Rensu closed his eyes.
Where are you…
Nisag was too large, too controlled. Uri could be anywhere or nowhere.
Rensu: "…Uri…"
No answer.
Only distance.
r.
Not searching the land Searching beyond it.
Rensu: "Eram… guide me."
For a moment
Nothing.
Then
A presence.
Not seen.
Not heard like a normal voice.
But felt.
Eram: "You call again."
Rensu didn't react.
Rensu: "I need to find him."
Eram: "You always need something."
Rensu: "This time it matters."
Eram: "It always 'matters' to you."
A pause.
Rensu: "Uri is in Nisag."
Eram: "I know."
Rensu: "Then show me."
Silence.
Heavy.
Eram: "Why should I?"
Rensu: "Because if he doesn't help… this fails."
Eram: "Then let it fail."
Rensu: "…People will die."
Eram: "People always die."
The words didn't shake him.
Rensu: "Thy will die."
Eram: "…So that's why you're desperate."
Rensu: "I'm not desperate."
Eram: "You reached for me. That is desperation."
Rensu stayed silent.
Eram: "Uri is not hiding."
Rensu: "Then what is he doing?"
Eram: "Waiting."
Rensu: "For what?"
Eram: "For something worth his time."
Rensu: "…Then show me where he is."
Eram: "I won't show you."
A pause.
Rensu: "Then tell me how to reach him."
Eram: "You already are."
Silence.
Rensu understood.
Not place Connection.
Rensu: "…Uri."
Far away Something shifted.
Not in the world But between it.
A faint response.
Not clear.
Not stable.
But there.
Eram: "Careful."
Rensu: "Why?"
Eram: "Once he notices you… he decides what happens next."
Rensu didn't stop.
Rensu: "Uri… answer."
Uri didn't answer.
But the presence didn't disappear.
It stayed watching.
Rensu: "…Uri."
A pause
Then
Uri: "…My lady?"
The voice had changed.
Not guarded.
Not cold.
Something else Respect.
Uri: "Is it you… my lady?"
Rensu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Rensu: "No."
A brief pause.
Rensu: "It's me. Rensu."
Silence.
Then
Uri: "…You."
The tone shifted.
The respect vanished.
Replaced by something colder.
Uri: "You shouldn't be in my mind."
Rensu didn't move.
Rensu: "And yet… I am."
Silence.
Rensu didn't answer.
Uri didn't speak.
Eram: "You must understand your enemy… and your ally both."
The words settled between them.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Rensu: "Then make me understand."
A pause.
Long.
Then
Uri: "…You wouldn't understand."
Rensu: "Try me."
Silence again.
But this time It didn't feel empty.
It felt like something was about to break.
Eram: "You must understand your enemy and your ally both."
Rensu's voice stayed calm, but sharper now. "Then make me understand."
Eram didn't answer lightly this time. "When me and Mayur made the Goddess, something went wrong. Some power leaked… more than it should have."
Rensu felt it in the way he said it. This wasn't just a mistake.
Eram: "That power became Anziym."
Rensu frowned slightly. "Anziym…?"
Eram: "He's not like us. Not like the Goddess either."
Rensu's tone lowered. "Then what is he?"
Eram answered without hesitation, but there was weight behind it now.
Eram: "A god… or a devil."
Rensu's eyes narrowed slightly. "And what does that have to do with Uri?"
Eram's tone changed, more serious now. "Anziym didn't just exist. He created… in his own way."
Rensu stayed focused.
Eram: "He made humans. Not like normal ones."
Uri didn't interrupt, but his presence felt heavier.
Eram: "Uri is one of them. Part of that blood."
Rensu: "…His family?"
Eram: "Yes."
Rensu's voice lowered. "Then control him."
Eram: "We can't."
Rensu looked at him, sharper now.
Eram: "That family… doesn't belong to us. Not to me. Not to the Goddess."
Eram: "They don't follow rules."
The weight of it settled in.
Eram: "They choose for themselves."
Rensu's expression hardened. "Then what happened to Anziym?"
Eram's voice lowered, more serious now. "After that… he left us."
Rensu: "Left?"
Eram: "He went to Creyog."
That name carried weight.
Rensu: "…Why?"
Eram: "He made some kind of deal there."
Rensu didn't like the sound of that.
Eram continued, steady but heavy. "After that, he started killing. Many from Bugo."
Rensu's jaw tightened.
