Sky of the Sword began revealing everything he had gone through last night — the dangerous, fateful encounters — as Raven and Maya watched him in astonishment.
He continued, "Despite how strange it all was, it happened so quickly. I felt an unbearable suffocation… I couldn't accept being restrained yet.
So I went out to walk, to release myself a little. At that time, the darkness was at its peak — yet even so, the air was pleasant, and the sting of the cool wind refreshing.
My muscles relaxed, and my heart calmed down… but suddenly, without any warning, a wolf's cry echoed — a howl of pain."
I wanted to run away immediately; terror seized me. But my curiosity to discover what was happening broke through that fear. A person cannot fully control his desires and instincts.
I followed the sound to its source — and there I was, shocked to see a wounded wolf lying in its own blood. It seemed to have fought another creature.
I didn't approach right away. I looked toward the horizon, scanned the sky and the ground, and turned in every direction until I was sure the surroundings were safe.
Then I hurried to it and acted quickly. Its body was torn apart, yet it was still clinging to life. I picked up a single vial beside a lone fang that was stuck in its thigh.
I had completely forgotten about it — even Zain doesn't know. If I hadn't told you what happened, I doubt I would've remembered it myself.
Anyway, that's what happened last night…
We refused to surrender to reality and lived through the moment with perseverance.
Through countless attempts and desperate sacrifices, today our efforts have finally borne fruit.
And efforts have always been rewarded. From this day forward, I will walk the path of freedom — and trample anyone who tries to oppress it."
"Beautiful," Raven said. "Your words are filled with determination and the spirit of effort you've shown since the beginning of this mission."
"What you said makes perfect sense," Maya added, "but it's still strange that you're alive after everything that happened."
"Your encounter with that bird," Raven said again, "is a miracle beyond words. As we've said, we still don't understand the nature of this gate — and what lies hidden is far greater."
"Yesterday that bird appeared, but today… we still don't know what might come next. Every time we think about it, it feels terrifying. So maybe we shouldn't overthink it."
"If we are to forge the path to freedom," Sky of the Sword replied, "then perhaps it's best that we do so slowly. Who knows what other fateful encounters await us in the future?"
"Who could've imagined your meeting?" Maya said softly. "Maybe another coincidence will happen — maybe we'll meet that bird again, this time wounded, just like the wolf. Wouldn't its blood be even stronger?"
Raven stopped talking, waiting for their reactions.
"How do you estimate the success rate of that?" asked Sky of the Sword, turning to Zain.
Zain went silent for a moment, folding his hands in thought. "If we were to encounter it," he said, "then yes — its blood would surely be stronger. And if a weapon were forged from it, it would surpass every lesser creature, reaching directly to its level of power."
"So the success rate is high?"
"Yes," Zain replied firmly. "The success of that is certain."
"All right," said Raven. "I have nothing to say except that you've done well through your perseverance. So, when will you begin crafting it?"
Zain answered, "Now. I want you to announce it to everyone — please — so they will know."
Shock spread across Raven's and Maya's faces. "Are you sure about that? We're not in a hurry to forge it. Take all the time you need."
"It's fine," Zain said calmly. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I can't resist anymore — my curiosity to see the result forces me to act."
"Very well. Do as you wish. I won't stop you." Raven nodded, and Zain bowed his head in gratitude.
Raven gave a faint smile and stood up, and silence filled the room. Everyone turned toward him, realizing he had something to say. None of them asked questions — they just listened.
"I have something to say about the chains that bind our freedom… and about the future of our existence." He cleared his throat. "Ahem."
"As you all know, since Zain's rise we've been trying desperately to obtain a single vial of demonic blood. Yet every attempt has ended in costly failure — in exhaustion, effort, and sacrifice."
"Perhaps you don't know this, but everyone who lost their life during these missions met their end in the most brutal ways imaginable. Their deaths never fade from our sight. Every day, every minute, every second, their deaths replay before our eyes — like a haunting play etched deep into our hearts and memories."
"I had already declared my surrender once; I couldn't stand shedding blood for nothing anymore. But there were those who did not surrender, working in secret — and thanks to them, our comrade…" Raven gestured toward Sky of the Sword, "…managed to secure the first vial to forge the Sword of Hope's Light."
"Despite all the dangers and hardships, determination and the will to continue triumphed over fear and despair. As I've always been told — effort is always rewarded."
"I gave in to reality once, but reality turned out to be their weapon. They refused restraint — they chose the road that leads to freedom."
"How long will we remain trapped underground? How can life continue like this? In short, it cannot. We will live as if inside a prison, deprived of sunlight's rest."
"That's why, from now on — six will turn to nine. Night will become day, the moon will turn into the sun. The balance will shift; we will restore the world's order, reclaim dominance, rebuild, unite — and crush calamity."
"This era will witness a prosperity unseen in any age before. And all of it will be thanks to these two — the craftsman and the warrior."
"Even the torn thread of hope refused to let go of its last fragments."
"What I want to tell you," Raven said, "is that the road to freedom is harsh — and to reach it, blood will be spilled, and our sands will be drenched in it. But with perseverance and our greatest effort, we will surely walk this path to its very end."
He bowed his head, then raised it again, smiling at the crowd.
Silence filled the place — until one of the trainees raised his fist and began chanting, "Freedom!" lowering and raising it again in rhythm.
The others followed, one after another, until the hall echoed with the cries of freedom.
Raven, Maya, Zain, and Sky of the Sword smiled faintly, then joined in the chant themselves:
"Freedom… Freedom… Freedom!"