Dawn was faint, the light creeping in like pale threads through the walls of the old wooden house. Leo stood at the door, his simple bag slung over his back, Dreyvis at his side, while Loki remained inside, arms crossed, watching them in heavy silence.
At last, Loki spoke:
— "Don't trust anyone easily. The world beyond this mountain is not like the peace you've known here… but it will show you who you truly are."
Leo stepped closer, saying nothing. He simply extended his hand. Loki shook it, then suddenly pulled him into a silent embrace—longer than they were used to. It wasn't the first time they parted… but this one was heavier.
Loki whispered:
— "Never forget who you are… and don't waste what's inside you."
Then he turned to Dreyvis, sharing a brief glance, one filled with respect.
Dreyvis nodded:
— "I'll watch over him… like a brother."
Loki gave a faint smile—one rarely seen on his face—then stepped aside, pointing to the muddy path stretching between the trees.
**
As they walked away from the cabin, Leo remained silent. He didn't look back—he didn't need to. Every part of him was already saying goodbye. His steps were steady, but his eyes betrayed his balance. One look at his face would be enough to tell: he wasn't leaving a house… he was leaving a piece of his heart.
After a while, Dreyvis said:
— "You'll miss him, won't you?"
Leo replied without looking at him:
— "He taught me how to live, even when I didn't know why I should."
He paused, then added more quietly:
— "But the road lies ahead… and I'll walk it to the end."
**
Hours passed as they trekked through forests that seemed to sleep standing. Neither spoke, until Dreyvis broke the silence:
— "Leo… I've wanted to ask for a while: what happened to your parents? And where did all this experience come from? How do you fight like that?"
Leo stopped for a moment, eyes fixed ahead as if something in his memory cracked. Then he said calmly:
— "Shall I tell you how it all began?"
Before Dreyvis could answer, Leo's mind had already slipped into the past…
**
[Flashback – When Leo Was a Child]
Darkness cloaked the room. Suddenly… a small spark of light appeared. It wasn't fire, nor moonlight… but energy, emerging from the chest of a small boy. He stood in the middle of a stone room, drenched in sweat, arm extended, his face tense with strain.
A rough, calm voice said:
— "Don't resist it… let it out."
Loki stood behind him, watching closely, eyes scanning every movement, as if guarding the boy from himself.
The child collapsed suddenly, chest heaving.
Loki rushed over and lifted him into his arms, saying:
— "Well done… You've begun to feel it. Just feeling it is the first step."
He carried him to bed and covered him, like a father masking his care beneath a teacher's mask.
**
The next day, the sun was scorching. Young Leo stood in the middle of a field, a tree trunk across his shoulders, swaying with exhaustion, while Loki's voice rang out from afar:
— "Straighten your back! This isn't about physical strength… it's about the strength of your will!"
Leo panted but didn't fall. He fell every day—but never quit.
At night, Loki would sit beside him, place water and a small piece of meat at his side.
One day, the child asked:
— "Am I your son?"
Loki froze for a second, then said:
— "You are my son more than anything else in my life."
The boy never asked again.
**
The flashback ended. Back in the present, Leo walked beside Dreyvis, eyes fixed ahead.
He said quietly:
— "He raised me… made me wake up every day and challenge myself. I don't know who my real parents are… but I know who saved me from death, and who made me what I am now."
Dreyvis said nothing—only gave him a look full of admiration and respect.
**
At that very moment, elsewhere… Loki was walking down a long corridor inside one of Kraken's palaces, until he reached a grand hall. There sat the High Sovereign—a pale-faced man with eyes that seemed to see beyond the present.
He spoke calmly:
— "Loki… He's Vander's son, isn't he?"
Loki paused, then nodded without hesitation:
— "Yes. He is."
The Sovereign stepped closer:
— "I'll need to know everything. How did he end up with you? And what happened to the mother?"
Loki replied with a heavy voice:
— "I'll tell you everything… but not now."
Then he turned to leave, as a flicker of awe—and a trace of fear—crossed the Sovereign's face.
**
On the road to Luthoria, just before the kingdom's borders came into view, Leo and Dreyvis suddenly heard a rumbling ahead. They stopped, eyes scanning… and from between the trees emerged massive creatures, led by a demon with a hulking body, glowing eyes of evil, and surrounded by hideous black dwarves wielding twisted short swords.
Dreyvis said calmly:
— "Seems the road won't be easy."
Leo replied:
— "No… but it'll be fun."
And with that, they both surged forward… In an instant, bodies were flying, light flashing, and shadows shattering.
The battle didn't last long. The demon fell, and the dwarves vanished as if they were nothing but shadows. Leo and Dreyvis stood breathing hard, then exchanged a silent glance.
**
Hours later, the outline of Luthoria emerged… and the white walls of its capital rose into view: Arethylia.
Leo said in a low voice:
— "Here we go."