Eram: "We fought him. We tried to stop it. We saved Bugo… but we couldn't control him."
Rensu: "So you killed him."
Eram: "No."
That answer came clearly.
Eram: "We couldn't kill him."
Rensu didn't speak.
Eram: "He lost… but he didn't die. He left again."
Rensu: "…Back to Creyog?"
Eram: "Yes."
Rensu's voice lowered. "Where is he now?"
Eram: "Kiopa Island."
The words settled heavily.
Eram: "He's there… guarding the prison."
Rensu's voice lowered. "So… he is guarding Thy."
Eram agreed without hesitation. "Yes."
Rensu stayed still, taking it in. "Then this is worse than we thought."
Eram didn't deny it. "It is."
Rensu: "And Uri…?"
Eram's tone shifted slightly. "Uri was different from the start."
Rensu listened.
Eram: "When he was born, he was always curious. About everything."
Rensu: "That doesn't make him special."
Eram: "No. But what he did after does."
Rensu didn't interrupt.
Eram: "By the time he was seventeen, he had already joined the bandits."
Rensu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Eram: "And in his free time… he explored Bugo."
Rensu: "…Explored?"
Eram: "Places no one goes."
Rensu felt something shift. "Where?"
Eram answered clearly.
Eram: "Chilop."
Rensu's expression changed instantly. "Chilop…?"
Eram: "Yes."
Rensu's voice dropped. "That's where the Goddess was born."
Eram added calmly, correcting him slightly.
Eram: "And Anziym too."
That made it heavier.
Rensu didn't speak for a moment.
Uri finally spoke, his voice cutting in.
Uri: "Are you going to tell him everything?"
Eram answered immediately.
Eram: "No."
Uri: "…Why?"
Eram: "Because they need to understand things on their own."
Rensu didn't argue.
But he didn't fully agree either.
Rensu didn't argue.
But he didn't fully agree either.
Eram continued, his voice steady.
Eram: "Near Chilop… there is a cave."
Rensu focused.
Eram: "That's where the Goddess's power is. That's where she lives."
Rensu: "Then tell me where it is."
Eram: "We can't."
Rensu's expression hardened slightly.
Eram: "Even if we wanted to… we don't give that place away."
Rensu didn't respond.
Eram continued.
Eram: "But Uri found it."
That changed everything.
Rensu: "…He went inside?"
Eram: "Yes."
Rensu: "And met her?"
Eram: "Yes."
Rensu's voice lowered. "What did they talk about?"
Eram: "I don't know."
That answer felt incomplete.
Eram: "But after that… he changed."
Rensu stayed silent, listening.
Eram: "From that point on… he knew things."
Rensu: "What kind of things?"
Eram: "Everything."
The word landed heavily.
Rensu: "…And his power?"
Eram: "He gets it from the Goddess."
Rensu: "…So his power… comes from the Goddess."
Eram: "You already knew that."
Rensu didn't deny it.
Eram: "And you've used it carefully… more than most would."
Rensu's voice stayed steady. "I didn't have a choice."
Uri finally spoke, his tone calm but distant. "Now you do."
Rensu looked toward him. "Then say it."
Uri: "Your goal is simple."
Rensu didn't react.
Uri: "Kill Anziym."
A brief moment passed.
Uri: "And save Thy."
Rensu's expression didn't change, but his focus sharpened.
Uri: "He's your only hope."
A slight shift.
Uri: "…Or your last one."
The words didn't stay long.
Almost like they weren't meant to.
Uri looked away from the connection.
Uri: "In the end… they'll die anyway."
Rensu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Rensu: "Then why help at all?"
Eram answered instead, calm as ever.
Eram: "I know."
A small moment passed.
Eram: "But they still have to understand it themselves."
Rensu looked toward him, his voice steady.
Rensu: "Will you help?"
Uri didn't take long this time.
Uri: "Yes."
Rensu didn't react immediately.
Rensu: "…That's it?"
Uri: "We don't have time for anything else."
Rensu's focus sharpened.
Rensu: "Then you understand what this means."
Uri: "I do."
Rensu: "Anziym… Creyog… Kiopa Island."
Uri: "I know where I'm going."
Rensu watched him closely.
Rensu: "Then we move soon."
Uri: "Don't waste time."
Rensu: "Then come to Miso Village."
Uri: "Why there?"
Rensu: "I'm calling everyone I can reach. Bandits, soldiers, anyone still fighting."
