Rowan's sword remained suspended in front of Alya.
The young girl stood between him and Leo, her small body trembling beneath the weight of the man standing before her. She was frightened. Anyone could see that. Her hands shook, her breathing was uneven, yet she refused to move.
Leo stared at her for a moment before his eyes shifted toward Kieran and Sasha.
Both were still on the ground.
Kieran had one knee pressed against the dirt, his spear lying several steps away from him. His breathing was heavy, and blood ran down the side of his face. Sasha was struggling to push herself upright, one hand pressed against the ground while the other trembled from exhaustion.
Leo looked at them.
Then he spoke.
"Stand down."
Kieran's head slowly turned toward him.
Sasha looked at Leo as if she hadn't heard him correctly.
"What?"
Leo didn't take his eyes away from Rowan.
"I said stand down."
Kieran stared at him.
"Leo..."
"Please."
There was something different in Leo's voice.
It wasn't fear.
It wasn't surrender.
It was certainty.
Kieran's grip tightened against the ground, but he didn't move.
Sasha looked between Leo and Rowan. She clearly didn't want to lower her guard, but after everything that had happened, she knew they couldn't win another fight against Rowan.
Still, neither of them moved.
Leo took a slow breath.
"Just trust me."
Kieran's eyes narrowed.
For several seconds, he remained where he was.
Then slowly, he lowered his weaponless hand.
Sasha followed.
Neither of them relaxed completely, but they stopped preparing to fight.
Leo turned back toward Rowan.
Alya was still standing between them.
Rowan's sword had not moved.
Leo looked at the blade, then at his father.
"Look around, Father."
Rowan said nothing.
Leo's voice remained calm.
"Really look."
For a moment, Rowan's eyes stayed fixed on him.
Then Leo continued.
"Not at me. Not at the traitor you came here to judge. Look around you."
Something in his voice made Rowan hesitate.
Slowly, Rowan turned his head.
The battlefield stretched behind him.
The once-proud Wolf Clan was scattered across the ground.
Some wolves were wounded.
Some could barely stand.
Others had dropped their weapons entirely.
The fighters who had charged into battle with Kieran now stood exhausted, their bodies covered in dirt and blood.
Rowan's eyes moved farther.
Behind the warriors were the others.
The ones who had never fought.
Children were hiding behind their parents, peeking out with frightened eyes.
Some clung tightly to their mothers.
Others buried their faces against their fathers, too afraid to even look at the battlefield.
The older wolves stood together, some barely able to remain upright.
They had no weapons in their hands.
No strength left to fight.
They could only watch.
Rowan's gaze slowly passed over them.
Then he saw Alya.
The little girl was still standing directly in front of him.
Between his sword and Leo.
A child.
Not a warrior.
Not a soldier.
Not a traitor.
Just a child who had decided that she would rather stand in the path of a sword than let it reach someone she cared about.
Leo watched his father's expression carefully.
"Now tell me."
Rowan's eyes returned to him.
"Are we really the good guys?"
The question hung in the air.
No one spoke.
Leo took another step forward, stopping just behind Alya.
"You came here because I betrayed Velora."
His eyes lowered for a moment.
"You came here because you believe that makes me the enemy."
Rowan's grip on his sword tightened slightly.
Leo noticed.
"But look at them."
He gestured toward the wolves.
"Tell me what they are."
Rowan remained silent.
"Are those children enemies?"
His gaze moved toward the frightened families.
"Are the old ones enemies?"
Leo's voice grew heavier.
"Is that girl an enemy?"
Alya looked up at Rowan.
Leo continued.
"You said we are the loyal blades of Velora."
He paused.
"A blade is supposed to protect what it is meant to protect, isn't it?"
Rowan's expression hardened.
"Don't twist my words."
"I'm not."
Leo shook his head.
"I'm asking you to look at what we're doing."
His voice was no longer challenging.
It was almost pleading.
"You're stronger than all of them. You proved that."
He looked toward Kieran and Sasha.
"You defeated their strongest fighters without even giving them a chance."
Then he looked back at Rowan.
"And now I'm standing here, surrounded by people who can't fight anymore."
Leo's eyes slowly moved toward Alya.
"And you're about to raise your sword against a child just to get to me."
Rowan's eyes flickered toward Alya.
Leo noticed the hesitation.
"Father..."
His voice softened.
"Is this really what you believe Velora stands for?"
Rowan didn't answer.
Leo stepped closer.
"You taught me that the Radiance name meant something."
He swallowed.
"That we weren't supposed to be just another family with power."
His eyes remained locked with Rowan's.
"We were supposed to protect people."
The battlefield was silent enough that everyone could hear him.
"So what happened?"
Rowan's expression remained stern, but his eyes shifted again toward the wolves.
Leo continued.
"When did protecting the Empire become more important than protecting the people standing right in front of us?"
Rowan's jaw tightened.
"Leo."
"I know what I did."
Leo's voice became firmer.
"I know what you think I did."
He looked directly into Rowan's eyes.
"But if becoming a traitor means refusing to stand by while innocent people are crushed beneath the orders of an Empire..."
He paused.
"Then maybe I was never meant to be the loyal blade you wanted me to become."
Rowan's eyes narrowed.
Leo didn't back away.
"But you still can be."
That made Rowan's expression shift.
