Zena's eyes widened in shock. Fear clouded her mind.
She was certain she had been cut in half—her body screamed in pain, her cells confirmed it. She had died… and yet, she was alive. Her body was still intact.
As she tried to grasp the situation, her gaze fell upon the blood-stained sword in the hands of the frail, old man.
Then, she noticed the sword in his hand move slightly. A gentle swirl of wind brushed her hair.
In the next moment, she realized her head was tilting slowly to the right. Her eyes drifted downward to the cloudy ground—and what she saw made her tremble.
Her own body, headless.
And yet, her head was still attached.
The pain told her the truth—her head had been severed. But her eyes told her it was an illusion. The blood dripping from the man's sword said otherwise.
Terrified, she turned and tried to run, but her legs didn't move. She couldn't feel them.
This time, she had been sliced horizontally—from the belly, her body cut cleanly in two.
She screamed in agony and began crawling forward, dragging her torso across the ground. But as she reached out again, she realized—her hands were gone.
Once more, she found her body whole.
But now, all she could see was darkness, the ground beneath her a foggy, endless void.
Turning her head, she searched for the old man—and as she did, she was slashed again, from the chest. She caught a glimpse of the old man, standing in the same place, unmoving, as she fell.
Then again, her body was whole.
But pain overwhelmed her. She couldn't even stand.
She collapsed face-first onto the ground.
She thought she had died again… yet she still felt everything. Pain. Heat. Her own heartbeat.
She pushed herself up with trembling arms—but fell again. She couldn't feel her arms anymore. Pain surged across her entire body.
Rolling onto her back, she lay there, staring up into the dark void.
Again, she felt her head being severed.
And then again. And again. Slashed. Severed. Pierced. Repeatedly.
Time became meaningless.
It felt like she had spent a year in that place.
Then something changed.
She could now see the old man's hand move—just before she was cut.
Ten years passed. She could see his legs shift.
Ten more. She saw him prepare to attack.
Ten more. She saw the sword cut through the air.
Ten more. She dodged for the first time.
Ten more. She dodged a second strike.
Ten more. A third.
Ten more. A fourth.
Ten more. A fifth.
Ten years later, she landed her first punch.
The old man, expressionless, threw a sword toward her after her strike.
Ten more years passed.
Now, she could fight him toe to toe.
Then—for the first time—the old man took a stance.
It was strange. His hands were raised above his head, gripping the sword, body wide open and unguarded.
Seeing the opening, Zena moved in—but as she approached, the old man swung his sword vertically from head to toe.
She was split in half.
Again.
She reappeared whole, but this time, she was sure—he hadn't even touched her. The cut came moments after he swung.
Then the old man spoke—for the first time.
"This is Nill Force."
Zena was shocked. "So... you can talk?"
"I am sorry for the suffering I've inflicted upon you," he said.
"No… I thank you. This was necessary—for my parents."
The old man didn't react. Then he said,
"Now, you too have Nill Force."
Zena frowned in confusion. "I don't feel anything."
"You will," he said. "When you lift your sword."
Suddenly, Zena found herself back in the real world.
She was standing with the Lord Commander and Beloka—still gripping the sword.
She could feel something in her hand, though nothing was visible.
She looked into the distance—into the space where she had seen the old man—and said,
"Can I ask you something?"
He stood silently.
"There's a boy… who can shatter anything he touches with his energy. What kind of energy is that?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"So… the descendants of him have awakened."
Then he spoke for the last time.
"You can use Nill Force in any weapon. Nill Force adopts the properties of the weapon it's wielded through. When launched… this invisible force will kill your enemies before they even realize it."
He smiled again—and vanished into darkness.
Zena stood still in the void. Then, focusing, she lifted her sword.
She returned to the real world instantly.
Her brain felt like it was being crushed under the weight of immense knowledge. Her body trembled from the sudden changes—and she fainted, still clutching the sword.
Beloka and the Lord Commander rushed forward, lifting her and carrying her to one of the castle rooms.
