The flames of war had not yet faded.But before everything was decided—the two warriors had to confirm each other's path.
1. A Meeting Between Two Powers
At the edge of the battlefield, beneath a night still trembling with the heat of war,Edwin and Damian stood face to face under the pale moonlight.Before the end, they had to speak—just once.
"You could kill me and take the throne for yourself."
Edwin's voice was calm, but within it lay a deep, searching question.He stood at the brink of the throne.And there was only one man who could stand in his way—Damian.
He was certain:The law of the strong dictated that the strongest would seize power.If that were true, then Damian eliminating him would be the most natural conclusion.
But Damian shattered that expectation.
"I have no intention of becoming king."
Edwin's eyes flickered."…Why?"
Damian slowly planted his sword into the ground.His gaze did not waver.
"I am the strong."
That one sentence explained everything.
2. The Path of the Strong, and the Choice
To walk the path of the strong did not mean to sit on a throne.A true strong one walked only their own road.
Damian had no desire for the crown.He simply followed the path his sword pointed toward.
"The strong walk the path of the strong."
His voice was steady, but the truth beneath it was undeniable.
"You becoming king—that is your path.But mine is different."
Edwin could not speak for a moment.
He remembered another strong one who once refused the throne.Then, and now—Not all warriors chose the same road.
He muttered softly,"…Perhaps."
A faint smile touched his lips.
He had tasted defeat before.When the kingdom abandoned him, he left to find his own way.And at the end of that path stood the throne.
Then what stood at the end of Damian's?
"Walk your path," Edwin said."I will walk mine."
The two warriors understood each other.Though they looked toward the same horizon,the roads they would take to get there were different.
***
Chapter : Imperfect Victory
The war was over.And yet, its end was not met with celebration.Crumbled walls, scorched banners, and blood-soaked earth.A flag of victory rose high—but beneath it, countless soldiers lay fallen.
A child wept, clutching a broken wooden sword.It had been a gift from his father.But now, his father was nowhere to be found.
1. The Final Battle Between Men
The herald of the gods had fallen.But the war did not end there.
The remnants of the royal army resisted with desperate fury.They refused to accept defeat.They fought to the last, determined to drag their enemies down with them.
Edwin's forces, already drenched in blood, summoned their last strength.Walls collapsed. The royal court burned.The kingdom could no longer hold.
And at last—Edwin's army seized the heart of the realm.
The enemy commander knelt before the ruined gate,laying down his sword as he whispered,
"…Is this the end?"
In his eyes was a mix of resignation and relief.Worse than death was watching one's country change before their eyes.
2. Those Who Walked the Path of the Strong
News of the war's end spread swiftly.Bloodied soldiers shouted cries of triumph.But Edwin and Damian simply stood in silence, gazing across the battlefield.
Two warriors who once crossed swords—now stared in the same direction.
"We won," Edwin murmured.But there was no certainty in his voice.
He had become king.Yet he could not say if the kingdom he had gained was whole.
The path of the strong is not an easy one.It brings not only victory, but also defeat—and sacrifice.
Damian looked toward the wounded soldiers.They cried victory, but pain still filled their eyes.
He wanted to ask himself—Is this the path of the strong?
To be strong isn't just to win battles—It's to bear the weight of the victories.
3. The Reality After Victory
A child cried in the distance.His mother clutched her fallen husband on the battlefield.
Wounded soldiers groaned in agony.They had survived—but could they ever return to the lives they once knew?
Lars Vark removed his bloodstained armor,gazing up at the sky.He had lost his path as a holy knight.And yet he knew—he still had to fight.
He murmured to himself,"Whatever the gods may will… we must walk our own path."
Edwin looked up at his flag fluttering in the sky and quietly said,"We have won."
But no one rejoiced at those words.The victor becomes king—but what is lost in war cannot be reclaimed.
That was the price of victory.
4. An Imperfect Victory
Night fell.The battlefield grew quiet,but fires still smoldered across the land.
Wind swept over the ruins of the fallen walls.The war had ended.But nothing guaranteed that another wouldn't begin.
The law of the strong would continue.
One man had become king.One had been defeated.And another, somewhere, was sharpening his blade to become the next strong.
Damian knew this.
5. And Toward What Comes Next
Edwin had taken the throne.But his journey was far from over.
Damian had left the battlefield.But he was still walking his path.
Now, they must each go their own way.
The strong walk the path of the strong.
And what awaits at the end of that road—No one knows.
**
Chapter : Traces of War – A Kingdom Rising from the Ruins
The war had ended.
