He turns. Tenque stands behind him.
Tenque never comes down here unless something serious is happening. The tunnel feels strangely quiet today, and now Daryn suspects the reason but inside of him he knows why.
He follows Tenque out of the mine. The sunlight stabs his eyes after hours underground. They walk into Tenque’s small office above ground, and the older man drops into his chair like someone carrying a heavy secret.
“Daryn.”
The name hits harder than the sunlight. Tenque has never called him that before. Not kid, not rook, not Slimmy.
His actual name.
Daryn freezes, stunned. He’s half convinced Tenque must have misspoken—there’s no way that his Jerk boss would actually remember his name. He waits, expecting a correction. But Tenque doesn’t fix it. Instead, the silence stretches until he coughs, looks away, and finally scratches the back of his neck, as if forcing out the next words physically pains him.
“Congrats… on passing the bulldozer exam.”
He stretches out a hand. Tenque isn’t the type to give praise—if he does, he must really mean it. Daryn shakes his hand, though suspicion narrows his eyes.
“You didn’t call me up here just for that, did you?”
Tenque sighs.
“You’re right. Another mine needs you. They need someone with bulldozer certification. Since you’re licensed… you’re going.”
Daryn’s face brightens. “That’s great! So, which mine?”
“I don’t know all the details,” Tenque admits. “But it’s… far. Very far near the north parth of the kingdom.”
Tenque explains where the new mining site is located within the kingdom.
“That place is mostly staffed by advanced miners, be proud.”
As the details settle, Daryn’s smile withers. It’s far—too far. Even with the gnome tunnels shortening travel, the last stop to his next job would take at least half a day of running, maybe longer. The realization hits him with weight: he wouldn’t just be changing jobs… he’d have to move.
“What’s wrong, slimmy? I’d be jumping in your place, getting out of this dust hole!” Tenque laughs.
Old habits—ugly ones—never die, Daryn thinks as soon he hears his nickname again.
“Do they pay for relocation? I mean… I have to move my stuff.”
“We don’t cover any of that,” Tenque grunts. “Why you asking, with the raise of pay you will recover it in no time”
“Oh, nothing…” Daryn mutters. Then he adds, “But Tenque, you also have a bulldozer license, right? Why don’t you take it?”
Tenque crosses his arms and chuckles.
“I’m too old for those new-paced mines. I like where I am—the boss of my own dust hole. Besides…”
He studies Daryn with an unfamiliar seriousness.
“They specifically asked for you. They’re ranking you up.”
“The higher-ups?”
Daryn remembers those people. He can’t forget the day miners died because of the incompetence of the higher-ups. In his mind, those officials are the type who think only of their own convenience. Yet even as he resents them, he knows they are busy—too busy to bother remembering anyone like him.
That’s why the offer is unsettling. Impressive, yes… but strange. For men in power to know his name, even for a moment, is something that doesn’t happen without a reason.
Tenque nods slowly.
“Does the name Walle ring a bell? Seems he pulled some strings. It seems even a slim like you can have some secrets huh.”
Something cold crawls down Daryn’s spine.
Walle? Why would someone like him care about Daryn?
Tenque notices the weight this conversation puts on Daryn. He doesn’t fully understand him—never has—but somewhere inside, he’s started to think of the boy as someone close. The change is unconscious, invisible even to him.
So instead of pushing harder, Tenque softens.
He leans back, crosses his arms, and grumbles like it’s nothing.
“…Fine. I’ll extend the deadline. You’ve got one week before they drag you out themselves.”
He frames it like a nuisance, like charity annoys him—but Daryn can feel it.
This is Tenque trying to help, even if he doesn’t know how to say it.
“Are you sure Tenque?”
“I can call them right now and have you leave today,” Tenque says. “But we still need to finish this week’s quota.”
“So…?”
“Next Monday. That’s your deadline.”
Daryn nods. “Thanks, Tenque.”
“Don’t thank me, Get back to work! Faster, slimmy!”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At home Rika and Miyu are still not there. Daryn takes the chance to sit and think, all the stress is going through his head. The day was long and he knows he has a burden of a new position. He is not sure if he must tell them today, he is thinking that perhaps he must save it as a surprise for the friday.
”So If I take the work I will move on, that means I have to take rika and miyu, the expenses will be painful since I barely have money after paying my debts. Besides I already paid for the shop’s rent.”
Searching through my stuff I took out my map and untangled it.
“Let’s see, based on the map, the place it should be around here… HMmmm that is actually quite far, the only way is to can be is to buy a car… and even that it will be quite far, but maybe possible”
I sigh” maybe I should have accepted Lucian’s money”
Daryn can’t believe the words that just escaped his mouth. Disgust hits him so hard he reacts without thinking—his hand snaps across his own cheeks in a sharp, stinging slap.
