a quiet rhythm that felt dangerously close to peace.

Kaine rose before dawn each day, his body now strong again. The farm work had hardened him in a different way not with the sharp edge of steel, but with endurance. His hands, once calloused only by sword grips, were rough from hoe and rope. 

He moved with purpose through the fields, repairing fences, carrying heavy sacks of grain, and helping mend the thatched roofs after summer storms.

Enid was always nearby.

She no longer hid her concern behind teasing. In the golden light of late afternoons, she would bring him fresh water and sit beside him under the old oak tree at the edge of the field. Their conversations grew longer, deeper. 

She spoke of her dreams for the village  a better harvest, a life without fear of passing soldiers. He listened, offering rare stories from his own past: 

the pride in his father’s eyes when he first earned his knighthood, the cold nights spent around campfires with his fallen brothers.

One evening, as the sun dipped low and painted the hills in deep orange, Enid leaned her head against his shoulder for the first time. Neither of them spoke. The silence felt warm, alive with everything unsaid.

Kaine felt the pull stronger than ever. The Heavenly Vow still burned in his chest like a second heartbeat, but so did something gentler  something that made him want to stay in this small, hidden corner of the world where no one knew his name.

Yet every night, when the village slept, he would stand alone outside the hut and stare toward the distant east. The memories returned unbidden: 

the blood-soaked mud, General Kimar’s mocking laughter, the headless body of General Kai. The vow he had made under the blood moon refused to fade.

Honor demanded payment in blood. One crisp morning, Kaine made his choice.

He waited until after breakfast, when the three of them sat outside the hut. His traveler’s cloak was already packed with a little bread, dried meat, and the plain sword he had forged in secret during quiet nights.

“I’m leaving today,” he said quietly, looking first at old man Oriana, then at Enid.

The old man simply nodded, his face tight but unsurprised. He had seen this coming. “The road to the Eastbank capital is long and dangerous. Watch yourself, boy.”

Enid froze, her hands gripping the edge of the wooden bench until her knuckles turned white.

“You’re going… to the Capital of Eastbank?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper. “To fight General Kimar?”

Kaine met her eyes. “Yes. The vow must be fulfilled. My honor… my brothers… they deserve justice.”

The air grew heavy. Enid stood up slowly, her chair scraping against the dirt.

The real storm broke at the edge of the village, where the dirt path curved toward the hills and the long road east.

Enid had followed him there, refusing to let him leave without a final confrontation. Tears already streamed down her face as she blocked his path one last time.

“So this is it?” she cried. “After everything  after I saved you when you were begging in the mud you’re just going to walk away?”

Kaine stopped, his hand tightening on the strap of his pack. “Enid… I told you from the beginning. I have to do this.”

“Then who am I?” she shouted, her voice cracking with raw pain. “Tell me, Kaine  who am I to you?” He looked at her for a long moment, steeling himself.

“Just a girl whom I owe,” he said quietly, almost coldly. “And now… we are even.”

The words struck her like a physical blow. Enid’s face twisted in heartbreak and fury. Fresh tears spilled freely.

“Whom saved you?” she screamed. “When you were dying, begging for your life I did! I saved you! And you repay me by choosing this? By leaving like none of it mattered?”

Kaine said nothing. His fists clenched at his sides, but he kept his mouth shut.

Enid took a shaky step closer, her pain pouring out like a flood.

“Why are you so stuck in the past?! Tell me! They are all dead, Kaine! What will you get from this revenge? You’re choosing corpses over me over someone who is right here, breathing, talking, caring about you! Those men… they’re just ashes now!”

That broke something inside him.

Kaine snapped. He grabbed both her wrists firmly, eyes blazing with a mix of anger and unbearable guilt.

“Watch your mouth,” he growled, voice low and dangerous.

Enid didn’t flinch. Tears continued falling as she stared straight into his soul.

“Kill me too, then,” she whispered, her voice trembling but fierce. “You love corpses more than the living. Just kill me too… maybe then you’ll finally choose me.”

The words hit him like a war hammer.

His grip loosened instantly. Everything  pain, conflict, the storm of buried emotions  flashed raw and unguarded in his eyes. But no words came from his mouth.

He released her hands.

If he stayed even one more second, his resolve would shatter completely. He knew it in his bones.

Kaine turned his back on her and began walking down the path, each step heavy, deliberate.

“You’re just a coward…” Enid’s broken voice chased after him. “You can’t even listen to your own emotions…”

He didn’t turn around. He kept walking, eyes fixed on the horizon toward the distant Capital of Eastbank, where General Kimar waited.

Behind him, Enid’s legs gave out. She sank to her knees in the dust, sobbing uncontrollably.

Old man Oriana rushed out and gently helped his daughter to her feet, wrapping a steady arm around her shaking shoulders. He said nothing  there was nothing left to say.

Kaine never looked back.

The road stretched long and unforgiving before him. With every step away from Oakrest, the warmth of the village and Enid’s tears weighed heavier than any armor he had ever worn.

The Heavenly Vow still called him forward. But for the first time since the blood moon night, doubt had planted its seed deep in his heart.

To be continued...