Uri: "You're gathering them in one place?"
Rensu: "Yes."
Uri: "That will expose all of you."
Rensu: "We don't have another option."
Uri: "You're planning to move on Creyog from there."
Rensu: "After you arrive."
Uri: "You're putting a lot on this."
Rensu: "I know."
Uri: "Miso Village, then."
Rensu: "Come as fast as you can."
Uri: "I will."
Rensu: "All of you, listen."
Voice: "Rensu?"
Voice: "Where are you?"
Rensu: "Miso Village. Come there."
Voice: "Why?"
Rensu: "We are gathering everyone. No more scattered groups."
Voice: "That's risky."
Rensu: "Staying apart is worse."
Voice: "Who is coming?"
Rensu: "Anyone who can fight."
Voice: "Is this about Thy?"
Rensu: "Yes."
Voice: "Then we're coming."
Voice: "How soon?"
Rensu: "As fast as possible."
Voice: "Understood."
Voice: "We'll be there."
Rensu opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He stepped out of the temple and saw that it was already night.
He walked down into the underground basement. Everyone was asleep, resting after the long day.
He looked around for a moment, then turned and went back up.
Outside, the air was quiet.
Cartal was sitting at the edge of the temple, looking out into the dark.
Rensu walked toward him.
Cartal: "You're done?"
Rensu: "Yes."
Cartal: "Did he agree?"
Rensu: "He's coming."
Cartal: "Uri?"
Rensu: "Yes."
Cartal nodded slightly.
Cartal: "And the others?"
Rensu: "They're on their way."
Cartal: "How many?"
Rensu: "Enough to start."
Cartal looked ahead for a moment.
Cartal: "That means we don't have much time."
Rensu: "We don't."
Cartal: "We move when they arrive."
Rensu: "Yes."
Cartal: "Then rest while you can."
Rensu: "You should too."
Cartal: "I will."
Rensu stood there for a moment, then turned and walked back inside.
Cartal stayed where he was, watching the dark.
It was the first time since Hiron was taken by Creyog that they had rested properly.
Morning came.
One by one, people woke up. The basement slowly filled with movement again.
Some got up and checked their weapons. Others sat quietly, still tired but better than before.
Hairo woke up and sat there for a moment. He looked around but didn't say anything.
Alice noticed him.
Alice: "Stay here."
Hairo nodded.
The others were already moving.
Cartal stood up first. Erish followed. Rensu came down from above.
Rensu: "Come up."
Cartal: "He's here?"
Rensu: "Yes."
That was enough.
Cartal, Erish, Alice, and a few others went up.
Hairo stayed behind.
Outside the temple
Uri was already there.
Cartal walked toward him.
Cartal: "You came fast."
Uri: "You called."
Erish: "We're not ready yet."
Uri: "Then get ready faster."
Alice: "We're going to Kiopa."
Cartal: "We plan first."
Uri didn't argue.
Cartal: "Say everything clearly."
Uri: "Kiopa Island is under full control of Creyog."
Erish: "We know."
Cartal: "Commander Jake is there."
Uri: "Yes."
Erish: "If Jake is there, it's a fortress."
Cartal: "No one walks in and out of a place guarded by him."
Alice: "Then we don't fight everything. We take Thy and leave."
Uri: "If that was possible, he wouldn't still be there."
No one replied.
Cartal: "Then what are we missing?"
Rensu stepped forward.
Rensu: "There's someone else on that island."
Erish: "Another commander?"
Rensu: "No."
Cartal: "Then who?"
Rensu: "Anziym."
Erish: "Never heard of him."
Cartal: "Doesn't matter. Jake is still the biggest threat."
Uri: "Jake is the strongest soldier."
That matched what they knew.
Uri: "But Anziym is not a soldier."
Alice: "Then what is he?"
Uri: "If Jake makes it a fortress… Anziym makes sure no one leaves it alive."
That line stayed with them.
Cartal: "Then we don't move without information."
Rensu: "Spies are already on it."
Erish: "And soldiers?"
Rensu: "I called them. They'll reach Miso."
Alice: "We don't wait too long."
Cartal: "We wait enough to survive."
Uri: "Prepare while you can."
No one argued after that.
They all understood one thing This wasn't just a rescue anymore.
Down in the basement Hairo sat quietly.
He didn't know everything.
But he knew something was wrong.
And whatever it was They weren't ready for it yet.