“ no, Daryn man up! I have a week to solve this problem!! “
At that moment through the front door Rika and Miyu enters, Rika is tired but on the other side Miyu still with sufficient energy to run into him with a hug.
“Daryn!!!!! Are we fighting today again!”
“Relax… I don’t think so I am feeling tired, tomorrow for sure”
“Yes, no problem... huh ? What’s wrong, miyu? look at your face, is it like you see a ghost ?”
“What is this smell!!”
“Yeah it smells different…. like real food”
“No Rika!!! there is a smell different it hurts my nose”
“Oh yeah, this is the first time I bought onions, they say they make a good flavor for the food, so I used half for our stove as a sauce. I hope you like the dinner I made tonight girls”
Miyu Rat’s nose can identify smells, in response Daryn puts the half onion to the fridge covering with plastic.
“I can identify smells… usually this is not a problem, since you guys do simple dishes”
Suddenly her mood changed to curious “ but what is that!”
“Its stew, the way I do”
“I didn’t know you knew how to actually cook, not even my mom taught me. I thought we would only eat fried eggs and chicken for our rest of our lives”
“Too funny. Since you don’t cook I am obliged." Daryn sighs” It's luck for us you know or more for you. When I was kid my dad forced me to help my mom then from there I remember some dishes. Well is not as perfect as she did”
“Your mom? What happened to her?”
“Nothing… Is she just passed away and… But its time to eat”
All of them took out their spoons and forks and started eating until they got full.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The night is anything but ordinary.
It begins with a distant commotion—a murmur of sounds that steadily grows louder, more chaotic, until it transforms into deafening explosions that rattle the walls.
“Daryn…” Rikka calls out, but her voice trails off as he sees him turning over in bed.
“Shhh, sleep. Just ignore them,” Daryn whispers. His tone carries a weakness that betrays his own doubt—he knows this isn’t something to ignore.
The sound of screaming filters through the walls, slicing through the stillness of the room. A chill runs down Daryn’s spine. He throws off the blanket and sits up.
“There’s something outside. We should—”
The ground quakes violently beneath them, cutting him off mid-sentence. That’s all the reason he needs to act.
Daryn’s first instinct is to make sure everyone is alright. He scans the area—nothing seems immediately dangerous.
“Rika, get ready!” he says, urgency sharp in his voice. He glances around. “Where’s Miyu?”
Rika sits up, disoriented, her eyes darting around the apartment. “What the hell… how can she be still sleeping with all this noise?” She speaks trying to sound calm but Daryn can see her voice tremble .
Daryn eyes land on Miyu, still asleep on the sofa.
“Wake up,” he mutters, shaking her shoulder.
She responds with a confused yawn, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand as she tries to force herself awake.
“W–what… what’s going on?” she mumbles, still half-asleep.
“We have to get ready to run if anything happens.”
Another tremor shakes the building. Before they can react, the window shatters with a deafening crash, shards scattering like glinting knives as a blast of heat and air rushes in.
That’s it. They have no choice now.
Grabbing what little they can, Daryn, Rika and Miyu rush outside—straight into a nightmare. Flames consume the nearby shops, their embers dancing in the choking smoke. The streets are in chaos, people running in every direction, screaming, stumbling, their terror turning the night into madness.
“Daryn, let’s go! It’s too dangerous here!” Rika yells, gripping his arm.
He nods, forcing himself to move, weaving through the burning streets.
The air is thick with smoke and heat. Explosions flash in the distance—bursts of brilliant light, arcs of magic colliding in the darkness. A battle rages somewhere ahead, too far to see clearly but close enough to feel.
Knights rush past them, their armor clinking as they charge toward the front lines. Most ignore the three civilians, but one—a young knight, face smeared with soot—pauses briefly.
“There’s a refugee camp west of here!” he shouts. “Follow the main road—you’ll be safe there!”
Daryn tries to speak, but the knight cuts him off with a raised hand.
“Go! Now!”
There’s no room for argument. He and the others obey, sprinting west. The screams behind them fade into echoes the farther they go, replaced by the distant crackle of burning roofs. After what feels like forever, the refugee encampment finally comes into view. A distance of fifteen meters before arriving.
A patchwork of tents, frantic whispers, and fires struggling against the wind. Families huddle together, clutching children, bags, anything worth saving going directly to the camp.
Daryn doesn’t look at them. None of them do. They push straight through, lungs on fire, trying not to think, but only advance.
More flames illuminate the streets than the old lamps ever could.
Then, an instant of impossible brightness floods the sky overhead before they reach the camp.
It streaks downward.
And before anyone can scream—
it strikes.
