Scene: Gates of the Royal Capital – Amestrias

  The sun beats down, gring off the high white walls of Amestrias. Its towers cw into the sky, banners snapping in the dry wind—symbols of royal pride, old power, and ambition, not gods.

  Yuya and Ruri move steadily toward the main gate—her cloak torn, her shoulder bandaged tight, his steps silent and steady despite the broken chains still clinking at his wrists.

  The guards barely gnce at them. Ruri’s officer badge, worn but intact, is enough to get them through without question.

  Beyond the gate, marble streets spread out like veins, bustling with soldiers, merchants, and cloaked informants. At the heart of it all stands the Royal Guard Command Center, a sharp mass of stone and iron.

  Ahead, the Royal Guard Command Center looms in the pace’s shadow.

  And waiting on the marble steps… Karin.

  Slim, agile, deadly in gleaming silver armor. Her grey hair is tied back in a tight ponytail, exposing sharp features and keen, restless eyes.

  The moment she sees them—

  Karin (stiffening):“Ruri?!”

  She half-runs down the steps, boots cnging on stone, grabbing Ruri by the good shoulder.

  Karin (urgent, frantic):“What the hell happened? You left with twenty men! Where’s the caravan? Where’s—”

  Her voice breaks when she sees how battered Ruri really is. Her eyes flick briefly to Yuya.

  Then they narrow.

  Karin (frowning):“…Who’s this guy?”

  Yuya meets her stare with a bored, detached look. Arms crossed, bckened gauntlets still faintly stained from the battle.

  Ruri doesn’t flinch.

  Ruri (calmly):“He’s with me.”

  Karin stops two paces away, assessing. Always assessing.

  Karin (dry):“I don’t remember seeing you leave with him.”

  Ruri’s voice stays steady.

  Ruri:“A lot changed.”

  Karin’s eyes narrow slightly. Her hand rests lightly near the hilt of her sword, instinct more than threat.

  Karin (carefully):“Did he have anything to do with what happened to the caravan?”

  Another long pause. The kind that weighs heavy between soldiers who’ve bled together.

  Ruri (quiet but firm):“He’s the reason I’m still breathing.”

  Yuya says nothing. He doesn’t need to.

  Karin studies him again—like she’s trying to peel him apart with just her eyes.

  Karin (mutters):“…Hell of a look for a bodyguard.”

  A flicker of a smirk crosses Ruri’s lips, too brief to catch unless you know her.

  Ruri:“You could say that.”

  Karin’s tension doesn’t vanish, but she jerks her head toward the wide stone steps.

  Karin:“Come on. Command’s gonna want answers.”

  As they walk up, Karin falls into step beside Ruri, voice low.

  Karin (muttering):“You’re gonna expin everything ter. No bullshit.”

  Ruri (equally low):“Promise.”

  Behind them, Yuya follows

  [Scene 5 : Royal Guard Command Center – Interior]

  The halls are wide, cold, and echo with every step. Stone pilrs rise like skeletal fingers toward a high, vaulted ceiling. Guards in polished armor march in formation, officers bark orders. The air stinks of iron, paper, and authority.

  Ruri walks with purpose, Yuya a silent shadow just behind her.

  But just as they round a corner toward the main council chamber—

  Karin grabs Ruri’s arm.

  Quick. Firm. Urgent.

  Yuya halts mid-step, eyeing them without a word, but doesn’t interfere.

  Karin pulls Ruri aside, out of view of the main corridor. Her grip tightens—not hurting her, but grounding her. Making sure Ruri hears every word.

  Karin (low, serious):“What the hell are you doing, Ruri?”

  Ruri stiffens, meeting her eyes without flinching.

  Ruri (even):“Surviving.”

  Karin (gritting her teeth):“That’s not what this looks like. You show up half-dead with some stranger wearing broken chains and a damn death wish—and you expect me to just nod and back you up?”

  She shakes her head, frustrated.

  Karin (voice rough):“I’m not mad you brought him. I’m mad you’re not telling me why.”

  The weight behind her words isn’t anger. It’s fear. Fear for Ruri.

  A heartbeat passes.

  Behind them, Yuya leans against the wall, unreadable, waiting.

  Ruri’s eyes soften slightly.

  Ruri (quiet):“I will. I swear. Just not yet.”

  Karin searches her face for any sign of a lie.

  She finds none.

  Another second passes—and then she releases her grip, exhaling sharply.

  Karin (muttering):“Fine. I’m trusting you. Like always.”

  Her eyes flick briefly toward Yuya.

  Karin (warning, under her breath):“But if he pulls anything… I will cut him down myself.”