Hairo stayed for a moment… then stood up.
He walked toward the stairs and went up.
Outside, everyone was already talking.
Cartal looked at them all.
Cartal: "Me, Uri, and Rensu will plan this."
Erish: "And us?"
Cartal: "You stay here. Wait for the others. Get ready."
Alice didn't like it, but she didn't argue.
Cartal: "We move when the plan is ready."
Uri said nothing. Rensu nodded once.
Cartal turned and walked toward the temple with them.
Uri and Rensu followed.
The rest stayed back.
Hairo stepped closer.
He looked at Erish, then at Alice.
Hairo: "Train me."
They didn't respond immediately.
Hairo: "I'm not staying behind like this."
Erish looked at him carefully.
Erish: "This isn't a game."
Hairo: "I know."
Alice stepped forward.
Alice: "You're not ready."
Hairo: "Then make me ready."
That landed.
Erish glanced at Alice.
Alice stayed quiet for a second, then spoke.
Alice: "You won't last if you rush."
Hairo: "I'm not rushing."
Alice: "You just said you want to fight."
Hairo: "I want to learn."
Erish crossed his arms.
Erish: "Training won't fix everything in one day."
Hairo: "I don't need one day."
Alice looked at him again. This time longer.
Alice: "You'll listen?"
Hairo: "Yes."
Erish: "You'll do exactly what we say?"
Hairo: "Yes."
A small pause.
Alice: "Fine."
Erish let out a breath.
Erish: "We start now."
Hairo didn't say anything.
He just nodded.
Alice: "First rule forget everything you think you know."
Erish: "Second don't try to win."
Hairo looked at them.
Erish: "Try to survive."
Alice stepped back and picked up a wooden blade.
She threw one toward Hairo.
He caught it.
Alice: "Come."
Hairo tightened his grip.
This time He wasn't just watching anymore.
Hairo stepped forward.
Erish moved in first.
Erish: "Don't hold back. I won't."
Hairo didn't reply.
They started.
Erish attacked first fast, controlled.
Hairo barely blocked. The impact pushed him back.
Erish: "Too slow."
He attacked again.
Hairo moved late but his body adjusted mid-motion. The block landed… awkward, but correct.
Erish noticed it.
Erish attacked again, changing angle.
Hairo reacted
Not clean.
Not trained.
But right.
Wood clashed again.
Alice's eyes narrowed slightly.
Erish stepped back once.
Erish: "Again."
This time Hairo moved first.
Not perfect but faster.
He swung.
Erish blocked easily but something was off.
Hairo changed direction mid-swing.
That wasn't trained.
That was instinct.
The hit slipped past
Tap.
It touched Erish's side.
Not strong.
But it landed.
They both stopped.
Alice noticed it immediately.
Erish looked at Hairo for a second.
Erish: "…You didn't plan that."
Hairo: "No."
Erish stepped back again, now serious.
Erish: "Again."
This time He didn't go easy.
Fast.
Clean.
Precise.
Hairo tried to keep up.
One block miss.
Second late.
Third
Erish knocked the weapon out of his hand.
Hairo hit the ground.
Silence for a second.
Erish: "That's the difference."
Hairo breathed heavily but didn't look away.
Alice stepped forward.
Alice: "You saw it?"
Erish nodded.
Erish: "Yeah."
Alice looked at Hairo.
Alice: "You're not strong."
A small pause.
Alice: "But your body learns fast."
Erish: "Too fast."
Hairo picked the weapon back up.
Hairo: "Then we continue."
Erish almost smiled but didn't.
Erish: "Now you're talking."
They stepped in again.
No hesitation this time.
Erish attacked first sharp, straight.
Hairo blocked
Cleaner than before.
The impact still pushed him back
But his feet held.
Erish saw it.
He shifted angle immediately.
A quick side step
Then a low strike.
Hairo reacted late
Pulled his weapon down
Too slow.
The wooden blade slid past his guard
Hit his forearm.
A dull crack.
Hairo flinched.
His grip loosened for a second
But he didn't drop the weapon.
Erish pulled back.
Erish: "That's where you lose."
Hairo tightened his grip again.
No reply.
They moved again.
Erish attacked faster now.
No testing.
Just pressure.
Hairo blocked one
Missed the next
Got hit on the shoulder
But stayed in.
His breathing got heavier.
His stance broke Then corrected.
Again.
Again.
Something was changing.
Not skill.