The ground erupts. Stone and dirt explode like a ruptured furnace. Daryn is thrown through the air, ripped out of reach of Rika. He hits the ground hard, face scraping across gravel and ash.
His ears ring. A numbing, deafening hum—like a gunshot fired inches from his skull—swallows everything. He tries to lift his head. Dust swirls around him, clearing faster than it should, as if something is burning it away.
Something stands in front of him.
A humanoid figure, sealed neck to toe in metal armor. Fire leaks through small gaps as if the entire body is made of flame trying to escape. The face is barely human—molten features hidden behind a visor that glows like an open furnace.
It looks at him.
The armored creature raises a fist. Metal fingers clench, and a sphere of blazing flame forms in its palm, swelling with a violent hiss.
Instinct takes control.
Daryn rolls aside just as the fireball detonates where he’d been. The blast hurls him again—tumbling, weightless, like a toy in a storm. The monster doesn’t relent. It moves with a single purpose, relentless and precise, as if programmed for one task:
Kill anyone who survives.
Daryn’s body refuses to listen after the impact. His legs won’t respond—like they’ve forgotten how to be legs—and the most he can do is force himself halfway up before collapsing again. His muscles tremble, not from pain, but from sheer shock. The armored creature raises its hand again, flames gathering into another sphere. The heat alone presses against Daryn’s skin like hot irons.
He realizes something terrible.
Even if he could stand… he wouldn’t be fast enough.
The chances are not enough
Not slim
Not even 1%
From its consciousness, no matter the scenario, in one vs one against this monster, he is dead for sure, the chances of survival are none.
The monster’s palm hums with violent light. He can’t move, can’t even crawl. Its fire builds into a blazing sun pointed directly at him. His chest tightens—not from fear, but from the certainty that he’s already dead.
Then—
wind.
A sudden pressure sweeps across the ground, pulling the dust away. Air whips around Daryn, sharp and powerful, stirring him out of his daze as if the atmosphere itself is shaking him awake.
An arc of wind slices forward—not small like before, but wide, dense, and forceful. Their training, the struggles, every hour spent fighting her limits… it’s all in that strike.
“Don’t touch Daryn!!!” Miyu screams, her voice cracking with everything she has.
The Air Arc hits the flaming knight dead center.
For a heartbeat, Daryn dares to hope—
—but the wind simply vanishes.
Not deflected.
Not burned away.
Not shielded.
It lands cleanly… and means nothing. The difference in power is like a breeze striking a mountain.
The armored entity doesn’t even flinch. It doesn’t turn toward her, doesn’t acknowledge the attack at all. It merely continues raising its burning hand at Daryn, as if swatting a fly that hasn’t realized it’s already dead.
Miyu doesn’t hesitate. She steps into the air itself, leaping upward as if climbing invisible stairs. Before the flaming knight can release its attack, she lands a spinning kick against its arm. The blast veers off course, lighting the sky instead of Daryn.
She lands and smiles—proud, relieved, victorious for a single heartbeat. She turns toward Daryn, eyes bright with the simple joy that he’s safe.
“Please—!” she tries to shout. Maybe she wants him to run, or maybe she just wants him to live.
She never finishes.
The monster’s punch lands faster than a breath.
Miyu’s body flies across the battlefield like a thrown doll, swallowed by fire, dust, and distance. She vanishes from Daryn’s sight in an instant—like she was never there to begin with.
Something inside Daryn burns—and not from heat. His fear shifts, twists, and ignites into something raw. His legs still tremble, but he can feel them again. His heart beats so hard it hurts, but it forces his body to move. He realizes he isn’t injured. He’s just afraid. And that fear is being devoured by rage.
“You monster…”
He charges and swings his Shovel at the flame knight’s chest. It shatters on impact, breaking like fragile glass.
The clang of metal echoes louder than any shout. His courage evaporates in a second.
Reality hits him: his strength means nothing here.
Daryn turns and runs, activating his magnetic boots, letting them lift and propel him across the burning camp. He flies, not looking back, because he knows if he does—he might not be able to move again.
Refugees flood the camp. Smoke mixes with screaming. Knights and adventurers push through the panic. Somewhere above the chaos, a speaker crackles:
“All civilians must remain in designated refugee camps until further notice.”
Daryn doesn’t care. He searches the crowds frantically—calling out, asking anyone who can hear him. Most are too terrified to respond. Some don’t even look his way.
After what feels like hours, someone finally speaks to him:
“There’s a girl in the medical tent… matches the one you’re describing.”
Daryn rushes inside.
Rika sits on a bed, shaking uncontrollably, her face buried in her hands. The moment she sees him, she breaks. They collide in a wordless embrace, clinging to each other as if letting go would mean losing the world again.
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A nurse tries to scold him for barging in, but a doctor pulls the nurse away.
