Story of Raidarian Peace

– Listen… I get it. You’re just scared! You want to run away, but as long as I’m here, you hesitate.

– I’m not hesitating. I just don’t want you to be killed just like that. After all, I’m sure you have something to live for!

– You’re not the first Raiderian warrior I’ve seen, – the boy said. – Their scouts have visited our villages before, roamed through our forests. Once I saw a knight kill one of your Raiderians. As I said, I definitely have a chance. And I want to take advantage of it. It’ll toughen me up; I’ll become stronger – and someday, I’ll avenge my parents.

– Alright. I’ve rested, – Rein said abruptly.

– Finally, – the boy replied and went ahead.

– Stop! – Rein said. – You won’t go any further.

– What? Why? – the boy asked in surprise.

– I won’t let you! If you can’t defeat me, then you certainly won’t handle an entire Raiderian legion on your own.

– What? I won’t fight alone. I’m not the only one who went into the woods for reconnaissance! Besides, there are others with me, and knights are following us.

– Don’t you understand? As soon as we encounter the Raiderians, everyone will scatter immediately – those who can, and the knights – they’ll run first!

– No. They’re knights. They can’t just abandon everyone.

– How naive you are if you really think so, – Rein replied.

– Fine, I’ll just go; you won’t be able to stop me anyway, – the boy said.

Seeing that the boy just continued walking, Rein followed him slowly and stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulder.

– Let go! – the boy exclaimed angrily.

– Fine… If you want to fight a Raiderian, fight me!

Rein clenched his fist and struck the boy in the face with half force, breaking his nose and causing him to fall.

– Well, how about now? Had enough?

The boy was genuinely angered. He stood up, clenched his fists, and in response to his own roar, he struck Rein in the face with all his strength. However, Rein just turned his face, not even flinching. The boy then hit him once more in the body and twice in the face. After that, Rein, unperturbed, wiped his nose and said:

– So, have you finally understood?

The boy got even angrier, turned around, grabbed a stone lying by a tree, and with an apologetic look towards Rein, he ran at him, holding the stone tightly. The boy intended to hit Rein in the face again, hoping that the stone would make it more painful. But as soon as the boy approached a close distance for the strike and swung, Rein grabbed him by the hand holding the stone and by the shoulder with his other hand. Stepping slightly to the side and making a swift move, Rein effortlessly threw the boy to the ground. As the boy lay there, his face was now covered in tears.

– You wanted to fight so badly! – Rein said. – Come on, I’m waiting! Why are you lying down?

The boy, even more enraged, picked up a broken stick lying under him and ran towards Rein, aiming the sharp end at him. However, Rein simply took the boy by the wrist holding the stick and squeezed so hard that the boy couldn’t hold it anymore. The stick fell, and the boy began to cry. With his free hand, he started hitting Rein in the face. He struck Rein about ten times before Rein finally hit him back. Since Rein struck the boy below the belt, he fell to the ground, stopped crying, and almost stopped making any sounds at all, curling up into a ball.

– I’m sorry, I had to do this to show you how it really is, not in your fantasies. If you don’t go back on your own, I’ll have to forcefully take you away from here.

Meanwhile, a sound was heard from behind.

– Well, you’ve made quite a spectacle here.

– Bern… Can’t say I’m thrilled to see you either, – Rein said.

– Mutual feeling! When I saw some commotion here, I tied my horse not far away and approached to observe you a bit. It was entertaining, but as I told you: “Move forward, or I’ll finish you.” And I wasn’t the only one who said that. You remember, right?

– Yes, I remember… but I’m not going where you directed me anymore.

– You’ve come almost to Raiderian lands… And now… you’ve decided to turn back because of this boy?

– I just want to get him out of here. I want to save whoever I can! And if you decide to get in my way, I’ll push you aside.

This statement offended Bern and elicited laughter from him, but he understood Rein’s desire to save the boy, even though it surprised him.

– You were clearly told what to do and what would happen. You gave your word! Now I just have to fulfill it, and I’ll take care of this boy, for what it’s worth. But if you think you have any chance against me, you’re clearly delusional! I hope you’ll face your death with dignity! – Bern said, playfully drawing his sword from its sheath.

Bern unsheathed his sword, holding it in his hand with a reverse grip. Changing the expression on his face, he assumed a combat stance. Reyn was curious about what to expect from this knight in battle. However, with little time to spare, Reyn made a leap and struck with his sword first.

