The first thing Vein felt was warmth.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Warmth—soft and faint, like sunlight filtering gently through thin curtains.
His eyelids trembled before slowly opening.
A wooden ceiling came into view. Old beams stretched above him, worn by time yet familiar in a way that settled his thoughts. The faint scent of dry hay lingered in the air.
A farmhouse.
The realization came slowly, like waking from a dream that refused to fully fade.
Vein tried to move his hands.
Pain answered immediately.
Both of his arms were wrapped in thick bandages from wrist to elbow, layers of cloth bound tightly to keep them still. His fingers barely twitched beneath the bindings.
A weak sound escaped his throat.
"…gh…"
Someone stirred beside him.
Vein turned his head.
Rosa was there.
She sat curled up on a wooden chair beside the bed, her head resting against the mattress near his arm. Her small hands were folded beneath her cheek as she slept deeply, peacefully.
Dark circles lay beneath her eyes, as if she had been waiting far longer than she should have.
Vein stared at her quietly, a tight feeling forming in his chest.
How long…?
The thought never finished.
The wooden door creaked open.
Footsteps entered the room—heavy, slow, familiar.
"Vein."
Mr. Johan.
Vein tried to sit up.
Pain exploded across his arms and chest. His body lifted slightly before a firm hand pressed gently against his shoulder.
"Don't."
Mr. Johan's voice was calm.
"Your body isn't ready for that yet."
Vein stopped, his breathing gradually settling.
"…where…"
His throat felt dry.
"…where are Elna and Sylva?"
Mr. Johan froze.
Just for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"They're fine."
The answer came quickly.
Almost too quickly.
A faint hesitation lingered in his voice, subtle but unmistakable.
Vein noticed.
But before he could ask further, Mr. Johan leaned forward and carefully pulled him into an embrace.
Not tight.
Careful.
As if Vein might still break.
"…thank you."
His voice was low, rough.
"I'm grateful you came back alive."
His grip tightened slightly.
"I didn't know what I was going to say to Rosa… if you never came back."
His voice trembled, and for a moment he said nothing more. His shoulders shook faintly—the quiet sound of someone holding back tears.
Vein stayed still.
Then slowly, his gaze shifted back to the chair.
Rosa hadn't woken.
She was still sleeping there, her small body leaning against the bed as if she had refused to leave his side.
Even now.
Her breathing remained soft and steady.
Vein watched her in silence.
And for the first time since the nightmare began, the silence in the room no longer felt threatening.
It felt fragile.
Like something precious—
something that had almost been lost forever.
—
The days passed quietly.
A week later, the farmhouse had returned to its usual rhythm.
Morning sunlight filled the room, and the scent of fresh soil drifted in through the open window. Somewhere outside, tools struck against the earth in a steady, familiar rhythm.
Vein sat near a wooden table.
Both of his arms were still wrapped in bandages. The swelling had gone down, but even the slightest movement still sent pain through him.
Across from him, Rosa sat with her legs swinging beneath the chair.
A sheet of paper lay in front of her, covered in bright crayon colors.
"Look, Brother Vein!"
She lifted the drawing proudly.
Four figures stood on the page, simple stick shapes but filled with color.
A small figure in pink.
"That's me!"
Beside it, a taller figure drawn in black.
"That's Father!"
Then she pointed to another, colored in blue.
"That's you, Brother Vein!"
Vein blinked before a small smile formed on his face.
"And this one…"
Rosa pointed to the last figure, drawn in gray.
"That's Mother."
Her voice softened.
"I'm going to send this to her."
She said it with complete seriousness, as if the drawing itself could somehow reach wherever her mother was.
Rosa climbed down from the chair and walked over.
Without warning, she hugged Vein carefully around his waist, her small arms wrapping around him with quiet warmth.
"Brother Vein…"
Her voice was soft.
"I love you."
Vein froze for a moment.
Then slowly lowered one bandaged arm, resting it gently on her head.
"…thank you."
Outside the window, Mr. Johan worked in the fields, his back bent over rows of young plants. The sound of soil shifting beneath his hoe echoed softly across the farm.
Everything felt peaceful.
Simple.
Almost normal.
Then—
the wooden gate creaked open.
Footsteps approached the house.
Not heavy.
Not hurried.
Just steady.
A shadow appeared in the doorway.
Vein turned his head—
and froze.
The man standing there looked nothing like the warrior he remembered.
Gone was the silver armor.