Rika can’t speak at first—only sob, breathe, and shake. Daryn holds her, saying nothing, because he understands something heavy:
The eyes of Rika are hollow, daryn knows her character is not like that, she must be in a type of trance but not the typical dazed or meditative but a recall of the fear of her trauma.
Each passing minute she is recovering in daryn’s arms.
Daryn is in rage, even with all his training, he couldn’t protect the people he cares about.
And that single truth weighs more than fear, more than fire, more than any monster he has ever seen.
His gaze drifts toward the horizon, where the glow of fire still stains the night sky. Whoever—or whatever—caused this destruction isn’t done yet.
The streets are filled with wounded and dead. Healers rush between them, shouting orders, while the clang of armor and the cries of pain blend into a grim symphony.
Among the chaos, Daryn spots a familiar face—the high priestess from the hospital. She moves through the crowd, her nurse clothes marked by ash but her presence steady.
Daryn wants to approach, but holds himself back. Duty comes first, and hers is saving lives.
Then he sees another familiar figure: Bryndisa. Her massive frame cuts through the smoke like a monument of war. When her gaze meets his, Daryn freezes.
“You’re the one from the tavern,” she says, calm but distant.
“Yeah...,” he answers. “That’s me.”
Daryn notices that Bryndisa is responding, calm and indifferent. But he doesn’t claim anything, he knows that in this case everyone is stressing enough that might change the mood of everyone.
The woman beside Bryndisa stands out immediately—not because she tries to, but because she can’t be ignored. She’s smaller than the other knights, built like a blade: narrow, precise, and sharply disciplined.
Her hair is a long fall of silver-gray strands, not the dull shade of age but the polished gleam of cold metal. It matches her eyes—silver and unblinking, like they’re always measuring the distance to your throat.
Unlike the fully armored knights around her, she wears only a thin, light plate set, more ceremonial than protective. It’s almost as if armor is only decoration for her, a uniform she barely needs. Looking at her, it’s easy to believe that armor or not, it wouldn’t change a thing. She is the weapon.
“It’s time to move, Bryndisa,” she orders.
Without hesitation, Bryndisa obeys. The contrast is striking—like a lion bowing to a hawk. They march away, disappearing into the smoke.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daryn exhales. Around him, the camp teeters on the brink of collapse. Panic brews among the refugees; the guards struggle to maintain order.
The crowd is hungry, violent and even pointing fingers to each other. The knights trying to maintain the order but the fear overpowered the citizens.
Daryn sinks onto a crate, exhaustion and worry etched across his face. “Damn it… I’m worried about Miyu,” he mutters.
“And.. the scroll I gave you. You can call her”
Daryn remembers the scrolls but he searches his pockets realizing he left them at home.
“We’ll find her, don't worry, I bet she is now sleeping like she always does” she says, but her voice cracks, betraying her own fear.
Then, a sound—low, deep, and wrong—ripples through the air. Daryn stiffens. It’s not human.
The tent wall behind him bursts open. A blade—jagged and glowing faintly with eerie light—slashes through the fabric. From the tear, skeletal knights emerge, their armor fused to bone, movements jerky yet precise.
Screams erupt. The crowd scatters in chaos.
Daryn grabs Rika’s hand and pulls her close as the undead charge.
Doctors fall first, their robes turning red in an instant. The bodyguards fight back but are overwhelmed.
If no one steps in, the healers will be next—and then, everyone else.
“Go hide,” Daryn says, voice hard. “I’ll deal with them.”
Rika stares at him, horrified. “What? No! You’ll die!”
He shakes his head. “ You still have your phone, right?”
She hesitates, then nods. Her hand lingers on his for a moment before she’s swallowed by the fleeing crowd.
Daryn grips his pickaxe. The wooden handle feels like home—familiar, solid, real.
The first skeleton lunges, and his swing meets it mid-charge. The skull explodes into shards.
They’re brittle—but there are dozens. Maybe hundreds.
He joins the remaining guards in forming a defensive circle.
“Hold the line!” someone shouts.
Daryn swings again and again—each impact cracking bone, each breath shorter than the last. Sweat mixes on his arms, but he doesn’t stop, each impact on those brittle bones of the enemy makes crack sounds.
The line breaks. The circle of the guards scatters when the skeleton pushes through their defenses. The world becomes chaotic again.
He loses count of how many he kills—ten, twelve, then twenty more— he is sweating a ton, but he sees the other knights are doing their best, encouraging to do more.
but when his pickaxe crushes the twelfth skull, a surge of power floods his body.
Level 7 achieved.
His senses sharpen; pain fades to focus.
He fights on until the last skeleton falls.
Only twelve people remain standing.
Level 8 achieved.
Daryn knows in pack they are stronger, the knights praise her for his courage and daryn knows that but he stills trying to find where rika went.
