With the aid of the awakened Aranuch, they unsealed the river. Lian and his companions watched as the lifeblood of the land surged forth once more, a torrent of vitality rushing across the plains. Bachtar and his brethren, now freed from their corruption, stood ready to embrace their long slumber.
"The river has returned… it feels as though all things are returning to their rightful place," Ivella said, her voice filled with a quiet joy.
Kairen let out a slow breath, his gaze fixed on the flowing water. "We have done it. With the river's return, the conflict between the Rungard and the Brutegar will end. As the water flows, the balance of their lands, and their people, can be restored." Yet, a shadow of concern touched his voice. He stared into the churning currents and added, "But true balance is still a long way off."
Lian's heart was not yet at ease. He turned to Bachtar. "You are free in this land… but are the other Aranuch still in a state of corruption?"
Bachtar's voice was heavy. "Yes. It is not only us. Our Aranuch kin are slumbering across this entire continent, bound by the corruption of the ancient god. Though you have liberated us, our other brothers still sleep in darkness."
A faint awareness stirred in Lian. "Then our work is not yet finished." His voice was laced with a new, unyielding resolve. "We must liberate the other Aranuch. We must save them from their corruption."
Kairen was silent for a long moment, then slowly turned his gaze to Lian. "Lian, as you say, the task of saving all the Aranuch may indeed be a burden you are meant to bear. But this journey… it holds a meaning far greater than simply restoring a river."
Lian met his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"To save these corrupted Aranuch is no simple battle," Kairen answered, his voice calm and deep. "Their corruption is the corruption of the very land to which they belong. If you truly wish to save them, you must achieve a harmony with the earth itself. You cannot save them by strength alone; you must understand the land, the river, and their very souls."
The words settled upon Lian, heavy with truth. "To achieve harmony… not just to remove the corruption, but to restore the balance between them and the land."
A faint smile touched Kairen's lips. "Indeed. Your power is great, but it may not be enough. If you can understand the deep connection between the Aranuch and the earth, and see how their corruption has twisted the flow of nature, then you may be able to free them from it forever."
The party now shouldered a new mission: to completely liberate the slumbering Aranuch race scattered across the continent. Bachtar warned them, "The corrupted Aranuch you will face will be far more dangerous than we were. It is likely they will awaken in a state of corruption. Until their power is fully under control, neither the rivers nor the balance of the land can be restored."
Lian's resolve hardened. "We will free all the corrupted Aranuch and help them return to their original role as guardians. With the Titan's power I have inherited, I should be able to stop their corruption."
But Kairen placed a hand on his shoulder, his tone gentle but firm. "Do not think that strength can solve everything. You, of all people, should know that by now. What we must learn on this journey is not just how to be strong, but how to find balance. To make the flow of the earth harmonious once more—that is the true answer."
Lian mulled over Kairen's words and gave a brief nod of understanding. "You're right. I must learn not only how to use this power, but also how to connect with the earth more deeply. To end their corruption for good, I will need more than just a battle; I will need a deeper harmony."
Bachtar inclined his head toward Lian. "I will trust in your power. I hope our race can find peace again. Now, we will sleep peacefully here. My brothers and I will remain as a part of this earth, so that we may never again be caught in the curse of the ancient god."
Lian looked upon Bachtar and the Aranuch with a heart full of respect and bid them farewell. "When we return, having liberated your other brothers, I pray your peace will be eternal."
Bachtar smiled as he closed his eyes. "I shall wait for that day, heir of the Titans."
Lian and his companions were now ready to depart for their next objective. They had taken on a greater mission to completely free the Aranuch from the influence of the corrupted ancient god, and a long journey to restore the balance of the entire continent awaited them.
Ivella's voice was firm. "The same problem must exist in other regions. We have to find the other Aranuch and free them."
Lian looked to the horizon, his eyes filled with determination. "I will not stop this journey until we have saved them all." Within him, the Titan's power, inherited from his father, was stirring. "I must become strong enough to liberate the Aranuch. And I must learn how to stop their corruption."
Kairen added one last piece of wisdom. "It is not just about making this power stronger, but about learning to wield it more wisely."
Lian took his companions' advice to heart, his preparations for the next journey complete.
***
Episode : The Seed of Doubt
Though several days had passed since the battle with the Aranuch, a strange tension still lingered between Lian and his companions. Kairen and Ivella held a seed of doubt about the power Lian had displayed during the fight, but they had not yet asked him about it directly. They sensed, in a way they could not yet articulate, that Lian was no simple warrior. The power he wielded felt different from what ordinary men of arms used—it felt more primal, more potent.
One day, as they continued their journey, Kairen could no longer contain his thoughts. He spoke quietly to Lian. "Lian, the power you used in that last battle… what was it? It seemed very different from the combat skills I have seen you use before."
