The Letter of the Fallen King
The unknown figure stood in front of her. The Devil King's Daughter stared at him with tired, hollow eyes. Ever since her father had died, it felt as if the world itself had lost its color. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked coldly. "Ever since my father died, I felt heartbroken. He is the only one who is important to me and I don't want to hear no pity." The masked man remained silent for a moment. Then the mask slowly opened apart, revealing his face.
"Well, as you can see..." Ruko said quietly. Her eyes widened. "I'm the one who did it." The demons and monsters around her immediately became alert. "W-what do you mean you did it?" she demanded. "Tell me what did you do." The wind blew across the ruined battlefield, causing Ruko's cloak to flutter dramatically behind him. He exhaled. "I'm the one responsible for your father's death." Silence. "And I'm responsible for destroying your castle."
The entire crowd froze. Then rage exploded. Every demon and monster glared at him with murderous intent. The Devil King's Daughter looked at him as if she wanted to tear him apart herself. "Kill him!" The order rang out instantly. Ruko sighed. "I just came here to explain..." Nobody listened. The army charged. Ruko's eyes narrowed. Core Alloy transformed into an enormous longsword glowing with golden light. The demons hesitated for a split second.
Then Ruko stepped forward. One heavy step. One swing. "Holy... Side Slash." A golden arc swept across the battlefield. Everything in its path was cut apart. When the light faded, the battlefield became silent. Only one person remained standing. The Devil King's Daughter. Her entire body trembled. "What kind of monster..." she whispered. Ruko dismissed the sword and looked at her. "I had something important to tell you. But because of revenge and stupidity, your forces are gone or should I say dead."
She attacked him. Immediately. He used Skill Bind. Her skills vanished. Sealed. She froze. "W-what?!" Then she resorted to punches and kicks. Ruko didn't attack back. Instead, he dodged and deflected everything. He could tell she knew some martial arts. But eventually her attacks slowed. Her anger finally broke through. "Why?" she screamed. A punch. "Why did you do it?" Another punch. "Why my father?" Another. "Why my castle?" Another. "What did he ever do to you?!"
Ruko remained silent. Then he asked one question. "Are you even worried or concern about your aunt?" That broke her completely. She slammed her fists against him over and over. Tears streamed down her face. "What did you say?!" Punch. "Are you telling me she's dead too?!" Punch. "Why did everyone leave me behind?!" Her strikes became weaker. Weaker. Until finally she collapsed on top of him, crying. Ruko simply let her. The final words of the Devil King and Kyouka still echoed inside his mind.
Eventually she exhausted herself. Ruko carefully moved her aside and stood up. Blood ran down his face. He looked at her sleeping form. "The Devil King's Daughter," he muttered. "The strongest general who escaped the war. And just turn out to be a girl who is overprotective by her father." He carried her. Then he built a small mud hut using Create Earth, Create Water, and Wind Breath. Using sewing skill to make a mattress and a blanket.
A safe place to let her sleep. That night she awoke. The fire crackled softly. She stepped outside. Ruko was sleeping still beside a pot of stew. Her stomach growled. She approached cautiously. Just as her face got close—Ruko opened his eyes. She jumped backward and landed on the ground. "Oh, you just woke up," he said. "Perfect timing. The stew is ready." She crossed her arms. "I'm not eating food from someone like you."
Her stomach growled again. Ruko chuckled. Then took a spoonful himself. "See? Not poisoned." After a long battle with her pride... She sat down. One bite. Then another. Then another. "It's... good." Tears appeared again. "Why?" she whispered. "Why am I the only one left?" Ruko took a deep breath. Then he pulled out a letter. Her eyes widened instantly. She recognized it. Her father's handwriting. With trembling hands she took it.
But when she opened it—Blank. Both of them stared. Then Ruko remembered Kyouka's final words. He blew gently across the paper. Ink slowly appeared. The Devil King's Daughter stared in shock. Ruko began reading. The first paragraphs contained messages from both the Devil King and Kyouka. Some parts were emotional. Some parts were embarrassingly awkward. Ruko paused several times. "What kind of nonsense is this?" he muttered.
"Just continue," she said. Then came the final hidden paragraph. The Devil King's secret. A strange relic. A meteor. A mysterious object that had somehow entered his daughter when she was young. A taboo. A danger he had hidden from her for years. As Ruko finished reading, she broke down crying again. Not from anger. But because she finally understood. Her father had been trying to protect her. The entire time.
Meanwhile, Ruko's face had turned pale. A Sha-Obelisk fragment. The final fragment. Inside her. Even Yew had failed to notice it. Ruko stared. "So that's where it was... And yew is thermally hopeless..." She wiped her eyes. "Can it be removed?" "I don't know," Ruko admitted. "But if we find the answer, I'll help you." She looked at him in disbelief. "My family is dead." "My home is gone." "And you want me to travel with you?" Ruko stood. "If you don't want help, that's your choice."
He looked toward the horizon. The first rays of sunlight appeared. The dawn painted the sky gold. Ruko faced the sunrise. Then spoke. "Stand tall." The words froze her in place. "You're a strong woman after all." For a moment... It sounded exactly like her father. Her body trembled. Her eyes filled with tears. Yew suddenly appeared. [Found final relic fragment.] [Defeated Devilness Kyouka Yasaka. Mask synchronization complete.] [Jah Blesto synchronization complete.]
Ruko blinked. Then laughed. "What the actual fuck?" He looked at the strange mask. Then toward the road ahead. His life somehow kept becoming more complicated. The Devil King's Daughter stood and wiped her eyes. "Are you coming or not?" she asked. Ruko smirked. "Yeah." Together they started walking toward the destination to Axel. The morning sun rose behind them. The future remained uncertain. But for the first time since the war ended—Neither of them was walking alone.