A day has passed since the invasion of Cortan. As mentioned before, the spell used by the sorcerer Klaes to control people wears off after a day. Connor wakes up in the aircraft, shocked by the news of his father's death at the hands of Alvarez and Cortan's subjugation by the Vikings. While he mourns with his sister, Onen pilots the ship and thinks:
(I really didn't expect this. Cortan fell? From an external attack? I thought maybe a rebellion inside the kingdom would happen, someone would kill Clinton and take his place—there are plenty of gangs in Cortan. But an army from outside conquering the entire kingdom? Who was that person anyway—the one who killed Clinton? I saw him create a lightsaber with his own hands. He must have crafted advanced weapons and given them to the Vikings. Is it some kind of magic? I don't know. Life really wants to torture me gradually. First I lost my parents, then my home, and now my entire kingdom. What will I lose next? Well, the bright side of this chaos is that I managed to save Connor and his sister. That's the first good thing I've done in a long time, though I also failed to save their father…)
Samantha tries to stop crying and wipes her tears with a handkerchief. Connor speaks to her:
"Our father always prepared me for this moment, teaching me that one day he would die and I'd be alone. He always told me to face problems on my own, without his help. He once said, don't let my death stop you from living and protecting our kingdom. And that's exactly what I will do. I'm sad about his death, but I won't give up. I will free our kingdom from Alvarez and his followers."
Samantha: "But how? He has an entire army, and we're only three."
Connor: "We'll ask another kingdom for help, a force to aid us in liberating Cortan. We'll explore the world and look for magical or supernatural resources that can help. If Alvarez found a way to create weapons from nothing, I'm sure we can find something similar. We'll scour the world for anything that can help us free our kingdom—anything."
Samantha is impressed: "I was sad about Dad's death, but hearing this lifts my mood a bit. You're right. The lesson I learned yesterday is that nothing is impossible. We always said Cortan could never fall to an external attack… but it did. If the strongest kingdom can fall, then it can be restored too."
Onen clears his throat: "Ahem… ahem."
The siblings turn to see what Onen wants.
Onen: "I'll join you in your mission—but I want a financial reward in return."
Connor: "Money? Don't you have any honor? You're helping to free your homeland and your goal is money? Are you really that greedy?"
Onen: "I'm not greedy. I just want money to cover my needs, like any normal person."
Connor knows they need every possible ally, so refusing Onen's help would be foolish. He agrees.
Samantha: "Guys, we need to land the ship in the forest. We're too exposed in the sky."
Onen lands the large ship, which has two bedrooms. He steps out to breathe some air. Connor tosses him a stick:
Connor: "Want to train?"
Connor: "Yes. During our previous fight in Cortan, you displayed incredible skill in combat. I felt you could beat me. But you held back after removing your mask. I want to learn some of your techniques."
Onen: "Sorry, I don't like sharing my skills for personal reasons."
Connor: "Onen, you must understand—we three survived Alvarez's rule. That means we're targets, and Alvarez will likely send mercenaries after us. We need to use each other's skills. Are your personal reasons really more important than our survival?"
Onen is convinced. They train together until sunset. Afterwards, they rest, and a conversation begins:
Connor: "That was great. I really admire your fighting style. Who trained you?"
Onen: "No. That's personal information."
Connor: "What about the money you asked for? You said you want to use it to cover your needs. What exactly do you need?"
Onen: "That's personal too."
Connor: "Sheesh… you're really closed off."
Onen: "I just don't like sharing personal info with someone who isn't my friend."
Connor: "Alright… oh, I forgot—thanks for saving me and my sister. I truly appreciate it. I owe you."
Connor returns to the ship. Onen thinks:
(He thanked me… hearing that makes me feel something good I haven't felt before. Maybe I should stop being closed off and start talking to him normally. Sharing some personal info won't hurt. Even Samantha has been kind to me. Alright, I'll try to open up. After all, we three need to trust each other.)
That night, the three sleep in the ship—Onen alone in one room, Samantha and Connor in the other (different beds). Samantha wakes up to bake Connor's favorite meal, an apple pie, to lift his mood. But there's a problem: no apples.
Samantha knocks on Onen's door, waking him.
Onen, groggy, opens the door. Samantha smiles:
"Oh hi Onen. I know it's late, but I want to bake an apple pie for my brother. There are no apples, so I need to go pick some. Can you come with me? It might be dangerous—wolves or something…"
Part of Onen wants to grab his sword and cut her in half, but he ultimately agrees because of her sweet approach.
They go to gather apples. Along the way:
Samantha: "I'm sorry for waking you. I just wanted to surprise my brother with his favorite meal. Apple pie is delicious, and I'm sure you'll like it too."
Onen: "It's fine."
Samantha: "I think your personality is interesting. A mercenary helping us free our homeland? That's noble."
Onen: "You know I'm doing it for money, right?"
Samantha: "Many people take on noble tasks for money, and end up doing it because it's the right thing. I think you'll be like them."
Onen: "You have a funny way of analyzing things."
They gather the apples and return to the ship.
