Volume 1: The Fourth Holy Grail War
Chapter 8: The Girl Beneath the Ashen Sky
The wind carried the smell of smoke.
Ren frowned.
He stopped walking and raised his head toward the northern horizon.
A thin pillar of black smoke slowly rose above the ancient forest.
“…Smoke?”
It wasn’t the kind left behind by a campfire.
It was far too thick.
Far too dark.
Something had happened.
For the past few years, Fairy Britain had remained relatively peaceful around the village where Ren lived.
That peace, however, was only local.
The elders had often warned him.
> “Never believe all of Fairy Britain is as peaceful as our home.”
> “Beyond these woods…”
> “There are places even we avoid.”
At the time, Ren hadn’t fully understood those words.
Now…
Looking at the distant smoke…
He finally did.
By the time Ren reached the outskirts of the neighboring settlement…
Silence greeted him.
The cheerful atmosphere that normally surrounded fairy villages had vanished.
Several wooden homes had collapsed.
Scorch marks covered the ground.
Trees had been uprooted.
Fragments of magical energy still lingered in the air.
“…”
Ren’s expression became serious.
This wasn’t a battle.
It was a massacre.
He slowly knelt beside the ground.
The marks were fresh.
Whoever had attacked…
Had only left a short while ago.
Then—
“…Help…”
A weak voice reached his ears.
Ren immediately turned toward the sound.
Behind the remains of a collapsed house…
Someone was trapped beneath broken beams.
A girl.
She looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old.
Her long silver hair was stained with dust, while her once elegant clothes were torn in several places.
Despite her exhausted appearance…
Her crimson-purple eyes remained astonishingly calm.
She wasn’t crying.
She wasn’t screaming.
She was simply trying to free herself.
Without hesitation, Ren rushed forward.
“Hold still.”
“…”
The girl looked at him in surprise.
“You’re…”
“A child?”
Ren smiled wryly.
“I was about to say the same thing.”
Ignoring her confused expression, he carefully lifted the heavy wooden beam.
Years of training, daily work around the village, and his unusually strong physique allowed him to move it despite his age.
The girl blinked.
“…You’re stronger than you look.”
Ren extended his hand.
“Can you stand?”
She hesitated only briefly before accepting it.
“…Thank you.”
Once she regained her footing, she quietly observed him.
“You don’t look like you’re from this village.”
“I’m not.”
“I was exploring.” The source of this chapter is g.com.
“…”
The girl fell silent.
Her gaze briefly shifted toward the ruined homes surrounding them.
A trace of sadness flashed across her face.
“…Too late.”
Ren followed her gaze.
“…Were these people your family?”
She slowly shook her head.
“No.”
“They were simply kind enough to let me stay.”
Her voice remained calm.
Almost too calm.
As though she had already grown accustomed to loss.
A loud explosion suddenly echoed somewhere within the forest.
Boom!
The ground trembled.
Both children instinctively looked toward the source.
“…They’re back.”
The girl’s expression immediately changed.
“We have to leave.”
Ren noticed something he hadn’t before.
Fear.
Not panic.
Not despair.
Genuine caution.
Whoever she was afraid of…
They were close.
Without another word, she grabbed Ren’s wrist.
“Run.”
The two children disappeared into the forest just as another explosion shook the earth behind them.
The chase lasted until sunset.
Neither of them dared stop.
Only after crossing several rivers and climbing a rocky hillside did they finally slow down.
Both leaned against a large tree, breathing heavily.
“…I think…”
“…we lost them.”
Ren nodded.
“…For now.”
Silence followed.
After several moments…
The girl looked toward him.
“You never asked my name.”
“I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”
She stared at him for a long moment.
Then…
For the first time…
A tiny smile appeared.
“…Morgan.”
“My name is Morgan.”
Ren blinked.
Morgan.
The name echoed inside his mind like thunder.
“Morgan…”
“The future Queen of Fairy Britain…”
“One of the most important figures in Britain’s history…”
Outwardly…
He remained perfectly calm.
“I’m Ren.”
Morgan nodded gently.
“…Ren.”
She repeated the name quietly, almost as if memorizing it.
Then she tilted her head.
“…You’re younger than me.”
“I noticed.”
A faint smile appeared on Ren’s face.
“So…”
“I guess I should call you Big Sister?”
“…Big Sister?”
“You are older.”
“That’s how humans sometimes address someone close to them.”
“…”
Morgan looked away.
For reasons she couldn’t explain…
Those simple words warmed her heart.
“…If…”
She hesitated.
“If you want.”
Ren smiled.
“Then it’s settled.”
“Big Sister Morgan.”
A gentle breeze swept through the forest.
For the first time since the destruction of the village…
Morgan smiled genuinely.
“…Alright.”
Night soon fell.
The two children sat beneath an enormous tree.
Ren gathered fallen branches before lighting a small fire using the simple fire-starting techniques he had learned from the village elders.
Morgan watched with curiosity.
“…You’re good at that.”
“I’ve practiced.”
“…You’ve practiced a lot of things.”
Ren laughed softly.
“I suppose.”
Morgan looked up at the countless stars above them.
“…Thank you.”
“For helping me.”
Ren poked the campfire with a small stick.
“I didn’t really think about it.”
“I just couldn’t leave someone trapped there.”
Morgan quietly lowered her gaze.
“…You’re strange.”
“So I’ve been told.”
She laughed.
A quiet, genuine laugh.
The tension between them slowly disappeared.
Neither child noticed…
High above the forest…
A single raven circled silently beneath the moonlight.
Its lone golden eye carefully observed the campsite below.
After watching for several moments…
The raven spread its wings once more.
Flying deeper into the ancient forest.
Toward a place where an old man quietly split firewood outside a small wooden cabin.
The old man stopped his work.
The raven landed upon his shoulder.
Without speaking…
The old man gently stroked its feathers.
“…So.”
“They’ve finally met.”
A knowing smile appeared beneath his long white beard.
“It seems…”
“The threads of fate are beginning to weave together.”
Far away…
Ren added another piece of wood to the fire.
Morgan had already fallen asleep beside it, exhausted from everything that had happened.
Ren looked toward the dark forest beyond the flickering flames.
He couldn’t shake the feeling…
That someone had been watching them.
Not with hostility.
But with quiet curiosity.
He didn’t know it yet.
Tomorrow…
Their journey would lead them to the secluded home of the mysterious old hermit who would forever change both of their lives.
End of Chapter 8