《Crimson Lotus》 Prologue The Crimson Lotus Awakens The land of Aikyo had always been one of strife. The rivers carried the weight of forgotten wars, and the mountains whispered the names of fallen warriors. Zankoku, the empire of ruthless conquest, had stretched its claws deep into foreign lands, claiming dominion over kingdoms that once stood proud. Yet, in the heart of resistance, there was Aikyo¡¯s royal family¡ªa lineage of rulers and warriors who refused to kneel. At the center of it all were three heirs, bound by blood and duty: Sat¨­ Hime, the eldest, the tactician whose mind was sharper than the finest blade. Sat¨­ Hana, the middle sister, a sword mage whose skill was growing but had yet to reach its peak. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Sat¨­ Haruka, the youngest, a tempest of raw power and unwavering defiance. As royal heirs, they carried the weight of Aikyo¡¯s survival. Their people looked to them for leadership, for protection. But war was cruel, and fate was unforgiving. Hana¡¯s grip tightened around the hilt of her sword, its weight grounding her. She was strong, but not invincible. Not yet. Her power was a flickering flame, not yet the wildfire it would become. Hime¡¯s voice cut through the silence. ¡°The battle is coming. Are you ready?¡± Hana exhaled, steadying herself. ¡°I have to be.¡± Because in war, there were no second chances. The Crimson Lotus was about to bloom once more. Chapter 1: The Resistance, The Blade, and Ambush The air inside the war tent was heavy with tension. Three figures stood around a large wooden table, illuminated by flickering lantern light. The map laid before them bore the scars of countless strategic discussions¡ªink marks for movements, red stains marking fallen strongholds. Hime¡¯s sharp eyes traced the routes. ¡°Zankoku¡¯s forces are moving faster than expected. If they keep this up, we¡¯ll be completely surrounded within the week.¡± Haruka scoffed, arms crossed. ¡°Then let¡¯s not wait. If we push forward now, we can catch them off guard before they set their full formation.¡± Hana, standing between her two sisters, tightened her grip on the hilt of her katana. She wasn¡¯t the strongest, nor the fastest, but she understood one thing¡ªrecklessness led to death. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what they want,¡± she countered, her voice steady but firm. ¡°If we rush in blind, we¡¯ll be walking into a slaughter.¡± Haruka turned to her, frustration flashing in her crimson eyes. ¡°You always say that, Hana! If we keep hesitating, we¡¯ll lose everything before we even draw our blades.¡± ¡°And if we make one wrong move, we¡¯ll lose even faster.¡± The air between them tensed, but Hime was quick to step in. She raised a hand, her expression unreadable as she silenced them both. ¡°Enough. We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Her gaze flickered between them before she tapped a spot on the map. ¡°Captain Kenjiro will lead the defense on the eastern front. That should buy us time. As for us¡ª¡± she hesitated, watching Haruka¡¯s growing impatience, ¡°¡ªwe¡¯ll strike the scouting forces at the western pass. But we don¡¯t engage in full combat. We test their formation, gather intel, and retreat.¡± Haruka frowned. ¡°And if we get cornered?¡± Hime¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Then we fight.¡± Hana swallowed hard. They all knew what that meant. If they fought, not all of them would make it back alive. --- Aikyo¡¯s Camp ¨C Midnight The night was eerily quiet, save for the occasional crackle of burning wood from the campfires. The soldiers of Aikyo gathered in small clusters, sharpening their blades, murmuring quiet prayers, or simply sitting in contemplative silence. Hana stood outside her tent, gazing at the distant mountains. Beyond those peaks, Zankoku¡¯s forces were waiting. War was always in motion, even in silence. She was pulled from her thoughts when a familiar voice spoke beside her. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much again.¡± Haruka leaned against a nearby post, arms folded, her expression softer than before. Hana sighed. ¡°We should be thinking. War isn¡¯t about who swings harder.¡± Haruka scoffed. ¡°Maybe. But sometimes, swinging harder is the only way to survive.¡± There was a long pause before Hana finally said, ¡°Do you ever think about¡­ after?¡± Haruka blinked. ¡°After what?¡± Hana hesitated, then shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡± There was no ¡®after¡¯ if they didn¡¯t make it through tomorrow. --- Western Pass ¨C Early morning The early morning fog clung to the earth like a ghostly veil, concealing the movement of Aikyo¡¯s forces as they approached the western pass. Hime signaled for silence, and the soldiers followed suit, moving like shadows in the mist. At the center of their formation, Captain Kenjiro adjusted his grip on his sword. Unlike the younger warriors, his expression was unreadable, hardened by years of experience. ¡°Zankoku isn¡¯t careless,¡± he murmured, just loud enough for Hime to hear. ¡°If they¡¯re here, they¡¯re ready for us.¡± Hime nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why we move first.¡± They advanced, step by step, until¡ª A distant horn blared through the valley. Hime¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s a trap¡ª!¡± Before she could react, arrows rained down from above, piercing into the ground and the shields of their soldiers. Screams erupted as the Zankoku warriors emerged from the fog, their crimson armor glinting in the morning light. General Raiga stepped forward, his massive figure standing like an immovable wall. ¡°The royal heirs of Aikyo,¡± he mused, his voice deep and laced with amusement. ¡°I expected more from you.¡± Hime drew her sword, unfazed. ¡°And yet you needed an ambush to face us.¡± Raiga grinned. ¡°Efficiency is not cowardice. It¡¯s victory.¡± With a sharp motion of his hand, Zankoku¡¯s forces surged forward. The battle had begun. The valley erupted into chaos. The clash of steel, the cries of warriors, and the thunderous stomping of charging soldiers filled the air. The Zankoku army moved like a disciplined machine, their formations cutting through the battlefield like a razor. General Raiga stood at the center, observing with amusement ¡°Aikyo¡¯s heirs¡­ Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re worth killing.¡± Hime, ever the strategist, reacted first. ¡°Break their front line! Move now!¡± Captain Kenjiro raised his sword. ¡°Forward! Shields up! Hold your ground!¡± The Aikyo soldiers surged forward, intercepting the Zankoku warriors in a clash of raw strength. Blades clashed, sparks flew, and the scent of blood filled the air. Hana moved swiftly, her sword cutting through the enemy ranks with precise strikes. She wasn¡¯t the strongest, but she made up for it with speed and intelligence. ¡°Shinkir¨­ - Zan!¡± (Mirage Slash) Her blade blurred through the air, creating an illusion that distorted her opponent¡¯s vision. A Zankoku soldier swung at where she was, but she had already moved. Her sword met his armor, cutting deep. But she wasn¡¯t fast enough. A second warrior rushed her from the side¡ªHana turned, but too late. A spear lunged toward her chest. Her instinct took over. She reached deep into her power, and¡ª Reality bent. The spear stopped mid-air for a fraction of a second. The world around her distorted like rippling water, as if time itself hesitated. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Then¡ªSNAP. Everything returned to normal, and the spear flew past her, missing by mere inches. The enemy stumbled backward, confused. But Hana knew. That wasn¡¯t skill¡ªthat was her power activating on its own. And then the pain hit her. Her vision swam. Her body screamed in protest. She clutched her chest, her breath sharp and uneven. Not now. Not here. She forced herself to stay upright. She had to fight. But then¡ª A shadow loomed over her. A massive Zankoku warrior raised his axe, ready to strike. Haruka saw it happen. Hana was open. Defenseless ¡°No¡ª! Hana!¡± She lunged forward, cutting through the enemy in her path, but she was too far away. The axe came down. But before it could strike¡ª A sword blocked the blow. Captain Kenjiro had stepped in. The sheer force of the attack pushed Kenjiro back, but he held firm. ¡°Stay focused, Hana!¡± he barked. ¡°You hesitate, you die!¡± Hana tried to respond, but her legs gave out beneath her. Everything blurred. Her body felt like it was being crushed from the inside She heard distant voices¡ªHime shouting orders, Haruka cursing as she cut through enemy ranks. The world faded in and out of focus. She felt herself falling. Then¡ªdarkness. Hime saw Hana collapse and gritted her teeth. "Damn it". She had known this moment would come, but not this soon. ¡°Form a defensive line around her! Don¡¯t let them break through!¡± Her soldiers obeyed, closing in around Hana¡¯s unconscious form. But Raiga¡ªhe only laughed. ¡°Is this all Aikyo¡¯s royal family has to offer?¡± He raised his voice, mocking. ¡°A weakling who can¡¯t even stand on her own?¡± Haruka snapped. She turned to charge him, rage consuming her¡ªbut Hime grabbed her arm. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°He¡¯s insulting Hana!¡± Haruka seethed. ¡°I¡¯ll cut him down myself!¡± ¡°No. You¡¯ll die.¡± Haruka froze. Hime¡¯s voice was cold, sharp as a blade. ¡°We don¡¯t fight out of anger. We fight to win. Now shut up and follow my lead.¡± Haruka clenched her fists. She hated it. She hated feeling powerless. Haruka¡¯s breath was ragged, her heart pounding like a war drum. She had never felt fear like this. Hana was down. Hana¡ªher sister, her blood¡ªwas lying unconscious in the middle of a battlefield. Her mind screamed at her to run to Hana¡¯s side. To protect her. To fight. But she couldn¡¯t. They were losing. The battle was turning against them. Zankoku¡¯s forces were overwhelming, pushing them back. The defensive line was barely holding. And General Raiga¡ªhe was toying with them. He stood at a distance, arms crossed, watching the battle like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike. His expression was unreadable, but the amusement in his eyes was undeniable. Haruka clenched her teeth so hard it hurt. Was this what it felt like to be powerless? She gripped her sword tighter. No. Not again. Not ever again. She would not let Hana die. She pushed forward, cutting down the enemies in her path, but it wasn¡¯t enough. No matter how many she struck down, more came to take their place. She needed more. More strength. More speed. More power. She needed to win. Desperation clawed at her throat, suffocating her. And for the first time in her life¡ª She prayed. Not to gods. Not to fate. But to something¡ªanything¡ªthat could hear her. ¡°Give me strength.