Lia and Havec were both stunned.
"Summer comes to the North, but not at the right time… Does this mean in this high place… something is still alive in the North?" Havec said.
But that summer will never come again, Havec. Lia's thoughts.
"I've also seen summer. But this is just… just…" She knelt and touched the grass that never seemed to grow during the North's summer.
The smell of flowers—sensory overload after two lifetimes. One of the things she'd always wanted for the North… was a long, warm summer instead of a long, cold winter.
♪♫♪ "When the frost-bit moon is the only light,
And the Long Dark swallows the day,
When the world is wrong and the seasons mourn,
And the Warmth has gone away…" ♪♫♪
Havec began to sing, recalling the lullaby his mother used to sing to him.
♪♫♪ "Look to the high, cold, silent peak,
Where the stone bones of the world lie sleeping, deep.
There, the Sun's last kiss still lies,
In a secret garden 'neath the endless skies.
A memory of green, a breath of gold,
A story of Warmth the mountain still holds…" ♪♫♪
His voice grew hoarse.
"How nice would it be if they were able to see the Sun's last kiss they always held onto for hope," Havec murmured.
Lia remained silent. But yes, something strange… a warm trace of dampness fell from her eyes.
In her past life, summer never came to the North. Nor spring.
It was only autumn and a long, freezing winter.
And ironically, when she'd closed her eyes for the last time, it was still winter.
"Liana?" Havec called out.
"Oh… it's just… this is giving me hope," she said. "The truth is, I'm afraid. We're all still here, but I actually don't know how exactly to revive the dying North…"
"You sweet little child, you really love the North. And strangely, we can feel the depth of it," Havec said.
"What do you mean?" Lia asked, confused.
"I noticed it the moment I saw you siblings. All of you have a great, lingering feeling for the North—so strong it's seeping through to me. But yours is the strongest… it's as if you've seen this once-rich region fall. The Elders have been talking about it, too. They can't help but want to comfort you every time they see you."
Lia fell silent. She didn't know how to respond to Havec.
When the silence had stretched a little too long, a System window appeared.
"Liana, that strange magic again…" Havec said, circling around to peer over her shoulder.
[SYSTEM: YOU HAVE FOUND THE HIDDEN LIFE FLARE OF THE NORTH!]
[SYSTEM: SUN'S LAST KISS PEAK]
[SYSTEM: THIS AREA IS PROTECTED BY THE ECLIPSE'S LAST WILL.]
[SYSTEM: ONLY THE GUARDIANS CAN ENTER BEYOND THE CLOUDS. UNLESS OUTSIDERS ARE GRANTED PERMISSION.]
[NEW QUEST: CULTIVATE THE SUN KISS.]
[FIRST TASK: PLANT ONE OF THE SEEDS FROM YOUR EXCLUSIVE SHOP]
[TIME LIMIT: NOW]
[REWARD: EXCLUSIVE SHOP POINTS]
[REJECT: YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET IT.]
"Is it just me… or does that last line sound like… a threat?" Havec said.
"You feel that, too? This System is crazy. Mind you, this trickster is the one who pushed us into saving your tribe," Lia replied.
"I guess I'll thank that weird entity, then," Havec said.
[ADMIN A: SYSTEM REALLY HAS A SUPERIORITY COMPLEX. JEEZ. JUST BECAUSE THEY TALK TO THE PROGRAMMERS DIRECTLY? TSK.]
Wow, I can feel the jealousy.
[ADMIN A: AT LEAST I HAVE A FORM. NOT JUST A GLOWING CUBE.]
Yeah, I remember how you look. Like Casper.
[ADMIN A: COMPLIMENT TAKEN.]
Lia sighed and pulled up her Exclusive Shop: Paradise Legacy. The "Seeds of the First Dawn" section glowed. She scrolled past magical cereals and vibrant vegetables until she found it: "Sun's Balls" – A sacred, magically nutritive white rice strain lost to time. Void-Resistant. High Yield. Price: 20,000 EXP per pouch.
"Sun's balls, that's expensive," she muttered, but purchased it anyway. A small, woven pouch of iridescent seeds materialized in her hand.
"Alright, great. I have magic seeds. No shovel, no water, just me, a giant wolf, and a whole lot of dirt," Lia grumbled, looking around the wide, strangely flat plateau.
"Little child," Havec chuffed, sounding almost amused. "Did you forget I am here for a reason? These paws are not just for running." He demonstrated by easily scraping a deep furrow in the rich soil with one massive forepaw.