Due to the smaller size of Bern’s sword, which was only a few inches longer than his forearm and narrower than his wrist, he couldn’t effectively block Reyn’s powerful strike. Bern employed a special combat technique, guiding the opponent’s sword along the edge of his own blade as if the enemy’s sword were sliding off. At the same time, he moved slightly to the side, deflecting or, more accurately, evading the direct blows of opponents stronger than him. This was how he deflected Reyn’s swift overhead strike.

As Bern was not encumbered by heavy armor and wielded a sword that weighed almost as much as he did, the knights of the Last Kingdoms were known for honing their combat skills to perfection over many years, increasing the speed of their execution. Almost instantly after deflecting Reyn’s strike, Bern changed the position of the sword in his hand, gripping it conventionally, and swiftly ran the blade along the gap in Reyn’s armor on the side.

Only the fact that Reyn instinctively tightened the gap in his armor due to the pain saved him from death. After this wound, Reyn had to place his left hand on the bleeding injury and wield his sword with only one hand, also using a reverse grip. Bern almost immediately unleashed a barrage of new strikes upon Reyn.

Bern changed grips between his strikes so quickly that it seemed as if he were merely showing off. All of this happened almost instantly. So fast that Reyn could only block the blows with the flat of his sword instead of counterattacking. Although at the moment Reyn thought that both his sword and armor were only slowing him down, the extensive blade of Reyn’s sword saved his life blow after blow from Bern. Each new strike from Bern pushed Reyn down to his knees.

At some point, Bern hesitated for a moment, and Reyn caught him off guard. With one hand, Reyn turned his sword and swung it from left to right, piercing the horizon with the tip. As Reyn’s concentration momentarily weakened, he saw small metal knives flying towards him. He managed to deflect some with his sword, but some got stuck in his armor. Finally, Reyn was able to stand up from his kneeling position and release the still-bleeding wound.

The guy whom Reyn had dealt with quite thoroughly caught Reyn’s eye. Still recovering from Reyn’s blows, he breathed heavily and silently watched the battle, leaning against a tree. Reyn turned his gaze back to Bern and said:

“You’re fast…”

“And you’re still alive,” replied Bern, “but only because I allow it. I was curious to see what you were made of, considering how confident you were. I am a knight of an order that has existed for over a millennium. Your people weren’t even on the world map, and the order had already been around for many years. But at some point, you appeared – arrogants who decided to rule the world on your own. Because of you, we had to embark on a quest for truths that would allow us to stand against you. Because of you, our order had to evolve. Because of beings like you, I am who I am. The one who fulfills his purpose over and over, killing raidarians like you. Do you know what number you are? One hundred! I thought that God would reward me with someone special for my efforts, but I’ve seen enough, once again confirming that miracles don’t exist. And now, answer me! After what you’ve seen, do you still hope to defeat me?”

“I couldn’t care less about you and your order,” said Reyn. “I’m just waiting for you to do something instead of running your mouth.”

“Interesting…” replied Bern, once again assuming a combat stance.

This time, Reyn, holding his sword with both hands, simply stood, lowering the blade to the ground, forcing Bern to initiate the attack. This time, Reyn decided to fight by countering, deflecting Bern’s slashing strikes. Bern understood that trying to break through his solid defense would be too foolish, so after another strike, he quickly somersaulted away. Coming out of the roll, he tried to pierce Reyn from the side again, but this time, Reyn managed to block the attack with a wooden plate strapped to his left forearm. At the same time, as he stood up, Bern drew a knife from his waist with his left hand and, with a sharp turn, tried to thrust the knife directly into Reyn’s neck.

Reyn had to release his sword to quickly block this attack with the armor on his right arm. In the process, the sword fell, embedding itself in the ground. Reyn’s hand barely reached the knife before it could pierce his neck, gripping it so tightly that Bern couldn’t pull his knife back. Then Reyn noticed his hand, which was bleeding from holding the knife blade. More precisely, he noticed the glove. At that moment, he deeply regretted not stealing a raidarian armor with gloves that protected the back of the hand. Bern was greatly surprised that Reyn somehow managed to escape what would normally be a deadly blow. While Bern was in a state of strong surprise, Reyn was already lifting his leg for a kick, managing to deliver a powerful blow to Bern’s torso and throwing him backward. The impact was so strong that Bern couldn’t stay on his feet and fell, but he quickly got up without losing composure.