Gone was the massive sword.
Now he wore a simple black shirt with short sleeves and plain dark shorts. His brown hair shifted slightly in the breeze.
He looked like an ordinary traveler.
Nothing about him suggested the man who had stood against the Nightbound Beast.
Except—
his eyes.
Sharp.
Calm.
The same eyes Vein remembered from the frozen lake.
The man leaned casually against the doorframe.
"Looks like you survived."
His voice was relaxed.
Almost amused.
Vein stared at him.
"…you."
The man gave a small nod.
"Yeah."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Long time no see."
And just like that—
the quiet peace of the farmhouse shifted.
Subtly.
Almost imperceptibly.
As if something larger had finally arrived—
to claim the story that had begun in the forest.
—
The man had barely stepped inside the farmhouse when a blur of brown rushed past Vein.
"BROTHER KAEL!"
Rosa ran straight toward him, her small arms wrapping tightly around his waist.
The man blinked in surprise before letting out a short laugh.
"Well, look who's gotten bigger."
He bent down and lifted her easily, one arm supporting her back while the other held her legs. Then he spun once, then twice.
Rosa burst into laughter, her voice bright and carefree as it filled the room—so different from the silence Vein remembered from the forest.
"Again! Again!"
"Hey, hey," the man chuckled. "You'll get dizzy."
He slowed down and gently set her back on the floor.
Rosa blinked, then suddenly gasped.
"Oh!"
She ran back to the table.
"My drawing!"
She grabbed the paper quickly, her eyes widening.
"I forgot!"
She turned back toward him.
"I forgot to draw Brother Kael!"
Without wasting a second, she sat down and started drawing again, her tongue peeking out slightly in concentration. The crayon moved quickly across the page, her expression serious, as if this was the most important task in the world.
Vein watched quietly.
Something about the scene felt strange.
The man who had crushed the Nightbound Beast with terrifying power now stood inside a farmhouse, watching a child draw with crayons.
The man noticed his stare.
He rubbed the back of his neck, slightly awkward, then walked over and stopped beside Vein's bed.
"Guess we didn't properly introduce ourselves last time."
He extended a hand, then glanced at Vein's bandaged arms.
"…right."
He withdrew it with a small shrug.
"Name's Kael Arden," he said calmly. "Royal Knight of the capital."
He leaned lightly against the wall.
"And… one of Mr. Johan's former students."
Vein blinked.
"…your what?"
Kael frowned.
"You didn't know?"
Vein slowly shook his head.
Kael stared at him for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
"You're kidding."
He crossed his arms.
"Mr. Johan used to be the Supreme War Commander of the Royal Army."
Vein froze.
"…what?"
"Yeah," Kael said simply. "Back in the capital, everyone knew his name. He led the royal army through three campaigns and never lost a single battle."
Vein stared in silence.
His mind struggled to process it.
Mr. Johan?
The quiet farmer outside?
The man who spent his mornings planting vegetables?
A war commander?
Kael glanced toward the window.
Outside, Mr. Johan continued working in the fields, calm and unhurried, just a farmer tending his crops.
"He stepped down after his wife died," Kael added, his voice lowering slightly. "Never went back to the capital after that."
Vein said nothing.
Because he truly hadn't known.
Mr. Johan had never mentioned any of it.
Not once.
Kael scratched his cheek.
"Well… he does like hiding things."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"But don't get it wrong."
He looked back at Vein, his tone steady.
"Even now, Mr. Johan is still one of the strongest veterans this kingdom has ever produced."
He paused briefly.
"…even if age has taken some of that strength."
Outside, the sound of metal striking earth continued, steady and unchanging, as if the past Kael described belonged to someone else entirely.
—
Vein stayed quiet for a moment.
Kael's words still echoed in his mind.
Supreme War Commander.
The man outside… the one tending fields like an ordinary farmer… had once led the entire royal army.
Vein lowered his gaze, then slowly lifted it again.
"…I guess I should introduce myself too."
His voice was hesitant.
He wasn't used to speaking like this, especially to someone like Kael.
A Royal Knight.
He took a small breath.
"My name is Vein… Vein Alteir."
The name felt unfamiliar as it left his mouth, as if he hadn't used it properly in a long time.
He lowered his head slightly.
"And… thank you."
His voice softened.
"For what happened in the forest."
Kael waved it off casually.
"Don't worry about it. That's part of my job."
He leaned against the wall again.