¡± ¡°If you exist¡­ if anything exists that listens¡­ give me the power to protect my sisters.¡± She didn¡¯t care what it cost. She would take anything. Accept anything. Just as long as Hana lived. Without her Knowing, something shifted in the air. The sounds of battle dulled. The world felt lighter¡ªas if she had stepped into another realm, one just beyond the veil of reality. And then she heard it. A voice. No¡­ two voices. Calling her name. She turned, her feet moving on instinct, leading her toward the ruins of an ancient battlefield¡ªa place forgotten by time, buried beneath the valley¡¯s soil. And there, in the dirt, half-buried but gleaming like embers in the night, were two blades. Their name engraved in the balde Ìì¹ú (Tengoku). µØªz (Jigoku). The moment she saw them, she knew. They weren¡¯t just weapons. They were waiting for her. Her hands moved before she could think. Fingers wrapping around the hilts. And the moment she did¡ª A shockwave of energy erupted from the ground. Light and shadow intertwined, surging into her veins. Power. Overwhelming. Unrelenting. Consuming. Her body burned with energy, her blood igniting with something ancient, something primal. Her senses sharpened. The exhaustion, the fear¡ªeverything faded away. When she opened her eyes, they glowed like molten gold. She turned back to the battlefield, her grip tightening on her new blades. And she smiled. The Storm Unleashed, with the power of black and white colliding. Haruka moved. Faster than before. Her form Bluring to the battle field. She appeared in the middle of the battlefield , her twin blades flashing like streaks of lightning. Zankoku soldiers barely had time to react before she cut through them like a hurricane. ¡°Tengoku - Tenrai Gekiry¨±! (Heavenly Divine Torrent!)¡± A single sweep of her blade sent a shockwave forward, cutting down enemies in an arc. Her attack was almost unseen with mortal eyes, it was too fast, to precise. and she is not wasting more time she unleashed another power. with her other hand she grip the hilt stronger Jigoku emits a dark crimson flame from its blade ¡°Jigoku - Shura no Mai! (Dance of the Asura!)¡± Her movements became unpredictable, weaving through enemy ranks like a phantom, striking from all sides at once. Blood sprayed. Metal shattered. The battlefield shifted. And for the first time since the battle began¡ª Raiga¡¯s amused expression disappeared. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Interesting.¡± He stepped forward. And then Haruka was in front of him. In an instant. Their blades clashed, sending a shockwave through the battlefield. Raiga smirked. ¡°You¡¯re fast.¡± Haruka grinned. ¡°I¡¯m just getting started.¡± Hime stood at a distance, watching it unfold. Haruka was different. She wasn¡¯t just fighting. She was dominating. Her movements were too fluid, too precise. Her attacks were too aggressive, fueled by something deeper than just skill. This power¡­ was it truly hers? Her thoughts were interrupted by a weak voice behind her. ¡°Hime¡­¡± She turned sharply. Hana was waking up. She was weak, her breathing labored, but she was alive. Hime exhaled, relief flooding through her. She had survived. But as she turned back to the battlefield, watching Haruka¡¯s ruthless attacks, a new fear settled in her chest. What had Haruka become? The battle ended soon after. With Haruka¡¯s newfound strength, Aikyo¡¯s forces pushed back Zankoku¡¯s army, forcing them to retreat. Raiga, though intrigued, did not press forward. He had seen enough. As the dust settled, the Sat¨­ sisters stood together once more. But something had changed. Hana, still weak, reached out for Haruka. ¡°Haruka, you¡­¡± Haruka stepped back. Just slightly. Just enough for Hana to notice. The warmth in her sister¡¯s eyes was still there. But there was something else, too. A distance. A hesitation. And Hana felt a sinking feeling in her chest. Haruka had returned from the battlefield victorious. But she had not returned the same. Chapter 2: The Great War – Responsibility of Power Aikyo¡¯s War Camp ¨C The Aftermath of the Ambush The battlefield was silent, save for the distant crackling of burning wreckage. Corpses of fallen soldiers littered the valley, both Zankoku and Aikyo alike. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, mixing with the damp earth. In the heart of Aikyo¡¯s war camp, Haruka stood alone. Her fingers curled around the hilts of Tengoku and Jigoku, her twin blades resting at her sides. Even now, she could still feel it¡ªthe rush of power from the battle, the sheer thrill of cutting through her enemies like they were nothing. It had felt good. But as she turned, her gaze landed on a small, unconscious figure lying on a cot inside the command tent. Hana. Her sister¡¯s face was pale, her breathing shallow. The healers had done all they could, but her body was still fragile from overusing her power. Haruka clenched her fists. She should have been stronger. Hime entered the tent, her sharp eyes flicking between Haruka and Hana before settling on their youngest sister. ¡°You¡¯re quiet,¡± she noted, her voice unreadable. Haruka didn¡¯t answer. Hime sighed, stepping closer. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, but this can¡¯t keep happening.¡± Haruka scoffed. ¡°And what do you expect me to do? Just stand back and let her die?¡± Hime¡¯s gaze hardened. ¡°No. I expect you to think before you act.¡± The tension between them was suffocating. Haruka wanted to scream. She had saved them all. She had fought harder than anyone else. And yet, Hime still treated her like a reckless child. Her grip on her blades tightened. Why wasn¡¯t it enough? --- Zankoku¡¯s Camp ¨C General Raiga¡¯s Observations Far from Aikyo¡¯s war camp, General Raiga sat inside his own command tent, studying a war map. One of his officers approached, bowing deeply. ¡°The attack was unsuccessful. We lost many man in the western pass.¡± Raiga didn¡¯t look up. ¡°I know.¡± His officer hesitated. ¡°Shall we prepare for another assault?¡± Raiga finally looked at him, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. ¡°No. We¡¯ve seen what we needed to see.¡± The officer frowned. ¡°Sir?¡± Raiga leaned forward, tapping a specific point on the map¡ªthe area where Haruka had fought. ¡°Aikyo is still weak. Their tactics are predictable. But¡­¡± his voice lowered, a smirk curling at his lips, ¡°¡­they have a wild card.¡± Haruka. The youngest Sat¨­ sister was dangerous. He had seen it in her eyes¡ªthe hunger for power, the thrill of battle. And if there was one thing he knew about warriors like that, it was this¡ªthey were easy to break. --- Aikyo Command War Tent - Hana¡¯s Awakening Pain. That was the first thing Hana felt as she slowly opened her eyes. Her body was heavy, her limbs refusing to move. She blinked, her vision blurry, before realizing she was inside a tent. A familiar presence sat beside her. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Hana turned her head slightly, spotting Hime sitting nearby, arms crossed. She tried to speak, but her throat was too dry. Hime, noticing, poured her a cup of water and brought it to her lips. Hana drank slowly before whispering, ¡°Did we¡­ win?¡± Hime exhaled. ¡°For now.¡± Hana swallowed hard. ¡°How bad is it?¡± Hime didn¡¯t answer immediately. That silence was enough. Aikyo had suffered heavy losses. The battle had taken its toll. And once again, Hana had collapsed when it mattered most. Her hands curled into weak fists. She was supposed to be stronger than this. Hime watched her closely before speaking. ¡°You need to rest. You overused your power again.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Hana closed her eyes. She already knew that. She didn¡¯t need Hime to remind her that her own body was failing her. She didn¡¯t need anyone to remind her of how useless she was becoming. ¡ª Aikyo¡¯s War Council ¨C The Growing Tensions The command tent was filled with voices¡ªheated, desperate, and weary. The recent battle had cost them dearly, and the war was far from over. Captain Kenjiro stood at the center of the room, his expression unreadable as he listened to the ongoing arguments. ¡°We cannot sustain another battle like this,¡± one officer said. ¡°Our forces are dwindling.¡± ¡°We should negotiate,¡± another suggested. ¡°Aikyo cannot afford a prolonged war.¡± At that, Haruka slammed her fist against the table. ¡°Negotiate? With Zankoku? Are you insane?¡± The officer stiffened. ¡°Watch your tone, girl¡ª¡± ¡°Watch your neck,¡± Haruka growled. ¡°Because I swear, if you suggest surrender again, I¡¯ll cut it myself.¡± Silence fell over the room. Hime exhaled sharply. ¡°Enough.¡± Her voice alone was enough to regain order. Even Haruka, though still fuming, backed down. Kenjiro finally spoke. ¡°General Raiga will not stop. He is testing us, waiting for an opening.¡± His eyes darkened. ¡°And if we give him one, Aikyo is finished.¡± There was a long pause before Hime finally said, ¡°Then we do not give him one.¡± Eavesdropping Mitsurugi stood at the edge of the camp, staring into the distance. The battle had been a mess. They had lost too many men. This war was consuming everything. And in the end, for what? He closed his eyes. Did Aikyo even have a future anymore? He had spent years serving the Sat¨­ family. He had fought for Aikyo¡¯s ideals, for its people. But what if they were already doomed? What if there was another way? A cold breeze swept through the camp, and he shivered¡ªnot from the cold, but from the thought creeping into his mind. Zankoku had offered peace once before. Aikyo had refused. And now, they were on the verge of collapse. His fingers clenched into fists. If surrender meant survival¡­ could he truly call it betrayal? He didn¡¯t know the answer anymore. Night had fallen. The camp was still. And Mitsurugi was gone. Deep in the woods, beyond Aikyo¡¯s borders, he arrived at a hidden location¡ªa meeting place he never should have approached. A figure stepped out from the shadows, the red insignia of Zankoku glinting on his armor. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Mitsurugi¡¯s heart pounded in his chest. This was treason. He knew it. And yet¡­ he did not turn back. He swallowed hard. ¡°You said we needed to talk.¡± The Zankoku officer smirked. ¡°That, we do.¡± Mitsurugi exhaled slowly. This was the beginning of something he could never undo. ¡ª War Tent - Night time The soft glow of lanterns flickered inside the tent. Hana lay still, her body weak, her breathing even but fragile. She hated this. The war was still raging. Haruka and Hime were fighting. And she was¡­ here. A useless body resting on a cot. Her fingers curled into the thin blanket draped over her. How many times had she collapsed? How many times had she failed? She could hear the distant murmurs of soldiers outside. ¡°She¡¯s the middle sister, right? The sword mage?