An ordinary day was unfolding as usual.
Documents, reports, resolving small disputes — nothing new. Kai had long since stopped paying much attention to it. His hands did the work on their own while his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
He could easily delegate this work to one of his subordinates. But sometimes tasks like this even helped him relax, so he often handled the paperwork himself.
Kai set aside another scroll, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and leaned back in his chair.
Of course, this wasn't his main job.
He was the commander-in-chief of the knightly order of the Kingdom of Elysium. And one of the king's five "Fingers," serving King Carlos Elysium IV.
For someone only twenty-seven years old, he had already achieved a great deal.
And that earned him respect.
At the age of twelve he had been selected to study at the kingdom's knight academy.
By fifteen he had already reached B-rank, and at seventeen he became a full-fledged knight.
By the time he was nearing twenty, he had been entrusted with his own army, for which he bore full responsibility.
He was considered a gifted warrior and a natural-born leader. Despite his status, Kai remained a rather modest person and often felt embarrassed when people praised him.
He sent almost all of his salary to his father in the village. It amounted to about forty gold a year.
Lately he rarely visited his father because of the workload and responsibilities piling up. He wasn't allowed to leave the kingdom without a serious reason, so more often it was his father who traveled to the city to see him.
But today was different.
Just as Kai was nearly finished with his paperwork, his father suddenly contacted him through a mental link.
His father rarely reached out like this — just barging into his mind without warning.
Usually he sent a short mental message first, asking if it was a good time to talk.
After that, Kai's father quickly explained the situation. He told him that refugees had arrived in the village — tieflings whose village had recently been destroyed by the Reapers.
According to them, after the attack the Reapers moved on — and were most likely heading toward their village now.
It was only a matter of time before they arrived.
After hearing his father out, Kai clicked his tongue and slammed his fist onto the desk.
Kai paused for a second when he heard the unfamiliar name.
He was about to ask more, but his father interrupted him.
Kai exhaled shortly and leaned back in his chair, gathering his thoughts.
Kai tensed.
He knew exactly how long the road from the city to the village took. Even on good horses — about three days.
They could use pegasi… but that would only shorten the trip by about a day.
It still might not be enough.
With that, the conversation ended.
Kai rose from his seat, threw his jacket over his shoulders as he walked, and left the room.
.
.
.
The King of Elysium was in his chambers, playing a game of chess with one of his five "Fingers" — Gerdar.
Both of them understood the game well and were roughly equal in skill, so every match between them dragged on and stayed tense until the very end.
There were almost no pieces left on the board. A few pawns, a rook on the king's side, and a couple of pieces for Gerdar. The game had entered that stage where a single mistake could cost the victory.
They calculated moves several steps ahead, moving the pieces slowly. Every move was deliberate, without unnecessary motion.
The room was silent. Only the occasional sound of a piece touching the board.
The king frowned slightly as he looked over the board. His king was cornered, with almost no space left to maneuver.
Gerdar made his move, sliding his rook forward.
The king froze for a second, evaluating the position.
There was no way out.
The silence was broken by Gerdar's calm voice:
— Checkmate.
The king leaned back in his chair, stretched, and rolled his shoulders — he had barely moved during the game.
It was already their third match of the day… and Gerdar's second victory.
Gerdar was an excellent strategist. All military operations were planned by him, while their execution was handled by the king's second "Finger" — Kai — along with the kingdom's other forces.
Even though the kingdom maintained neutrality and never entered conflicts first, having an army and figures like the five "Fingers" ensured its security and allowed it to maintain one of the leading military powers in the world.
Just as they were about to begin their fourth match of the day, a quick knock sounded at the door, and it opened almost immediately.
Not everyone was allowed to burst into the king's private chambers like that. Only the closest individuals could do such a thing.
Soon a voice was heard:
— Lord Elysium, may i enter?
The king raised his eyes and saw Kai — the second Finger.
He was indeed one of the few allowed to enter without much warning… but he usually didn't abuse that privilege.
This was the first time Kai had entered so abruptly.
And that immediately raised concern.
— What happened, Kai?
Kai stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and stopped beside the table where they had been playing.
— The village of Fersuls is in danger. A Reaper squad is preparing to attack it. I've already ordered my group to move out.
The king knew that village. And he understood why Kai was so tense. But he still asked:
— Where did the information come from?
— My father contacted me.
The king nodded slightly.
He personally knew Garen. In the past, Garen had not only been his subordinate but also a close friend. For many years he had served as the king's second Finger before retiring and passing the position to his son.
Garen wasn't the kind of man who raised alarms without reason.
If he said there was a threat — then there was.
Even a man as strong as him wouldn't be able to handle even ten Reapers alone. Let alone an entire squad.
The king studied Kai carefully.
— In that case… why did you come to me?
Kai hesitated for a moment but quickly composed himself. He cleared his throat and answered:
— Allow me to leave for the village for a short time. I want to personally deal with the threat.
The king understood perfectly what this was about. It wasn't just a village — Kai's father and younger sister lived there.
But in the army, such things were not taken into account.
Personal attachments, family, the past — all of that came second. For a knight, service and the safety of the kingdom always came first. Everything else came after.
That was what they had been taught from the very beginning.
The king knew Kai understood that as well as he did. And yet right now he stood here not as a commander… but as a son.
If the king hadn't personally known Garen and been on good terms with him, he probably would have simply dismissed the request.
He would have said that Kai's squad could handle it on their own, as they had many times before. That this was a routine task for knights of their level, and the intervention of the commander-in-chief was unnecessary.
But this time things were different.
It wasn't just some distant village.
Someone the king trusted lived there. Someone whose judgment he respected.
And so today he didn't pretend it had nothing to do with him.
— Very well. You may go.
The king nodded, allowing Kai to act.
Kai noticeably exhaled, gave a short nod in return, and saluted. Then he turned and quickly headed for the exit without wasting a second.
The door closed behind him.
For a moment the king kept his gaze on the closed door and smiled faintly — Kai didn't see it.
Then he calmly returned his attention to the chessboard.