Leo glanced around the battlefield once more.
"You don't have to kill anyone here."
His voice was quiet.
"You don't have to prove anything."
He looked at the sword in Rowan's hand.
"And you don't have to prove your loyalty by cutting through everyone who stands against you."
Leo took one more step.
"You can put the sword down."
Rowan remained completely still.
Leo's voice softened again.
"Just this once."
Alya slowly turned her head toward Leo.
Leo looked at her for a moment before turning back to his father.
"Let me do the right thing once, Father."
His voice almost broke, but he held it together.
"Isn't that what we were supposed to do?"
Rowan stared at him.
Leo continued.
"Not what the Empire tells us."
"Not what some throne demands."
"Not what a title tells us."
He placed a hand gently on Alya's shoulder and moved her slightly behind him.
"Just what is right."
The words settled over the battlefield.
Rowan's sword remained in his hand.
But the blade was no longer moving toward Leo.
His eyes slowly travelled across the battlefield once more.
The wounded.
The exhausted.
The children hiding behind their parents.
The old wolves who could no longer fight.
And finally, the small girl who had stood between his sword and Leo without knowing whether she would survive.
For the first time since he had arrived, Rowan didn't look at Leo as a traitor.
He simply looked at his son.
And Leo waited.
He didn't plead again.
He didn't threaten him.
He simply stood there, waiting for his father to decide what kind of man he wanted to be.
Rowan remained silent.
His eyes moved across the battlefield once more. The wounded wolves were scattered across the ground, some leaning against one another just to remain standing. The warriors who had fought beside Kieran were exhausted, their weapons hanging loosely in their hands. Behind them, children hid beneath the arms of their parents while the older wolves watched in silence. None of them had the strength for another battle.
Then Rowan's eyes settled on Alya.
The little girl was still standing between him and Leo.
Rowan slowly lowered his sword.
The blade slipped back into its sheath, and for several seconds he simply stood there, staring at the destruction around him. He closed his eyes and took a long breath before finally speaking.
"We're leaving."
Leo's expression changed immediately.
"W-wait."
Rowan stopped.
"I can't. Not yet."
Rowan slowly turned around, his eyes meeting Leo's with a cold glare.
"I am giving you the opportunity to leave with me without anyone getting hurt."
"I know. I know."
Leo took a step forward, his eyes moving briefly toward the wolves before returning to his father.
"But please, just listen to me. Give me one week. I'll find them a safe place."
Rowan's expression hardened.
"We're done here."
"Father—"
"I said we're done."
Leo clenched his fists. He knew better than to challenge Rowan directly, but he also knew that if he let him leave now, the wolves would remain exactly where they were—weak, wounded and exposed.
He turned toward them.
"Look at them, Father. They can't survive another ambush."
Rowan's eyes followed his gaze.
Leo continued, his voice becoming more urgent. "You saw what happened today. Ragnar came with an army, and this clan barely survived. Kieran and Sasha couldn't even stand against you. What do you think happens if another force comes while they're still like this?"
"They will have to deal with it themselves."
Leo looked back at him.
"And if they can't?"
Rowan said nothing.
"Then they'll die."
The words hung heavily between them.
Leo took another step closer. "You don't have to care about them. I know what you think of this clan. I know what the Empire thinks of them. But I do care. And whether you like it or not, I can't walk away knowing they're going to be slaughtered the moment we're gone."
Rowan's jaw tightened.
"You've already made your choice."
"I did."
Leo nodded.
"And I'm not asking you to accept it."
He looked at his father carefully.
"I'm asking you to give me enough time to make sure they survive the consequences of it."
Rowan's eyes narrowed.
"One week will not change what you've done."
"I know."
Leo's voice softened.
"I'm not trying to change what I've done."
He glanced toward Kieran and Sasha.
"I'm trying to change what happens to them."
Rowan remained silent.
Leo continued, "Give me one week. I'll find them somewhere safe, somewhere hidden from the Empire and the Beastmen. I'll make sure they have enough supplies and a place where they can rebuild. After that, I'll leave with you."
Rowan studied him.
"You expect me to simply trust you?"
Leo gave a faint shake of his head.
"No."
He looked directly into Rowan's eyes.
"I expect you to trust the promise you made to me."
Rowan's expression shifted slightly.
Leo continued, "You said you were giving me an opportunity to leave without anyone getting hurt. I'm asking you to keep that promise for seven more days."
Rowan's teeth clenched.
"Leo..."
"One week, Father."
Leo looked around the battlefield again.
"That's all I'm asking for. After that, I'll come with you. You won't have to chase me. You won't have to fight anyone here. You won't even have to wonder where I am."
He paused before adding quietly, "Just let me do this."
Rowan's gaze moved across the battlefield once more.
The exhausted wolves.
The frightened children.
The wounded warriors.
Alya.
Then finally, his eyes returned to Leo.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Rowan slowly gritted his teeth before finally answering.
"One week."
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
Rowan's voice remained firm.
"That's it. We are leaving after that, whether you like it or not."
Leo let out a quiet breath and nodded.
"Alright."
Rowan turned away and began walking.
Leo watched him go, knowing exactly what those seven days meant.
It wasn't forgiveness.
It wasn't acceptance.
It was simply time.
And Leo intended to make every second of it count.