Night fell quickly.
A quiet night…A night that looked no different from any other.
Yet inside the camp, something felt different.
The entire place buzzed with anticipation. Ever since the rumor of a major announcement spread, people had gathered in the main square in large numbers.
The atmosphere was loud.
Voices overlapped from every direction as soldiers spoke among themselves, their conversations blending into a restless wave of noise.
Amid the crowd, Raym felt a strange excitement stirring within him.
Grabbing Saon by the hand, he pulled him forward through the masses, forcing their way toward the front of the gathering.
From afar…
Lyra noticed him...
Her eyes narrowed slightly...
She had clearly been watching him.
Yet Raym walked right past without even noticing her.
That alone made her irritation grow even stronger...
Suddenly, the noise grew louder as Vail stepped forward before the crowd.
He was not alone.
Standing behind him were several well-known figures of the camp:
ArvelaDanielIreneand Lorian.
The crowd gradually quieted...
Seeing so many of the camp's prominent figures gathered together in one place could only mean one thing.
Something important was about to be announced.
Then—
The slow, heavy sound of footsteps echoed across the square.
Measured steps.
Calm...
Confident.
The figure finally emerged.
It was Vice Commander Leo...
Voices immediately erupted across the crowd once again.
But Leo said nothing...
Instead, he lifted his spear…
and struck the ground with tremendous force.
The impact thundered across the square.
Instantly—
Silence fell.
Every eye turned toward him.
Leo glanced across the gathered soldiers before speaking in a calm, commanding voice.
"I'm glad to see all of you here tonight."
He paused briefly...
"First, I would like to commend each of you for standing with us until this very moment."
Then he uttered a single sentence.
A sentence that froze the crowd.
"More time has passed… than the time we have left."
Shock spread through the assembly.
Whispers erupted as soldiers turned to one another in confusion.
Noticing their reaction, Leo raised a hand...
"Please… allow me to finish."
"We are currently facing a difficult situation."
"We were forced to relocate this camp in great haste after its location was exposed…"
He paused slightly before continuing...
"…by an extremist group you may have heard of."
"The Dragonic Sect."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Then Leo gestured toward the man beside him.
"I'll allow someone more qualified to explain."
He pointed to Lorian...
Without hesitation, Lorian stepped forward...
"Many of you are probably seeing me for the first time," he began calmly.
"And you may be wondering who I am."
"Given the limited time we have… let's simply say I am an ally."
His expression hardened...
"We are currently surrounded by two major threats."
"The Dragonic Sect on one side…"
"And the growing influence of SI on the other."
"But recently, the Sect's movements have become far more dangerous."
"They are planning something far greater."
"Everything that has happened so far… was merely preparation."
The soldiers began murmuring among themselves.
Lorian continued.
"I tried to stop them."
"But I failed."
"And now… it may already be too late."
"So I ask for your cooperation."
"If we eliminate them quickly…"
"…we can finally focus all our strength against our true common enemy."
The crowd suddenly erupted.
Some voices supported him.
Others rejected the idea entirely.
Interruptions spread through the gathering.
Realizing he had no choice, Lorian revealed more.
He spoke about his connection to the Sect.
About Araki.
About their forbidden summoning ritual.
And then—
A heavy silence fell over the entire square.
The truth had been hidden from most of them until now.
Only those of higher rank had known.
Some soldiers slowly began stepping away.
But suddenly—
Vail shouted...
"Where do you think you're going??!"
The crowd froze.
"Is that all you'll do??!"
"Will you condemn him simply because he chose not to drag all of you into something this dangerous?!?"
"He carried that burden alone!"
"He tried to eliminate them by himself!"
"And you all know how dangerous even one of them can be!!!"
At that moment—
Vail exchanged a brief glance with Raym.
Then he continued.
"So think carefully before you walk away."
The murmuring returned.
Then Leo suddenly raised his voice.
"Enough!!!"
"I intended to say something else…"
"But I believe someone else can explain things far better."
He gestured toward the back.
"He witnessed it himself."
"Step forward."
A man unfamiliar to most stepped forward calmly until he stood beside Leo...
He exchanged a brotherly smile with Vail...
The man was tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Built like a veteran warrior who had seen countless battles.
A sword hung from his waist.
His armor was battered…
Scorched in places.
Leo looked at him and said with a faint smile,
"I didn't realize it had gotten that bad."
The man chuckled.
"Well… they are SI's elite, after all."
The soldiers stared at him in awe.
Whispers spread across the crowd.
"Is that… him???"
"I heard he was sent on a dangerous mission…"
"Of course he came back."
"After all… he's one of our strongest."
"Commander of the First Battalion…"
"One of our greatest trump cards."
The man with the faded red hair.
The massive muscles.
The rough voice.
And the arms that some claimed could bring down a fortress with a single blow.
He was—
Aldous...