Reyn imagined the expression on Bern’s face hidden behind the mask, which probably resembled a surprised lamb. Reyn only wanted to break the distance with a kick to gain a little more time against such a skilled killer. But Reyn didn’t have much time, considering that he had been wounded several times and was bleeding. At that moment, Bern roared, as if not expecting to have to fight for so long.

Bern tensed his muscles, gripping his sword with all his might. He took a short breath and exhaled. Then, with a slight toss of his sword into the air, he pulled out another object from under a strap on his chest, resembling a small throwing knife. Like lightning, Bern hurled this knife-like object towards Reyn and hit the gap between the protective wooden plates on his leg, penetrating just above the knee. Reyn didn’t know what to do. If he pulled it out, another bleeding wound would open, and if he left it, this thing would slow him down so much that his chances of victory would plummet.

Bern, on the other hand, wasted no time – he wanted to finish this battle as quickly as possible. Bern caught the thrown sword in the air, but then…

Out of nowhere, sounds of flying arrows were heard from behind Bern. He immediately understood what it was. He tried to turn around to swiftly deflect the arrows with his sword, which he managed to do, but one arrow still pierced his dense leather attire, lodging into his back. Before his eyes, a horrifying scene unfolded with numerous raidarian warriors appearing on the horizon, seemingly ascending a small slope. They appeared one after another, releasing arrows from large bows and crossbows.

Unexpectedly, one of the guys who had been watching the battle by the tree was struck by an arrow from a raidarian crossbow. He cried out momentarily, attempting to pull out the arrow, but any attempts ended in agony as he experienced unbearable pain at the slightest touch. In pain, fear, confusion, and complete despair, he remained silent, doing nothing, resigned to his fate.

Meanwhile, despite everything, no arrows flew towards Reyn, as raidarian warriors, seeing his sword and appearance, but unable to discern his emblem due to the distance, mistook him for one of their own.

At the same time, Bern was forced to take cover behind tree trunks, moving from tree to tree, fending off arrows to reach his horse, tied not far away.

Reyn, seeing an opportunity, decided to rescue the injured guy struck by an arrow. He approached the guy, looked at him, and the guy slowly raised his gaze to meet Reyn’s. Their eyes locked. Reyn took the guy’s hand, placed it on his shoulder, then turned around and, limping, headed towards Bern’s horse, dragging his sword along the ground, as their only chance of escape lay with the horse. The guy offered no resistance, although any movement must have caused him pain. He seemed to be in a state of shock. While Bern stood behind a tree trunk, being bombarded by a multitude of approaching empire warriors, Reyn managed to outpace Bern, as almost no one hindered him. However, at some point, the raidarian warriors realized something was amiss, as their own, whom they saw in Reyn, wanted to flee rather than join them.

Feeling the first arrow piercing his back through the armor, Reyn immediately dropped the guy from his shoulder, grabbed him with his left hand, and hid him behind, walking sideways and deflecting the arrows with the broad side of his sword. As much as Bern wanted to reach his horse quickly, the dense stream of arrows towards him proved to be a significant hindrance. Eventually, Reyn managed to reach Bern’s horse first. He placed the guy on the horse and intended to saddle it himself. However, as soon as he untied the reins from the tree, Bern’s throwing knife impaled his glove, causing Reyn to turn around.

At that moment, Bern was already charging at Reyn furiously with his sword. Reyn barely managed to block Bern’s strike with the armor on his arm. While Reyn blocked the strike with one hand, he began to swing his sword with the other, causing not only raidarian arrows but also his own sword to fly towards Bern. As a result, Bern had to step back from the sword strike, throwing another knife at Reyn. Reyn, anticipating the attack, used this moment to his advantage. He only needed to break the distance one last time to buy himself a few more moments to somehow get on the horse. Seizing this opportunity, he took the reins and mounted the horse, which was already getting restless due to the arrows hitting its armor.

“Let’s go,” exclaimed Reyn, tapping the reins, and the horse galloped away from the arrows flying towards them. Some arrows bounced off the horse’s metallic armor, while others pierced it directly. The horse ran as fast as it could, leaving Bern behind. The warriors and Bern were gradually becoming distant, but that was no longer important. What mattered was to bring the guy, weakened by blood loss, to the nearest village, as his time was running out. Moreover, Reyn was gradually losing blood, which was not a good sign. Because of the constant galloping, the guy occasionally made strange sounds, as if in pain. Perhaps these discomforts during the ride were what kept him conscious, preventing him from losing consciousness.