Not technique.
His timing.
Erish noticed.
He attacked
Hairo moved before the strike fully came.
Not planned.
But early.
Their weapons clashed
Harder this time. Hairo stepped in again
Too close.
But this time He didn't stop after the block.
He pushed forward
Turned his wrist mid-contact
And struck straight down.
Erish raised his sword to block
But the angle was wrong.
Crack.
The wooden blade split.
Half of it dropped to the ground.
Silence.
Hairo stood there Breathing hard
Still holding his position.
Erish looked at the broken sword.
Then at Hairo.
Erish: "…You felt that, didn't you?"
Hairo didn't answer.
But his grip tightened.
Alice stepped closer.
Alice: "That wasn't luck."
Erish nodded slightly.
Erish: "No."
A small pause.
Erish: "Do it again."
Hairo lifted the sword.
No hesitation.
Hairo: "Again."
Inside the temple
Cartal, Uri, and Rensu stood around a rough stone table.
No noise from outside reached here.
Rensu spoke first.
Rensu: "I called you here for one reason. We don't have time to repeat mistakes."
Uri leaned slightly against the wall.
Uri: "Then don't."
Cartal ignored the tone.
Cartal: "Kiopa Island. Creyog control. Commander Jake is there."
Uri nodded once.
Uri: "If he's there, it's not a prison."
Cartal: "It's a fortress."
Rensu: "And we don't break a fortress with numbers."
Uri: "You don't break it at all."
Cartal looked at him.
Cartal: "Then say what we do."
Uri didn't hesitate.
Uri: "We don't attack first."
A small pause.
Uri: "We enter."
Cartal: "How?"
Uri: "Not as soldiers."
Rensu watched him carefully.
Rensu: "You already have something in mind."
Uri: "Creyog moves supplies to the island regularly. Food. Weapons. Prison transfers."
Cartal understood immediately.
Cartal: "You want to use that."
Uri: "Yes."
Rensu: "That gets us inside. Not out."
Uri: "Getting in is the hard part."
Cartal: "Getting out with Thy is harder."
Uri didn't argue.
Uri: "That's where timing matters."
Rensu: "And Anziym?"
Uri went quiet for a second.
Uri: "We don't fight him unless we have to."
Cartal: "If he's guarding Thy, we have to."
Uri looked at him.
Uri: "Then you die."
Silence.
Rensu stepped in.
Rensu: "Then what's the alternative?"
Uri: "Distraction."
Cartal: "From who?"
Uri: "From inside or outside. Doesn't matter."
Rensu: "It does. Outside means war."
Uri: "Then don't do it outside."
Cartal's eyes narrowed.
Cartal: "Inside means someone risks everything."
Uri: "Yes."
No one spoke for a moment.
Rensu broke it.
Rensu: "Spies?"
Cartal nodded slightly.
Cartal: "We already have some in Nisag. If any reached Kiopa…"
Uri: "Find them."
Rensu: "And if they're dead?"
Uri: "Then we adapt."
Cartal: "That's not a plan."
Uri: "That's reality."
Silence again.
Then Cartal spoke, more grounded.
Cartal: "We split this into steps."
Uri didn't interrupt.
Cartal: "First confirm routes to Kiopa."
Rensu: "Second contact spies."
Cartal: "Third entry through supply movement."
Uri: "And fourth improvise."
Cartal looked at him.
Cartal: "No. Fourth we get Thy out."
Uri: "That depends."
Cartal: "On what?"
Uri held his gaze.
Uri: "On whether he's still alive when we reach him."
That landed heavy.
Rensu stepped forward.
Rensu: "He's alive."
Uri didn't argue.
But didn't agree either.
Cartal exhaled slowly.
Cartal: "Then we move fast."
Uri pushed himself off the wall.
Uri: "Then don't waste time here."
Rensu: "I've already sent word. Bugo soldiers and spies are coming to Miso."
Cartal: "How many?"
Rensu: "Not enough."
Uri: "It's never enough."
Cartal looked between them.
Cartal: "We move when they arrive."
Uri: "I don't wait."
Cartal: "You will."
Uri: "Or I go alone."
The air tightened.
Rensu stepped in, firm.
Rensu: "You won't."
Uri looked at him.
Rensu: "Not this time."
A moment passed.
Then Uri looked away slightly.
Not agreeing But not leaving either.
Cartal: "Good."
He turned toward the exit.