The city is unrecognizable. Ash drifts like snow through the air. Based on Rika’s call she is in the intersection between section AB and D
A scream echoes from an alley—Daryn runs toward it. A skeletal knight corners a young girl. One swing. Shatter. Silence.
He keeps moving until he finds himself in Section AB.
Bryndisa is there—locked in combat with a towering figure clad in dark armor. It is the same monster that Daryn and Miyu fought.
Each clash sends shockwaves through the air, flames spiraling out like miniature suns. Bryndisa’s strength is fading.
Bryndisa tries to insert her lance into the monster but the monster is not dummy, he knows the power of byndrisa in response he avoids lethals attacks of the lance.
The monster takes out a sword made of full fire. It clashes with Bryndisa’s spear.
With a Swing sends Bryndisa flying in the air.
“Bryndisa!” Daryn shouts, but the wind explosions devours his voice.
In the middle of the air Bryndisa adapts and pivots her body until the monster in her sight.
The lance of brindice shines, like gold, and like a projectile at the speed of sound she throws directly to the monster.
The monster conjures a serpent of fire out from its sword. It coils, strikes, and engulfs her completely in a fire sphere of a radius of ten meters. Bryndisa's spear shatters. Her armor melts away. Her body falls, helpless and burning after the sphere ceases.
Daryn doesn’t think—he moves.
Activating his magnetic boots, he rockets forward, grabbing her before the flames can consume her entirely. Her weight surprises him—she feels smaller, lighter than before, almost fragile.
For a Second he thought that her body was melting and she is only a piece of what’s left, but most of the ashes dissolves through the air as He can notice it is like she is holding a different person.
The creature turns its burning gaze on Daryn and charges. The ground trembles with every step and jumps. Daryn dodges through the wreckage, clutching Bryndisa tightly, but the speed difference is enormous.
The zombie’s kick connects with his body. Pain detonates through him like lightning. He crashes into the ground, air leaving his lungs in a single ragged gasp.
“At least… I bought you a few moments…” he wheezes.
His vision blurs. Breathing becomes agony.
He looks at Bryndisa—unconscious but alive.
Daryn can hear light footsteps.
A girl approaches, calm amid the chaos. It’s the woman who commanded Bryndisa earlier. She kneels beside Daryn, her voice steady as she speaks into a communicator.
“Emergency at Section AB. Send a healer. Now.”
Her cold gray eyes meet his, and for a fleeting second, they soften—acknowledging his courage.
“You fought well,” her silence seems to say.
She rises, drawing her sword, facing the burning titan alone as Daryn’s consciousness fades into black.
When Daryn wakes, the pain is dulled but still there—a reminder that he’s alive.
He turns his head slightly and spots Rika and Miyu nearby.
“Hey you two…”
Miyu lower her head
“Sorry!” She explodes in tears, it is the first time Daryn sees miyu so sad.
Nodding slowly, deciding not to press the topic further due to seeing Miyu seemed burdened enough as it was.
The sound of heavy boots interrupted the silence. The door swung open, and two figures stepped in—a woman with striking gray hair and a tall, broad man, both clad in sleek armor adorned with badges that screamed authority.
The Image of the woman is what Daryn remembers.
“You’re one lucky bastard,” the man says, his tone dripping with irritation.
The old man in his early fifties, his long beard and moustache.
“We did hear from some bodyguards about a blue-haired guy who helped take down a dozen skeletal knights.” She stepped closer, her piercing eyes studying me.
Her sharp, analytical gaze locked onto daryn, making his skin prickle.
“Level 8. Not bad,” she says, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
Daryn wonders how she can see his level.
She can see my level? How?
“How do you know that?”
“I have a skill. It lets me detect the level of any fighter if I focus on them,” she replied matter-of-factly.
Her skill is different from Daryn. She could only see levels, while Daryn can get detailed stats. Curious, Daryn activates his ability to check hers.
Miyakoro Setsunai
Category: Warrior
Class: Swordwoman
Level: 40
Mana: 350
Description: Captain of Squad Z. Renowned for her unparalleled swordsmanship, she is one of the most skilled swordswomen in the world.
Skills:
- Cloud Combo (Passive): Landing three consecutive hits locks the enemy’s skillset for one minute. Skill cannot accumulates
- Immediate Dash: Allows high-speed movement up to 100 meters in a straight path to the speed of sound. Cooldown: 5 minutes. Mana cost: 50.
- Smoke Delusional(Passive): Blinds an opponent for 2 seconds upon contact with the sword. Must contact their skin, not armor or or shield.
- Fog Field: Creates a foggy environment that increases critical hit chance by 10% while controlling an air-element sword. Area of 100 meters square. The field is permanent but can be dispersed by other skills. Users can see through the fog. Mana cost: 30.
