The storm that had swallowed the heart of the capital slowly dissolved, its raging winds fading into heavy silence. From afar, the thick smoke rising from the ruined city painted the morning sky in shades of ash and fire.
Kael arrived at the edge of the devastation, accompanied by Elric and a handful of soldiers who had survived the chaos. Behind them, citizens stumbled, burned and bloodied, fleeing from the heart of the city. Their cries mixed with the distant roar of the undead dragon.
"Protect them!" Elric's voice rang sharp, steady even though her heart trembled. She raised her arm high, giving commands with practiced precision. "Tend the wounded immediately! Anyone who can still stand, guide the rest to safety!"
The soldiers nodded, rushing to obey, spreading among the terrified crowd. Mothers clutched their children, the elderly leaned on soldiers' arms, and the injured dragged themselves forward—away from the monster that had turned their homes into ruins.
Kael stood unmoving amidst the chaos, his hood drawn low. His crimson eyes never left the direction of the city. The thick smoke curled upward like a warning, and the dragon's furious roar thundered again from within.
Elric, still mounted on her horse, stole a glance at him. His silence was heavier than words, and worry carved deep into her chest. She feared the man beside her would throw himself into the flames.
Then, a woman's desperate cry cut through the noise:
"There—the Emperor! He's there! He's fighting the dragon!"
She pointed toward the ruins, her trembling hand raised.
Both Kael and Elric froze, their eyes widening. Elric's breath caught, and Kael's heart lurched in his chest.
Without hesitation, Kael swung down from the horse, his steps quickening toward the smoking gates. Just as he broke into a stride, the wind surged violently, sweeping dust and debris across the path. A child, running against the gale, stumbled and nearly fell.
Kael's hand shot out, catching the girl before she hit the ground. The force of the wind blew back his hood.
For a breathless moment, the people around him froze. His pale face, marked by scars, was revealed to all. Most striking of all were his eyes—blood-red with a faint golden sheen. They were the same eyes of the Hero they remembered from stories, the one thought long dead. Only his hair was different: short, white, ghostlike.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
Kael pulled the hood back over his head without a word, lowering his gaze as he brushed the dust gently from the child's small frame. Her wide eyes brimmed with tears.
"P-please… save him," she sobbed, her voice breaking. "I saw him… the Emperor… he was so badly hurt…"
Her tiny fingers clutched his sleeve, pleading. Kael's chest tightened, but he said nothing. He rose to his feet and turned back toward the city, his steps heavier and faster now, urgency gnawing at him.
"Kael—wait!" Elric flinched, then leapt from her horse to chase after him. She couldn't let him face such danger alone, even if her heart was torn between fear for him and fear for Reinhardt.
She caught his wrist, her fingers tight but trembling. Her voice was steady when she met his eyes.
"Let's go together."
Lifting her free hand, she summoned her bow in a shimmer of light. Her gaze was resolute. She would not let Kael fight alone—not now, not ever.
Together, they pressed forward, soldiers trailing behind as reinforcements.
When they reached the city gates, Elric halted in horror. The once-great capital lay in ruins. Entire streets were reduced to rubble, homes flattened, smoke still rising from shattered walls. And there—trapped voices. Citizens cried out from beneath collapsed debris, their pleas muffled.
Elric raised her bow sharply. "You three—pull the rubble aside! Get them out now!" The soldiers obeyed instantly, splitting off to rescue the trapped.
Kael, however, did not stop. His eyes darted across the chaos until they caught sight of the dragon. The monstrous beast reared back, its massive clawed foot smashing into the ground. With a deafening crash, it kicked a lone figure across the ruins, the body flung like a ragdoll before slamming into the broken remains of a building.
Kael's chest clenched. Even at this distance, he knew who it was. Reinhardt.
He searched the ground, desperate for a weapon. There was nothing—no blade, no spear, nothing he could wield. Desperation coiled in his chest. And then…
A flicker.
From amidst the drifting smoke, a crimson butterfly fluttered into view. Its wings glowed faintly, radiant against the gray ruin. Kael stilled, breath caught, his gaze following its gentle flight. It circled him once, then landed on his outstretched hand.
The moment its delicate wings touched his skin, a warmth surged through him. Light enveloped his palm, forming into something familiar.
The broken sword.
Its jagged edges gleamed faintly, incomplete yet unyielding.
Elric's eyes widened in shock. Her bow trembled in her grip as memory struck her. That sword—it was Robert's, last she had seen. She had never once seen Kael retrieve it, nor saw of it returning to his hand.
Her lips parted, but no words came. She could only stare, stunned, as Kael lifted the blade, the faint glow of the butterfly fading into the air around them.
The Hero's sword had returned.
-----------------------------------------
Blood trickled endlessly from Reinhardt's wounds, staining the rubble beneath him. Every breath came shallow, fragile, and painful, his chest rising and falling like a flickering flame ready to extinguish. He knew he couldn't lose consciousness yet—not while the dragon still stood, not while the city was still burning.
