A poisonous wind drifted through the ruined streets of Sakurath, carrying ash instead of petals.
The blackened sky swallowed the sun, leaving the realm trapped beneath an endless dusk. Smoke from distant explosions mixed with the scent of burned cherry blossom wood. Every breath tasted of dust.
Hazel and Orion walked quietly through the broken streets.
Collapsed houses leaned against one another like exhausted soldiers. Families rebuilt shattered walls using old wooden planks and scraps of metal. Tiny shops remained open despite their broken roofs. Children carried bricks instead of toys while elderly people repaired doors that had already been destroyed countless times.
Life refused to disappear.
It simply endured.
Neither of them spoke.
Eventually they stopped beside a small coffee shop squeezed between two ruined buildings.
The faded wooden sign creaked above the entrance.
Creak... Creak...
Inside, the café looked as tired as the city itself.
Several wooden benches had cracked with age. One table leaned to one side, supported by stacked stones beneath a broken leg. The windows were patched with paper instead of glass.
Hazel ordered two cups of coffee.
She quietly sipped hers while staring through the broken window.
Orion held the warm cup between his hands.
"So..."
Hazel finally spoke.
"How long have you worked for Robert?"
"Three months."
He looked down at the dark coffee.
"They trained me for three months."
"This is my first real mission."
Hazel nodded once.
"Do you even know what this mission is?"
Orion stayed silent before slowly shaking his head.
"No."
Hazel lowered her voice.
"We're here to kill the Elder of this realm."
The words froze Orion.
"...Kill him?"
Hazel simply nodded.
"Yes."
Orion stared at her.
"I've never killed anyone."
"The Elder protects this city."
"Why would Robert want him dead?"
Hazel rested her cup on the table.
"Because Robert wants every legendary warrior, every Elder, every ruler... gone."
"So he can rule all Twelve Realms alone."
Orion looked outside.
People struggled just to survive.
A little girl carried heavy wooden boards while her father repaired their collapsed house.
He frowned.
"But..."
"Maybe Robert isn't completely wrong."
Hazel looked toward him.
He pointed outside.
"Look at this city."
"The government doesn't help these people."
"They're rebuilding everything with their own hands."
"If Robert rules..."
"...maybe life becomes better."
Hazel didn't answer.
Instead, she quietly walked to the counter.
An old woman smiled warmly.
"Child..."
"Here's your change."
Hazel accepted the coins.
For a brief moment...
The old woman's smile faded.
She narrowed her eyes.
"I feel like..."
"I've seen you somewhere before."
Hazel's fingers tightened around the coins.
Her face remained calm beneath the hood.
"You must be mistaken."
"It's my first time visiting Sakurath."
The old woman slowly nodded.
"Perhaps."
Hazel gave a polite smile before pulling her hood lower.
"Thank you."
She walked outside with Orion.
The smoke-covered sky made it impossible to tell whether it was afternoon or evening.
Later...
They rented a small room inside an old wooden inn.
The room contained almost nothing.
Two simple beds.
One old wardrobe.
A worn sofa.
A tiny wooden balcony overlooking the ruined city.
Rain clouds gathered beyond the mountains.
Orion lay on one bed while Hazel sat silently on the sofa, watching the world outside.
Neither spoke.
Only the sound of distant hammers echoed through the broken city.
Tok... Tok... Tok...
People were still rebuilding.
Even at night.
After several minutes...
Orion sat upright.
"Sis Hazel?"
She looked toward him.
"What is it?"
"You said we're going to kill the Elder."
"But..."
"The security around him is impossible."
Hazel folded her arms.
"Can you fight ordinary soldiers?"
"Yes."
"Do you have a power?"
"A little."
"I can shoot compressed water from my hands."
Hazel raised an eyebrow.
"So your power has awakened."
He looked confused.
"Does everyone have powers?"
"I heard only a few people are born with them."
Hazel shook her head.
"No."
"Everyone possesses power."
"The difference is whether they awaken it..."
"...or spend their entire lives never realizing it exists."
Orion listened carefully.
After a moment he smiled awkwardly.
"Can I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"If we survive..."