---
The next morning, Connor finds his favorite meal on the table:
Connor: "Wow, I didn't expect this!"
They eat together. The mood is quiet and slightly tense—no one knows what to say, as bonds are still forming.
Suddenly, a bomb shatters the ship's window and explodes at the breakfast table.
From afar, Viking #1 observes through binoculars:
"Heh, that was easier than I thought."
Viking #2: "Don't celebrate yet. We need to make sure they're dead."
Viking #1: "Do you think we're in some fantasy story a bored kid wrote? Of course they're dead. No one survives that explosion."
Viking #2: "Alvarez's orders were clear—take pictures of the bodies to confirm."
Viking #1: "Bodies? They probably vaporized."
Viking #2: "There must be remains—they didn't explode only in one spot, the bomb spread throughout the ship."
Viking #1: "Ugh, fine, let's waste time searching."
They put out the fire and search the wreckage. There are no bodies.
Viking #2: "No remains… not even blood. They must've survived somehow."
Viking #1 spots red liquid: "What about this? It must be blood."
Viking #2: "That's apple pie, you idiot. We need to find them. If we fail, Alvarez will kill us."
Onen and Connor ambush Vikings #1 and #2. The two escaped just in time.
Viking #2 wields two short lightsabers and a charged rod that electrocutes anything it touches.
Connor faces Viking #2—difficult to fight someone wielding a single saber—but Onen had taught him how to handle such situations.
Meanwhile, Viking #1 traps Onen with the electric cord. Onen screams in pain.
Viking #1: "If you hadn't survived the explosion, you'd be dead and spared this pain!"
Samantha attacks Viking #1 with a rock, saving Onen. Onen breaks the cord.
Connor defeats Viking #2, disarms him, and interrogates:
Connor: "Before I decide what to do, tell me—what is Alvarez doing in Cortan?"
Viking #2: "We didn't tell you… even if you threaten our lives. Our loyalty to Alvarez…"
Fear makes Viking #1 speak: "He's trying to make the people love King Alfred. He ordered them to build a statue, study his history. Anyone insulting him is punished."
Connor: "That bastard… trying to make the people love the one who killed their king… our mother."
Onen moves to kill the Vikings, but Connor stops him:
Connor: "No need—they're unarmed and can't return to Alvarez. He would kill them for failing and use them as examples."
Vikings #1 & #2: "Are you letting us go?"
Connor: "Yes. Go do something better than blowing up people's ships."
The Vikings leave, bickering.
---
Samantha: "I'm proud of you, brother. You're improving."
Onen: "Proud of what? That's stupid. You should've killed them. They could return and kill us when they get the chance."
Connor: "I said there was no need—they were submissive and unarmed. I won't kill anyone in this situation. Mercenaries like you won't understand."
Onen gets annoyed, about to retort, but Samantha interrupts:
Samantha: "No time for arguing. Our ship's destroyed—we need a new place to sleep tonight."
Connor: "Right… let's find a cave and make a fire."
They find a cave. Connor begins training Samantha in sword fighting, but she struggles:
Samantha: "Do we really need to do this?"
Connor: "Yes, we must strengthen each other to face the dangers ahead."
Samantha: "I mean, I'm not suited for close combat. Long-range attacks suit me better—like sniper or pistol."
Connor: "We have nothing else—sword fighting is all we have. Especially since the attackers left their lightsabers."
Samantha: "I don't think I can master this style."
Connor: "You should've trained as a Knight of Light instead of focusing on psychology."
Samantha: "Hey, psychology is important…"
Onen: "Can I borrow your lightsaber?"
Connor: "Why?"
Onen: "I'll use it to start a fire to keep us warm."
He ignites the fire; they sit around it.
Onen finally opens up:
Onen: "I don't like killing."
Connor: "What?"
Onen: "You assumed mercenaries enjoy killing. I don't. I only do this because I have no other choice. Killing is my only skill. My boss pays me for it. I can't survive as a cleaner or shopkeeper—the pay isn't enough. That's why I didn't want to teach you—I don't want others using my skills to kill. I'll bear this burden alone. That's why I don't like killing."
Connor: "…I understand now. I didn't realize. I've had similar issues. I became a Knight of Light and had to kill a criminal during a mission. It affected me psychologically, almost made me quit. Over time, I got used to it, even enjoyed it… until my family convinced me I was wrong. Now I try to be mature and follow the knight's code."
Onen: "Wow… the prince and I share similar problems?"
Connor laughs: "Yes, even I'm surprised."
Samantha: "Onen, you don't need to be a mercenary. After we free our kingdom, you could work with us as a Knight of Light."
Onen: "Don't you need a diploma for that?"
Samantha: "In the past, yes. But I'll change that system to focus on talent, not a stupid certificate."
Connor: "You could also help catch gangs since you know them. Maybe we'll use you as a spy."
Onen: "Yes, there are many gangs in Cortan. No offense, but your father ignored them."
Samantha: "It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes, even rulers. It's our job as heirs to fix them."
Through this conversation, their relationship strengthens. They go to sleep in the cave, Connor keeping watch while Onen sleeps, happy to have new friends and a promising future.