Episode – Alexis's Vanity and the Oath of Light
The dusty road outside Arcanium was silent except for the sound of exhausted horses dragging their hooves.Riders slumped in their saddles, their armor bloodstained, their cloaks shredded. At their head was Alexis Lumir, looking far less like the smug nobleman they had seen days ago and more like a man who had barely survived.
■ Whispers in the Village
Villagers at the outskirts whispered as the group staggered past.
"Those people… weren't they bragging just two days ago?""What happened to them? Did they lose a battle?"
The sight was pitiful—bloodied armor, torn capes, and men barely able to dismount without collapsing.
Rian crossed his arms, eyes narrowing.
Rian:"…What trouble have you dragged back this time?"
Beside him, Serin blinked in surprise.
Serin:"That's really Alexis's crew? They were all swagger and arrogance a few days ago…"
Rian:"Yeah. But looks like this time… they picked a fight they couldn't win."
■ Ivela's Scorn
Ivela drove her javelin into the dirt, glaring at Alexis.
Ivela:"Still reckless, Alexis. Whose honor did you try to puff up this time?"
■ Days Earlier – At the Oath of Light Outpost
A few days prior, Alexis strode into a chapter house of the Oath of Light, his trademark smug grin firmly in place.
Alexis:"Mere errands won't prove my worth. Give me something important—something that matters."
Knights at the table exchanged amused looks.
Knight A:"Listen to that arrogance…"Knight B:"Fine. We'll 'test' that so-called talent of yours."
They gave him a mission they called "a simple reconnaissance."
It wasn't.The territory was swarming with satyr-like goatmen—the brutal Satyrs.
■ A Divided Band
As soon as Alexis accepted, his band split in two.
The eager lot cheered him on: "This is our chance for glory!"
The cautious few hesitated: "Something doesn't feel right about this."
Alexis silenced doubt with his usual bravado.
Alexis:"Fear won't win us honor! This is our chance to make the Oath of Light take notice!"
The hesitant ones exchanged uneasy looks, but followed.
■ A Battle They Didn't Expect
On the first night, nothing happened. The woods were calm, and Alexis laughed.
Alexis:"See? Just as I said—nothing to fear."
On the second night, the trees split apart.
From the darkness came the pounding of hooves and the grinding of axes:Satyrs.
The first wave fell quickly—Alexis cut down several, his blade flashing.
Alexis:"Show them! Show them we're worthy!"
But the numbers didn't stop.
■ Collapse and Retreat
Companion A:"Alexis! There are too many!"Companion B:"This was a setup! We have to fall back!"
Alexis gritted his teeth.
Alexis:"Not yet—!"
But the cautious faction had already broken, dragging wounded comrades.
Companions:"We can't hold! Retreat!"
Finally, Alexis snapped his command:
Alexis:"Fall back! Everyone fall back!"
■ Present Day – Return to Arcanium
The proud noble returned in shreds—armor slashed, followers half-dead, some lashed to horses just to make it back.
■ Confrontation in the Square
Rian stepped forward.
Rian:"Days ago, you bragged about your 'mission.'Now this? Quite the result."
Alexis turned away, voice tight.
Alexis:"We… simply encountered something unexpected."
Ivela stepped closer, javelin in hand.
Ivela:"It's always the same with you—swagger first, and others pay the price."
■ Splintering Opinions
Even within Alexis's ranks, voices split.
The loyalists:"He saved us! Without Alexis, we'd all be dead!""You don't know what he faced!"
The cautious:"He ignored warnings… this was recklessness, not heroism."
Tension thickened like fog.
■ Rian's Straight Words
Rian:*"Boast all you want, that's your business.But when lives are at stake? That's not vanity—it's failure.
The Oath of Light might have used you. Ever think of that?"*
Alexis didn't reply.He gathered his battered men, mounted his horse, and rode away into the alleys without another word.
Kairen muttered softly, his voice carrying more weight than volume.
Kairen:"The Oath of Light… this isn't just 'religion.' There's something more. Something dangerous."
Rian tightened his grip on his sword.
Rian:"Then we dig deeper. No matter what we find."
***
Episode 60 – The Crusaders of the Oath
The silence left by Alexis's retreat didn't last.Screams split the air from the village outskirts.
"Monsters! Monsters are here!""The outer defenses are down!"
Rian's sword slid free with a ring of steel.
Rian:"Prepare yourselves. Something's coming."
■ Chaos at the Gates
Villagers flooded the square, terror in their faces.An old woman clutching her bleeding grandson, a young couple running with their baby wrapped tight, a man stumbling forward whispering only one word:
"Help…"
Serin raised her hands, already pouring healing light into the wounded.
Serin:"These injuries… too severe for a random raid."
Overhead, the sky was dimming—a heavy layer of gray clouds strangling the sunlight.