[ADMIN A: OH, HOLD ON!]
[INITIATING AREA SCAN]
[ADMIN A: WHAT THE—SERIOUSLY?]
What? What's wrong?
[ADMIN A: I AM DETECTING A WATER SOURCE! I'LL MARK IT ON THE MAP, LOOK IT UP.]
The map hologram popped up, Havec peering behind her. The map that Admin A marked was glowing red.
"Half a kilometer away, northeast?" Lia murmured, tracking the guide line on the map.
[ADMIN A: GO CHECK IT OUT. THERE IS NO HOSTILITY DETECTED.]
Alright.
"Havec," she said, hopping behind his back. "Northeast, half a kilometer away from our position. Go!"
"Alright, hold on tight!" Havec said and started to run.
Eliana wore her helmet again, with the visors doing their work scanning and cataloging every data on the peak. The green holograms kept shimmering and gridlines kept moving in her visors.
Then… after a short run with Havec's prowess of speed, they arrived at the water place.
[SYSTEM: CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FOUND THE ENDLESS FALL!]
[REWARD: 5,000 ESP]
"A… waterfall?" Lia said in disbelief, yanking off her helmet again.
A waterfall, not large but breathtakingly beautiful, cascading from a mossy overhang into a crystal-clear pool that fed a gentle stream. The sound was a soft, constant rush. Sunlight dappled through the leaves, creating rainbows in the mist. It felt like a beautiful, impossible joke.
Somehow it healed and warmed the hearts of Eliana and Havec.
"So… this is a waterfall?" Havec murmured.
"Yes, Havec. This is a waterfall," Lia answered.
"Havec, let's do the task first," Lia said, pulling herself together.
Havec just nodded with a hint of a smile on his face.
They chose a plot close to the waterfall for a steady supply of water. Havec dug a neat, deep trench with his paws while Lia used a sharp stick to score planting lines in the dirt. She carefully placed the glowing rice seeds in the furrows and covered them. Using broad, tough leaves she fashioned into a crude bucket, she made several trips to the stream, watering the planted rows.
The moment the last of the water soaked into the dark earth, a soft chime sounded.
[SYSTEM: FIRST TASK - COMPLETE.]
[REWARD: 5,000 EXCLUSIVE SHOP POINTS. POINTS CAN BE USED TO ACCELERATE GROWTH OF PLANTED CROPS WITHIN THE SUN KISS ZONE.]
"Accelerate growth…" Lia murmured, a real smile touching her lips for the first time. Hope, tangible and warm, settled in her chest.
[ADMIN A: WANT ME TO TRY IT?]
Alright.
[ADMIN A: ESP: 2,000 CONVERTING INTO A.G. OF FIRST PLANTED CROP]
[SYSTEM: REQUEST >>> CONFIRMED.]
[SYSTEM: EXPECT IN THREE DAYS.]
[ADVICE: USE ASHES OF STONE CRAWLERS FOR GOOD FERTILIZER]
"Okay, this is getting weirder," Lia murmured.
They stood for a moment, listening to the waterfall's distant song. The sun was surprisingly warm here. Lia realized her forehead and neck were somehow wet… yes, it was sweat.
On a sudden, wild impulse, she walked back to the waterfall's edge. She tugged off her coat, letting it fall on a dry rock. Then her boots. Then, she pulled her long-sleeved black shirt over her head, leaving just her tank top. She rolled her tactical pants up to her knees.
She turned to Havec, who was watching with bemused curiosity. A genuine, unguarded smile lit up her face—the smile of a young woman, not a duchess or a soldier.
"Have you ever played around in a waterfall?" she asked, her voice light.
Before he could answer, she waded into the shallow, cool edge of the pool, gasping at the chill before laughing. She kicked water into the air, watching the droplets catch the light.
Havec, for all his size and ancient dignity, felt a strange, youthful tug. He eyed the water, then Lia's laughing face. With a playful huff, he placed one massive, careful paw in the shallows. The coolness was pleasant. Encouraged, he took another step, then another, until he was standing beside her, the water swirling around his legs.
Lia laughed and splashed a huge arc of water at him. He shook his head, sending droplets flying, then retaliated by stomping a foot and drenching her with a wave.
For a few, precious minutes, under a summer sun on a hidden peak, a battle-scarred duchess and the last leader of the Silver Wolves played in the water like children, their laughter echoing against the stone—a tiny, defiant celebration of life in a land that had forgotten how to laugh.