But the city, now reduced to rubble, still swallowed pain in silence.There were victors. The defeated had vanished.Yet what remained was not glory, but bloodstained stone roads and shattered ramparts.
The cries of children. The groans of the wounded.Those wandering aimlessly through collapsed buildings.There were no more enemies left to fight—but another war had begun: an invisible battle called reconstruction.
1. Damien's Party – After the War
Damien walked quietly through the ruined town.
It wasn't the first war he had witnessed.But the aftermath never got easier.Ian muttered under his breath,"…Moments like this weigh heavier than battle."Leon nodded."Even after the war ends, the ones left behind still keep fighting."
Wounded soldiers sprawled in the streets.Children roaming in search of lost families.Elderly men staring blankly at the ruins of their homes.
The Law of the Strong.The strong survive. The victor claims all.That was the law of this world.
But here, now—there were no victors or vanquished.Only survivors, all struggling to endure amidst the ruins.
Damien paused to take in the scene.What meaning did his sword, his strength, have in a place like this?What was needed now… was a different kind of power.
2. Magic Becomes Healing
"Use magic."
That was Edwin's command.
The Wizard Guild and Sorcerers had long used magic for war.But now, it was time to wield it for restoration.
Healing spells were cast upon the wounded.Collapsed walls rose again through earth and stone magic.A fractured bridge floated and reassembled itself midair.
At first, the wizards protested."We are warriors, not laborers."
But over time, they began to understand.Magic was not only a force to kill.It could heal. Rebuild. Give hope.
They purified water.Restored scorched land.Brought relief to the sick.
For the first time, the magic-wielders saw a new path.Their power would become even more potent in the new age to come.
3. Damien's Party – Hands in the Dust
Magic helped. But not everything could be solved with a spell.
Damien watched buildings rise by arcane force.Then he looked toward the scattered debris left untouched.
He set his sword aside—and lifted a fallen stone with his bare hands.
"What are you staring at? Help."
Ian blinked."…We're doing this ourselves?"
Damien said nothing. Just kept moving.
Cain sighed and joined in.Leon stopped casting spells and began dragging splintered beams.Ian, grumbling, followed reluctantly.
"I'm a thief, not a stonemason, dammit!"
Magic and manpower moved in tandem.Mages cast. Soldiers hauled.Even common folk joined in.
Here, there were no nobles. No warriors. No strong or weak.Only people, rebuilding a world—together.
4. Edwin's First Steps as King
The war was over, but the kingdom remained in chaos.
Edwin now sat upon the throne.But countless challenges awaited.
The Wizard Guild lent him strength but held doubts.The sorcerers yearned for change, but their ranks were fractured.The nobility feared him—yet could not deny his command.
Still, he did not hesitate.
He laid down his sword—and picked up the hammer.
Not a king of war,but a king of builders.
Damien watched and whispered,"What does the strong leave behind?"
The Law of the Strong—was not just about who ruled.It was about who would build the world to come.
Edwin had tasted defeat.But he had risen again.From rebel to king, from general to ruler—Now he was forging a new path,one step at a time.
***
Chapter : Those Who Leave, and Those Who Remain – The Next Journey
As reconstruction progressed, Damien's party prepared to move again.
They had stayed to help the war effort.But now, their work was done.
Ian exhaled deeply, face worn with fatigue."Finally… done playing construction crew?"
Leon replied quietly,"…Once this place settles, we move on."
Cain gripped his bow."Where to, then?"
Damien, silent for a moment, reached for his sword.
He had realized something—this was not the end.
The war had ended, yes.But the world was still in turmoil.The Law of the Strong still held sway.
A new king had risen,but the flow of the world never ceased.
"We have somewhere to be."
His gaze turned far—toward the horizon,where new possibilities awaited.
A new era had begun.And with it… came the call for new champions.
2. Departing and Remaining
As they mounted their horses, ready to leave,a lone figure stood atop the rampart.
Edwin.
He watched them in silence.
No longer the commander of rebels—He was now the ruler of a kingdom.
Damien looked up and offered a respectful nod.Edwin returned it, slowly.
They were no longer comrades.But they understood each other.Two strong men walking separate paths.
3. Toward the Next Flame
They passed the border. Endless plains stretched before them.The road ahead was wide.Anywhere was possible.
But the world had not gone still.
Far away—in a city with an unfamiliar name,in a land steeped in forgotten legend,new forces had begun to stir.
And soon, Damien and his companionswould be swept into that great tide once more.
What awaited them?Who would rise to stand in their way?
A new journey had begun.