Cartal: "Because if we do this wrong…"
He stopped for a second.
Cartal: "…there won't be a second chance."
No one disagreed.
Outside Morning was already moving forward.
And this time They were walking into something much bigger than a mission.
By evening
They started arriving.
One after another.
No announcements.
No structure.
Just presence.
Rensu stood at the entrance.
Watching.
Recognizing some.
Not recognizing others.
He didn't react.
Cartal: "That's all?"
Rensu: "More might come."
Cartal: "Might."
That word stayed there.
The courtyard filled.
Not organized.
Not calm.
Just people waiting.
Uri didn't move from his spot.
Eyes shifting.
Counting.
Not impressed.
Time passed.
Enough for everyone to understand This was it.
Then
Footsteps.
Fast.
Uneven.
A spy entered.
Breathing slightly off.
Not injured.
But not steady either.
Cartal noticed immediately.
Cartal: "Report."
The spy looked at Rensu first.
Then Uri.
Then back to Cartal.
A small delay.
Too small for most
Not for them.
Spy: "We lost contact."
Silence.
Rensu: "With who?"
Spy: "All of them."
Uri's eyes narrowed slightly.
Uri: "Since when?"
Spy: "Three days."
Cartal: "No signal?"
Spy: "Nothing."
That answer landed wrong.
Too clean.
Too empty.
Rensu: "You're sure?"
Spy: "We checked twice."
Uri stepped forward.
Slow.
Controlled.
Uri: "Say it again."
The spy hesitated.
Just for a second.
Spy: "…Nothing."
Uri held his gaze.
Didn't blink.
Uri: "Not even a mistake?"
No answer.
That was the answer.
Cartal exhaled quietly.
Cartal: "Then we're blind."
Uri: "No."
They looked at him.
Uri: "We're being kept blind."
That changed the room.
Rensu: "By Jake?"
Uri: "No."
A pause.
Uri: "By Anziym."
No one reacted loudly.
But the silence shifted.
Heavier.
Cartal: "Meaning?"
Uri: "Meaning this isn't failure."
A beat.
Uri: "It's control."
Outside
The noise in the courtyard continued.
Unaware.
Unchanged.
Inside
Everything had already changed.
Rensu: "We move anyway."
Cartal: "We have to."
Uri: "Then don't expect it to go clean."
Rensu: "It never does."
Uri didn't respond.
Outside
Hairo stood still.
Watching the temple doors.
Something felt wrong.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
Just enough to stay.
Erish stepped beside him.
Erish: "You feel it?"
Hairo nodded.
Hairo: "Yeah."
Erish looked toward the temple.
Erish: "Good."
A pause.
Erish: "Don't ignore it."
Hairo tightened his grip slightly.
Because whatever was waiting on Kiopa
It already knew they were coming.
Cartal stood at the entrance of the temple, his presence alone enough to quiet most of the courtyard. Faces turned toward him from every side, rough and hardened men waiting for something solid to hold onto. Uri stood to his right, still and unreadable, while Rensu stood to his left, watching the crowd more than the speaker. Cartal scanned them all carefully, counting not just numbers but strength, wounds, doubt, and intent.
Cartal: "Two hundred and twenty-six."
A low wave of voices spread across the crowd as people began counting in their heads, looking around, measuring who stood beside them.
Cartal: "That includes the spies. Everyone here who can move, who can think, who can fight."
He let his words settle, his eyes still moving through the crowd.
Cartal: "Hairon is not counted."
Before the murmurs could settle, Erish stepped forward, his voice cutting through everything with force.
Erish: "Count him too."
The reaction was immediate. People turned, some confused, some annoyed, some curious.
Erish didn't slow down.
Erish: "He can fight. Let him fight."
A few bandits scoffed quietly, others leaned in to hear more.
Erish stepped further into the open now, not backing down under the weight of so many eyes.
Erish: "He's Thy's son."
That made more people pay attention, the name carrying weight across the courtyard.
Erish pointed toward Hairon without hesitation.
Erish: "He broke my wooden sword without any training. Not by luck. Not by chance. He didn't even know what he was doing and still did it."
Now the murmurs were louder, more focused.
Erish: "And he didn't stop there. He killed Jane. He killed Ira."
The courtyard shifted.
This time it wasn't noise it was shock.
Some stepped back slightly, others stared directly at Hairon, trying to match the boy they saw with the names they knew.
Erish's voice didn't shake.