Lian tensed for an instant but masked it with a neutral expression. "It was just an ordinary combat technique. Nothing special."
But Kairen could not easily accept his words. The strange energy that had surrounded Lian's sword during the fight, and the sheer force he had displayed, were more than simple swordsmanship. As an ascetic, Kairen could sense a deeper, more profound power flowing from him.
"No, it wasn't," Kairen said, his voice gentle but firm. "I felt that the power you were using was not just swordsmanship. The energy you wield… it feels deeper, more powerful."
Lian was taken aback by Kairen's words and stopped walking for a moment, saying nothing. His mind flashed back to the moment in the battle when the Titan's power had, for a brief instant, erupted from within him. Using that power was dangerous, but in the fight with Aranuch, he had no choice. It was only natural that they would be suspicious.
Ivella, too, seemed to agree with Kairen as she slowly approached. "I was thinking the same thing, Lian. I've watched you since we first met. I knew you were stronger than other warriors, but what I saw in that battle… it was something more."
She met his gaze. She was curious why he was hiding that power. And she wanted to know how dangerous it was, what it was that he feared.
Lian felt he could no longer evade their suspicion. The Titan's power churned powerfully within him, and he thought it was too dangerous to speak of it to anyone while it was not yet fully under his control.
"You're not thinking I have some kind of special power, are you?" Lian tried to dismiss the conversation with a light laugh, but Ivella and Kairen continued to watch him, their gazes steady. A will to know a deeper truth was in their eyes.
Ivella's expression was serious. "Lian, we are your companions. We need to know what kind of power you have so we can help you. If that power is dangerous, shouldn't you tell us?"
Lian closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. The Titan's power was both a blessing and a curse. It made him strong, but if he couldn't control it, there was a risk of it going berserk, regardless of his own will. He was afraid every time he used it. Afraid that he might unknowingly harm his own companions.
"I can't tell you yet," Lian answered quietly. "You'll find out someday. But for now… until I fully understand this power myself, I cannot tell you."
Kairen was silent for a moment after hearing his answer. He respected Lian's heart and did not argue. "I understand. But if you have trouble handling that power, don't bear it alone. We are by your side."
Ivella also nodded. "That's right, Lian. You don't have to handle it on your own. We can help."
Lian felt a wave of relief at their words. Though he hadn't confessed everything, the fact that his companions, while curious about his secret, still trusted him, was a small comfort.
"Yeah. Thank you," he replied quietly, and fell back into step with them. A heavy secret still remained in his heart, but he felt as if he might be able to slowly lighten its weight.
***
Episode : A Trace of a Lost Family
As Lian and his companions journeyed deeper into the unknown continent, Ivella could not shake the thought of the brother she had long held in her heart. Though she had tracked his trail through several villages, all she had left of him was the necklace she had found in the Gloomfang Mountains. It was undoubtedly his, and while it gave her a faint hope that he might be somewhere out here, it also left her with the gnawing anxiety of not knowing if he was alive or dead.
The village they arrived in was small, but it held traces of an expedition that had passed through in the past. As Ivella asked around for a clue about her brother, she met a young woman. The woman hesitated at her question, then, her gaze wavering, she spoke.
"A few years ago, an expedition passed through here. I spoke with one of the men. He had dark hair and a strong gaze," the woman said quietly.
Ivella's heart began to beat faster. "That man… was he by any chance wearing a necklace? Do you remember what he spoke of?"
The woman thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I remember a silver necklace he wore around his neck. He said he had received it from someone precious to him. We spoke briefly of family then. He said he was always thinking of his own and that he had to return."
Ivella closed her eyes at her words. The necklace she had found in the Gloomfang Mountains came to mind. It was surely her brother's, and the fact that he had been wearing it here confirmed that he had passed through this village. But still, there was no clue as to whether he was alive or dead.
"Do you know where he went?" Ivella asked, her heart filled with hope.
The woman pointed to the north, beyond the village. "He left for the northern mountains. I never saw him again after that, but he said he would return. He was a strong man; I'm sure he's still alive."
Ivella's heart grew heavy at the woman's words. A mix of hope and anxiety churned within her as she wondered if her brother was truly alive. The memory of the necklace from the Gloomfang Mountains still lingered, and she feared that this, too, would be nothing more than a clue.
Lian came to her side and spoke softly. "Ivella, we've found another trace of your brother. If we go to the northern mountains, we might find out more."
Ivella nodded. The anxiety in her heart still remained, but the fact that she had found another trace of her brother was a small comfort. "You're right. Now that we've found his trail, I will be the one to find him this time."
Kairen also gave a brief nod of understanding from beside her. "The fact that there's a trail means there's a chance he's still alive. We just have to follow that chance."