- Check the clouds: Allows detect the level of enemies by looking at them by 5 seconds. The target must be static during the five seconds.
[B: 84, W: 57, H: 84]
Daryn jaw tightened as I processed her stats. She wasn’t just strong—she was leagues ahead.
Level 40? No wonder she carried herself with such confidence.
But what caught him off guard the most was her nonchalant demeanor, as if her power was an afterthought. Daryn forced himself to act to keep calm, pretending I hadn’t seen anything unusual.
She raised an eyebrow, probably catching the subtle shift in my expression. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
“No,” The reply is quickly, plastering on a neutral face.
Her smirk widened. “Thought so.”
Daryn exhales, trying to focus. Whoever this Miyakoro Setsunai was, one thing was clear—she was a person that no one wanted as an enemy.
Daryn gulps because the place is tense, the other man is not saying another word.
“Am I in trouble?”
The girl throws a silver medal
“This a medal for a citizens that shows their bravery” Says the old man
As they leave daryn is confused by the small chat they did.
“What was that for?”
“I saw a group of knights, going through the hospital giving medals “ Rika says
The door opens again, and this time Lucian walked in, his expression calm and composed. "Good to see you’re still alive, Daryn."
"Lucian?"
"Yes, Daryn. Who do you think found miyu?"
“Thanks, Lucian.”
“Ah yeah… Thanks”
“Yeah! Thanks lucian”
“No, no problem you guys” Then sight turns to Rika and changes slightly “and you Rika are you ok? Do you want something to eat”
“Hmmmm, no, im fine” but as soon she says it, the stomach of rika growls
“Don’t worry” Lucian claps his hands, then suddenly 5 waiters appears, with a big buffet.
Salmon, lobster, chicken, anything, you name it, it is there.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It is good to know you are doing well, but I just have a simple little small question.” Daryn asks exaggerating in his voice
“Yeah sure”
“What the hell happened yesterday! You are related to the kingdom, you must know something, spill it!” Daryn stands and shake his shoulders
“Wow-relax!!!”
Daryn stops due to a pain near the abdomen without much opposition he sits again on the bed.
Lucian sighed deeply. "It’s a private matter. I can’t just say something to citizens”
Daryn looks at rika for a moment like telepathy they communicate
“Ey ask him”
“What? Why me? He already says is a private matter”
“But he does have a sweet spot for you?”
“Ah he does?”
“Just ask him, I really want to know. Don't you?”
“Fine”
“Lucian, please. We are your family. We must know to keep ourselves safe”
Rika uses his puppy eyes. Lucian for a second his
“But since we’re family, I’ll share what I know." He paused, his tone growing more serious. "What did you see yesterday? Tell me everything."
Daryn recounted the events of the attack in as much detail as I could remember. Lucian listened intently, nodding occasionally.
"To make it short," he says finally, "that zombie? It was a hero."
"A hero?" I repeated in disbelief. "You’re telling me the heroes were defeated?"
"Not the current ones," he clarifies. "This one was from centuries ago. Their defeated bodies are used for the demon lord and created like zombie types but with special powers. Like the one from yesterday was the hero of the sword.”
“Then the demon lord can kill us any moment… he can kill heroes???” Rika ask with a shiver
“No, no, no. Is not like that” he stops the conversation and pull down its glasses. “ The demon lord can’t get out of the its own dungeon”
“Why? “
“We still don’t know the few people who fought against become ashes, so we don’t really know a straight answer, we theorize is because he can’t”
“He can’t? What do you mean, isn't the demon lord the most powerful enemy so how come it can be like chained up in their own territory”
“Like I said we still don’t know but that’s our theory because we can’t see anything that impedes the demon lord to go out by our own eyes, but maybe he has their own restrictions that we don’t know”
"And that’s all you know?" Rika rays
He nodded. "Yes, sorry but that’s all the info I know”
“I do have a question, why the old heroes are zombies”
“I don’t know daryn, the thing we know is just they die in the hands of the demon lord, and the current ones are alive”
Daryn couldn’t help but wonder how old heroes like these compared to the current ones. The heroes Pachesko told Daryn about were broken beyond belief.
Were these older ones simply weaker?
"Thank you for being honest, Lucian.”
“Is the least I can do since your apartments might be gone”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you hear, the section where you live most of become ashes, you are practically homeless at this point”
In Daryn’s mind, the truth finally hits.
All his savings, everything he ever worked for… gone.
He didn’t even apply for insurance; it never crossed his mind to do so.
Now his brain spins, replaying every word Lucian just said, searching desperately for a misunderstanding—some mistake, some loophole. But there isn’t one. Reality settles like a stone in his stomach.
