No one left immediately.
The small hill remained silent.
Only the sound of the wind could be heard, slowly passing through rows of simple wooden gravestones.
Hundreds of them.
Far too many.
There were enough to cover nearly the entire hillside.
The people of Nareth…
who had still been laughing yesterday…
still opening their shops…
still greeting one another…
now had nothing left but their names.
…
Grandmother Hana stood silently, staring at all the graves.
Both of her hands trembled.
Her eyes were red.
Yet…
it seemed she had already cried herself empty the night before.
“This village…”
“…it’s become so quiet now.”
No one could answer.
Behind her…
several young children clung to one another.
They didn’t truly understand what had happened.
They only knew…
their fathers hadn’t come home.
Neither had their mothers.
Their houses…
were empty.
And only a handful of adults had happened to be outside the village when everything happened.
Almost every family…
had lost someone.
A small child slowly tugged at his mother’s clothes.
“Mom…”
“When is Dad coming home?”
The woman froze.
Her lips trembled.
But…
she still crouched down.
She pulled her child tightly into her arms.
“…Dad…”
“…has already come home.”
The child blinked in confusion.
“Then…”
“Why is Dad sleeping on the hill?”
The woman couldn’t answer.
Her tears began falling again.
Nearby, a little boy gently tugged on Kael’s sleeve.
“Big brother…”
“Mr. Rowan…”
“…said he was going to teach me how to use a sword next week.”
The boy gave him a small smile.
An innocent smile…
one that didn’t understand what death meant.
“When is he going to wake up?”
…
Kael froze.
Doran immediately lowered his head.
Mira covered her mouth.
Lyra closed her eyes.
Not one of them…
was able to answer.
A few seconds later…
Grandmother Hana slowly embraced her grandson.
“Come…”
“Let’s go home.”
The child continued looking back at Rowan’s grave.
His face filled with confusion.
Not far away…
an old man stood before three gravestones.
His wife.
His daughter.
And his grandson.
His hands trembled as he placed three wildflowers before them.
There were no words.
No tears.
Only…
a silence far more painful than any crying could ever be.
The same scene played out throughout the village.
A wife sitting before her husband’s grave.
An older brother holding his younger sister’s gravestone.
Several homes…
now had no one left to return to them.
Nareth Village…
had lost more than ninety-five percent of its population.
The houses that had once been filled with voices…
were now inhabited by nothing but wind.
…
Aether watched it all.
His chest felt heavy.
He didn’t know a single one of them.
Yet…
for some reason…
his heart still ached.
…
Roderic slowly approached him.
“Are you blaming yourself?”
Aether didn’t answer immediately.
After a moment…
he nodded.
“…If only I had been faster.”
Roderic looked toward the rows of gravestones.
“And then?”
Aether fell silent.
“…If only I had understood my power sooner…”
“…If only I could have stopped that ritual…”
Roderic cut him off.
“…If only.”
Silence descended once more.
Roderic let out a slow breath.
“In the military…”
“The sentence I hear most often after a battle is ‘if only.'”
“‘If only I had been faster.'”
“‘If only I had been stronger.'”
“‘If only I had arrived five minutes earlier.'”
He looked directly at Aether.
“The word ‘if’ will never change what has already happened.”
“But…”
“What you choose to do after today…”
“That is what will determine the rest of your future.”
Aether looked at him.
For a long time.
Then…
Aether:
“I see…”
He slowly nodded.
“…I understand.”
Roderic looked over the village in the distance.
His expression was heavy.
He had seen many wars.
Many cities destroyed.
And yet…
seeing a small village nearly erased in a single night…
still made his chest tighten.
He turned toward the senior hunter who had known Rowan for years.
“How many people survived?”
The man stared toward the village for a long moment.
“…Less than fifty.”
Roderic fell silent.
“That includes the children.”
“…and the elderly.”
Roderic clenched his fist.
“…Novus.”
His voice was quiet.
But filled with anger.
“They’ll pay for all of this.”
Not long afterward…
several soldiers began helping the remaining villagers.
Some repaired houses.
Others distributed food.
Some set up emergency tents.
No one needed to give them orders.
They simply moved on their own.
They knew…
Nareth couldn’t recover overnight.
But…
they could at least help the village survive.
Meanwhile…
Kael remained standing before Rowan’s grave.
He had been there for quite some time.
He hadn’t moved.
Roderic called out to him.
“Hey, kid over there!”
“Are you Rowan’s student?”
Kael nodded.
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Almost ten years.”
Roderic smiled faintly.