■ The Arrival of the Oathbound Crusaders
The ground shook as hooves thundered closer.From the mist emerged riders draped in black and crimson cloaks:
The Oath of Light Crusaders.
They dismounted in perfect formation, shields and swords in hand.
But these shields weren't for blocking—they were edged, honed to kill.
The villagers erupted into cheers.
"The Crusaders of the Oath! We're saved!""Thank the Light—we're safe now!"
■ A Brutal Kind of "Protection"
The first crusader hurled his shield like a blade.It spun through the air and spiked into a satyr's neck.
Another crusader split a beast's arm from its body in a single stroke.
This wasn't the "protection" of holy knights.It was cold, ruthless execution.
Serin whispered, horrified.
Serin:"That's not… how a shield should be used."
Ivela gripped her javelin tighter.
Ivela:"Their fighting—it's too harsh."
Rian's jaw set, eyes narrowing.
Rian:"These aren't the crusaders I imagined."
■ "In the Name of Purification"
One knight beheaded a satyr, shouting as blood sprayed.
Crusader:"By the Light, we purify you!"
Each strike was merciless.Each "purification" ended in shattered bone and torn flesh.
The cobblestones ran red, yet the crusaders' faces never flinched.
■ Aftermath
When the last monster fell, one crusader raised his gore-streaked shield and proclaimed:
Crusader:"Fear not. We bring the will of the Light—we bring purification."
The villagers fell to their knees in reverence.
"They saved us!""The Oath of Light protects us!"
■ But Rian's Eyes Saw Different
Rian spoke low, his voice hard.
Rian:"Shields, used to pierce throats…Is this really 'purification'?"
Kairen crossed his arms, his monk's beads rattling softly.
Kairen: *"This is not the shield I was taught to carry.Ours were to protect—to bear the weight of others.
Theirs are weapons. Pure and simple."*
Ivela's voice cut sharper than her javelin.
Ivela:"Their 'purification' feels like a word to mask bloodshed."
■ Confrontation
Rian stepped forward, facing one of the knights as he wiped blood from his shield.
Rian:"Do you call this 'purification'?Is slaughter holy now?"
The crusader turned, his gaze icy.
Crusader:"Tools don't matter. Shield, sword, or spear—only the purpose matters."
Rian:"And if that purpose is wrong?"
The crusader's lips curled.
Crusader:"We protect by killing. The world doesn't change through gentle hands."
■ After They Left
The crusaders mounted up and rode away, villagers bowing as if angels had passed.
But the square still smelled of blood, and the cobblestones were still slick.
Rian stared at the crimson stains.
Rian:"Is this really the 'salvation' they speak of?"
Kairen's voice was low, but unshakable.
Kairen:"Or is this only their salvation—their vision for the world—forced onto everyone else?"
The sky stayed gray. The word "purification" hung like smoke, choking the air.
***
Episode – The Shackled Titan: Aranuk
The Oath of Light called it a Holy Crusade.
The square at the heart of the village was packed shoulder to shoulder.Every eye watched the makeshift stage and the white-steel shields of the crusaders.
Every time they cried out "Purify!" the crowd gasped, then roared in praise.
Rian watched quietly, his voice barely audible.
Rian:" 'Protecting the village'—it sounds noble enough.But there's something wrong with the way they do it."
Beside him, Kairen's monk's beads clicked softly as he scanned the crusaders.
Kairen:"What I learned in the monastery wasn't this.We were taught peace, balance—not… this."
■ The First Clash – The Golems
The gates beneath the square rumbled.Stone doors split, and from the darkness emerged ancient golems.
Rusty chains wrapped around their arms and torsos, their steps pounding the ground like drumbeats.
Each step cracked stone.Dust bloomed around them like smoke.
The crusaders moved instantly.
Shields locked in a wall,and behind them, swords thrust forward in perfect rhythm.
When the first golem's fist slammed into their wall—KWAANG!—the sound shook the entire square.
The shield line buckled but did not break.
Serin muttered, voice tight.
Serin:"They move like an army… there's no opening at all."
■ A Shadow Larger Than All – Aranuk
Then the ground itself shook.
Thoom. Thoom.
A titanic hand burst up through the broken tiles.Chains—dozens of them—were wound tight around its wrist, each link anchored deep into the earth.
The square went silent.
And then he rose.
Aranuk.
A creature of the Titans.Not merely a golem, but a living will bound in stone.
Ivela's breath caught in her throat.
Ivela:"…They've chained something like that?"
Rian's eyes narrowed, following the lines of steel.
Rian:"This isn't 'purification.'This is control."
■ Breaking the Chains
Aranuk moved.
Chains screeched and shuddered, stretched to their limit.
KRNNNGHH—!
His colossal fist slammed down.
The crusaders raised their wall.
KWAANG!