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they say. But she barely fights. Always falls before the battle¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Hime leads. Haruka fights. But her? What does she do?¡± Their voices stabbed deeper than any blade. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself up. Her limbs shook, her body protesting, but she would not just lie here. She needed to prove them wrong. She needed to be stronger. But as she swung her legs over the side of the cot, her body gave out again. She fell to the ground, her breath ragged, her vision blurring. She wasn¡¯t strong enough. Not yet. --- Far from the war camp, Haruka stood alone on the training grounds, her twin blades gleaming under the moonlight. She exhaled slowly, raising Tengoku and Jigoku. Then¡ªshe moved. Her sword slashed forward, sending a shockwave that cut through the air, splitting a massive wooden post in two. She smiled. Too easy. Again. Faster. Stronger. She twisted mid-air, her blades carving through the darkness, striking multiple points at once. Her body moved faster than ever before, her strikes sharper, her steps lighter. This was what she had always wanted. This power. But as she stilled, breathing heavily, a voice broke the silence. ¡°You¡¯re losing yourself.¡± She turned sharply¡ªHime stood at the edge of the training grounds, arms crossed. Haruka wiped the sweat from her brow. ¡°I¡¯m getting stronger.¡± ¡°At what cost?¡± Haruka¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°We need power to win, Hime.¡± ¡°We need control.¡± Hime stepped closer. ¡°You¡¯re pushing too far. If you let those blades consume you, you won¡¯t be fighting for Aikyo anymore¡ªyou¡¯ll be fighting for yourself.¡± Haruka gritted her teeth. ¡°Maybe I should.¡± Hime¡¯s gaze hardened. ¡°That¡¯s not who you are.¡± Haruka scoffed. ¡°Then maybe you don¡¯t know me at all.¡± She turned away, gripping her blades tightly. She wasn¡¯t losing herself. She was finally finding what it meant to be strong. --- The Woods - The Betrayal Deep in the woods, Mitsurugi walked back toward the Aikyo camp. His heart was heavy. The decision had been made. Aikyo could not win this war. Not like this. His conversation with the Zankoku officer replayed in his mind. ¡°Your people are stubborn, but you are not a fool.¡± ¡°Aikyo does not need to be destroyed. It simply needs to be¡­ restructured.¡± Mitsurugi exhaled, stepping past the camp¡¯s outer guards. This was for the best. It had to be. Even if it meant betraying the ones who trusted him most. --- Back in the war tent, Hime sat alone. The battle earlier has been exhausting but she is restless, She stared at the map. Raiga was too patient. He was waiting for something. Haruka was growing reckless. Hana was pushing herself past her limits. And somewhere in the shadows, a traitor was moving. She didn¡¯t know why, but she could feel it. The war was about to change. And not in their favor. Chapter 3: Darkest Moment - The Desperate Stand Aikyo war Tent - The sudden attack The first explosion tore through Aikyo¡¯s war camp with a deafening roar, sending flames and debris skyward in a chaotic display of destruction. The force of the blast knocked soldiers off their feet, tents crumpling like paper under the shockwave. Before they could react, the night sky was filled with death. Arrows rained down like a storm of needles, cutting through flesh and armor with ease. Soldiers screamed, falling where they stood, the light in their eyes extinguished before they could even register what had happened. The attack had come without warning, swift and merciless. And then¡ªthe war beasts arrived. Massive, horned creatures with thick armor plating crashed through Aikyo¡¯s defenses, their riders wielding cleaver-like greatswords that split men in half with a single strike. The barricades, reinforced with months of labor, fell apart like rotting wood. The battlefield was disintegrating. Aikyo was losing. Captain Kenjiro, his face set in a grim snarl, was the first to react. ¡°To arms! Shields up! Hold the line! Do NOT break formation!¡± But his voice, no matter how strong, was drowned by the cries of the dying. Hime, standing at the center of the war tent, felt a sinking realization settle in her gut. This wasn¡¯t an ordinary attack. This was an execution. Zankoku had attacked from all sides, at the exact weakest points of their defense. It was too precise. Too perfect. Someone had given them this information. A traitor. She had no time to process the betrayal¡ªthere was no time for emotions, no time for anger. The only thing she could do was fight. She unsheathed her sword. ¡°Regroup at the central barricade! DO NOT let them push further!¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if anyone could still follow orders. But she had to try. Because if they fell here¡ªAikyo would be nothing more than a memory. At the center of the battlefield, Haruka did not think. She moved. She cut. She killed. Her blades tore through flesh, cleaving through Zankoku soldiers like they were nothing but obstacles in her path. Blood splattered against her face, but she felt nothing. There were too many. For every warrior she cut down, three more took their place. Fine. She¡¯d kill them all. She grip her twin blade firmly, she feels the power surge from her vein, and she unleash the power. ¡°Tengoku ¨C Tenrai Gekiry¨±!¡± (Heavenly Divine Torrent!. Her blade howled as a white shockwave erupted outward, sending a dozen enemies flying. Their bodies slammed against the earth like broken dolls. But it wasn¡¯t enough. Another wave surged forward. she change her stance, she lauched devastating attack, turning her body trying to gain momentum and swing her blades to the Ground. Danzai no Ikazuchi!¡± (Judgment Thunder!) She slammed both blades into the ground. Lightning erupted from beneath her, arcing through the battlefield in violent, jagged streaks. Zankoku soldiers screamed as their bodies convulsed, their armor burning, before they collapsed into the dirt, unmoving. But more came. Always more. The waves keep coming and coming. Her breath hitched, but she ignored it. ¡°Kyokugen Shipp¨±!¡± (Ultimate Tempest!) She spun through the air, a violent blur of steel, her twin blades carving through flesh and armor alike. The wind itself bent to her fury, dragging enemies into her assault. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. Her muscles ached. Her vision blurred. She didn¡¯t care. She lunged forward, a streak of red and silver dashing through the battle field. ¡°Rengoku Issen!¡± (Purgatory Flash Slash!) The enemy never saw her coming. Her blade tore through them in a single, perfect motion. Still, they came. Still, they fought. Still, they wouldn¡¯t die fast enough. Her arms felt heavier. Her movements became wilder. She didn¡¯t realize it, but she was losing control. Her body was burning. Screaming. She could feel her stamina slipping away. But she kept swinging. She couldn¡¯t stop. Because if she stopped¡ª She would remember. She would remember Hana¡¯s pale face as she collapsed in the last battle. She would remember how helpless she had felt. She would remember how she had sworn to protect her, only to watch her nearly die. And she would rather die here than feel that way again. So she kept fighting. And then¡ª Pain. Horrible. Sharp. Immediate. Her body froze. She looked down. A Zankoku warrior¡¯s blade was buried deep in her side. --- Aikyo¡¯s Last Stand ¨C Horrifying Realization Hime saw it happen. She saw the blade drive into Haruka¡¯s side. She saw Haruka¡¯s body lurch forward, the light in her eyes flickering for just a moment. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. She saw everything slow down. Her stomach twisted. This was exactly what Raiga wanted. To push them to their limits. To make them reckless. To break them. Her vision blurred with anger, but she forced herself to focus. She looked around. She saw Aikyo¡¯s soldiers, barely standing. She saw Kenjiro, collapsed and bleeding, struggling to lift his sword. She saw the terror in the eyes of her warriors. And she realized something. This battle was over. They weren¡¯t fighting to win anymore. They were fighting to survive. And even that was starting to seem impossible. Haruka staggered. Blood spilled from her wound, soaking the dirt beneath her feet. She gritted her teeth. She lifted her blade. She refused to fall. But her body was failing her. Her vision blurred. Her hands trembled. And the enemy was still coming. She wasn¡¯t enough. She would never be enough. Her knees buckled. Her body swayed. She heard someone screaming her name¡ªHime? A soldier? Someone¡ª But she never saw who it was. Because the world turned black. A World Drenched in Blood --- The Last Stand Pain. It crawled through Hana¡¯s body like fire, her limbs numb, her breath shallow. But none of it mattered. Because she could hear the screaming. It was distant at first, muffled by the haze of unconsciousness. Then, like shattered glass, the sounds pierced through her mind. The clash of steel. The ragged cries of men dying in agony. The thick scent of smoke, blood, and death. Hana¡¯s breath hitched. Something was wrong. Aikyo¡¯s camp had been secure last night¡ªhadn¡¯t it? She forced herself up, pushing through the weakness in her limbs, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. When she pulled aside the tent¡¯s entrance, her mind went blank. The battlefield was a vision of hell. Aikyo¡¯s warriors lay broken, their blood pooling into the earth. Some still moved, their hands gripping their wounds in a desperate fight to stay alive. Others¡­ had already gone still. Zankoku¡¯s forces surged forward, a crimson wave consuming everything in its path. Their war beasts crushed the wounded beneath their feet, and their banners loomed high over the battlefield, an omen of absolute conquest. And then¡ª Hana¡¯s gaze landed on the worst sight of all. Haruka. Her sister lay motionless in the dirt. A sword was buried in her side, blood seeping out like a wound in the earth itself. Hana¡¯s breath caught in her throat. The battlefield disappeared from her mind. She couldn¡¯t breathe. Couldn¡¯t think. Couldn¡¯t accept what she was seeing. Something inside her snapped. And then, the world cracked apart. The air rippled violently. A sudden, unbearable weight pressed down on the battlefield, so intense that even the air seemed to tremble. It was as if the very fabric of reality was protesting against something unnatural. Zankoku¡¯s warriors slowed mid-motion, their movements turning sluggish, like insects trapped in thick amber. Then¡ªthey stopped entirely. Silence. It wasn¡¯t just the warriors. Even the wind ceased to move. The battlefield was frozen, locked in a moment that should have continued¡ªbut instead, it had been rewritten. And at the center of it all, Hana stood. Her hair billowed wildly, her body swaying, but her presence was undeniable. She raised her right hand¡ªand swung it forward. A command left her lips, it was low but full with authority ¡°Nogero (Get Out of the Way.) An unseen force exploded outward. Hundreds of Zankoku soldiers were blasted backward, their bodies hurled like broken dolls. Some slammed into the ground so hard that their bones shattered upon impact. Others were sent flying far beyond the battlefield, vanishing into the distance. Aikyo¡¯s remaining warriors, those who could still stand, watched in stunned horror. But Hana wasn¡¯t done. Her palm still straight from her body, she curled her finger into fist. Then¡ªshe clenched it firmly like she is crushing the reality itself. ¡°Tomare.