Erish: "Alone."
That word hit harder than the rest.
Erish: "Two of Creyog's strongest soldiers. And he's still standing."
Now the chatter broke out fully. Questions, disbelief, low arguments. Some didn't believe it. Some clearly did. Some just watched Hairon differently now.
Cartal didn't speak.
He stood still, listening to the noise, watching how the crowd reacted, watching Hairon, watching Erish.
Measuring again.
Not just strength this time
Risk.
After a few moments, Cartal raised his hand slightly. It wasn't loud, but it was enough. The voices began to fall.
His eyes moved once more across everyone present.
Then he spoke.
Cartal: "Two hundred and twenty-seven."
Rensu stepped forward before the noise could rise again, his presence steady, his eyes moving across every face as if weighing who would stand and who would fall. When he spoke, his voice carried control, not force, but it was enough to pull the crowd back into focus.
Rensu: "Listen carefully. What we're walking into is not just a fight."
The courtyard settled, attention tightening around him.
Rensu: "Anziym isn't like anything you've faced before. You can't treat him like a soldier, or a commander, or even a king."
A few exchanged uncertain looks, but no one interrupted.
Rensu: "He's not just powerful. He's one of them."
That line hit differently.
Uri stepped forward slightly, his gaze sharper now, more direct.
Uri: "A god."
The word spread through the crowd without anyone speaking it.
Uri didn't slow down.
Uri: "And no you're not meant to understand that fully. Not all of it."
He glanced once at Rensu, then back at them.
Uri: "But you need to understand enough to survive."
Rensu continued from there, his tone steady.
Rensu: "Eram and Mayur created the goddess. That power wasn't perfect."
Some frowned, trying to follow.
Rensu: "Something leaked from it. Something that wasn't meant to exist."
Uri: "Anziym."
Now the name carried weight.
Uri: "Not created. Not controlled."
Rensu: "He became something on his own."
The crowd listened more closely now.
Uri: "Something even they couldn't fully stop."
A few shifted uncomfortably.
Rensu: "They fought him."
Uri: "They couldn't kill him."
That landed hard.
Rensu: "He left. Went to Creyog. Made deals. Built his own ground."
Uri: "And now he stands on Kiopa… guarding it."
No one spoke. No one laughed.
Because now it felt real.
Rensu took a small step forward.
Rensu: "You're not just walking into a battlefield."
Uri: "You're walking toward something that already knows how to win."
That line stayed with them.
Then Uri changed direction slightly, bringing it back to the present.
Uri: "So no this won't be won by numbers."
He pointed slightly between himself and Rensu.
Uri: "I carry the power of the goddess."
Then toward Rensu.
Uri: "He carries the power of Eram."
Now the connection became clear.
Uri: "Separately… it's not enough."
Rensu didn't deny it.
Uri: "But together…"
He looked at Rensu again, this time with certainty.
Uri: "…we can reach him."
Rensu: "If we align it right."
Uri: "If we don't lose control."
Rensu: "We can kill him."
That word finally came out.
Kill.
Not defeat.
Not stop.
Kill.
The courtyard didn't react loudly, but something shifted inside it fear mixed with belief.
Cartal stepped in before that belief could grow into something reckless.
Cartal: "We also have something else."
He raised the folded map in his hand.
Cartal: "One of our spies sent this before contact was lost."
All eyes moved to it.
Cartal: "It shows a path to Kiopa."
Hope flickered Then he cut it.
Cartal: "But we don't guarantee it's true."
The tension returned instantly.
Cartal: "We've tried reaching her again. Nothing."
The same word again.
Nothing.
Cartal: "So understand this clearly."
He looked at every single one of them.
Cartal: "We move forward with power we don't fully understand…"
Then at the map.
Cartal: "…and a path we cannot trust."
He lowered his hand slowly.
Cartal: "That's what you're choosing to follow."
This time No one spoke.
Because now they understood what this really was.
Cartal unfolded the map slowly and held it out where everyone could see. He didn't explain where it came from again. He didn't need to. The moment the paper opened, all attention locked onto it.
He pointed toward the upper edge.
Cartal: "Here. This cliff."
His finger stayed there long enough for everyone to mark it.
Cartal: "Erish, Alice, and fifty of you will go here first. You'll move before the rest. No noise, no mistakes."
He looked up briefly, making sure Erish understood.
Cartal: "You stay hidden. Camouflaged. No engagement until the signal."
