Nighttime - The sky was full of stars, and in the distance was soft glow of the ring around the Earth made the view even more beautiful .
Douzen sat on a wooden plank as he was facing a small campfire. He was wearing a black costume with a cloak . Trees surrounded him, and the quiet sea stretched out just behind.
Selay arrived, his footsteps crunching softly against the ground. Douzen heard them and looked over his shoulder.
"Did Doulong and Diana sleep?" Douzen asked.
"Yes, they have," Selay replied, stepping closer.
"You should get some sleep too. It's already midnight," Douzen said.
"I... I don't feel like it," Selay admitted.
Douzen turned his gaze back to the fire.." You hate me, do you?"
"No... why would I?" Selay responded, surprised.
"Sit," Douzen said, indicating toward the wooden plank opposite him. "Why don't we have a little chat?"
Selay walked over and sat down. Douzen continued, "The only reason Chaw was allowed to go on the mission by Diana and Doulong... was because I promised them I would protect her, no matter what. I swore I would bring her back to them safely after every mission. And... this time, I broke that promise. All because of my carelessness."
"I don't know what happened out there, but… it's not your fault that you couldn't save..."
"It was my fault," Douzen cut him off firmly.
Selay fell silent.
"In my whole life," Douzen said, his voice low, "I've never been able to be a good father, or a good leader… not even a good friend, husband, or son. I've failed in everything I tried to do taking wrong decisions over and over again "
He picked up a dry leaf and tossed it into the fire. It caught flame and turned to ash.
"I've always made the wrong choices... over and over again. When I was around 18, my entire village was attacked by the army of Jarama."
"Jarama?" Selay asked.
"Not Jarama himself," Douzen clarified. "But soldiers sent by him. They came for your mom... Fiona. They came to take her."
"My mom? Why would he...?" Selay began.
"Because she's his daughter. Fiona had a unique power in her blood. When she was just a child, she was lost and separated from her real family. My village found her and took her in. A family adopted her, and she became deeply loyal to us. She even joined the village security force. We worked together there as young warrior . And this might surprise you... Fiona and I were close. We loved each other when we were about 17 or 18."
Selay's eyes widened slightly. " Really? Mom and you were lover? "
" Yas we were, it was different love Between us, not close enough to be classified as real love or something . But its ture" Said Douzen.
" Then what happened?" Asked Selay.
Douzen stared into the fire. "I promised her I would protect the village. She said she'd return on her own, that I didn't need to come after her. But I was foolish... I ran off to save her, thinking I was doing the right thing. When I got there, I learned she had already escaped on her own and I ended up getting captured instead. She had to save me. And when she did... she asked me why I didn't trust her. She said I should've stayed and protected the village."
Douzen took a breath before continuing, pain tightening his voice. "When we returned, the village was gone. Burned down. Everyone...my family, her adoptive family, the villagers...all turned into creatures. We were attacked by the people we once loved. I had to fight and kill them… and Fiona had to kill the person who raised her."
Selay sat silently, stunned.
"After that," Douzen said, "our relationship ended. She told me I was irresponsible… that I broke her trust. She said if I had stayed in the village, we might've saved it. I was one of the strongest people there, and if I had listened, if I had stayed, we could've stopped the invasion. But I didn't. Because I ran off like a fool, the people she loved died. The entire village died."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"She told me she would've died to protect the village. That she didn't need saving...but the village did. And because I wasn't there…"
Douzen looked down. "After that, she left me. We went our separate ways."
Selay's voice trembled. "Mom left you? Why would she do that?"
"Well, I was angry at her at first when she left me alone. But eventually, I realized… she was right. If I hadn't gone to save her, she would have come back without a problem..and I could've stayed to protect the village. Maybe things would've turned out differently." Douzen sighed, the fire's glow flickering in his tired eyes.
"After a few days, I reached another village and decided to settle there. That's where I met Chaw. I fell in love with her, and we grew close. She was the first person I truly had a relationship with. What I had with your mom… it was more from my side. She never really let me get close, even though people called us lovers. She agreed to the title, but she always treated me more like a friend."