「JAVIER'S CASTLE」
In the middle of the study, Marcus stood before a complex array of holographic windows floating in the air. He was running a simulation and calculating probabilities for Rhys's plea to hunt the missing materials for his project.
Rhys entered the room, having obviously just finished cleaning his makeshift lab in the dark corner—traces of dust and rust were still on his hands. He shadow-walked behind Marcus and peered over his shoulder.
"Look at you, playing with your new toy," Rhys said.
"You should watch your neck the next time you sneak up behind me," Marcus replied without breaking his focus.
"So, are those red objects the monsters?" Rhys asked.
"Those are the probable locations of the monsters we're most likely to encounter," Marcus said. "It's not done yet. I'm still inputting the rest of the data. And besides, this is already exhausting me." He closed the windows and sank onto the couch.
"Thanks so much, brother… for doing all this for me," Rhys jested, smiling.
"Don't be stupid. I'd never allow it if it only benefited you," Marcus said, massaging his forehead.
"Weird, because when Lia included her packs of cigarettes in the monthly budget, you let it slide. Talk about favoritism," Rhys said, sitting across from him.
"You know Lia and Kaelen are the same," Marcus said, his expression turning serious. "You know what happens if they can't smoke out their frustration or quiet their minds."
Rhys fell silent, as if remembering something. Then Cris entered the study after three consecutive knocks.
"Greetings, my lords!" Cris said, as enthusiastic as ever.
"Hello there, Cris. Still calling us 'lords,' eh?" Rhys said.
"It just feels wrong not to. After all, we are vassals of Javier," Cris replied.
"You say that, but only your family and Gareth's have stayed loyal," Marcus noted. "How are your parents faring in the East?"
"Of course, Tiandro's life is for the Javiers, and I can say the same for Viscount Gareth Marsel," Cris said. "My parents are doing well, thank you for asking. They said they'll return home once winter passes."
Long ago, there were twenty vassals of the Javier Dukedom. However, as the Void-Rot began to spread and the seasons grew unstable, they left the North one by one, settling in other regions under other rulers without proper leave. Only the Viscount of Marsel and the Viscount of Tiandro remained, eventually residing in the Castle alongside the late Duke and Duchess of Javier.
Cris had been hastily made proxy lord because his mother's health had failed, unable to adjust to the North's climate and unhealthy conditions. Viscount Tiandro, ever loyal, pleaded with his son to take over, believing the siblings would someday return.
The same went for Gareth. His wife Merlin and their son Tomas also lived in the name of Javier in the North. Gareth was never a proper knight, but his father trained him to be a great warrior. Because he hadn't gone through the standard academy process, those like him were labeled soldiers—viewed by many as little better than mercenaries, lacking legitimacy.
"It's good to hear. By the end of this month, we'll give you your proper salary. Make sure to take care of the Viscount and Viscountess," Marcus said.
"Understood, my lord. That aside, I came to report that the townsfolk have made up their minds. They've decided to trust Her Grace and will pay for the Kaiju meat," Cris said. "Once the shop is set up, how much will you charge for it?"
"Is seventy bronze per kilo enough?" Marcus asked, which clearly shocked Cris.
"Are you sure, my lord? One of the butchers said the quality of the meat is very tender and rich—better than what the wandering merchants sell. It's too high-quality for monster meat," Cris said.
"Well, we don't actually buy those Kaiju. Lia just purifies them. The cost is really just to keep the economy of the North flowing," Marcus explained.
"I agree with Marcus. And if we ever get higher-quality meat than the Pig Horns, it's no big deal to raise the price a little then. More importantly, we have a huge supply right outside the walls," Rhys said, nudging his head toward the fortress. "It's practically a farm."
"Well, if that's your decision, it will greatly help the folks," Cris said.
"That's the point of all this," Marcus replied.
"Her Grace and Your Lordships are all too kind," Cris said. "I've actually heard some gossip from the soldiers on my way here. They've been whispering about how Lord Kaelen is being so patient with all the blatant disrespect from some of the roo…kies." Cris's joyful tone faltered as he caught Rhys and Marcus's reactions.
"So, you're telling me those rookies are badmouthing Les—Kaelen right in front of him?" Rhys said, his voice dropping.
Marcus closed his eyes and sighed. "This is not good."
Cris looked confused. "W-what is it, my lords?"
