Dusk settled over the forest in muted copper tones, its fading light stretching through the trees as a wounded scout lay motionless upon the ground. His breaths came shallow and uneven, each one threatening to be his last.

  Without hesitation, Kaelyn knelt beside him and raised her hand. A gentle radiance flowed from her palm, warm and steady, wrapping around his broken body like a quiet promise. Torn flesh closed, blood retreated, and fractured skin restored itself under the glow of her power.

  Within moments, the bleeding ceased entirely.

  He opened his eyes with a violent gasp, air rushing into his lungs as though he had been dragged back from drowning at the very last moment. Warm light still surrounded his body, and the wounds that had moments ago been torn to the bone were now gone without a trace. His trembling hand pressed against his chest before his gaze rose toward Kaelyn, disbelief filling his eyes.

  "I… I'm alive…?"

  The words escaped between uneven breaths as gratitude slowly softened his expression.

  "Thank you… truly. I thought I was finished…"

  Kaelyn offered no response. She simply stood, her calm presence strangely unsettling, and turned away as if the matter no longer concerned her. The man watched her for a moment before forcing himself to stand, still feeling the lingering warmth of healing coursing through his veins.

  After only a few steps, just as he was about to leave the clearing, Kaelyn stopped without turning back.

  "What will the kingdom think about this?"

  He paused, then allowed a narrow, cunning smile to form across his face.

  "Don't worry," he said lightly. "I won't speak about any of this. No one will hear a thing."

  His shoulders lifted with practiced confidence, but the brief silence that followed felt heavier than before.

  Kaelyn spoke again, her voice calm in a way that felt almost unnatural.

  "And the orc wave? Weren't you sent to investigate it?"

  Inside his mind, a darker thought surfaced, sharp with resentment.

  I'll return… and when I do, you'll regret what you've done.

  He opened his mouth to answer, already preparing his reply, when a sudden cold sensation bloomed deep within his chest. At first it felt like nothing more than a faint sting, but the chill quickly spread between his ribs, growing heavier as though something inside him no longer belonged to him.

  His eyes lowered instinctively.

  Pale fingers, slick with his own blood, slowly emerged from his chest.

  For a moment, his mind refused to understand what he was seeing. A hand had pierced straight through his body from behind, moving with slow, effortless precision while flesh parted around it with a wet, muted sound. Warm blood spilled across his clothes, yet the pain never came only an expanding cold that spread outward from his heart, draining heat from his limbs piece by piece.

  His lips trembled as confusion turned into fear.

  "…Why…?"

  He turned slowly, his movements heavy and delayed, as though the air itself had thickened around him. The world seemed distant and muffled as his vision narrowed, and when he finally faced her, he saw Kaelyn standing behind him with an expression completely devoid of emotion.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Her hand remained buried within his chest.

  His heart pulsed weakly between her fingers, and he felt the horrifying sensation of it being taken from him.

  Fear flooded his eyes at last.

  "W–why… won't you answer…?"

  His voice broke apart as feeling vanished from his fingers, then his arms, while his knees trembled under a body that no longer obeyed him. Slowly, almost gently, Kaelyn withdrew her hand, pulling his heart free as it beat a few final, fading times before falling still.

  At that same instant, the warmth she had given him minutes earlier disappeared entirely, as if it had never existed. His strength collapsed with it, and his body fell heavily to the ground, his eyes remaining open as life faded away frozen forever upon the final emotion he had known.

  Fear.

  Silence reclaimed the clearing.

  Auren watched the corpse for a moment before shifting his gaze toward Kaelyn.

  "Was it really necessary to heal him first?"

  She did not slow her steps.

  "He was trying to deceive us," she answered calmly. After a brief pause, her voice grew colder. "So he died the way he lived."

  Auren let out a quiet laugh, amused despite himself.

  "You really are serious about details."

  The humor faded quickly, replaced by thoughtfulness as his eyes scanned the surrounding forest.

  "If they send more scouts to investigate his disappearance, they'll eventually discover the orc camp and from there, everything else becomes obvious. This place isn't safe anymore."

  Kaelyn turned toward him, her gaze steady and composed.

  "With my current strength, those soldiers pose no threat."

  She hesitated slightly before continuing.

  "But the village may be drawn into conflict without intending to."

  Auren nodded, his expression tightening.

  "Yes… and that's exactly what worries me."

  The wind passed quietly between them before Kaelyn spoke again.

  "There is a kingdom that was annihilated during the Catastrophe. Its lands should remain largely abandoned. We could begin there."

  Auren considered her words.

  "How long would the journey take?"

  "With the villagers traveling alongside us… several days."

  He exhaled slowly, already weighing the consequences.

  "Then we'll inform the villagers and have them prepare immediately."

  His tone sharpened as he continued.

  "In the meantime, I want you to scout the entire surrounding region."

  He paused, choosing his words carefully.

  "Normally, I'd suggest trying to reestablish contact with… him. But at the very least, gather information about the continent's current state. From what I can tell, you've been sealed away for quite a long time."

  Kaelyn stopped.

  Slowly, she turned her head toward him.

  "…Are you calling me old?"

  Auren stiffened instantly.

  "What? No absolutely not! I only meant that people may have forgotten how powerful you are!"

  She stared at him in silence, her gaze heavy enough to suffocate the air itself.

  "…Really?"

  "Yes. Completely serious."

  A long moment passed before she finally sighed.

  "…Fine."

  Relief washed over Auren as he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

  "Thank goodness… she believed me."

  in the Human Kingdom

  Inside a vast stone command hall, Commander Rynval Kaider stood before a massive strategic map illuminated by torchlight. His eyes narrowed as he traced the borderlands with a gloved finger.

  "Strange…"

  No signals. No reports. Not even a delayed message.

  An entire orc wave did not simply vanish.

  He straightened slowly.

  "Could the scout have been captured…?"

  A royal knight entered at that moment and bowed deeply.

  "Commander."

  Rynval turned immediately.

  "Gather every available combatant. We depart at once."

  The knight hesitated.

  "Our objective, sir?"

  A faint, cold smile crossed Rynval's face.

  "We eliminate the orc wave before it reaches the border villages."

  "Yes, Commander!"

  The knight rushed out, and preparations began at once.

  Soon, twenty mid-rank fighters assembled before the kingdom's massive gate, armored figures standing in disciplined formation as evening shadows stretched across the courtyard.

  Just as the gates were about to open, murmurs spread among the soldiers.

  Confident footsteps echoed across the stone.

  A woman approached with relaxed swagger, short crimson hair swaying as a sharp, eager grin spread across her face.

  Maris Falka the kingdom's celebrated heroine.

  Her hand rested casually upon her sword as she surveyed the gathered troops.

  "And where," she asked with clear amusement, "is this lively group heading?"

  Rynval sighed, already anticipating the outcome.

  "We're moving to eradicate an orc wave."

  Her eyes lit instantly, excitement igniting like flame.

  "Finally. I'm coming with you."

  "You just returned from a mission," he replied

  "You should rest."

  She waved dismissively, utterly uninterested.

  "That mission was boring. Too easy. I didn't even get to enjoy myself."

  Her grin sharpened, almost predatory.

  "But this… this sounds like an actual battle."

  The soldiers exchanged glances. Some smiled knowingly, while others silently pitied whatever enemies awaited them.

  Rynval sighed once more, accepting the inevitable.

  "…Prepare to move."

  Maris's smile widened as anticipation burned in her eyes.

  At last, something worth fighting had appeared.