He paused, watching a spark leap from the fire.
"When I found Chaw, I was happy...really happy...to finally be loved the way I loved. I thought I'd leave the life of a warrior behind, live peacefully. But the village was attacked again... because of me. Because I had the Divine Wing."
He clenched his fists.
"We were outnumbered. I wasn't strong enough. They killed Chaw's family and her entire clan. We were saved by a group of warriors called Niosbane. And… your mom was the vice commander of that group. Then the commander who was your father asked me to join the team. Both me and Chaw joined Niosbane."
Douzen's voice softened.
"After that I reaized that Your mom still loved me... something I didn't know back then because i moved on thinking she hates me . But when she found out I was with Chaw, she let go of those feelings. We became friends again, leaving the past behind. Me, your father, Fiona, and the other Niosbane members eventually fought against Nios and saved the world."
He smiled faintly, then his eyes grew distant again.
"After that… Fiona married your father. The following month, I married Chaw. And despite all my faults and irresponsibility, Chaw never judged me. She accepted my irresponsibly . And now… she's dead. Because of my irresponsibility."
Douzen's voice trembled at the end. His face was heavy with guilt.
"It's not your fault! You can't just say it's your fault because you were late to save Aunt Chaw!" Selay shouted, voice cracking.
Douzen looked at her quietly. "Why do you think that? Aren't you angry with me? Aren't you sad that she's gone?"
Selay stood up abruptly, her face filled with emotion.
"What do you mean, I'm not angry?! She… she… after my mother died, she raised me like her own. She was like a second mother to me! I love her just as much as Diana and Doulong do! Just because I'm not crying doesn't mean I'm not sad !" Her voice broke as tears welled in her eyes.
Douzen walked toward her and gently patted her head. "I didn't mean it like that… It's just… Doulong hates me for what happened. That's why...."
"That still doesn't make you guilty! Stop blaming yourself!" Selay said sharply.
Douzen looked down, silent for a moment, then said, "Selay… I hope you never have to go through something like this. But there will be moments when people blame you. Like Doulong does. Like that woman whose husband died, blaming me. On the other hand Some people in the troop didn't blame me, you didn't blame me but In those moments… even when you know it wasn't your fault, you'll still blame yourself. You'll keep searching for a reason, a way to hold yourself responsible...again and again thousands of different ways. "
He turned away as his voice grew quieter.
"I'm blaming myself not because someone told me to… but because I truly blame myself."
then he slowly started to walk away into the night, Selay stood by the fire with motionless body and tears rolled down his cheeks, the flames reflecting in his eyes.
_________________
The next morning, Selay was standing by a pond, tossing rocks into the still water. Around him was a wide green field with a few scattered trees. His expression was hard and fire of anger was visible in his eyes, then with pressure he broke the stone of his hand.
Suddenly, a voice called from behind him.
"Selay… Oh! There you are! I finally found you!"
Selay turned around. "Diana?"
"Yeah, it's me," Diana said, smiling with relief.
Selay's gaze drifted toward the path leading to the main village. In the distance, he saw Doulong standing silently, watching him. But without a word, Doulong turned and began walking away.
"Doulo..." Selay called out, but Doulong didn't stop. He just kept walking, disappearing down the path.
"Forget about him," Diana said gently. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you since this morning."
"Oh... I came here early," Selay replied. Then he asked
"Where are you coming from?"
"From Mom's grave." Diana said, her voice heavy with emotion. "Doulong and I went there together."
She paused, her eyes filling with tears.
"Every time I think about her being gone, I just... I can't hold it in." Her voice broke down as she threw her arms around Selay, breaking into sobs. "It hurts so much!" she cried holding him tightly.
Doulong was walking silently on the path as he was thinking.
" A dragon killed Mom, huh...? he thought. I need to know everything about that dragon. The troop members...someone must have seen it."
Back at their house, the area was bustling. Knights were posted all around, and in the nearby field stood the rescued villagers from the previous day, gathered and waiting.