“How was your training?”
“He was pretty strict.”
Kael chuckled softly.
“Yeah.”
“If I made even one mistake during training…”
“…he’d make me do it all over again.”
Roderic let out a quiet laugh.
“Sounds like he never changed.”
For a few seconds, they both remained silent.
Then…
Roderic looked toward Rowan’s grave.
“Back then…”
“He treated us the same way.”
Kael looked at him, slightly surprised.
Roderic continued.
“Every training session.”
“Every mission.”
“Every decision.”
“He always put his men first.”
“That’s why…”
“…Platoon 11 respected him so much.”
Kael looked back at the wooden gravestone.
His chest felt slightly warmer now.
His eyes remained fixed on Rowan’s grave.
Slowly…
he knelt.
Then placed the sword Rowan had once given him…
in front of the gravestone.
The sword had been cleaned.
But…
the marks from its final battle were still clearly visible.
Kael lowered his head.
“…Master.”
His voice was quiet.
“I…”
“…never got the chance to thank you.”
Silence.
“I always thought…”
“…you’d keep standing in front of us.”
“Keep scolding us.”
“Keep training us.”
“Keep telling us we were still too weak.”
The corner of his lips trembled.
“Turns out…”
“…I was wrong.”
“From today onward…”
“…I’ll protect this village.”
“Just like you always did.”
“I swear.”
On the other side…
Doran was still sitting before Finn’s grave.
He carried two skewers of roasted meat that the villagers had just prepared.
He placed one before the gravestone.
“Look.”
“Finally got some.”
“…This one’s yours.”
He gave a small smile.
“Like I promised, we’d share a meal again after the mission.”
The wind blew softly.
Carrying the warmth and scent of freshly cooked meat.
Doran let out a quiet laugh.
“If you were still here…”
“…you’d probably eat all of it yourself.”
He chuckled again.
But his laughter sounded bitter.
“You’d probably get mad…”
“…if you found out I ate it all myself.”
The wind blew once more.
Doran lowered his head.
“…You greedy bastard.”
“…Next time…”
He stopped.
Then smiled faintly.
“…if there even is a next time.”
“…don’t die first, damn it.”
His tears finally fell.
…
Mira walked over.
Then sat beside him.
“You know…”
“I used to scold him a lot too.”
Doran smiled.
“Because he always asked for more food?”
Mira nodded.
“But…”
“…now…”
She looked at the skewer of meat.
“…I wish he would ask for one more.”
There were no more words after that.
Not far away…
Lyra stood alone.
Her gaze was fixed on the entire hillside.
So many graves.
So many people who had lost their families.
Her hands slowly clenched.
“…I…”
“…don’t want this to happen again.”
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
But…
the determination in her eyes was stronger than ever.
Lyra remained there the longest.
Then she looked at Finn’s gravestone.
For a long time.
Then…
she slowly approached his grave again.
Lyra crouched down.
Her hand touched the earth in front of the grave.
“…I still remember.”
“The first time we met.”
“You immediately stole my lunch.”
“Three times.”
The corner of her lips lifted slightly.
“…And you said…”
“‘If there’s good food, then it’s meant to be shared.'”
Lyra slowly shook her head.
“You idiot.”
Silence.
“I was angry.”
“Almost every day.”
“You always annoyed me.”
“But…”
Her voice began to tremble.
“…this village…”
“…is too quiet without you.”
Tears began flowing again.
But this time…
she didn’t sob.
She simply smiled.
A small smile…
one that somehow hurt far more.
“…Thank you.”
“…for saving me.”
“I…”
“…won’t waste the life you protected.”
She stood.
Then wiped her tears herself.
Her gaze…
was no longer filled with despair.
What remained…
was a burning resolve.
The sun began to sink.
Its golden light spread across the entirety of Nareth.
Even so…
the village no longer looked the way it had before.
Too many empty houses.
Too many dining chairs that would never be filled again.
Too many names…
that now existed only upon gravestones.
Yet…
in the middle of that silence…
life still remained.
Children still played, though quietly.
Smoke still rose from a few chimneys.
And the survivors…
still chose to endure.
Because they knew…
if they gave up…
then all the sacrifices made that day…
would be meaningless.
On the hill…
the wind began to blow again.
Passing through hundreds of graves.
As though carrying one final message.
Their sacrifices…
would become the reason…
for those who were still alive…
to keep moving forward.
As evening approached…
Roderic gathered all of his soldiers.
“Starting today…”
“The Investigation Unit will take over the investigation into the Nareth incident.”
