I followed Haru through the forest, keeping to the shadows. Her steps were uneven — sometimes brisk, sometimes hesitant — like every stride was a fight against herself. She clutched a small bundle to her chest, her old hands trembling.
After a few minutes, she stopped at a small wooden hut, hidden behind thick trees. Two guards stood outside, armored with crude leather and bearing the king's insignia burned into their arms. They didn't speak, didn't move, only watched her in silence as she slipped inside.
Something felt wrong. Very wrong.
I crept around the side, found a narrow crack in the wall, and pressed my ear to it.
"Mother, please… I can't…"
That voice — soft, breaking — it was Hana.
"You must," Haru's voice came, low and unsteady. "It is the king's command, child. The elders have decided. We cannot disobey."
Her tone wasn't cold; it was shattered. Every word carried the sound of a woman strangled by duty.
"But this wasn't what I was prepared for," Hana said, sobbing. "Why me? Why now?"
There was a pause. A silence so thick I could hear Hana's faint gasps for air. Then Haru spoke again — slowly, as if her tongue was fighting her heart.
"The king's court met this morning. He intended to wed you."
Her voice faltered.
"But Queen Abiel… she spoke against it. She is the newest queen, and his most beloved. She told the king the soil is dying — that the land hungers for purity. She said if the king lies with you… and your blood soaks the soil, the god of the earth will bless the harvest again."
For a moment, there was nothing — no crying, no movement, no words. Just the sound of their breathing.
Hana finally whispered, barely audible.
"So… it's true. I'm to be sacrificed."
Haru's answer didn't come. Only the muffled sound of her falling to her knees. I heard her sob — not the soft cry of grief, but a raw, helpless wail torn from a mother's soul.
"Forgive me, Hana… please forgive me. I would take your place if I could, I swear it before every god that ever walked the skies."
"Then why won't you let me run?" Hana cried back, her voice trembling between fury and heartbreak. "Why do I have to die for a god that never saved us?"
"Because if you run," Haru said through tears, "they will kill us all — me, your father, every soul in this village. You'll doom everyone you love."
The sound that followed… wasn't words. It was Hana collapsing into her mother's arms. Their cries melted together — one of guilt, the other of despair.
And I stood there behind the wall, silent. My chest felt heavy.
I couldn't just stand there and listen anymore. My blood was boiling.
Before I knew it, I was already moving — feet pounding against the dirt road, heart echoing in my chest. The guards outside the hut turned the moment they saw me, their eyes widening in confusion for half a second before instinct took over.
No warning. No questions. Just cold steel and hostility.
One lunged first — I caught his wrist mid-swing and snapped my knee into his stomach. The impact lifted him off the ground. The second swung a club at my head; I ducked, pivoted, and let my heel crash against his jaw.
Two strikes. Two bodies hitting the ground.
They weren't dead — but unconscious. I might've overdone it… or maybe I just didn't care. The anger had already taken over.
The thud echoed through the trees, and the door burst open. Hana and Haru stepped out, both frozen the moment they saw me — and the two royal guards lying on the ground like ragdolls.
Their eyes were wide. Pale.
"Sir Ryuma!" Hana's voice trembled. "W-What have you done? Why are you here?"
"Yes, my lord!" Haru followed, panicked. "If anyone sees you—if the king's men find out—you'll bring the whole wrath of the palace upon us!"
I caught my breath, trying to control my voice. "I heard everything," I said finally. "About Hana. About what's going to happen."
Both women froze. Haru's lips parted, but no words came out.
"Miss Haru…" I stepped forward. "Is there no way to stop this? To save her?"
Haru lowered her gaze. Her hands trembled against her robes. You could see the war between fear and hope on her face — the way she wanted to believe there was a way, but couldn't bring herself to say it.
Finally, after a long silence, she spoke.
"There is… one way."
Hana looked at her mother, startled.
"Mother, what do you mean?"
Haru clenched her fists, as if saying the next words might curse her entire bloodline.
"You can't stop the king with reason. But… you can challenge him."
"Challenge?" I repeated.
"Yes," Haru said slowly, looking up at me. "By the ancient code of El-Dorado."
The name itself felt heavy — like something that carried centuries of blood and pride.
Hana's eyes widened, disbelief flooding her face.
"Mother, are you insane?" she cried. "An El-Dorado with the king? That's suicide!"
Haru turned toward her daughter, tears streaking down her wrinkled cheeks.
"It's madness, yes… but it's the only path left."
And I stood there, the pieces slowly falling into place.
An ancient challenge.A tyrant king.A girl condemned for the sake of superstition.
Maybe it was madness.But so was I, for even considering it.