Marcus sighed and ran his hands over his face and through his hair before answering. "There are two things you guys have to remember: Don't mess with Lia, and don't mess with Kaelen too much."
"Yeah. They've got nasty tempers. And if they lose their reason to keep playing nice… you're dead," Rhys said.
❈.❈.❈
It had been three hours since the hazing of the hundred rookies began. It was practically slave labor. Just like Roux had done, each of them carried sacks of cement and bricks up the two-hundred-step stairway. Kaelen had forbidden them from using the pulley.
Kaelen walked away for a moment when a soldier called him to check a clog in the sally port gate. Roux was left to oversee the rookies. Some were silent, obviously short of breath but carrying a respectful deference for the former Captain. But the group that had been gossiping earlier suddenly stopped on the stairs.
"Fuck! I can't do this anymore. I didn't graduate from the academy to do labor."
"Hey… get up. What if you get reprimanded for breaking the Captain's order?"
"Captain? Hey, he's not a captain anymore."
Roux, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward. The rookie sitting on the stairs looked up at him, wary but unafraid.
"Did I give you permission to rest, knight?" Roux asked, the title dripping with contempt.
"I'm tired, okay? It's fucking summer, but it's freezing here. That two-hundred-step climb is killing us. Look, the others are exhausted too."
"I did it fine. I carried two sacks. I never complained once. Who do you think you are to talk back to me like you're some veteran shit?" Roux's patience was fraying.
The rookie scoffed. "You're from the West, aren't you? What are you even doing here in the North? Ah, you must be a rookie knight who got exiled here for being incompetent."
"I told you to stop it! He's an instructor!" another rookie pleaded.
"Shut up."
"You must have a death wish," Roux said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Who do you think you are to insult me, you piece of shit who got lucky enough to be a lapdog?" He leaned in closer. "Do you even have any idea why the Empire bothers training orphan commoners like you?" He smirked, a cruel, knowing look. "You guys are nothing but dispensable pieces for the front line. Don't get ahead of yourself."
Roux's words were a slap of brutal reality. They all knew it was true—they were cannon fodder for the Western front.
In the archway to the gates, Kaelen stood silently, leaning against the wall, listening.
"Who do you think you are to say that, huh?! Feels good kissing the ass of that former Captain? Listen, it's not just us—every noble's gossiping about the Javiers. They were finally cast aside by His Majesty to rot and die here. Tsk. The Empire's money has been wasted on this place for years, trying to revive its people. The money from people like us, who pay taxes, getting wasted on the lives of these barbarics—"
"You son of a bitch—" Roux started, fist drawing back.
The rookie's head snapped sideways with a sickening CRACK. It wasn't Roux's punch. Kaelen had materialized from the shadows, his boot connecting with the man's temple in a blur of motion.
Everyone froze. The rookie slumped, dazed, a trickle of blood already seeping from his ear. As he tried to push himself up on trembling arms, Kaelen kicked him again. This wasn't disciplinary. This was demolition.
The sound was wet, brutal—a THUD of leather and bone against the stone step. The rookie's head bounced, a tooth skittering across the frost. Kaelen didn't stop. He kicked again, a piston-driven blow to the ribs that produced a muffled SNAP. Again, a stomp to the back that drove the air from the rookie's lungs in a choked wheeze. Each impact was methodical, efficient, utterly devoid of rage. His face was a placid mask, his eyes dead and flat—the look of a man turning a problematic piece of machinery into scrap.
The rookies had heard of Captain Kaelen Javier. Cheerful. Patient. A leader who cared for his men. This was not that man. This was Lester Martin, the unit's final solution, and he had just lost his last reason to pretend to be civilized.
Blood began to pool, stark and red against the grey stone. Even Roux was paralyzed, his own anger evaporated in the face of this cold, systematic dismantling.
Then someone yanked Kaelen back by the collar. It was Marcus, with Rhys and a horrified Cris behind him.
"That's enough," Marcus said. He too wasn't giving any concern for the rookie. His tone was nothing but impassive.
"This piece of shit wouldn't shut up," Kaelen said to Marcus, his tone conversational, as if commenting on the weather. A spatter of blood decorated his boot and the hem of his pants.
Rhys stepped forward and checked the rookie's pulse, his fingers pressing into the unbroken side of the man's neck. "Hmm. Still breathing," he remarked, then casually wiped the blood off on the rookie's tunic.
"Kaelen, this isn't cool," Marcus said, his voice low and strained. "You know what happens if you kill one of them? It causes paperwork. I'm busy enough without dealing with an unnecessary funeral."