He isn’t just broke…
He has three mouths to feed, including his own, and not a single coin to start with.
“Daryn, I can see your frustration but-”
“And my shop” rika expressions is like she would have lose a limb, she is actually like her soul is living her poor heart
“The section of your shop is still fine, there might be bruises and some broken rooftop but the shop might be intact enough”
“Good, we can rest there until we get back up”
“That might be a problem.” Lucian’s voice cuts through the air, calm but heavy. “People can’t sleep at their work stations. If anyone reports you, the kingdom will fine you—possibly expel you from the labor registry.”
Rika scratches her head, confused and flustered.
“But… now what? The kingdom will help us, right? We’re citizens! Our stuff, our homes—”
Lucian shakes his head.
“Sorry, Rika. The kingdom won’t intervene. It sounds cruel, but… the law is clear.”
Rika’s breath catches. Daryn sees the panic building again.
Lucian continues, his tone unchanging, almost emotionless as if he has repeated this explanation many times before.
“Anyone living in the Capital must earn a minimum of two thousand gold coins per day and the register as proof. Those who do not meet that requirement… are not legally recognized as citizens of the Capital.”
Rika’s jaw trembles.
“So we don’t count? That’s insane!”
Lucian sighs. “Many think the same. People still leave here even with that risk due to another rule, any merchant or service provider may sell to whomever they choose, regardless of race, status, or income—as long as the buyer can pay.”
Her silver eyes rest on them sharply, not with hatred, but with blunt realism.
“That is why the poor are allowed to stay in the Capital,” Lucian explained. “Not as citizens… but as customers. The kingdom will only protect those officially recognized as citizens. Everyone else is on their own.”
Rika’s face fell.
“I’m affected too,” Lucian adds quietly. “I’m not a citizen either. I just happened to live near the military barracks, so the monsters didn’t reach my street.”
“I can’t believe this” Rika says
“I know, it's better if you take fresh air Rika. Go on”
Rika opens the door and leaves.
Lucian steps forward, folding his hands behind his back. “Which brings us to the reason I’m here, Daryn. I’m offering the same help as before.”
“You can’t be serious,” Daryn snaps. “She’d rather stay independent. She’s not the naive Rika you knew.”
Lucian smirks. “Exactly why we must disguise it as an opportunity.”
“Her shop survived,” Lucian pointed out. “She can keep working there. Eventually she’ll understand she doesn’t belong among the lower class. When the burden becomes too heavy, she will need support.”
He met Daryn’s eyes, his expression unwavering.
“This is the last chance you and Rika get. I’m a very busy man. I won’t have time to help again.”
Daryn gritted his teeth. “It’s her decision—”
“Then let’s make a deal,” Lucian says, cutting off Daryn’s protest. “Let me take care of her until you earn enough to support three people comfortably. After that… she can choose whether to return.”
“I need time to think,” Daryn mutters.
“You have until tomorrow.” Lucian checks a small clock on his wrist. “I’ll be back at six in the morning. By then, I’ll know your answer.”
Daryn frowns. “Why aren’t you asking her? Why force this decision on me?”
Lucian’s expression softened—but only slightly. “Because I can see it in her eyes, Daryn. The way she looks at you… it’s unbreakable. Absolute loyalty. If I ask her directly, she’ll refuse. She’ll put her pride above her future.”
He leaned closer, voice low.
“But you… you can persuade her. She’ll listen to you.”
Without much words left to say, Lucian’s words persuade daryn. Daryn tells Lucian that he will try but can’t promise anything.
After twenty minutes, Lucian decides to step out for a moment, then in seven minutes Rika returns to Daryn’s room trying to figure out what they both talked about.
“I have to tell you something”
“Yeah, yeah tell me what do you need”
“I need you to move with Julian”
“What? No.. what are you saying at this moment, we can solve this problem, come on, that is not how you are daryn”
“Listen we don’t have a place to stay and it is better if you go. Is not a goodbye, is just a see you soon”
Rika slaps Daryn. Daryn can feel the burn from the impact his mind is blank even though the slap wasn’t strong as it sounded it made him think for a second before continuing arguing
“We are partners, you can’t tell me to leave just like is your decision”
“That hurts me “
The furious in daryn eyes even slightly make rika tremors, not because he wants to but he also suffers for this decision, but the decision that he must do is for the greater good.
“Sorry… Is just…” he sighs “ fine fine if you don’t want to go is fine”
“Are you sure?”
“Are you kidding?”