---
Zena lay asleep. Beloka stood by a nearby table, the Lord Commander sitting beside her. Princess Simina sat quietly near Zena on the bed.
Beloka's eyes wandered across the room, admiring the beautiful decorations. Then his gaze shifted to Zena… and finally, to the Lord Commander.
"What happened to her?" he asked.
"It happens when someone inherits a Blessing," the Lord Commander replied.
Beloka blinked. "What… is a Blessing?"
This time, both the Lord Commander and the Princess turned to look at him.
Beloka immediately felt embarrassed, like he'd asked something he shouldn't have.
The Lord Commander answered anyway.
"A Blessing gives you a power—something ordinary people can't do."
He paused, then added,
"For example, flight, controlling water, manipulating shadows… things like that."
Then both he and the Princess turned away again.
But Beloka gathered the courage to ask another question.
"And… what is a spell?"
Again, both turned to him, frowning at the same time.
Beloka grew nervous. "S-Sorry for asking…"
The Lord Commander sighed. The Princess, smiling now, turned back to her original position.
The Lord Commander answered,
"A spell is something you chant—specific words. When spoken, they let you do what the spell was meant to do."
"Isn't that similar to a Blessing?" Beloka asked.
"Yes, in a way," the Commander replied. "But Blessings can be used infinitely. Spells depend on your mano energy."
After a pause, the Lord Commander asked, "Any more questions?"
"No…"
Beloka had more questions but didn't dare ask. He was too nervous.
His mind drifted, remembering the devastating scene in the hall… the boy… the boy's parents…
Then suddenly, he realized something.
The pendant the boy wore—it looked just like his own.
He pulled his pendant from under his tunic. A sigil of two eyes stared back at him.
'Why does that boy have the same pendant as me?'
As he pondered, the Lord Commander said,
"What are you thinking about, boy? Don't dwell too much on what happened in the hall."
Beloka hesitated, then said,
"That boy… he had the same pendant as mine."
He showed the pendant to the Lord Commander. The Princess looked too.
Both squinted to get a closer look. Then the Lord Commander said,
"So what? You can buy many like that in the market."
Beloka frowned.
'Why didn't I think of that?'
Still embarrassed, he fell silent. But the Princess seemed to recall something—yet couldn't place it. Perhaps she had seen the design before, somewhere in the market.
Still, Beloka pushed himself to speak again.
"Can I meet the boy?"
The Lord Commander looked at him, then turned his gaze away.
"You are now a Sun Knight, boy. You can speak to him whenever you want. Just show the pendant I gave you to the guards."
Just then, Princess Simina noticed movement beneath Zena's eyelids.
"Lord Commander, she's waking up."
Zena slowly opened her eyes.
She saw the Princess beside her, then turned to the right—seeing the Lord Commander sitting, and Beloka standing behind him.
Her gaze lingered on Beloka for a few seconds, then returned to Simina as the Princess greeted her.
"Good morning, Zena."
Zena smiled weakly, her voice raspy.
"Good morning, Prin...Simina."
She sat up on the bed, placing her feet on the floor. The Princess brought her some water.
Zena drank slowly, still feeling a dull pain in her head.
The Lord Commander approached.
"Congratulations, Knight Zena. You are the fifth known Blessed Being."
He turned his gaze to Beloka and said,
"Before you ask—the first is the King. Second is me. Third is Princess Simina. Fourth is you. And now, the fifth… is Zena."
He paused, then added,
"Yes. You are Blessed. This is the only explanation we can think of."
Beloka stood stunned. Can he read people's minds?
Before he could finish the thought, the Lord Commander said,
"No, I can't read minds. Your face tells me everything—and so does your behavior."
The Princess giggled at Zena's reaction, and Zena smiled in return.
Then the Lord Commander turned to the Princess.
"Stay here with her."
The Lord and Beloka quietly left the room.
Simina and Zena sat in silence, their eyes occasionally meeting, then darting away.
An awkward tension lingered between them—neither sure what to say.
Finally, Princess Simina broke the silence.
"How are you feeling?"