¡± (Stop.) The moment the command left her lips, her body lurched forward violently. Pain. A sharp, unbearable sting tore through her chest, her ribs tightening as if her very soul was being crushed. Her vision blurred for an instant. Then¡ªa sickening warmth pooled in her throat. She coughed. A thick splatter of blood fell onto the dirt. Her legs wobbled. Her arms trembled. Her body was breaking. But reality obeyed her authority. The battlefield was locked in time. Zankoku¡¯s warriors froze mid-motion. Blades hovered in the air, mere inches from cutting into flesh. Arrows hung suspended in midair, their deadly tips never reaching their intended targets. Blood, once dripping from fatal wounds, now stood still like red orbs caught in a dying sun. Everything¡ªevery movement, every breath, every sound¡ªceased. But Hana¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t on them. Her eyes locked onto Haruka. Her sister¡¯s shallow breathing, the faint rise and fall of her chest. It wasn¡¯t enough. She wiped the blood from her mouth, her teeth clenched. She had to finish this. With a slow, pained movement, she lifted her hand one final time. Her fingers trembled. Her vision swam. Her body screamed at her to stop, but she refused. Her voice was no longer soft. It was a decree. ¡°Kiero.¡± (Vanish.) She swung her arm sharply to the side. And a portion of Zankoku¡¯s forces ceased to exist. Where they had once stood, only empty space remained. The battlefield was dead silent. Even Aikyo¡¯s warriors¡ªthose who had survived¡ªstood frozen in shock. Because they had just witnessed something beyond human comprehension. They had witnessed a god¡¯s wrath. Hana swayed. Her body was shutting down. Her vision blurred at the edges, her lungs struggling to pull in air. She could feel her power consuming her from the inside, burning through her like wildfire. But she wasn¡¯t done. She had destroyed. Now, she would do what she has meant to do. She staggered forward, dropping to her knees beside Haruka. Her fingers trembled as she reached for her sister¡¯s wound. Her body begged her to stop. She ignored it. She lifted her trembling hands, her breath ragged¡ªthen pressed her palms against the earth. ¡°Naore (Heal.) A wave of light exploded outward. It spread like a rippling ocean, washing across the battlefield. Haruka''s body tensed, she is gasping as her wound sealed itself shut. The blood-stained dirt beneath her turned clean, as if her suffering had never existed. But the light did not stop with her. Aikyo¡¯s wounded soldiers, those on the brink of death, felt warmth spread through their bodies. Shattered bones knit back together. Torn flesh mended itself. The dying opened their eyes, gasping for air they thought they¡¯d never breathe again. Hana had rewritten reality itself¡ªnot just for one person, but for everyone. But then¡ª A violent, stabbing pain shot through her chest. She barely had time to register Haruka¡¯s half-conscious gasp before everything went black. Hime caught Hana before she could hit the ground. Her sister¡¯s body was cold. Too cold. Haruka, barely conscious, forced herself up despite the pain. Her voice cracked. ¡°Hana? Hana!¡± Hime tightened her grip. The battlefield had changed. Not because of war. But because of her. And for the first time, a whisper spread through Aikyo¡¯s forces. "She is no warrior." "She is no mortal." "She is something else entirely." ¡ª Chapter 4: The Aftermath – The Fear That Lingers The silence was unnatural, thick with a weight heavier than the stench of blood that clung to the air. Where once there had been the roar of war, the clashing of steel, and the desperate cries of dying men, there was now only an eerie, suffocating stillness. Zankoku¡¯s advance had been utterly stopped. Not through strategy, not through overwhelming force, but through something beyond comprehension. Their warriors, once a flood of relentless brutality, had been erased from existence, or left frozen in time, caught mid-motion with swords raised and lips parted in silent war cries that would never be completed. At the center of it all, Hana lay unconscious in Hime¡¯s arms, her body unnaturally still, her breathing weak and uneven. Her once radiant energy, the overwhelming force that had bent reality to her will, was gone. What remained was something frail, something disturbingly human in contrast to the divine power she had wielded mere moments ago. Hime clutched her tighter, her fingers trembling against the coldness of her sister¡¯s skin. Hana had always been fragile, had always fought against the limits of her own body, but this¡ªthis was different. It wasn¡¯t just exhaustion, it wasn''t just the usual fatigue she suffered after pushing herself too hard. This felt wrong. Haruka, struggling to sit up despite the sharp ache in her side, stared at Hana with wide, disbelieving eyes. The battlefield around them was a graveyard of warriors, some fallen, some still gasping for breath, but the only thing she could see was Hana¡ªher sister, the girl who had always been smaller than her, weaker than her, yet somehow had become something terrifyingly beyond mortal. Her hands clenched against the dirt, nails digging into the blood-soaked earth. ¡°This is my fault,¡± she whispered, the words barely audible. Hime¡¯s sharp eyes flickered toward her, but she said nothing. Haruka swallowed hard, her throat dry, her chest tight with a guilt that threatened to crush her more than any wound ever could. She had fought recklessly, driven by anger, by frustration, by a desperate need to prove herself, to be the one who protected her sisters. But in doing so, she had nearly died¡ªhad forced Hana to step into a battlefield she never should have had to enter, had forced her to break herself just to save them. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have needed to do any of this if I had just¡ª¡± Her voice broke, her breath shaky. ¡°If I had just¡ª¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Hime¡¯s tone was cold, but her voice trembled ever so slightly. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Haruka lifted her head, staring at her. Hime wasn¡¯t looking at her, wasn¡¯t meeting her gaze. She was still holding Hana, still gripping her like she feared that if she let go, her sister would simply fade away. ¡°Hana¡¯s not dead,¡± Hime continued, quieter this time, as if trying to convince herself as much as Haruka. ¡°She¡¯s not.¡± But there was a flicker of doubt in her voice. Haruka could hear it. --- The Soldiers¡¯ Fear ¨C The Reverence of the Unknown All around them, Aikyo¡¯s remaining warriors stood in silence, their expressions unreadable. Some still sat where they had collapsed, clutching at newly healed wounds, their hands shaking as if they were afraid to touch their own skin, afraid that whatever had mended them might just as easily undo them. Others remained standing, stiff, uncertain, their eyes flickering between the frozen remnants of Zankoku¡¯s forces and the unconscious girl cradled in Hime¡¯s arms. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Not a single one spoke. Not a single one moved toward Hana. Haruka saw it. She saw the way they looked at her¡ªthe way they hesitated, the way fear had begun to mix with awe. It was no longer just admiration, no longer just respect for a commander or a warrior who had turned the tide of battle. It was something else. Something dangerously close to worship. Or worse¡ªfear. Haruka gritted her teeth, She stood up with her fingers curling into fists before she pointed her finger to the feared soldiers. ¡°She saved all of you,¡± she said, her voice rough, cutting through the silence. ¡°And you¡¯re just going to stand there and¡ªwhat? Stare at her like she¡¯s a monster?¡± One of the soldiers flinched. Others shifted uncomfortably, glancing at one another as if searching for the right response. ¡°She¡­ she is not a monster,¡± one of them murmured, hesitant. ¡°But¡­¡± But what? Haruka wanted to snap, but she already knew. Her sister is not normal. She did something no human should be capable of. and Haruka knows that deep in the soldiers thought they feared that If she can rewrite reality itself¡­ who¡¯s to say she can¡¯t erase them, too? The words weren¡¯t spoken, but Haruka could hear them in the silence, could see them in the way their gazes flickered between reverence and unease. It made her stomach churn. And for the first time, she understood. They would never look at Hana the same way again. ¡ª Beyond the ruined battlefield, hidden among the shattered remains of an abandoned outpost, Mitsurugi watched. His heartbeat was uneven, erratic. His hands, usually steady, were clenched so tightly that his nails had begun to dig into his palms. He had prepared himself for Aikyo¡¯s fall, and had convinced himself that siding with Zankoku was the only logical course of action, the only way to ensure their survival. But what he had seen¡ªwhat Hana had done¡ª His breath came shallow, uneven. Even if Zankoku had won, even if they had cut down every last soldier in Aikyo¡¯s army, they would have never won the war. Not as long as she existed. He had always known Hana was different. He had seen it in the way she fought, in the way she carried herself, in the way she bore the weight of responsibility on her small shoulders. But this¡ªthis was beyond anything he had ever imagined. She had not just fought back. She had stopped time. She had erased their army from existence. And worst of all¡ª She had brought the dead back from the brink. His stomach twisted violently. What¡­ was she? Had he not turned his back on Aikyo, would he have been spared? Or would she have erased him, too? The thought sent an unfamiliar chill through him. For the first time, Mitsurugi wasn¡¯t certain if he had betrayed Aikyo to save himself¡ªor if he had simply been too afraid of the girl who had just rewritten the laws of reality before his very eyes. --- The Fragility of Power Hana stirred in Hime¡¯s arms, her lips barely parting, her voice a whisper so soft it was almost lost in the wind. ¡°Did I¡­ save you?