“All information concerning the organization known as Novus…”
“will be sent directly to Central Headquarters.”
All the soldiers nodded.
“Yes, Captain!”
Roderic then looked toward Kael and the others.
“You’ve already done more than enough.”
“From here…”
“leave the rest to us.”
“And don’t forget…”
“…come to the village hall afterward.”
“There is something I need to discuss with all of you.”
…
The senior hunter who had been Rowan’s friend stepped toward the group.
His eyes were still red.
But…
he forced a smile.
“Rowan…”
“…would have been proud of you.”
Kael lowered his head.
Doran rubbed his nose.
Mira smiled faintly.
Lyra smiled as well.
Aether turned toward him.
The wind blew once again.
Passing through the hundreds of wooden gravestones standing upon the hill.
Carrying the scent of wildflowers.
And silence.
That day…
Nareth Village lost almost its entire population.
The homes that had once been filled with laughter…
were now mostly empty.
The village streets…
had become far quieter.
But…
as long as there were people who continued to endure…
as long as someone still remembered the names written upon that hill…
then…
Nareth Village…
had not truly come to an end.
And deep within Aether’s heart…
a new resolve slowly began to grow.
Not because of the power he had just obtained.
Not because of the Vestige he had awakened.
But…
because he never wanted to see another place…
end up like Nareth.
The sun was slowly sinking toward the western horizon.
The long day of mourning was finally beginning to fade.
Yet Nareth was far from peaceful.
The grief remained.
It lingered in every empty house, every quiet street, and every grave upon the hill.
But beneath that grief, something else had begun to emerge.
Life.
Some Imperial soldiers were still repairing damaged houses.
Others were distributing food and supplies to the remaining villagers.
Children had begun wandering through the streets once more, while smoke rose from a handful of chimneys that had survived the destruction.
The wounds left behind by the tragedy would take far longer than a single day to heal…
but for now…
life was beginning to move forward.
…
In front of the village hall, Captain Roderic stood waiting.
Several Imperial soldiers stood nearby, their presence serving as a quiet reminder that the investigation into what had happened in Nareth was only beginning.
When Kael, Doran, Mira, Lyra, and Aether approached, Roderic’s expression immediately turned serious.
He didn’t bother with small talk.
“I won’t waste any more time.”
His gaze swept across the five young people before him.
“What happened in Nareth…”
“…was clearly no ordinary incident.”
Silence settled between them.
Roderic continued.
“Novus.”
“That organization has become far more active than it was over the past few years.”
“They’ve even started attacking the Imperial capital.”
“Kidnapping civilians.”
“Conducting experiments.”
“And now…”
“…they’ve managed to open a gateway to the World of the Elves.”
Several nearby soldiers grew tense.
Roderic slowly clenched his fist.
“If they manage to establish a foothold there…”
“…the world will face a threat far greater than anything you’ve encountered so far.”
Doran frowned.
“Just how…”
“…strong is Novus?”
Roderic looked at him.
“The Arc Sage is only one of their high-ranking members.”
“There are others who are far more dangerous than him.”
Silence fell once more.
For the first time…
the five young people understood.
The battle in those ruins…
had only been the beginning.
Roderic continued.
“This world is far larger than Nareth Village.”
“There are dozens of Regions.”
“Hundreds of cities.”
“And threats that continue to grow.”
His gaze settled on the five of them.
“You have talent.”
“That’s why…”
“…I want to recommend that you enter the Imperial Military Academy.”
Everyone fell silent.
No one answered immediately.
Roderic first turned toward Kael.
“What about you?”
Kael slowly shook his head.
“…I’m sorry.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
Kael looked toward Nareth, now far quieter than before.
“I made a promise.”
“This village needs someone.”
“From now on…”
“…I’ll protect it.”
Roderic didn’t try to persuade him.
He simply nodded.
“An honorable decision.”
Then…
he turned toward Mira.
“And you?”
Mira gave a faint smile.
“My answer is the same.”
“There are fewer than fifty survivors left.”
“They need a Healer.”
“If I leave…”
“…who will take care of them?”
Roderic nodded again.
“Understood.”
His gaze shifted toward Doran.
“What about you?”
Doran scratched the back of his head.
“Honestly…”
“…I actually want to go.”
Kael turned toward him.
Doran gave a small chuckle.
“But…”
“…if that stubborn guy is left here alone…”
“…this village might fall apart all over again.”
Kael immediately glared at him.
“Who’s the stubborn guy?”
Doran grinned.
“You.”