Riding with all their might towards the village, they arrived much faster than if they had walked on foot.

“Here is the village!” exclaimed Rein, seeing its silhouette in the distance. “Hey, buddy, can you hear me?” But the guy didn’t respond. “Hey, you! Are you still with us, hey?”

When Rein turned back and shook the guy by the shoulder, the guy showed no signs of life. “Damn it, buddy…” Rein muttered, pulling the reins with all his might. “Let’s go! Forward! Forward!”

It was getting dark, and sunset was approaching. The crimson light enveloped the fields as Rein urged his horse even faster. Finally, he entered the village.

“Hey, is anyone here?” Rein shouted loudly. But no one answered. It seemed like the village had been deserted for a long time. There were no knights even though they had promised to wait for reconnaissance reports.

Rein rode his horse along the main road of the village, constantly asking if anyone was there. As he reached almost the center of the village, he heard a sound resembling a human noise. Rein headed towards the sound.

“Where are you, damn it, I heard you,” he exclaimed. Again, no one responded, but after a while, a noise, like something falling, came from a nearby house. Rein hurried towards the building.

“I need a healer urgently. The guy on my horse… he’s dying,” Rein stated. No one replied. As Rein began to turn back towards the exit, a man behind him opened the trapdoor of the cellar, sticking his head out.

“Are you a Raedarian?” he asked.

“Yes, but I’m not part of that army moving this way. I just want to help that lad,” Rein replied.

“Well, if that’s the case, and this isn’t some trick, come in. But be sure, if you’re lying, we won’t forget it,” said the old man.

“I’ll bring the guy; he needs urgent medical help. He won’t last long! He has already lost consciousness from blood loss,” Rein explained.

“So, what are you waiting for? Bring him in quickly!”

Rein ran to his horse, picked up the guy, and carried him to the cellar.

“Be careful! Hold him by the hand and lower him!” The people in the cellar, several families judging by what Rein saw below when bringing the guy down, took him and carried him away. Rein didn’t go down to the cellar; instead, he stood there, seemingly lost in thought, and started waiting.

“Hey, are you coming or staying there?” the old man said.

This man turned out to be an old grandpa with a beard and completely gray, tousled hair, wearing a white sleeveless knitted shirt and brown-beige pants made of some herbal fiber.

When Rein went downstairs, he saw a multitude of people looking at him with some suspicion, if not disdain, maybe even fear, as if they had let a lion into their abode.

“Who are all these people?” Rein asked.

“Some of those who, for one reason or another, refused to leave their estates,” the old man replied. “Their entire lives are here, and they can’t imagine life without these places.”

“Are there still people in the village like these?”

“Probably… I know many here, and I’ve seen that many didn’t want to leave the village, especially the elderly like me.”

Passing through a surprisingly spacious cellar adorned with torches, accompanied by the people, they reached one of its rooms. Opening the door, the old man and Rein entered, while the others remained waiting outside. In this room, the guy lay on the table, and an old granny-healer examined him.

“Felix…” the old man said. “I’ve known him since birth. He hasn’t been very lucky in life. His father owed the leader of the local bandits, and they didn’t wait long to show up, came straight to his house at night. They killed his mother, then his father right in front of little Felix, and then hit the child on the head with some iron object and disappeared. The boy miraculously didn’t become a cripple.”

“He mentioned something like that,” Rein said. “Where is his grandma now? He talked about her too.”

“Yes, after those events, only his grief-stricken grandmother remained. Her name is Lysanna, but I haven’t seen Lys for a long time,” the old man replied. “Maybe she left with everyone, but she’s quite old for such journeys.”

Rein noticed the granny bustling around the guy. “What’s wrong with him? Can I help with anything?” he asked the granny.

“I’m afraid there’s not much that can help this boy now,” she replied. “No matter what I do, I can only bring him back to consciousness, but it won’t help much. To save him, I have to remove this arrow, but it hit one of the main arteries. If I pull it out, he’ll almost immediately bleed to death. It’s a miracle he’s still alive.”

Rein, angered, approached the granny and, grabbing her shoulders, pressed her against the wall.

“Hey, easy there!” the old man said to Rein.