His finger moved across the map, sliding toward a narrow break in the terrain behind the prison.
Cartal: "Marco."
Marco stepped slightly forward.
Cartal: "You lead the second team. Uri, Rensu… you go with him."
Then his eyes shifted toward Hairo for a moment.
Cartal: "Hairo goes with you."
A few heads turned again, but no one argued this time.
Cartal: "Seventy bandits. You move through this path behind the cliff crack, behind the prison walls."
He tapped the spot twice.
Cartal: "You stay hidden. You wait."
Then his hand moved downward to an open ground area.
Cartal: "I take one hundred."
His voice hardened slightly.
Cartal: "We go from the front."
Now everyone understood.
Cartal: "We distract."
The word carried weight.
Cartal: "We make them look at us. We make them commit."
He looked back at Marco.
Cartal: "When we give the signal… your team plants the explosives behind them."
Marco nodded once.
Cartal: "You don't rush it. You don't panic. You make sure it lands."
His tone made it clear failure there meant everything collapsing.
Cartal: "The moment the blast hits "
He shifted his finger back to the cliff.
Cartal: "Erish."
Erish's eyes locked in.
Cartal: "You strike. Arrows first. Aim for the densest group. Break their formation."
Erish gave a slight nod.
Cartal looked back at everyone.
Cartal: "After that there's no structure."
His voice didn't rise.
But it got heavier.
Cartal: "You fight."
No one questioned it.
Then he added the part that mattered more than the rest.
Cartal: "If Thy is found…"
The name alone tightened the air again.
Cartal: "Signal it."
He pointed at Hairo without hesitation.
Cartal: "His sword will be with him."
All eyes moved to Hairo.
Cartal: "If Marco's team finds Thy first "
He looked at Marco again.
Cartal: "Give him the sword. Let him fight. And send him to me immediately."
Marco didn't respond with words. Just a firm nod.
Cartal: "If we find him first "
He raised two fingers.
Cartal: "We blast two explosives at once."
Everyone understood that one.
Cartal: "That signal means he's found."
Then he raised one finger.
Cartal: "Retreat is one large explosion."
The meaning was clear.
No confusion.
No second guessing.
Cartal looked across the entire crowd one last time, making sure every face had heard, understood, and accepted it.
Cartal: "Once it starts… it doesn't stop."
His hand slowly lowered from the map.
Cartal: "So don't hesitate when it does."
A voice rose from the crowd, uncertain but strong enough to reach the front.
Bandit: "How do we even reach Kiopa?"
The question spread quickly. More voices followed, some pointing at the map, others glancing toward the distant direction of the sea.
Rensu didn't rush his answer.
Rensu: "Through Bugo's sea shore."
That only made the murmurs grow louder.
Bandit: "That route isn't easy."
Bandit: "We'll be exposed."
Bandit: "Too many people moving someone will notice."
Rensu stepped forward slightly, his expression unchanged.
Rensu: "It will take time."
The noise didn't stop, but it weakened enough for him to continue.
Rensu: "The route itself isn't the problem."
Now they listened more carefully.
Rensu: "Moving all of us is."
That hit closer to what they were thinking.
Rensu: "We don't move like a single group."
Some confusion appeared, but he didn't slow down.
Rensu: "We spread out along the shore. Small groups. No patterns."
Cartal crossed his arms, watching the crowd settle into the idea.
Rensu: "No fires. No noise. No attention."
A few of the older ones nodded slightly.
Rensu: "We move like we don't exist."
That line stayed.
Rensu looked across all of them, making sure no one missed it.
Rensu: "It will take time."
This time his voice carried certainty, not warning.
Rensu: "But we will reach."
Cartal stepped forward and raised his sword high above his head, the metal catching what little light remained. The movement alone was enough to pull every eye toward him again.
Cartal: "Is everyone ready?"
His voice carried across the entire courtyard, strong and sharp, leaving no space for doubt.
For a moment, no one answered.
Then
Voices rose.
Not perfectly together. Not disciplined.
But real.
Bandit: "Ready!"
Bandit: "We move!"
Bandit: "Let's end this!"
The energy spread fast, turning into something louder, heavier. Weapons were lifted. Feet shifted. The hesitation that once filled the space was gone.
Cartal lowered his sword slightly, watching them, measuring that fire.
Rensu didn't speak.
Uri didn't move.
But both saw it They were ready.
Or at least Ready enough.