For the first time since the tragedy…
a small smile appeared on Mira’s face.
Even Lyra quietly shook her head.
Doran turned back toward Roderic.
“So…”
“…I’m staying in Nareth.”
“At least until the village can stand on its own again.”
Roderic nodded.
“That’s a decision worthy of respect as well.”
Then…
his gaze shifted to Lyra.
“And you?”
Lyra didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she looked straight at Roderic.
“I’m going.”
Her answer came so quickly…
that everyone was slightly surprised.
Roderic raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
Lyra clenched her fist.
“I saw it with my own eyes.”
“The enemies who killed Mr. Rowan…”
“…and Finn.”
“I was too weak.”
Her gaze didn’t waver.
“If I stay here…”
“…I won’t change.”
“I don’t want…”
“…what happened to Nareth to ever happen again.”
A brief silence settled over them.
Roderic finally nodded.
“That’s reason enough.”
Then…
he turned toward Aether.
“Then…”
“What about you?”
Aether tilted his head.
“…Academy?”
“Hm?”
“What is that?”
…
Silence.
Doran blinked.
“…”
Lyra fell silent as well.
Mira closed her eyes for a moment.
Kael rubbed his forehead.
A few seconds later…
Doran smacked his own forehead.
“Oh…”
“Right.”
Lyra let out a quiet breath.
“…I forgot.”
Roderic frowned.
“You forgot?”
Kael answered softly.
“Aether lost all of his memories.”
“He doesn’t even remember who he is.”
Roderic immediately turned toward him.
“…Total amnesia?”
Mira nodded.
“When we found him…”
“…he didn’t even know where he was.”
Lyra gave a faint smile.
“If you ask him anything…”
“…his answer is almost always…”
Aether answered flatly.
“‘I don’t know.'”
Doran immediately added.
“That’s his favorite sentence.”
Several soldiers who overheard the conversation chuckled softly.
The atmosphere, which had been heavy until then…
finally loosened a little.
But…
Roderic didn’t laugh at all.
His expression only grew more serious.
“…Complete amnesia…”
He studied Aether for a long moment.
Then slowly nodded.
“…Then I suppose that makes sense.”
He took a breath.
“The Galaxium Military Academy…”
“…is where young Vestigers are forged.”
“That’s where…”
“you’ll learn how to fight.”
“How to make the most of your Vestige.”
“How to lead.”
“And how to prepare yourselves to become Imperial soldiers or high-ranking Vestigers.”
He paused for a moment.
Then added:
“That place…”
“…is also where Rowan was trained.”
Kael froze.
Mira lowered her head slightly.
Lyra fell silent.
Even Doran lost his smile.
Roderic continued.
“He graduated among the best in his class.”
“And afterward…”
“…he joined Platoon 11.”
Aether listened carefully.
For the first time…
he was genuinely interested.
“…If I enter…”
“…can I become stronger?”
Roderic smiled faintly.
“If you can survive.”
“Yes.”
Aether fell silent.
After a moment…
he slowly nodded.
“…Then.”
“…I want to go.”
Roderic didn’t look surprised.
As though he had expected that answer all along.
He pulled out two envelopes bearing the emblem of the Galaxium Empire.
One was handed to Lyra.
The other to Aether.
“These are military recommendation letters.”
“They aren’t graduation certificates.”
“Nor are they a guarantee that you’ll be accepted.”
“But…”
“…they grant you the right to participate in the special selection for the Galaxium Military Academy.”
Aether accepted the envelope.
He turned it over in his hands.
“…Do I have to open it now?”
Doran let out a small laugh.
“Seriously…”
“Do whatever you want.”
Lyra shook her head.
“Sometimes I forget…”
“…you really don’t know anything.”
Aether looked at her.
“Is that my fault?”
Lyra fell silent.
Then…
the corner of her lips lifted slightly.
“…No.”
“Fair enough.”
Roderic looked at the two of them.
“The military carriage heading to Solmnaire City…”
“…leaves tomorrow morning.”
“If you decide to come…”
“…get on.”
“If you don’t…”
“…I’ll take it as your decision to remain here in Nareth.”
No one answered.
Roderic turned away.
“Make use of tonight.”
“Tomorrow…”
“…your lives may change forever.”
The afternoon slowly gave way to evening.
And for the first time since Aether had opened his eyes on that beach…
he truly had a destination.
A path…
that would lead him into a world far larger than he had ever imagined.
FINALLY LEAVING NARETH, I WILL MAKE THE ELF WORD REAL SOON!!