“Granny,” Rein said, “don’t play games with me! Tell me what can be done to save him, or I’ll send you to another world along with him.”

“It hurts, let go,” the granny said plaintively. “I don’t know; he needs a better healer, and there are none left here. His wound is too serious; they don’t heal after such injuries. He needs magic. A miracle to save him. I can only help you. I can stitch the bleeding wounds, or else you might die too.”

After hearing this, Rein released the granny and sat on the couch where the guy lay.

“I can only ease his suffering,” the granny said. “I’m very sorry.”

Rein stood up and hit the wall several times with his fists, causing it to crack slightly.

“Don’t hit so hard! You’ll break everything! This wasn’t built yesterday,” the old man said.

It was so loud that one of those outside decided to check if everything was okay.

“Everything is fine, Oris, let’s go out; it seems we’re not needed here,” the old man said to the man who entered the room.

“But he!..” objected Oris.

“Come on, Oris, let’s go,” said the old man.

They left with the old man, closing the door behind them and leaving Rein with the granny and Felix.

The granny stitched Rein’s side wound and applied a healing mixture to his hand, then cauterized the knife wound on his leg.

“I used the same mixture on his wound as on your hand; it will relieve the pain,” the granny said. “And this should wake him up. I understand he’s dear to you, and you probably want to say goodbye.”

“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea…” Rein said.

But the granny was already holding a bottle emitting smoke to Felix’s nose. As soon as she did that, the guy immediately opened his eyes.

At first, Rein didn’t know what to say to the bewildered guy, but eventually, he decided to ask:

“Felix, right?”

“Where am I?” Felix asked.

“You’re in the village, Felix, and you’re dying.”

“How? How can I be dying?”

“You defeated them,” Rein answered, smiling. “All of them… But you got hit by an arrow, and now you’re dying.”

Felix pondered for a moment, and then, even though it was hard to call him cheerful, his face began to dull.

“No! You’re lying to me. I remember everything. I even lost to my own fear…”

Felix shed a tear and closed his eyes again, but this time it was forever.

“I’m truly sorry,” the granny said.

Rein left the room, closing the door. Walking through the corridor, he observed worried and distraught people sitting under torches, huddled against the walls. Each subsequent step of Rein was filled with pain and despair, trailing behind him.

“Stop!” the old man said to Rein. “How far are they from us?”

“With their pace, they’ll be here at dawn. But you shouldn’t be afraid if you’re not warriors. At least not for your lives. Raedarian warriors don’t often kill ordinary citizens of towns and villages. Now it’s more beneficial for them to make these people new citizens of the empire.”

“You won’t stay?” the old man asked. “We might need a warrior like you in case something happens.”

“No, thank you! I don’t think I can pass through that storm with you,” Rein replied.

Rein climbed the stairs, opened the hatch, and emerged from this spacious cellar, then left the house. There, he, taking out his sword, immediately started smashing everything in sight.

After some time, Rein cooled down and decided it was time to go. He then found his horse, saddled it, and headed towards the nearest village called Rosie.

Although the road between the two villages was not as long as to the border with the Raedarian Empire, the evening was nearing its end, and the sun was almost setting behind the horizon. Riding in pitch darkness seemed like not the best idea to him. Watching the sunset on the horizon, Rein could barely resist the urge to close his eyes while still on horseback. He couldn’t remember how long he had been without sleep. Stopping at the same inn was not an option for various reasons. The only reasonable option for Rein was to lie down in the depths of the forest and wake up before the Raedarian legion found him. That’s what he did, at one point turning off the main road and riding for some time. When it finally got dark, and it started to get a bit colder, as much as Rein wanted to light a fire, even that was dangerous in these troubled times. So, he just made his horse lie down and leaned against its fluffy fur.

Rein woke up from a sunbeam piercing directly into his eyes. He was literally deafened by the singing of birds and the sounds made by insects. He didn’t even notice when or how he fell asleep. Still, he was lucky – he woke up early in the dawn. Although his body told him it was too early to get up, his mind was sounding the alarm, urging him to move as soon as possible. Rein complied.

He cut through the forest, and as he reached the slope, he remembered the beginning of the previous day, which started almost the same way.

Approaching the village, he noticed that not everyone had left the area. It seemed that a significant number of people had only left this morning. Descending from the slope, he soon exited the forest. Rein was presented with vast fields, confirming his suspicions. Carriages, riders, and people on foot were visible on every road, most of whom were ordinary farmers.