¡± Haruka choked on a breath, her chest tightening. ¡°You idiot,¡± she whispered. ¡°Of course you did.¡± Hime¡¯s grip tightened, her fingers trembling. Hana¡¯s eyes fluttered closed. Her body gave in to exhaustion. Hime swallowed hard. ¡°We need to move her. Now.¡± No one argued. The battle was over. But something far greater had begun. Because the world had just witnessed something impossible. And the world was never kind to the impossible. Chapter 5: The Birth of a Legend and a Fearful Aikyo¡¯s Camp in ¨C Whispers of the Impossible The wounded had been moved. The dead had been counted. The battlefield, though quiet now, still reeked of blood and ash, as if the very land itself remembered the horror that had unfolded. Aikyo¡¯s remaining forces had regrouped, but no celebration came with their survival. There was no talk of victory, no drunken relief, no shared laughter over narrowly escaping death. Because no one understood what had happened. Zankoku¡¯s forces hadn¡¯t been pushed back. They had been stopped¡ªby something that should not exist. And that something lay unconscious in the heart of the encampment, guarded like a relic of both salvation and terror. The soldiers were uneasy. Some of them refused to get too close to where Hana was being tended to, whispering amongst themselves when they thought Haruka and Hime weren¡¯t listening. Others sat in stunned silence, staring at their still-healing wounds, fingers running over flesh that should have been nothing but scars and torn muscle. They had seen warriors recover before. They had seen miraculous survival. But they had never seen an entire battlefield frozen in time. They had never seen people vanish into nothingness. They had never seen a girl¡¯s whispered command mend bodies like a god rewriting fate itself. Some of them wanted to kneel before her, whisper prayers in her name. Others wanted to flee. Because if one person could wield such power¡­ what would happen if she turned that power on them? Hime saw it in their eyes. She saw the reverence, the uncertainty, the creeping fear. And it infuriated her. She had expected whispers from the nobles, from the ruling families of Aikyo who always looked for ways to control or remove those who posed a threat to their authority. But she hadn¡¯t expected it from their own soldiers. These were Hana¡¯s people. The ones she had nearly killed herself to save. And yet¡ªthey doubted her. Hime clenched her jaw, gripping the hilt of her sword so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She wanted to lash out, to demand that they show the respect Hana deserved. But it wouldn¡¯t change anything. The damage had already been done. Hana was no longer just their sister. She was something greater. And that made her dangerous. Haruka sat beside Hana¡¯s resting form, her fingers curled into the fabric of her own bandages, her shoulders tense. She hadn¡¯t spoken since they had carried Hana off the battlefield. The guilt had settled in her stomach like a stone, twisting and knotting, refusing to let her breathe properly. She had wanted to protect Hana.. Protect her sister that has always been weaker than her. She had wanted to stand beside her as an equal. And yet, Hana had been the one to step into the flames and bear the weight of war itself. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Haruka wasn¡¯t angry at the soldiers for fearing her sister. She wasn¡¯t even angry at Zankoku anymore. She was angry at herself. Because she had failed. Again. She had sworn to protect Hana, to never let her suffer alone. And yet¡ªHana had still suffered. Hana had still pushed herself past the brink of death. Haruka¡¯s fingers trembled as she reached out, brushing away the stray strands of hair that clung to Hana¡¯s sweat-dampened forehead. ¡°I won¡¯t let this happen again,¡± she whispered, her voice raw, heavy with self-loathing. She didn¡¯t care what it took. She didn¡¯t care what she had to do. She would become stronger. Not so she could surpass Hana. Not so she could compete with her. But so Hana would never have to fight alone again. --- Aikyo¡¯s Council Chamber ¨C The Nobles¡¯ Dilemma Beyond the battlefield, within the war councils of Aikyo¡¯s ruling families, the whispers had already begun. The moment word had spread of what had happened, of what Hana had done, the discussions had turned tense. ¡°Hana Sato stopped time itself?¡± one noble scoffed, his expression one of disbelief and unease. ¡°She erased warriors from existence?¡± ¡°She healed the wounded,¡± another countered, though even he sounded unsure. ¡°She saved our forces.¡± ¡°She made an army vanish,¡± the first one repeated, his voice sharp. ¡°That is not the power of a healer. That is the power of a god.¡± ¡°A god?¡± The table fell silent. No one wanted to say what they were all thinking. What do you do when a god walks among you? Do you kneel? Or do you remove the threat before it becomes too great to control? For centuries, Aikyo had followed order, tradition, and balance. A power like Hana¡¯s was not something that could be ignored. Some saw it as a blessing. Others saw it as a danger. One noble exhaled, his fingers steepled in thought. ¡°If she can erase an army¡­ what¡¯s stopping her from erasing us?¡±. The chamber was dead silent. They were no longer discussing a future queen. They were discussing whether or not Hana Sato should exist. --- Zankoku war camp ¨C Zankoku¡¯s Fear In the occupied war camp of Zankoku¡¯s forces, General Raiga sat in his tent, his face twisted into something that resembled neither rage nor frustration¡ªbut unease. He had expected resistance. He had expected Aikyo¡¯s forces to crumble eventually. But he had not expected one girl to erase an entire front of his army. One girl had stopped time itself. One girl had undone the damage they had wrought. One girl had made his forces vanish as if they had never existed. For the first time in his career, Raiga did not know what he was dealing with. And that was a problem. Because you could kill a warrior. You could kill a queen. But how did you kill something that could rewrite reality itself? Raiga leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. Hana Sato. He had never given much thought to the younger heir of Aikyo. He had assumed Hime was the true threat¡ªthe tactician, the mind behind Aikyo¡¯s defenses. But now¡­ Now, he wasn¡¯t sure which of the sisters was the most dangerous. And that uncertainty terrified him. --- The Beginning of Something Greater Hana remained unconscious, unaware of the whispers that spread beyond the battlefield, beyond the camp, beyond Aikyo itself. She did not know that her name was now being spoken in places she had never set foot. She did not know that some would revere her. That some would fear her. That some would plot against her. All she knew was that she had done what she set out to do. She had saved them. She had survived. And now¡ªthe world would never be the same. --- Chapter 6: Awakening in a World That Fears Her As Hana¡¯s Return to Consciousness Pain. It was the first thing she felt. A deep, gnawing ache that stretched through every muscle, every fiber of her being. Her mind was heavy, drowning in exhaustion, yet something tugged her from the depths of unconsciousness. Voices. Distant, muffled. ¡°¡­still hasn¡¯t woken up¡­¡± ¡°¡­how long can she last like this¡­?¡± ¡°¡­even if she wakes, will she still be¡­ human?¡± The last voice was barely above a whisper, but it was enough to send a chill through her veins. She wasn¡¯t sure when her eyes finally opened. The world blurred, the dim glow of lanterns flickering against the walls of a familiar tent. It smelled of herbs, blood, and damp cloth¡ª and the darkness came again. ¡ª Fear & Reverence ¨C The Divide Among Their Own Haruka became restless. She decided to catch some fresh air walking around the camp. as she walked around she felt that the camp was different. Before, Aikyo¡¯s warriors would bow their heads when she passed, show their respect, their loyalty. Now¡­ Now they stared Some with awe. Some with hesitation. Some with fear Whispers followed her wherever she walked. ¡°Princess Hana stopped time.¡± ¡°She erased people from existence.¡± ¡°If she can do that to the enemy¡­ what¡¯s stopping her from doing it to us?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not human anymore.¡± ¡°She¡¯s something else.¡± ¡°A god¡­ or a monster.¡± Haruka¡¯s fingers twitched. She knew that her sister had done everything for them. Her sister had bled for them, suffered for them, rewritten reality itself just to keep them alive. And this was what she got? Haruka scowled, glaring at the whispering soldiers. ¡°Cowards,¡± she spat under her breath. ¡°After everything she¡¯s done, they¡ª¡± Hime placed a hand on Haruka¡¯s shoulder, stopping her. ¡°This was expected.¡± Haruka turned, expression livid. ¡°Expected? Hime, they¡ª¡± ¡°They saw something beyond their understanding,¡± Hime interrupted, voice firm but not unkind. ¡°People fear what they cannot control. Even if she saved them, they¡¯ll wonder¡­ what if she turns that power against them?¡± Haruka Stopped. She wasn¡¯t angry. She was¡­ tired. Her sister had nearly died. She had given everything. And yet, their own people¡­ They feared her. She had become a legend and a nightmare all at once. And there was nothing she could do to change it. --- The Nobles¡¯ Conspiracy ¨C Control or Elimination? The council room was filled with tension. Aikyo¡¯s highest-ranking nobles had gathered, their faces set with unreadable expressions. Some looked wary. Others, cold and calculating. The topic of discussion? Hana Sato. ¡°She is too powerful,¡± one noble declared. ¡°If we do not ensure her loyalty¡ª¡± ¡°Loyalty?¡± Another scoffed. ¡°She saved us all! And you think she would betray her own people?¡± ¡°Think rationally,¡± a third interrupted, his voice sharp. ¡°If she can erase an army in an instant, then what exactly is she?¡± The room fell silent. A single question lingered in the air, unspoken but heavy with meaning. Is Hana Sato still human? Some wanted her to lead Aikyo. Others wanted to bind her, to control her power before it was too late. And some¡­ Some believed it would be safer if she simply disappeared. Far from the council chamber, Mitsurugi sat in the shadows, gripping a torn cloth between his fingers. It was stained with blood¡ªHana¡¯s blood. He had betrayed Aikyo, sided with Zankoku, believing that his kingdom was doomed to fall. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. But now? Now he had seen what Hana had done. He had seen her defy reality itself. And he realized he had made a terrible mistake. Zankoku could not defeat her. The nobles could not control her. And if they tried¡ªif anyone tried¡ª They would lose. He exhaled, feeling the weight of his choices bearing down on him. If Hana ever found out about his betrayal¡­ Would she erase him, too? Or would she forgive him? Did he even deserve to find out? --- Aikyo¡¯s Palace ¨C The Awaited Awakening The soft glow of lanterns flickered against the carved wooden walls. The scent of incense and healing herbs lingered in the air, mixing with the crisp night breeze flowing through the open balcony doors. Hana¡¯s eyes fluttered open. She wasn¡¯t in a war camp. She was home. The silk sheets beneath her felt foreign after weeks of battle. The wooden beams above, the delicate paper windows¡ªit was all painfully familiar, yet something felt different. She felt different. Her body ached, but not with the usual strain of battle wounds. It was deeper, something unnatural, something that hadn¡¯t left her even after the war was over. She shifted, trying to sit up¡ªonly to find Haruka asleep at the foot of her bed, arms crossed, leaning back against a chair. A faint smile ghosted Hana¡¯s lips. Of course. Before she could speak, movement caught her eye. ¡°Hana?¡± Hime stood at the doorway, her usually composed face betraying a flicker of relief. The eldest sister crossed the room in measured steps, her usual restraint barely holding back the emotions in her eyes. Hana swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°You are,¡± Hime replied, sitting at the edge of the bed. ¡°Though you gave us reason to doubt that.¡± Haruka stirred at the noise, grumbling before blinking awake. The moment her eyes landed on Hana, she jolted upright. ¡°HANA!¡± Before Hana could react, Haruka lunged at her, pulling her into a crushing hug. ¡°You absolute idiot! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!¡± Hana winced, feeling Haruka tighten her grip. ¡°Can¡¯t¡­ breathe¡­¡± Haruka huffed but loosened her hold just enough. ¡°You were unconscious for five days. We thought¡ª¡± Her voice faltered. ¡°We thought you wouldn¡¯t wake up.¡± Hime remained quiet but did not look away. The silence carried the weight of everything left unsaid. Hana¡¯s gaze dropped to her hands. The memory of what she had done, of the power she had unleashed, still clung to her like an echo. ¡°¡­How bad is it?¡± she asked finally. Hime¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°The nobles are in conflict.¡± Haruka scoffed. ¡°Conflict? That¡¯s putting it lightly.¡± ¡°They¡¯re afraid of you,¡± Hime admitted. ¡°They fear what you¡¯ve become.¡± Hana exhaled, tilting her head back against the pillows. She had saved them. And now they feared her. --- The Nobles¡¯ Conspiracy ¨C A Kingdom at a Crossroads The once-harmonious halls of Aikyo¡¯s castle felt different. The courtiers and officials whispered as Hana passed, their eyes filled with awe and unease. Some bowed, murmuring "Lady Hana, our savior." Others avoided her gaze entirely. And some, she could tell, were watching her with careful calculation. The military council had divided¡ªsome argued that Hana should lead them into a new age, a warrior-queen unlike any before. Others believed she was too dangerous, that she should be restrained before she became a threat. Hime sat in the council chamber, facing a room of Aikyo¡¯s most powerful nobles. It was a battlefield of words, one as dangerous as any war. ¡°She is no longer one of us,¡± one noble declared. ¡°The girl defied the laws of nature itself! How can we trust that she won¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°She saved Aikyo,¡± another interrupted, his expression severe. ¡°We would not be sitting here were it not for her.¡± ¡°Aikyo has existed for centuries under balance,¡± a third interjected. ¡°If we allow a single person to wield such power unchecked, what happens when she decides to rule by force?¡± Hime¡¯s voice cut through the room, calm yet unyielding. ¡°Then she will have me to keep her in check.¡± Silence fell. Hime¡¯s eyes swept over them. ¡°My sister has risked her life for this kingdom. If you think she will turn on us, you do not understand her at all.¡± The nobles shifted, exchanging glances. But the conversation was far from over. ¡ª While Hime fought battles in the council chamber, Haruka fought hers in the courtyard. And by "fought," she was currently slamming a soldier into the ground. The other men backed away as Haruka cracked her knuckles, her eyes burning with fury. ¡°You want to say that again?¡± she growled. The soldier coughed, blood dripping from his lip. ¡°She¡¯s¡ªshe¡¯s a damn monster.¡± Haruka¡¯s rage boiled over. She grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground. ¡°She saved your worthless hide, and this is how you repay her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s dangerous,¡± another soldier spoke, hesitantly. ¡°If she can erase armies, what¡¯s stopping her from¡ª¡± Haruka drew her Tengoku and pointed it at the man¡¯s throat. ¡°What¡¯s stopping me?¡± she asked coldly. Before the situation could escalate, a firm hand grabbed Haruka¡¯s wrist. Hime stood beside her, gaze sharp. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Haruka yanked her arm away. ¡°They¡¯re spreading rumors about Hana. They¡¯re treating her like¡ª¡± Hime¡¯s voice was soft but firm. ¡°And you think beating them into submission will change that?¡± Haruka scowled but fell silent. ¡°The only way to prove them wrong,¡± Hime continued, ¡°is to make them see her for who she truly is.¡± Haruka took a deep breath, lowering her blade. ¡°¡­Fine.¡± But as she turned, her eyes remained stormy. If they doubted Hana, she would make them regret it. --- Chapter 7: Breaking the Chains of Fate Days after days Hana heard all of the whispers from the entire palace. How the people that once followed her with respect now drowned in fear. That night she decides to reflect upon what happened under the moonlit sky in the solitude of the castle gardens. But as she walked through the garden Hana felt something. A presence. She turned to find an old man seated on a stone bench, casually chewing on a rice ball. ¡°Not sleeping, girl?¡± Hana frowned. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡± The man grinned. ¡°Jiroh,¡± he said. ¡°Been watching your family for a long time. Though it¡¯s about time we talked.¡± Hana narrowed her eyes. ¡°Watching my family?¡± Jiroh nodded. ¡°Long line of cursed fools, the Satos. Doomed to suffer so they never become too strong, too powerful. Clever little trick, really.¡± Hana¡¯s breath caught. He knew. Something that she didn''t know before. Something that burdened her for her entire life. ¡°What.. a Curse? Can you explain to me more about it,¡± she whispered. Jiroh exhaled, tossing his empty food wrapper aside. ¡°I know everything about it.¡± Hana stepped closer, her fist clenched to her side. ¡°Then tell me how to break it.¡± Jiroh¡¯s grin faded. His eyes, once playful, became piercing. ¡°You don¡¯t break a curse like yours, girl.¡± He leaned forward. ¡°You rewrite it.¡± Hana¡¯s heartbeat pounded. ¡°Rewrite?¡± Jiroh tapped a finger to her forehead. ¡°Your curse is not just magic¡ªit is fate itself. And the only way to defy fate¡­¡± His grin widened. ¡°Is to challenge it.¡± --- Hana is back to her private room. As she lets Jiroh word settle to her mind her eyes are filled with confusion and hope. This¨C This is the first step for her toward freedom Hana sat alone in her chamber, her mind racing. She had always thought of her suffering as a burden she had to bear. But now, she knew it was a cage. And she was ready to break free. --- The warm glow of candlelight flickered against the polished wooden walls of Hana¡¯s private chamber. The scent of burning incense and cherry blossoms drifted through the open balcony doors, but Hana barely noticed. She sat on the floor, across from Hime and Haruka, her hands clenched into fists. Hana already told them about Jiroh¡¯s words about the curse. ¡°The curse isn¡¯t just misfortune,¡± Hana added, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. ¡°It was placed on our family. It¡¯s a cage. One meant to ensure that no Sato¡¯s bloodline ever rises too high.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Haruka frowned, arms crossed. ¡°By who?¡± Hana hesitated. That was the part she didn¡¯t know. Even Jiroh had not given a clear answer. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted. ¡°But what I do know is that every Sato who has shown extraordinary power has suffered. Every single one.¡± She looked between them, her gaze unwavering. ¡°If we don¡¯t break this, I won¡¯t be the last.¡± Silence stretched between them. Haruka¡¯s jaw clenched, her fingers curling around the hilts of her twin sword. ¡°Then let¡¯s break it.¡± Hime¡¯s expression was unreadable. ¡°How?¡± Hana inhaled. ¡°Jiroh told me there¡¯s a place where this curse was enacted¡ªthe origin of our suffering. If we go there, we might be able to undo it.¡± Hime considered this carefully. ¡°And if this is a trap? If going there only strengthens the curse?¡± Hana met her gaze. ¡°Then I¡¯ll fight it.¡± Hime exhaled. ¡°Then we¡¯ll all fight it.¡± --- The Nobles¡¯ Final Move ¨C The Fear of Change Elsewhere in the castle, the most influential nobles had gathered in secrecy. ¡°We cannot allow this,¡± one of them said, his voice laced with barely contained fear. ¡°She has survived when she shouldn¡¯t have. She wields power that no mortal should command. And now¡ªnow she speaks of rewriting fate itself?¡± The others exchanged glances, uneasy but silent. ¡°If she succeeds,¡± the man continued, ¡°then she will be untouchable. What need will she have for us?¡± One noble sighed, rubbing his temples. ¡°We¡¯ve come to rely on the Sato bloodline for generations. But this¡ªthis is beyond rule, beyond governance. If she becomes something more than human, what place will we have in Aikyo?¡± The answer was clear. None. And so, a decision was made. If Hana Sato wished to challenge fate, then she would not live to see the outcome. --- Zankoku¡¯s Interest ¨C Raiga¡¯s Opportunity Far beyond Aikyo¡¯s walls, General Raiga listened as his spies recounted what had happened within the castle. A slow, predatory smile spread across his lips. ¡°The nobles are moving against her?¡± he mused. ¡°And yet, they have no army to enforce it. No true power of their own.¡± One of his officers frowned. ¡°Do you intend to let them do our work for us?¡± Raiga chuckled, shaking his head. ¡°No. I intend to let them fail. And when they do¡ªwhen Hana Sato stands alone, betrayed by her own people¡ªthat¡¯s when we strike.