The weight of his body screamed against him. His ribs felt shattered, and every cough brought more blood. Yet his mind clung to one thought: If I fall now, the dragon will reach the castle. And Kael… Kael will have nowhere safe to return to.
His vision blurred, and then—softly, impossibly—a crimson butterfly landed on his bloodstained hand.
Reinhardt's lips curved weakly into a smile. "Go… from here… I have no flower for you," he whispered, his voice ragged.
But then his eyes caught movement—a lone figure walking into the ruins, stepping between him and the beast. Cloaked in a robe, yet unmistakable.
The man turned his head slightly, and Reinhardt froze.
Those eyes. Crimson, with the faint gleam of gold. Eyes he had prayed to never see in this place.
"No…" Reinhardt's voice trembled, his hand tightening faintly. "Don't come here, Kael…"
Kael ignored him, his steps quick as he crouched down, hands pressing against the heavy debris pinning Reinhardt in place. Stone by stone, he tried to move them, desperation tightening his jaw.
"Stop!" Reinhardt's voice cracked, weak but stern. His hand shot out, trembling as it caught Kael's wrist. His eyes locked onto Kael's face, and in them he saw not the hero he once knew, but a young man filled with raw, aching worry.
Blood spilled from his lips again, forcing him to choke between words. "Stop… Kael! It's dangerous! You… shouldn't be here…"
Kael flinched as Reinhardt's body convulsed with another cough. He could see how bad the injuries were—bones jutting beneath torn flesh, breath rattling in his chest. But still, he pressed on, lifting away the debris with trembling strength.
"Shut up."
Kael's voice, sharp and trembling with anger, cut through the air.
He pulled harder, refusing to listen. His hands bled from the effort, but he didn't stop until the last of the rubble gave way. With a heave, Kael pulled Reinhardt out from the debris.
Reinhardt's body slumped into his arms, and Kael's eyes widened. His friend's entire frame was battered and broken, his skin pale, breath uneven, and mouth red with blood. Kael's hands shook as he supported him.
"Don't look," Reinhardt murmured hoarsely, catching sight of Kael's trembling. "I'll be fine… just… go away from here." He tried to push Kael weakly, but his strength betrayed him.
The ground quaked violently. Dust rained down from the broken walls as the earth shook beneath the weight of massive footsteps. The dragon was coming closer.
Kael wrapped his arm around Reinhardt's waist, pulling him up, struggling to support his weight. Slowly, painfully, he tried to help him walk away.
The undead beast spread its massive wings, preparing to take flight. With a single beat, it sent a gust strong enough to lift them off their feet. But before it could take to the skies, an arrow of pure light shot through the air, grazing its wing. The beast recoiled with a roar.
"Over here!"
Elric's voice carried through the chaos. Despite the bloodied bandage wrapped around her injured arm, she stood with her bow raised, firing arrow after arrow. Each shot glowed faintly, enough to draw the dragon's attention away for an instant.
"Hurry! We need to get away from here!" she shouted.
Kael tried, dragging Reinhardt with him, but Reinhardt's body was too broken. His legs trembled, knees buckling, forcing them both back to the ground. The dragon advanced, its shadow casting over them.
Reinhardt's eyes trembled—not with fear of death, but with something deeper. "Leave me, Kael! You're not strong enough to carry me! Not anymore!" His voice cracked, and the fear in it was raw. Fear of losing Kael.
Kael's jaw clenched. He looked at Reinhardt, at the man who had once shielded him, who had always stood at his side. His own body was weak, his arms trembling from the effort of holding Reinhardt upright. He knew Reinhardt was right—his strength wasn't enough. But still… he shook his head, teeth gritted.
From the distance, Elric's voice rose again, frantic, her arrows raining like sparks against the beast's scales. "Kael, move! Please!"
The dragon ignored her. Its hollow eyes locked on the two men struggling beneath it, its massive form lumbering closer.
"Please… Kael…" Reinhardt begged, blood trickling down his chin. Tears welled in his emerald eyes as his chest seized with another cough. His hand pressed against his ribs where the bone had pierced him from within. His breathing faltered, shallow and ragged.
His knees gave out completely. Both of them collapsed to the ground.
Reinhardt's trembling hand clutched his chest, his face twisting in agony. "Run… Kael…" His voice broke as tears slipped down his dirt-stained cheeks. He didn't care if he died here—so long as Kael lived.
But Kael didn't move. His hand clenched tightly around Reinhardt's arm, his voice low, trembling.
"No…"
The dragon loomed above them now, its rancid breath clouding the air, its claw raised to strike.
And then—Kael saw it.
Through the haze of smoke and shadow, a faint glow drifted down. The crimson butterfly.
It fluttered between them and the beast, its wings glowing brighter than ever, as if answering a call only Kael could hear.