Ivella took a deep breath and made a vow. Her brother's trail was becoming clearer. This time, she resolved, she would find him. And with Lian and Kairen, she turned her steps toward the northern mountains.
***
Episode : The Shattered Shield
After her brother and many of the men from her village had disappeared, Ivella had been forced to protect her community. In her childhood, her brother had always been by her side, a steadfast shield and supporter. But after they were gone, she was left alone to defend the village, and she had no choice but to become strong. That responsibility had forged her, but the sense of loss and loneliness she had felt in the process had slowly eaten away at her from the inside.
Today, as she walked, Ivella could no longer suppress the heavy emotions in her heart. After telling Lian and Kairen she needed some time alone, she quietly made her way to a stream in the woods. She sat by the water's edge, staring at her own reflection.
The face that looked back at her felt like a stranger's. She dipped her hand in the water and whispered, "Brother, why did you leave… why did you leave me here all alone…"
Her voice trembled. Her reflection wavered in the ripples, then grew still as the water calmed. The Ivella of today was so different from the one of the past. Her face was now marked with scars, her eyes filled with a hard-won strength. But even in that strong gaze, the faint image of the vulnerable girl of her childhood still lingered.
In her childhood, when her brother was by her side, she had always been safe, protected. The her of then had no need to be so strong. She had simply followed in his footsteps, a being to be guarded. That girl had feared the world, but she had never had to be overwhelmed by the responsibility of protecting it.
But it was different now. After her brother and the village men had left, she could no longer remain that girl. The heavy responsibility of protecting her village and her people had made her strong. She had learned to fight, and in the process, she had earned her scars. Now, in the face of the woman reflected in the water, the traces of the vulnerable girl were gone, replaced by a fierce warrior who had fought endlessly to become strong.
Ivella fought back tears as she stared at her own reflection. She felt the full weight of how much she had changed, and a sudden ache filled her chest. The reason she had had to become so strong was not just a sense of responsibility. It was the only choice she had been left with after her brother was gone. If she did not become strong, she would have broken.
In that moment, the emotions she had suppressed for so long burst forth. "Brother… why did I have to carry all of this alone?" She buried her face in the water's edge and began to weep. "I… I can't pretend to be this strong on my own anymore…"
Just then, she heard the sound of quiet footsteps. Lian was standing behind her. He silently sat down beside her.
"Ivella…" Lian's voice was gentle. He watched her sob and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I knew you were struggling like this. Why did you try to carry it all on your own?"
Ivella, her head still bowed, answered between sobs, "After my brother left, there was no one else to protect the village. If I had broken, there would have been no one left… I was the last shield they had." Her voice trembled.
Lian was silent for a moment, then gently patted her back. "I know how much you've been carrying. But now, we are with you. You don't have to bear that weight alone anymore."
Ivella wiped away her tears at his words and looked up. She looked at her reflection in the water once more. The girl of the past and the fierce woman of the present seemed to overlap for an instant. The her of then and the her of now were so different. She had become strong, but it felt as if she had lost so much in the process.
"If… if I can't find my brother, I feel like everything I've protected until now will be meaningless," she said, her voice trembling. "It feels like finding him is the reason I exist."
Lian took her hand and said quietly, "Even if you don't find him, everything you've protected is far from meaningless. The reason you became strong was to protect yourself, and that strength will allow you to keep moving forward."
At that moment, Kairen approached and looked at her. He was silent for a moment, then spoke in a philosophical tone.
"Ivella, the things we protect do not exist only through external strength. Your strength also comes from longing and loss. The longing for the community you left behind, for your brother—it is not just pain, but a power that can push you forward."
Ivella looked up at Kairen. His words were like an ancient truth, awakening something within her.
"My master always said that strength comes from acknowledging one's weakness. Even if you do not find your brother, as long as you miss him and feel a sense of responsibility for him, you are strong enough in your own right."
Ivella slowly mulled over his words and lowered her head. She began to realize that even the moments in the past when she had felt weak were a part of the strength that had made her who she was today. Her scars were not just the result of a fight, but the proof of her growth in that process.
"You're right. The reason I became strong, carrying all of this, was to protect my brother and my community. And that's what made me stronger," Ivella whispered quietly.
Kairen smiled and nodded. "Indeed. When you acknowledge your weakness, you can attain true strength."
Ivella wiped away her tears and looked at her reflection in the water once more. What was reflected there was no longer a vulnerable girl, but a fierce warrior. She raised her head, her expression resolute.
"I will not give up until I find my brother. And even without him, I will fight for everything I have protected."
Lian and Kairen quietly nodded, supporting her decision. Ivella, now accepting both her weakness and her strength, was ready once more to set out on the journey to find her brother.