The shields dented. Screams erupted.
A knight was flung into the air—his body folding like cloth.But before he could hit the ground, another knight grabbed him and shouted:
Knight A:"Blood Binding!"
Red sigils flared across their shields.
The wounded knight's pain bled into his brothers-in-arms,and he rose again, trembling, to raise his shield.
Kairen's eyes widened.
Kairen:"…They even share wounds?"
■ The Struggle
Aranuk swung again.
The square's stone tiles split like paper.
The wall braced. Shields shrieked.Metal sparked in fountains of white.
The knights staggered—but didn't break.
Behind the shields, swords lunged, striking the gaps in Aranuk's joints.
Rian muttered, almost to himself.
Rian:"…Shields to hold. Swords to pierce.Perfectly in sync."
■ The Collapse
Aranuk twisted, trying to rip the chains from the earth.
The chains groaned and cracked.
Each attack came harder, heavier.
Fists. Kicks. The weight of a mountain.
The square's stone split, chunks raining down.
But the wall held.
Always reforming.Always stabbing back.
Finally—Aranuk's knees hit the ground.
Chains lashed again, binding tighter.
The light in his eyes dimmed.
The Titan slumped.
■ The Square's Silence
For a moment, there was only breathing.Then—
"The Oath of Light has triumphed!"
The crowd erupted.A woman sobbed, clutching her child, whispering "A miracle of the Light."
Rian's group said nothing.
Ivela's voice was low, bitter.
Ivela:"That wasn't salvation… it was just shackling."
Kairen shook his head at the shield wall.
Kairen:"What I was taught as 'purification'—this wasn't it."
Rian's hand tightened on his sword.
Rian:"The Oath of Light… their justice is theirs alone."
The Titan lay bound in chains, a monument of captivity.
The cheers of the crowd clashed with the heavy silence of those who saw too much.
Rian made a quiet vow.
Rian:"No more beings like Aranuk will be sacrificed.Not if we can stop it."
**
Episode – Eyes Clouded, a Brother's Glimpse
The square still smelled of dust and iron.
The Holy Crusade was over, but the air hung heavy.People laughed, cried, celebrated.
But Rian's party did not.
Rian:"What we saw wasn't salvation.It was just tighter chains."
Serin shook her head.
Serin:"And they call that a 'miracle.'I can't shake the feeling something's being hidden behind those smiles."
Kairen's voice was flat, almost cold.
Kairen:"I was taught purification was peace.This… this is oppression."
■ A Jolt in the Crowd
They were leaving the square when Ivela froze.Her breath hitched.
Ivela:"…Wait."
Her eyes locked on a figure in the crowd.
A man.Black cloak.Staff in hand.Head bowed.
Her heart slammed in her chest.
"Brother…?"
The shape of his shoulders, the rhythm of his steps, the way his weight carried—all of it was him.
■ A Fleeting Glance
The man lifted his head.
For one heartbeat, their eyes met.
His gaze was clouded.
Unfocused.Like a fog lay over his soul.Like a man whose spirit had been somewhere else for too long.
Ivela's voice cracked into a near-scream.
Ivela:"Brother!"
She shoved through the people, hands grabbing, pushing.
Ivela:"Move! MOVE!"
But there were too many.Bodies blocked her path.
The man didn't turn.
Didn't even react.
For an instant he had looked at her, but his eyes had held no recognition.
And then he was gone.
Through the shoulders of strangers.Past the stalls.Beyond the red flags.
■ Reaching Hands, Empty Air
Ivela nearly fell to her knees, spinning.
Ivela:"No… no…!"
She reached out again.
Nothing.
■ The Party's Response
Serin rushed to steady her, hands gripping Ivela's arm.
Serin:"Ivela—was that… your brother?"
Tears blurred Ivela's vision.
Ivela:"It was him. I know it was him… but…he didn't recognize me."
Rian's voice was low.
Rian:"If that really was your brother…then the Oath of Light might have done something to him."
Kairen's gaze swept the dispersing crowd.
Kairen: *"The way these people move, the way that man's eyes looked…this isn't just ceremony.
Something deeper is happening."*
■ A Glimpse That Turned to Ash
Ivela stood, breath heavy, eyes fixed on the place where her brother had vanished.
Ivela:"…Why didn't you know me?"
Her hand trembled.
■ A Vow
Rian spoke, calm but unyielding.
Rian: *"We'll find him.
Wherever he is, whatever's been done—we'll find him."*
Ivela wiped her tears, her jaw setting.
Ivela: *"Yes.I'll save him.
No matter what it takes."*
Kairen spoke last, his words a quiet bell.
Kairen: *"This isn't just faith—it's control.
If they're twisting people's minds, we have to go deeper. Much deeper."*
Ivela no longer looked back.
Her eyes burned forward, a single resolve in their light.