What Rein saw shocked him, and he rushed into the village to warn everyone about what they might face if they delayed. Rein sped across the field along the golden wheat stalks to save as much time as possible. Although Rein wasn’t sure how far the legions were from this village, he was certain that there was no time to waste. He rode as if he were the only one who could save these people.

But everything changed in an instant. Rein heard a strange sound behind him. “Could they be here already? Impossible,” Rein thought. He decided to look back, and at that moment, a shadow covered him, passing by quickly. Rein looked up and saw something. He had heard of something similar before, but what he saw vaguely resembled the winged monsters described in the tales that frightened him as a child. And this something was flying towards the village.

Although Rein and his horse slowed down, after what he had witnessed, Rein urged his horse to move forward faster than before. Rein had a little time left to reach the village. Most of the time, Rein gazed at this flying monster. At some point, he noticed that it released a parachute from behind, causing the front part of this marvel to tilt downward. He knew that such a device was often used by aerisians to slow down the fall. After that, it started descending towards the village. Then Rein noticed that something, resembling a person, detached from this thing, and then that something also released a parachute. Rein suspected that this thing was connected to the Raedarians and their onslaught.

It fell from the sky at a tremendous speed. Rein, however, continued through the village directly towards this falling thing, observing astonished people. Finally, it landed, and at the point of impact, something so bright emerged that it momentarily eclipsed the sun. Almost instantly, an incredibly loud, booming sound followed. The horse, startled by this, began to turn around. In a couple of moments, Rein, together with his horse, was hit by a wave of air. The wave knocked Rein off his horse, and the horse toppled over.

Rein’s subsequent actions were confused, and his consciousness blurred. Ahead, he saw fire, and looking around, he noticed bewildered, frightened, and helpless people. Some showed no signs of life. Standing up, Rein wanted to focus his mind, but something seemed to hinder him. The constant, unpleasant noise that had appeared in his ears. After some time, forgetting everything, Rein gathered his strength and moved forward. Gradually, his consciousness returned to normal. Rein tried to remember what kind of weapon it could be, but nothing came to his mind.

As Rein approached the crash site of this strange imperial weapon, more buildings were destroyed, and more people lay unconscious. Around him, people were running. Some in one direction, others in another. People were crying and sobbing, trying to revive their once living friends and relatives.

At the point where Rein witnessed the moment of the fall, most people managed to escape with bruises and intense fear. However, closer to the impact site, there were only smoldering embers left of the people. At the spot where the temple and its occupants were, only ashes remained in a small crater. Meanwhile, every building that was lucky enough to survive was ablaze.

Suddenly, Rein heard splashing in a small pond near the now non-existent temple. Paying attention to it, he spotted a familiar figure. At first, he thought it might be a figment of his imagination, but he decided to approach and was finally convinced of what he saw. It was none other than Iziro.

“Iziro!” Rein exclaimed. “Is it really you?”

Iziro, however, silently stared at the horrifying scene around him, trying to catch his breath.

“Hey, how are you?” Rein asked.

Iziro finally turned his gaze to Rein and, with a horrified realization, whispered as if to himself, “Sol? Or Rein… What’s your name? What happened?”

He then headed towards the charred temple. Along the way, he leaned on Rein’s chest, almost pushing him away, and then slowly moved forward. Understanding dawned on him not easily, but he held himself together, displaying no significant emotions. Only faint traces of anger were brewing deep in his eyes, but it was incredibly difficult to notice.

“While you were swimming there, something fell from the sky and destroyed part of the village,” Rein explained. “And this building… Whatever was here before seems to have evaporated. I’ve never seen anything like it, but I’m sure it’s some new weapon of the empire. It definitely used the concepts of old ideas about temporarily flying structures.”

“Today at noon, I was supposed to depart for Aeris on a transport carriage for my mission. The carriage was there, along with others waiting to depart. There were elderly people, women, children. They all perished in this fiery hell. You! You could have saved them all if you were in the current ruler of Raidaria. Your father proclaimed peace and tranquility for the empire… for the whole world… and you were supposed to continue that path. But you are here,” Iziro said, shaking his head. “I know… You must reclaim the throne. You must continue your father’s path! I couldn’t stop this, but I must help you stop it in the future. You must save these people!”