The silence that followed Marcus's words was more terrifying than the violence. It wasn't the silence of shock; it was the silence of profound, institutionalized indifference.
The rookies who had been whispering, who had felt a flicker of rebellious solidarity, now stood as still as statues. The blood on the stone wasn't just from their comrade; it felt like it was from their own shattered illusions. They'd seen nobles lose their tempers before—shouting matches, maybe a slap. This wasn't a temper. This was execution by spreadsheet.
Kaelen hadn't been angry. He'd been annoyed. And that was infinitely worse.
Rhys stood up from the bleeding rookie. He didn't look disgusted or concerned. He looked like a mechanic who'd just checked the oil.
And Marcus, the cold, rational strategist, hadn't condemned the act. He'd condemned the inconvenience.
The message was clear: In the North, under the Javiers, insubordination wasn't a disciplinary issue. It was a logistical error. And they corrected errors with terrifying efficiency.
One of the beaten rookie's friends, a young man with a face pale as the snow, finally found his voice. It was a trembling whisper. "H-he… he just…"
"He talked shit about the family that is going to feed you, shelter you, and will decide if you live or die tomorrow," Kaelen said, his voice flat, finally turning to address the petrified group. The gentle "Captain Javier" they'd heard of was gone. The man before them was a stranger carved from ice and old blood. "Just because I let you bark, doesn't mean you can bite. My patience is very thin, you see. I get annoyed easily."
He took a step forward. A hundred rookies flinched as one.
"Let me make this very, very simple," Kaelen said, his dead eyes sweeping over them. "You are not in the capital. You are not in the West. There is no academy protocol here. There is no 'honorable knight' bullshit. There is the Wall. There is the Forest. And there is us. Your only value is whether you can hold a line and follow an order. Your opinions on nobility, taxes, or our life choices have less value than the shit I scraped off my boot this morning. Do you understand?"
A choked chorus of "Yes, Sir!" erupted, ragged and terrified.
"Good." Kaelen nodded to the unconscious man. "Rhys. Get this trash to the physician. If he lives, he spends the next month on latrine duty. If he dies…" He shrugged, the gesture more frightening than any threat. "Well, B's been nagging about feeding them to the Void-Rot Forest."
Rhys gave a casual salute and gestured to two nearby Northern soldiers, who moved forward with the grim, practiced ease of men who had seen worse. They hauled the broken rookie away without a word.
Kaelen finally looked at Roux. The younger man was standing rigid, his face a mask, but his amethyst eyes were wide, darting between Kaelen's blood-spattered boot, Marcus's impassive face, and Rhys's retreating back.
Is this really the Captain every young knight looked up to? Roux thought. And Lord Marcus and Lord Rhys… how can they be as cold as the North?
"Roux," Kaelen said, his voice losing some of its lethal frost, returning to the familiar, if weary, tone of an instructor. "The hazing is over for today. Get them cleaned up and fed. Dismissed."
Roux gave a stiff, respectful nod—different from his earlier, playful defiance. It was the nod of a subordinate who had finally seen the true face of his command. "Yes, sir."
As the rookies scrambled away, their earlier arrogance utterly crushed, Roux remained for a second longer. He looked at Kaelen, really looked, and saw not the grinning barbarian or the patient teacher, but the exhausted, ruthless commander beneath—a man standing on a wall at the end of the world, who had just demonstrated the only law that mattered here: Survive. Or be removed.
He turned and followed the shell-shocked rookies, his mind racing. He needed to write to Jill. But what could he even say?
On the battlements, Marcus watched Roux go, then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Was that entirely necessary, Lester? We're trying to build loyalty, not fear."
Kaelen leaned back against the cold stone, finally letting a sliver of his own exhaustion show. "Fear's a good start. Loyalty comes later. Or it doesn't. But they won't question Lia's authority again. You should be thankful to me…" He then looked to the grey skies. "If it was Lia, you think he would have had a chance to be saved?"
Marcus crossed his arms and smirked. "Mess with the Captain of the Terminator squad? I wouldn't even want to imagine."
The two brothers stood in silence as the grey twilight deepened, the cheerful, distant sounds of the fortress town a stark contrast to the copper scent still hanging in the cold air around them. One sister was planting seeds in a hidden summer. One brother had just planted a different kind of seed in the hearts of a hundred soldiers: the deep, chilling understanding of the price of defiance in the North.
— To Be Continued… —