The sound of hurried footsteps echoed faintly in the stone passage. Lior, Kael, Junia, and Tieu followed the red-haired boy who had saved them just moments ago from certain death. The air smelled of dust and faint smoke, and the torches fixed on the walls flickered weakly as if the underground itself was trembling with sorrow. Finally, the boy stopped, pulling back a heavy wooden door to reveal a small hidden chamber filled with maps, weapons, and broken banners of Zephyrelle.
"My name is Litzil Hayato," he said, turning to face them with determined eyes. "I am the last resistance warrior of Zephyrelle."
Junia's brows furrowed in shock. "Last? What do you mean… last?"
Litzil's expression hardened. "All others have been executed. Brutally. I alone survived."
The words made the air in the room grow heavier. Kael stepped forward, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. "Wait… are you the one that frog boy mentioned? The so-called resistance contact?"
Litzil shook his head, his red hair brushing across his cheek. "I don't know what he told you. Most likely, he used my name to lure you. He's working with the soldiers, clearly."
Lior narrowed his eyes, still catching his breath from the earlier fight. "Then tell us what's really going on here, Litzil. We need to understand."
Litzil exhaled deeply, his voice carrying both anger and despair. "It's a long story… but you deserve the truth. Five years ago, our king, Aton Zephyrion, died without choosing the next ruler. His death shattered the peace. His son, Aurel Zephyrion, and daughter, Aurelia Zephyrion, both claimed the throne. Instead of unity, they plunged our kingdom into chaos."
Junia lowered her bow, listening intently as Litzil continued.
"The people were forced to pick sides. Families split. Entire villages burned. Massacre followed massacre. We thought it was only a civil war between siblings… but then came the real evil: the one who calls himself Black Dagger — Khalab Omat." Litzil spat the name with venom.
Kael clenched his fist. "Khalab… so he's the one pulling the strings?"
"Yes." Litzil's voice was firm. "He brought foreign mercenaries, forces we had never seen before. Using them, he captured both Aurel and Aurelia, imprisoning them in different strongholds. With them gone, Khalab seized power last year and began his brutal reign. He claims to be the brother of the late king, but in truth, he is nothing more than a parasite."
Lior exchanged glances with the others, his face grim. "So all this… the bloodshed, the collapse of Zephyrelle, it was orchestrated by him?"
Litzil nodded, the weight of memory pressing on his shoulders. "He manipulated Aurel and Aurelia through his own son and daughter, feeding the flames of war. And now look around… our kingdom is broken, its people enslaved or killed."
Silence followed, broken only when Tieu raised her grimoire and spoke softly. "But what about Michi? Why is he being hunted? Why the wanted posters?"
Litzil's expression darkened. He looked at the floor before meeting their eyes again. "I had my suspicions the moment I saw the mark on his forehead. I already thought he might be the one. The marked boy."
"The marked one?" Junia pressed, her voice sharp with concern.
"Yes," Litzil answered. "Not long ago, a messenger from a faraway land came to Khalab. He called himself a man of Ahrimvar."
Junia gasped, her hand covering her lips. "That place… it really exists?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "I thought it was only a legend whispered in the north…"
"I don't know much either," Litzil admitted. "But I saw it with my own eyes. That man told Khalab that the boy with the red forehead mark would bring destruction to this entire world. He said that if Khalab wanted to save existence, he must stop the boy and hand him over to the messenger."
Shock rippled through Lior, Kael, Junia, and Tieu. Their hearts pounded with unease as the revelation sank in.
"So… that's why they want Michi?" Lior said slowly, his dagger trembling in his hand.
"Yes," Litzil confirmed. "They see him as the doom of all. But I don't believe it."
Junia's voice trembled with both anger and loyalty. "Michi would never bring destruction. He has saved so many already."
Kael slammed his claymore against the ground. "If Khalab despises him so much, then I'm certain Michi is on the right path."
Lior nodded firmly, conviction burning in his eyes. "We are on a mission to save this world, not destroy it. Michi is not what they claim."
Litzil gave a faint, almost hopeful smile. "I believe you. After all… anyone Khalab fears so much cannot possibly be a bad man. Trust me, I've seen true evil. Michi isn't it."
They continued walking through the narrow tunnels, guided by the last resistance warrior. Litzil's torchlight cast long shadows across the cracked walls. "We'll reach my remaining partners soon," he said. "They are ready to sacrifice themselves, just like me, for the sake of Zephyrelle's future."
The group pressed forward, their hearts heavy with both dread and determination.
---
Far away, in the depths of a dark dungeon, Michi's fate unfolded in grim silence.
The chamber was cold and damp, the walls slick with blood and water. Chains bound Michi's wrists and ankles, suspending him against the stone. His clothes had been torn away, leaving his body bare, bruised, and broken. The once-bright forehead mark glowed faintly, but his face was nearly unrecognizable — swollen, cut, blood dripping across his lips.
In front of him stood Kaeru, the frog boy who had betrayed them. His wide mouth twisted into a cruel smirk as he held up a strange object — a small fire, contained within a metal vessel, glowing with unnatural heat.
"This old relic still works…" Kaeru chuckled darkly, raising the flame higher. "A special fire… one that can extinguish any mark's power temporary. Even yours, Michi."
Michi's heavy eyes struggled to stay open, his breaths ragged. The faint light of his mark flickered like a dying ember, smothered by Kaeru's cruel laughter.
"Heh… who would have thought the great marked one would fall so easily?" Kaeru whispered. "You won't escape. Not this time."
The dungeon's silence returned, broken only by Michi's labored breaths and the crackle of the cursed flame — a fire ready to erase all that he was.