¡± --- The Journey Begins ¨C To the Place of Cursed Blood Hana, Hime, and Haruka departed in the dead of night. Only few knew of their absence. Fewer still understood what it meant. Jiroh led the way, his movements slow yet sure. Despite his ragged robes and aged frame, he carried himself like a man who had seen the rise and fall of empires. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Haruka asked, walking beside him. ¡°You keep calling this a ¡®cursed place.¡¯ What if we¡¯re just walking into death?¡± Jiroh chuckled. ¡°Maybe you are.¡± Haruka scowled. ¡°You¡¯re terrible at reassurance.¡± Hime glanced at Hana, who remained silent, staring ahead. ¡°Hana.¡± Hana blinked, turning to her sister. ¡°Whatever happens,¡± Hime said quietly, ¡°you don¡¯t have to bear this alone.¡± Hana exhaled slowly. She wanted to believe that. But deep down, she knew¡ªthis was her burden to end. As they started their journey, they don''t know that the shadows have been moved. Back in Aikyo¡¯s castle, the nobles sent their final orders. By sunrise, assassins would be dispatched. Hana Sato would never return from her journey. Or so they thought. Because by the time they moved¡ªit would already be too late. --- Chapter 8: The Journey to the Cursed Ground The Sacred Ground of the Sato Bloodline The sky loomed dark, the thick clouds above hanging like an omen. The air was unnaturally still, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Hana, Hime, Haruka, and Jiroh stood at the entrance of the Cursed Ground of the Sato Bloodline¡ªa forsaken shrine hidden deep within the mountains of Aikyo. The ancient torii gates, worn by centuries of wind and rain, stood cracked but unyielding, whispering of a past long buried. ¡°This is where it began,¡± Jiroh murmured. His usual laid-back tone was gone, replaced by something weighty, something real. ¡°This is where your ancestors were bound.¡± Hana exhaled, fists clenched at her sides. So this was it. The place where her family¡¯s suffering had been sealed. She took a step forward. The ground trembled beneath her feet. The moment she crossed the threshold, a searing pain ripped through her chest. Hana gasped, collapsing to her knees. ¡°Hana!¡± Haruka lunged forward, catching her before she could hit the stone path. The pain wasn¡¯t just physical. It was deeper. It felt like something was being torn from her, like her very existence was being rejected. ¡°You feel it, don¡¯t you?¡± Jiroh said, his voice low. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a curse. It¡¯s a chain¡ªone that¡¯s been wrapped around your soul since birth. And now that you¡¯re here, it knows you¡¯re trying to break free.¡± Hime knelt beside her, placing a steadying hand on Hana¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Then we fight.¡± Hana clenched her teeth. No more hesitation. She forced herself to stand. ¡°We end this. Now.¡± --- The Sacred Ground ¨C Spirits of the Past As Hana, Hime, and Haruka stepped deeper into the shrine, ghostly figures materialized in the mist. The spirits of past Sato rulers. They emerged one by one¡ªmen and women dressed in ceremonial robes, their faces veiled in an ethereal glow, their eyes filled with the wisdom and burdens of generations. One of them, an elderly man with a long, silver beard, spoke first. ¡°You do not belong here,¡± he intoned, his voice echoing through the shrine. Another spirit, a regal-looking woman, tilted her head. ¡°You seek to undo what was done for the good of Aikyo.¡± Hana¡¯s fingers curled into fists. ¡°For the good of Aikyo? You cursed our family to suffer for generations!¡± A third spirit stepped forward. He looked exactly like their father. ¡°No ruler should be unchecked,¡± he said, his gaze heavy. ¡°Power corrupts. Absolute power leads only to ruin. The Sato bloodline was too strong¡ªso we ensured that no king or queen of Aikyo would ever rise too high.¡± Hime¡¯s expression was ice. ¡°You bound us in chains.¡± ¡°We ensured balance.¡± ¡°You ensured control.¡± Haruka scoffed, stepping forward. ¡°Enough. You had your time. This is our era. We decide our own fate.¡± The spirits stood still for a long moment. Then the elderly spirit¡ªthe first ruler of Aikyo¡ªspoke again. ¡°If you wish to challenge fate itself,¡± he murmured, ¡°then prove you are worthy.¡± The world around them shattered. Darkness swallowed them whole. Then¡ªpain. Hime gasped, her body convulsing as raw energy surged through her veins. Her hair and eyes turned silver, shimmering as though her very essence was unraveling. Haruka fell to her knees, her blood burning like molten fire. She coughed, dark red splattering onto the ground, but her grip on her twin blades never wavered. Hana screamed as the weight of the curse bore down on her. She could hear the voices of past rulers whispering in her mind, their words like a thousand knives slicing through her soul. This is the cost of power. This is why we sealed you. You will never be free. But through the agony, through the suffocating force pressing down on them¡ª Hana gritted her teeth and stood. Hana lifted her trembling hand, power crackling at her fingertips. ¡°You do not decide our future.¡± Hime, her silver hair glowing like moonlight, raised her hand. ¡°We do.¡± Haruka, wiping the blood from her lips, smirked. ¡°And we¡¯re stronger than you ever were.¡± The spirits roared, their forms distorting as they tried to suppress them once more. But the sisters stood together. And as one¡ªthey defied fate itself. The darkness shattered like glass. Hana gasped, her vision clearing. They were back in the shrine. The spirits were gone. But something had changed. The air felt lighter. The curse was not broken yet. But for the first time in centuries¡ªit had cracked.Hana exhaled, unsteady. They weren¡¯t done. Not yet. But for the first time, she felt it. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Hope. --- The Awakening of the Curse They felt some moment of peace and relief after they felt the crack in the curse itself. but not long after they could breathe the air grew cold. Not a natural cold, not the crisp chill of mountain winds, but something unnatural¡ªsomething sinking into their bones, into their very souls. The shrine had gone silent. Too silent. Even the insects, the distant rustling of the trees, the hum of life itself¡ªall of it had vanished. Hana felt it first. The sharp, gnawing sensation at the edge of her senses, the pulse of something ancient, watching. Then, the whispers came. Not like before¡ªnot gentle voices of the dead, but a chorus of agony, of rage. "You were warned." The shrine lurched. The very ground beneath them groaned as if something vast and unseen was moving beneath the surface. The air cracked like shattered glass¡ªthen, the world collapsed. Darkness swallowed them whole. Hana felt herself being dragged downward¡ªnot physically, but something deeper. Like fingers clawing through her mind, her soul, trying to pull her apart. A searing pain erupted in her chest, worse than any wound, worse than any battle. It wasn¡¯t just pain¡ªit was rejection. Her body was being torn from existence. She choked, her breath coming in ragged gasps as the weight pressed down harder. Hana screamed. Then¡ªa flash of silver. Hime. She stood there, light erupting from her like a second sun. Her silver hair glowed in the void, her eyes burning with fury. "She will not be taken," Hime declared, her voice reverberating through the abyss. The darkness surged, the whispers turning into roars of fury. Something slammed into Hime. stopping her from reaching through the darkness. She staggered, her knees buckling, the sheer force of the curse trying to consume her. Then, another strike. Haruka appeared in a blur of motion, twin blades flashing through the void. Tengoku and Jigoku screamed against the shadows, cutting through the suffocating darkness. Haruka gasped, her breath ragged, sweat dripping down her forehead. She was barely holding on. The abyss pushed harder. The curse was alive, and it was angry. They weren¡¯t fighting a spell. They were fighting fate itself. ¡ª Pain. The only things Hana could feel when she is in the darkness. It was drowning her, filling her lungs, her veins, her mind. The voices of the past, of centuries of rulers, of those who had surrendered to this fate before her¡ªthey were all speaking, overlapping, endless. They whispered of duty. Of sacrifice. Of inevitability. "You will never be free." "You will break, just like the others." "There is no future beyond this." Hana clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms. They were wrong. They had to be wrong. Because if they were right¡ªthen she had already lost. Something within her¡ªsomething deep, primal, unyielding¡ª ignited. A fire unlike anything she had ever known. A fury that stretched beyond this life, beyond this body, beyond time itself. Hana gritted her teeth, forcing her body to move. She would not break. She was not a puppet of fate. Hana raised her hand, trembling, her voice hoarse but defiant. "This curse¡ªthis chain¡ªyou do not control me." The abyss shuddered. The darkness recoiled. The spirits screamed. And for the first time in generations, the chain of fate cracked. --- While Hana is fighting alone, There was another battle outside the darkness. The spirit kept striking again and again, never giving them a chance to rest, a chance to pull hana from the darkness. Hime was fading. Her body could barely contain the power surging through her veins¡ªher silver hair no longer just light, but something almost ethereal, translucent, like she was slipping between existence and nothingness. But she refused to fall. Haruka staggered, blood dripping from her lips. She was burning from the inside out. Her vision blurred. Her body screamed for relief. But she did not let go of her blades. "We¡¯re not done yet," Haruka rasped. The spirits roared in fury¡ªone final surge, one last desperate attempt to erase them all. The darkness lashed out. Hime and Haruka threw themselves forward. The force hit them head-on. A wave of sheer obliteration. Hime gasped as her bones cracked under the strain. Haruka vomited blood, her body barely staying upright. And from the darkness Hana saw it. She saw them breaking. Her sisters. The only ones who had ever stayed by her side. The only ones who had ever truly believed in her. No. She would not let them be sacrificed for this. This curse¡ªthis mockery of fate¡ª it did not get to take them. Hana screamed. A raw, primal, furious scream that tore through the abyss itself. Her Body Radiating a blinding light as she unleashed her full power. The curse never saw things like this, A sheer will of a mortal that enough to write the reality itself. She reached out. Not toward the darkness¡ªbut past it. Beyond the curse. Beyond the fate that had been written. And she ripped it apart. ¡°You can¡¯t bound us in your old order! This era is ours. and