At age 8, before his awakening, Haruto met her.
A silver-haired girl named Lina Valenheart.
She found him sitting alone by a river.
"You look lonely," she said.
She was the daughter of a retired knight who lived quietly near the border.
Her family took Haruto in often. Fed him. Let him train with wooden swords.
For the first time in two lives—
He had warmth.
Her father, Garrick, treated him like a son.Her mother, Eliza, called him "our second child."
Lina and Haruto grew up together.
They trained together.
They laughed together.
They promised:
"When we grow up, let's see the world beyond the war."
Their innocent love bloomed naturally.
Not spoken.
But understood.