CHAPTER 2 — The Knight Who Shouldn't Exist
Leon didn't move.
Not because he was calm—
But because moving meant death.
His chest rose and fell too fast.
Too tight.
I can't breathe…
The battlefield was chaos.
Screams. Steel. Fire.
Too much.
Way too much.
His lungs burned.
His fingers trembled as they reached for his inhaler—
SHING.
Cold metal pressed against his neck.
Leon froze instantly.
Not panic.
Not fear.
Stillness.
Slowly—
He lifted his eyes.
A knight stood over him.
Armor cracked. Cloak torn.
Blood covered his chest—
Not his own.
His eyes were sharp.
Tired.
And completely focused.
Behind him—
A demon lunged.
Fast. Violent. Screaming.
The knight didn't turn.
Didn't react.
SLASH.
The demon split in half mid-air.
Dead before it touched the ground.
Leon's pupils shrank.
He didn't even look…
The blade pressed slightly deeper against Leon's throat.
"Identify yourself."
The voice was low. Rough. Controlled.
Leon's brain moved instantly.
Lie or die.
"I—I'm not—"
Another demon rushed in from the side.
The knight sighed.
Annoyed.
One step.
One swing.
Another corpse.
Leon's heartbeat spiked.
Not from the demons.
From the realization.
This man isn't just strong…
He's used to this.
The knight looked down at him again.
"No armor. No crest. No weapon."
A pause.
His gaze dropped slightly.
"And you're holding… what exactly?"
Leon swallowed.
"My inhaler."
"…your what?"
"It helps me breathe. I have asthma—"
The knight frowned.
"Speak clearly. I don't understand half of what you're saying."
Leon clenched his jaw.
Of course you don't. This isn't my world.
"Enough," the knight said.
"Stand."
Leon hesitated.
The blade didn't move.
That was answer enough.
He stood.
Barely steady.
The knight grabbed his collar and pulled him forward.
"W-Wait— I can walk—"
"Then walk."
The Walk Through War
They moved through the battlefield.
Leon stumbled behind him.
Every step felt heavier.
Smoke filled the air.
His lungs protested.
Demons attacked.
They died.
Fast.
Too fast.
Leon watched.
Analyzed.
Counted.
Every movement the knight made was efficient.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
"Sir Rowan!"
Voices called from ahead.
A fortified camp came into view—wooden walls, spiked barricades, armed soldiers.
Safety.
Or something close to it.
"Who's that?" a guard shouted.
"Found him in the blast zone," the knight replied.
"Suspicious."
Leon flinched.
"That's not—!"
He didn't finish.
A hand grabbed his arm.
Another tied his wrists.
"W-wait—!!"
He tried to pull away.
No use.
The knight—Rowan—looked at him one last time.
Calm.
Unmoved.
"If he's human, the king will decide."
A pause.
His hand rested lightly on his sword.
"If not… I will."
The Cell
The door slammed shut.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Silence followed.
Leon leaned against the wall.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His breathing was uneven again.
He pulled out his inhaler—
pfft
Air filled his lungs.
Temporary.
Always temporary.
He slid down to the floor.
Cold stone beneath him.
Hands still tied.
"I'm not dead…"
The words felt strange.
Unreal.
"I should've died…"
Truck.
Light.
That voice.
His grip tightened around the inhaler.
"I got pulled into this instead…"
War.
Demons.
Knights.
A world that didn't make sense.
Silence stretched.
Then—
Very slowly—
Leon's breathing stabilized.
His eyes lifted.
And then—
He smiled.
Not relief.
Not fear.
Something else.
Something wrong.
"If I'm alive…"
A quiet whisper.
"…then this isn't over."
Outside the Cell
The battlefield smoke still lingered in the distance.
The camp stood restless.
Guards moved.
Soldiers talked.
War hadn't ended.
It had only paused.
And far beyond the walls—
In the shadows—
A figure stood watching.
Still.
Silent.
Hidden beneath a hood.
His eyes glowed faintly.
Locked onto one place.
Leon.
As if he had been waiting—
For him.