"I had just arrived at the farm that day. Mr. Johan told me to head to the hill after we heard a massive sound."
He raised his hand slightly, mimicking something splitting apart.
"Like the whole hill had been cut in two."
Vein remembered.
Sylva's magic.
The hill splitting open.
Kael crossed his arms.
"When Mr. Johan heard it… he looked worried."
His gaze drifted toward the window.
"Really worried."
"I've known him for years, but that was the first time I saw his face like that."
Vein remained silent.
Outside, Mr. Johan continued working calmly, as if nothing had ever happened.
Kael continued.
"So I went straight to the hill. And when I got there…"
He exhaled slowly.
"…I saw the aftermath."
The frozen lake.
The shattered monster.
Three people barely alive.
Kael looked at him.
"You kids fought a Nightbound Beast manifestation."
Vein frowned slightly.
"…a what?"
Kael rubbed his chin.
"It's not exactly the monster itself. It's what happens when corrupted mana gathers in one place for too long."
He spoke calmly.
"It eventually takes shape. Most of the time, that shape becomes a monster. And the more corrupted mana there is, the bigger it gets."
Vein remembered the creature.
As large as a house.
"That means the area you were in had extremely dense corrupted mana."
Vein's chest tightened.
"And monsters like that don't die easily," Kael continued. "Destroying the head won't stop them. As long as the corrupted mana still exists, the body will keep moving."
Vein remembered.
The shattered skull.
The body still walking.
His stomach turned slightly.
"So how do you kill it?" he asked quietly.
"Two ways," Kael answered. "Destroy the core of corrupted mana… or seal it."
He gestured lightly.
"Like you did with the lake."
Vein nodded slowly.
If only we knew…
"If we had known that place was contaminated, we could have prepared," he muttered.
Kael tilted his head.
"You actually could have known."
Vein blinked.
"How?"
Kael pointed toward the window.
"If there's no animals. Not even insects."
"Then the place is almost certainly contaminated."
Vein frowned.
"…why?"
"Because animals absorb mana too," Kael replied. "But they won't absorb corrupted mana. So they avoid those areas entirely."
Silence filled the room.
Vein thought back.
The forest had been silent.
Too silent.
Not a bird.
Not a bug.
Nothing.
"…how do you know all that?" Vein asked.
Kael shrugged.
"Experience."
His tone was simple.
"Corrupted mana zones are rare. Only a few exist in the entire world."
—
"Done!"
Rosa suddenly ran toward them, holding her drawing up proudly.
Kael looked at it.
Five figures now.
Pink. Black. Blue. Gray.
And a new one in yellow.
A small smile formed on his face.
"Well," he said lightly, "guess I'm officially part of the family now."
Rosa nodded proudly.
"Yes!"
She hugged the drawing to her chest.
"I'm going to send this to Mother!"
Her eyes sparkled.
"I'll send it through the post!"
Kael blinked.
"The post?"
He scratched his head.
"Huh… speaking of that."
He glanced at Vein.
"This is actually my first time coming back here after five years in the capital. Things probably changed a lot."
Then he clapped his hands once.
"Let's go to the market."
Rosa's eyes lit up instantly.
"The market?!"
"Yes."
She jumped happily.
"I can send the drawing!"
Kael grinned.
"Perfect reason."
He turned to Vein.
"What about you?"
Vein hesitated.
His arms were still bandaged. His body still felt heavy.
"…I don't think I should—"
Kael waved him off.
"Come on. It's just the market."
"No monsters. No corrupted mana. No hills exploding."
His grin widened slightly.
"You survived that forest. You can handle a walk."
Vein stared at him.
Rosa grabbed his sleeve.
"Brother Vein… please come with us."
Vein looked at her.
Then at Kael.
Then sighed quietly.
"…fine."
Kael laughed.
"That's the spirit."
"Yay!"
Rosa ran ahead toward the door, holding her drawing carefully.
Outside, the afternoon sun warmed the fields. Mr. Johan was still working, calm and steady as always.
Kael walked ahead casually.
Rosa skipped beside him.
Vein followed a few steps behind, the bandages on his arms still tight, the memories of the forest still lingering.
But for the first time in days—
the world felt peaceful again.
The road stretched ahead.
Simple.
Quiet.
Ordinary.
And Vein couldn't shake the feeling—
that this calm moment
might be the last one
before the next storm arrived.
The silence of survival had ended.
And something new
was about to begin.