Douzen stood at a distance, facing them all. His expression was serious, his voice firm.
"I'm sorry for calling you all here this morning. But I need every one of you to clearly understand what this place is. This is a sanctuary I've created...to rescue people from Nios's grasp, to offer you a better life, and to build a force capable of standing against him."
From among the rescued people, a tall man with long red hair raised his voice.
"So this is just another form of slavery, huh? You're going to force us to fight your war against Nios?"
Douzen looked at him calmly. "What's your name?"
"Ajalas Siosima," the man said with a smirk.
"It's up to you, Ajalas," Douzen said calmly. "Whether you want to join the army or not, that's your choice. But building an army is one of our core objectives. We've divided villages based on purpose. The one you're standing in now, this is the Horseman Village. It's not as developed as the others, because this is where our warriors stay. We don't need a fancy life here. But there are other villages, places where people live more structured, peaceful lives. If you're not interested in becoming a warrior, you're welcome to move to one of them."
"What kind of warriors are you talking about?" a woman asked from the crowd.
"Warriors who are strong in spirit," Douzen replied. "Those who are willing to dedicate their lives to protect others...to fight for humanity's survival. I won't say more for now. Let's get to the point."
He stepped forward.
"Is there anyone here who believes they have the strength and the will to become a warrior? To fight against Nios and protect humankind? Don't worry,we'll train you."
The first to raise a hand was Ajalas, the red-haired man. "I'm in."
Behind him, a man standing beside his wife also raised his hand. "Me as well."
The woman turned to him, concerned. "Honey… are you sure about what you are saying ?"
He nodded. "We've suffered enough. If I don't fight now, I'll never forgive myself."
Slowly, a few more people raised their hands. Five in total. The last was a young girl who asked hesitantly, "Can a girl also become a warrior?"
A female knight nearby smiled and answered, "You sure can."
Douzen nodded. "Alright, your names will be registered. Please understand, we mean no harm. The rest of you will be relocated to other villages...except for the families of those who chose to stay and train."
Then, a boy raised his hand from the back of the crowd.
"Can I join too?" he asked.
Douzen looked at him. "You seem young. Talk to your parents first."
"I'm Nikola," the boy said, stepping forward. He had half-white, half-black curly hair and a deep scar across his face. "I have no one. They're all dead. I'm fifteen."
Douzen paused, then said, "Alright. You can join but not now.. maybe in future . But first, you'll need to pass a few tests. We'll decide after that."
Later that day, inside a large hall that had been repurposed as a temporary inn, knights and rescued villagers mingled, eating and drinking. The atmosphere was lively, filled with cautious hope.
Ajalas, holding a wooden mug, approached a server who was pouring milk.
"Why's this free?" Ajalas asked.
The man shrugged. "You'll need to start paying once you have jobs. But until then, you're guests here."
Ajalas nodded and walked toward a table, his thoughts dark.
" So this is where these humans are hiding, planning to kill Nios? How foolish... If I attacked this place right now, I doubt even their strongest could stop me."
He spotted Nikola sitting in a corner, eating bread.
"Move, kid," Ajalas said coldly.
"No. Sit somewhere else," Nikola replied without looking up.
"How arrogant… for a brat," Ajalas muttered. In a flash, he raised his hand to strike.
But before his blow could land, Nikola vanished and teleporting a short distance away with surprising ease.
From the corner, a knight who had been speaking with Doulong stood up and stepped toward Ajalas.
Doulong looking at Ajalas thought " Who is this guy?"
"What's going on here?" the knight asked sternly, stepping onto Ajalas's foot.
Ajalas let out a strange, loud scream more like a demon than a man. His eyes flared and without hesitation, his hand morphed into a sharp, crystal-like blade, and he lunged forward, punching straight through the knight's head.
Blood sprayed across the room as the knight collapsed.
The entire hall fell silent. Shocked gasps rippled through the crowd.
Ajalas stared at his hand, trembling slightly.
"Shit...What… what have I done...?"
To be continued…