“Oh no no.Thanks, Daryn it means a lot”
“No, no problem is my own fault to think this way, I should’ve have think more about you than just me. So I am really feel bad, do you mind If I sleep, I have to work tomorrow”
“Work? What are you saying, look at you, in a terrible shape, you can call you them and tell you are in the hospital”
“Sounds a good idea, genius but you and I don’t have their phone numbers”
“Umm sure right”
“So Rika, sorry to change all sudden the conversation, but Again I want you tonight to go Lucian’s place, there is no place to you to sleep”
“I can sleep in this place”
“Is a hospital, you can’t sleep here without approval, and trust me it is not that easy, i’ve been here before”
“In this exact hospital?”
“Yes”
She sighs in resignation
“Fine, I will go with Lucian, but remember I know the time when you exit of your job, I want you here in the same time, don’t think you can just run.”
“I will not do that”
“I don’t believe you!”
Daryn scratch the back of its head “ I don’t know what to do for you to believe me”
"Hmmm a promise... at least promise me you’ll be here tomorrow. At this time, this place. Then we can solve it, like... we ask your friend Bunchy, right , right?"
“Ah…. yup, we can do that, I’ll be here tomorrow.”
Daryn lies to her face. He knows the best option is to leave her with Lucian. A small lie, he tells himself, won’t hurt her… it might even help. That’s what he wants to believe.
Even if daryn and rika discussed about Rika unconsciously doesn’t seem convince by daryn speaking.
Only an hour later, Lucian returns to pick Rika up.
She runs to Daryn, and they embrace. Rika doesn’t let go. She holds on as if the moment can stop time itself. The weight in her chest grows heavier; something in her instincts screams that crossing this point means there’s no way back. After tomorrow, whatever breaks will stay broken. And she knows it—without knowing why.
“What’s wrong” Daryn asks with a low voice, waiting for a response.
“I don’t know… is just-”
Rika can’t explain the feeling. It isn’t logical or clear, just a heavy fear of letting go of someone who has always been there for her. She’s terrified of being alone, of walking into a life where Daryn isn’t beside her. She knows that no matter where she goes, nothing will ever feel the same without him.
Normally, Rika isn’t like this. Goodbyes don’t scare her. Even though they say they will meet tomorrow again it feels different. It doesn’t feel like a simple separation. It feels like a farewell disguised as “what’s best.” And somewhere in her mind, that scares her more than anything else.
This time, the goodbye feels less like distance—
and more like losing a place where she belongs.
Daryn use his arms to break the hug “ you don’t have to worry I will be here tomorrow”
He smiles, it looks not forced but is a smile that expresses pain inside his heart.
Then without a trace Rika and Lucian leave.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the night Daryn is thinking
What is going to happen tomorrow?
He covers with his blanket feeling a little guilty of all the lies he told rika.
He knows that today is his only day in the hospital, he didn't tell rika about his new job being far to the north of the kingdom.
Still even if rika leaves he still have to maintain someone else’s stomach
“I guess its only you and me, miyu”
“Yeah, daryn! “ then miyu looks at daryn “but rika will be back?”
“Don’t count on it, we have our things to do. Tomorrow we will sleep under the bridge.”
“Huh what!!! No fair, i dont want that”
“It's only until the end of the week, then after that we will return to sleep on beds again,so what I want you to know is to go to the rivers every day and hunt fishes for our food. Understood?”
Miyu only nods. While they both prepare to sleep, knowing that daryn have the choice tomorrow to do what's best, he must go or let her be, he can't call or ask for favors, his phone is broke due to the incident of yesterday, and he can't ask for bunchy's help, he also has to pay their own debts.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The factory clock strikes the hour, the one that tells Daryn exactly where Rika is right now. He stands at the exit, frozen between two paths: the hospital where she waits… or the bridge where he can disappear and pretend he never knew her.
He knows the truth either way: he doesn't have to worry, Lucian might pick her up if anything happens or maybe she is already surrounded by guards—people easily bought with Lucian’s influence. Protecting her is not difficult for him. In fact, it’s too easy.
Yet even if she is physically guarded, she is alone. Waiting for him. Hoping he will show up. The idea that she might be looking for him, only to find nothing, aches like a blade pressed into his ribs. It doesn’t scare only Rika—
it scares him too.
He clenches his fists.
He knows her trauma won’t vanish just because he stays by her side. If he keeps her with him, she’ll only inherit his struggle—a life of narrow choices and hard futures. He hates it, but he understands it. Doing the right thing hurts him more than doing the selfish one.
He can’t stop thinking negatively: Why is it someone like Lucian who decides other people’s lives? Why is the world built so unfairly? Why does every change force him apart from the people he protects?
First his mother in this world.
Now Rika.
A sick thought curls inside him:
Is he meant to feel joy only temporarily? To hold happiness briefly, just so he can learn how painful it is to lose it with his own hands?
He breathes out, slow and trembling. The hour keeps ticking.
After he cries for a while and sobs.
he still hasn’t moved.
But now he knows what to do.