"...will you teach me?"
Hazel looked at him for several silent seconds.
Finally...
She nodded.
"Sure."
"It'll pass the time."
Orion smiled.
"Your voice always sounds lonely."
"You speak like someone carrying a mountain."
"What happened to you?"
Hazel lowered her eyes.
"My own greed..."
"My own mistakes..."
"They taught me how deeply hatred can corrupt people."
Orion frowned.
"I don't understand."
Hazel looked toward the rain clouds.
"If I say to you .."
"...to bring back everyone I lost..."
"...would you take it?"
Orion answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
"I'd do anything."
"If it could make you smile..."
"I would."
"I call you my sister."
"I should prove it."
Hazel froze.
Her green eyes slowly widened.
For just a second...
She didn't see Orion.
She saw...
Eyrx.
A tear formed beneath her eye.
She quietly wiped it away before Orion noticed.
"You sound..."
"...just like my real little brother."
Orion scratched his head.
"I've only known you for three days."
"But somehow..."
"It feels like you've been carrying pain for years."
Hazel looked away.
"You're eighteen."
"You just joined Robert."
"You still believe power can protect people."
"The longer you stay..."
"...the more you'll realize..."
"...you're only helping destroy your own life."
Orion lay back down.
"My life was already broken."
"So breaking it a little more doesn't matter."
He closed his eyes.
Silence returned.
Hazel continued staring through the balcony.
Rain finally began falling.
Soft.
Cold.
Gentle.
Her thoughts drifted backward...
Several years earlier...
Her first journey beyond Earth.
The Fourth Realm.
Mountains stretched endlessly beneath a bright blue sky.
Clear rivers flowed through green valleys.
It looked almost identical to Earth.
Young Hazel walked beside Ren.
She couldn't stop looking around.
"It's..."
"So much like my home."
Ren smiled.
"You're not from our kingdom?"
Hazel shook her head.
"No."
"I'm from Earth."
Ren nodded.
Then his expression turned serious.
"Listen carefully."
"We're here to eliminate someone."
"But..."
"...we're not killing anyone."
Hazel blinked.
"The King ordered it."
"I know."
"So why?"
Ren looked toward the mountains.
"Because I refuse to become Robert."
"If we fail..."
"...we'll simply report that our target escaped into another realm."
"What if Robert discovers the truth?"
Ren smiled confidently.
"Then we'll think of another lie."
Hazel laughed softly.
"You really hate Robert."
"I do."
The two continued walking beneath the endless sky.
Mission after mission...
Realm after realm...
They traveled together.
Hazel smiled at the memory.
Only for a second.
Then...
The smile disappeared.
Another memory forced itself into her mind.
A memory she wished had never existed.
A ruined throne hall.
Half the castle roof had been cut away.
Rain poured through the broken ceiling.
Lightning flashed.
BOOM!!
Robert stood in the distance.
Bleeding.
For the first time...
Someone had pushed the Demon King to the edge.
Hazel stood behind a cloaked man.
Her face hidden.
Her orders echoed endlessly inside her head.
"Kill him."
She closed her eyes...
And drove her sword forward.
SHHK!
Steel pierced flesh.
Blood splashed across the floor.
Warm drops landed on her cloak...
And her face.
Robert smiled.
A slow...
Cruel...
Satisfied smile.
The man stumbled.
A weak voice escaped him.
"...Hazel..."
Her body froze.
She slowly pulled the sword free.
The mask slipped from the man's face.
Time stopped.
Green eyes widened.
"No..."
"...Ren?"
He collapsed into a pool of blood.
"Hazel..."
"...you..."
"...betrayed me..."
The sword slipped from her fingers.
Her lips trembled.
She fell to her knees.
"Ren..."
"...Ren..."
Then...
Her scream shattered the night.
"REEEEN!!"
A thunderclap shook the present.
KRRRRAAAK!!
Hazel suddenly blinked.
She was back in the wooden room.
Rain poured outside the balcony.
She quietly wiped away another tear before Orion could ever know it had fallen.
Outside...
Sakurath continued rebuilding beneath the endless rain.