  Ruri offers a ghost of a smile.

  Ruri:“Im sure he realizes.”

  Karin snorts, masking the tight knot in her chest, and steps back into formation.

  Yuya pushes off the wall casually and follows as they continue toward the council chamber—The door looming ahead like the mouth of something ancient and merciless.

  And above them, the banners of Amestrias sway, whispering promises of glory… and betrayal.

  ?

  [Scene: Royal Guard Command Center – Council Chamber]

  The doors creak open with a low groan. Inside, the chamber is colder, darker—lined with ancient stone and gleaming banners. Sunlight filters through narrow stained gss windows, casting colored patterns across the floor like broken chains of light.

  At the far end of the hall stands a man.

  Tall. Broad-shouldered. Cd in polished white armor trimmed with gold. His gray hair is slicked back neatly, his face sharp with authority and wisdom sharpened into something almost cruel.

  Holy Knight Hendrickson.Leader of the Royal Guard.The King’s Fist.

  He watches as Ruri strides forward, Karin just a pace behind her.

  Yuya stops at the threshold.

  He leans casually against the outside wall, arms folded—but his senses are burning.Something about this pce… this city…It itches under his skin.

  Like being watched by something far older and colder than any human.

  Inside the chamber—

  Hendrickson (voice deep, commanding):“Officer Ruri Kōrosaki. You were sent to assist the vilgers in Emberfall vilge to collect supplies for the kingdom. Instead, you return with one stranger, half your blood, and no caravan.”

  His gaze is sharp enough to cut steel.

  Hendrickson (coldly):“Expin.”

  Ruri stands tall despite the weight of the room pressing down.

  Ruri (clear, steady):“There was an attack. A wild beast—corrupted beyond natural means—ambushed us two days out. It sughtered the prisoners and all the escort before we could respond.”

  She lets the words hang. Technically true.

  Technically.

  Ruri (continuing):“I survived thanks to the assistance of a traveler we encountered shortly before the ambush.”

  She gestures—barely—to where Yuya waits beyond the door.

  Ruri (measured):“He fought at great personal risk to defend the caravan, despite being mistaken for a prisoner. Without him, I wouldn’t have returned at all.”

  Hendrickson’s eyes narrow.

  Hendrickson:“A traveler… conveniently found in the middle of a massacre?”

  Ruri (coolly):“Convenience or not, he bled for Amestrias when others did not.”

  The knight leader studies her in silence.Judging.Calcuting.

  Finally—

  Hendrickson stands silent a moment longer, his sharp gaze boring into Ruri.The tension crackles like a storm waiting to break.

  Then finally—

  Hendrickson (low, steady):“…Very well. I trust your judgment, Officer Kōrosaki.”

  Ruri bows again, relief flickering behind her eyes.

  Hendrickson (continuing, almost casually):“I guess he can be trusted. If he saved your life, that is enough—for now.”

  But his tone leaves no room for misunderstanding:This is a test. For both of them.

  Hendrickson’s voice hardens slightly.

  Hendrickson:“You are dismissed. Recover. Report back tomorrow.”

  Ruri nods briskly and turns to leave.

  As she opened the heavy doors swing open

  Hendrickson (calling sharply):“Karin. Stay.”

  Karin stops mid-step. She gnces at Ruri’s back as she exits, then steps back into the chamber, expression tense.

  The doors thud shut.

  Hendrickson (lower, serious):“Keep a close eye on him. Quietly. I want to know if he sneezes wrong.”

  Karin smirks faintly but salutes.

  Karin:“Understood, sir.”

  The moment Ruri steps out into the hallway, the tension seems to bleed from her shoulders.

  She exhales slowly, rubbing at her bandaged shoulder.

  Yuya leans casually against the wall, his sharp eyes reading her like an open book.

  Ruri gnces at him, managing a wry smile.

  Ruri (exhaling, muttering):“Done. For now.”

  Yuya pushes off the wall with a small shrug, his expression unreadable.

  Yuya (dryly):“Was it good news or bad news?”

  Ruri (shrugging tiredly):“Both. You’re free to move around the capital… but don’t push your luck.”

  He huffs a short, humorless ugh.

  Yuya:“I wasn’t pnning on getting cozy.”

  Without another word, the two of them walk side-by-side down the grand hallway, their footsteps echoing in the vast emptiness.

  Behind them, unseen but very much there —Karin steps out of the chamber and falls into step several paces behind, her gray eyes sharp, her hand never far from her sword hilt.

  Watching.Waiting.Ready.

  The city of Amestrias stretches beyond the marble gates—Bright. Bustling.And full of enemies hiding behind friendly smiles.