we will write our own story. We are not following the broken path of your mistake¡± Hana¡¯s Voice rang through the darkness. Her command, her sheer will to write the reality itself has been answered. Crack after crack is forming and finally, The Curse is Broken Light erupted. Not fire. Not destruction. Purification. The shrine shook, the very fabric of reality bending as the chains of fate¡ªchains forged centuries ago¡ª shattered into dust. The spirits howled as they were erased. The whispers fell silent. Then, nothing. For a long moment, Hana could only hear her own heartbeat. She staggered forward. Her body felt light¡ªtoo light. The crushing weight she had carried since birth was gone. She was free. She is back. She is standing victorious at her sister''s side. she could feel the exhaustion in her body, there was a slight tremble in her finger. but she is relieved that all of this has ended. Hime was on her knees, her silver hair started dimming back to her original shade,her breath shallow. but as she saw Hana is back and standing victorious she can¡¯t contain her relief. for once from a long time she is smiling. Haruka had collapsed before, her body still trembling, her knuckles white as she clutched her swords. but as soon as she knew that hana was victorious, a grin formed in her face. and she chuckled and tried to stand. ¡°Finally it¡¯s over, You were a badass back there. but i¡¯m not shocked. You are my sister after all. I expected nothing less from you Hana-nee¡± They were alive. Exhausted but alive Hana smiled. For the first time in her life¡ªshe was not afraid of the future. It was hers now. --- Chapter 9: The Last Attempt of Defiance Hana stood victorious but her body felt weightless. Not in the comforting way one would float in water, but in the unnerving sensation of being unmoored from existence itself. For the first time in her life, the crushing weight that had clung to her like a second skin was gone. And now, her body was paying the price. Her vision blurred, her limbs numb and cold. Distantly, she felt the presence of hands gripping her shoulders, shaking her. A voice called her name, urgent and desperate. "Hana!" She wanted to answer, wanted to tell them she was fine. But the strength never came. The world tilted, and darkness rushed in. Haruka lunged forward, catching Hana before she could hit the ground. Her own body screamed in protest¡ªher muscles aching, her breath ragged, her bones feeling as if they had been cracked from the inside. Yet, she refused to let go. Hime knelt beside them, her silver hair already dimming back to its original shade, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then, Hime¡¯s hand moved¡ªsteady, precise¡ªas she pressed her fingers against Hana¡¯s pulse. Still beating. Weak. But alive. Haruka exhaled sharply, relief mixing with exhaustion. Hime, however, said nothing. She turned her gaze toward the shrine, now eerily still, the torii gates standing as silent witnesses to what had transpired. The curse was gone. But something in her chest told her this wasn¡¯t over yet. "We need to leave," Hime finally said, rising slowly. "Now." --- The Assassins¡¯ Arrival ¨C Aikyo¡¯s Noble Final Gamble The wind howled through the mountain pass. Jiroh exhaled, stretching his arms as he stood on a large stone just outside the shrine. His usual lazy expression was gone, replaced by something sharp, calculating. They were being watched. Had been watched. From the moment Hana and her sisters had shattered fate itself, someone had been waiting. And now, they were moving. "Looks like your kingdom still wants to control its fate," Jiroh muttered. Hime¡¯s sharp gaze snapped to him. "What do you mean?" Jiroh didn¡¯t answer immediately. Instead, he tipped his head toward the trees. The air shifted. The shadows moved. Then¡ªblades flashed in the moonlight. A dozen figures stepped from the darkness, clad in the dark armor of Aikyo¡¯s elite silent executioners. Their eyes were cold. Their intent was clear. Hana Sato was not meant to leave this place alive. Haruka¡¯s exhaustion burned away in an instant. She lowered Hana gently to the ground before rising, her hands tightening around the hilts of Tengoku and Jigoku. Her breath was still uneven, her body still battered. But she ignored it. "Figures," she muttered, rolling her neck. "Cowards send assassins after she''s already half-dead." Hime didn¡¯t waste words. She stepped forward, her stance unwavering. The assassins did not hesitate. They moved as one, a seamless formation of precision and death. No wasted motion. No words. Just a single, absolute goal¡ª Kill Hana Sato. Haruka moved first. Her twin blades flashed through the darkness, cutting into the nearest assassin before he could even react. The others shifted immediately, their formation adjusting to her speed. One blade aimed for her throat¡ªshe twisted away. Another slashed for her ribs¡ªshe barely dodged in time. But they were fast. And she was still injured. Hime, however, did not charge in. She waited. The moment the assassins surged toward her, she lifted her hand¡ª And the wind roared. A violent gale erupted from her fingertips, blasting through the clearing with the force of a hurricane. The nearest assassin, mid-strike, was suddenly lifted off his feet and sent hurtling backward into the trees. The others staggered, momentarily thrown off balance. But only for a moment. They adjusted instantly. This was not a group of amateurs. They shifted their focus¡ª Haruka first, then Hana. Hime¡¯s expression darkened. They were calculating. And she would make them regret it. --- The Last Stand Pain dragged Hana back into consciousness. But it wasn¡¯t her own. She felt Hime¡¯s struggling breath, her body straining under the weight of her own power. She felt Haruka¡¯s blood boiling, her movements slowing with every passing second. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. They were fighting for her. And she¡ªshe was lying there. No. Not again. Her fingers twitched. The air around her shuddered. The assassins, locked in combat, suddenly hesitated. The trees groaned, as if nature itself had sensed something unnatural waking. The leader of the assassins¡ªa masked warrior standing at the edge of the battlefield¡ªfroze. His instincts screamed at him. Something was wrong. Then he saw Hana standing slowly. Her body was weak. Her legs trembled beneath her. But the weight of her presence was suffocating. The assassins¡ªwho had never known fear¡ª took an involuntary step back. "You made a mistake," Hana murmured, her voice raw. She took a step forward. And the world moved with her. The assassins barely had time to react before the ground beneath them shook violently, a force erupting outward from where Hana stood. The wind howled, carrying Hime¡¯s lingering energy. The earth beneath their feet trembled. The leader of the assassins turned sharply, his stance adjusting¡ªbut it was too late. The entire battlefield collapsed. A force rippled outward, sending half of them flying. Hime and Haruka did not hesitate. They moved in tandem¡ªa perfect, ruthless harmony. Hime raised her arms, and the wind whipped into a vicious storm, hurling the nearest assassin against the rocks. Haruka followed, her twin blades carving through the chaos like a wildfire, cutting through armor, through flesh. One by one, the assassins fell. And when the last of them lay motionless in the dirt¡ª Hana exhaled. Her knees buckled. This time, Hime caught her before she hit the ground. Haruka sheathed her blades, wiping the blood from her cheek. "You just had to make an entrance, huh?" Hana managed the faintest of smiles. Then, for the first time in her life¡ªshe allowed herself to rest. ¡ª The Unexpected Return The streets of Aikyo had never been silent. Not even in the dead of night. There was always the rustle of movement, the distant murmurs of merchants preparing for the morning, the ever-present heartbeat of a kingdom in motion. But today¡ª As Hana, Hime, and Haruka walked through the city¡¯s grand gates¡ª The silence was absolute. Every pair of eyes turned toward them. The people of Aikyo had heard rumors. That Hana Sato was dead. That the nobles had rid themselves of her. That the prodigy, the wielder of terrifying power, the one who had defied fate itself, was never coming back. Yet here she was. Walking through the streets as if she had never left. Bruised. Bloodied. But standing. The whispers spread like wildfire. ¡°She¡¯s alive¡­?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the nobles say¡­?¡± ¡°But that means¡­¡± No one spoke to her. No one dared. They only watched. And as they passed, the people bowed. Not out of forced loyalty. Not out of duty. But instinct. Because they could feel it¡ªthe shift in power, the undeniable weight of the presence before them. Hana Sato had returned. And she was no longer someone they could ignore. --- Aikyo¡¯s Castle ¨C A Fear They Cannot Escape The palace doors loomed before them. Beyond them, the nobles were waiting. Waiting to confirm the impossible. The great chamber was filled when they arrived, as if the entire court had gathered to witness what should have been a dead woman walking. Some stood. Some remained seated, gripping their robes with white-knuckled hands. Not one of them spoke. Hana took her time stepping forward. Not because she wanted to intimidate them¡ªbut because she did not need to rush. She had already won the moment she walked through those doors. The highest-ranking noble, Lord Kagetora, cleared his throat. ¡°Lady Hana¡­ it is a surprise to see you well.¡± The words were careful, measured. Not a greeting. Not an apology. Just an acknowledgment of what could no longer be denied. Hana said nothing. She only stepped further into the chamber¡ªand every noble took a breath as they felt the weight of her presence. That was when they understood. They had never been in control of her. They had thought she was something they could guide, manipulate, keep in check. But now, standing before them, they saw the truth. She had surpassed them. She had shattered fate itself. And there was nothing they could do to stop her. For the first time, the nobles of Aikyo felt fear. Not of a conqueror. Not of an enemy. But of a woman who had broken the very chains they had always believed unbreakable. A woman they could never control again. The silence stretched, thick with uncertainty, until Hime stepped forward. And the weight of the room shifted. "Do not misunderstand," she said, her voice calm yet commanding. "Hana is still who she has always been. She is not here to overthrow you. She is not here to rule by force." Her golden eyes swept over the gathered nobles. "But she is not someone you can discard, either." Some flinched at the unspoken accusation. Hime continued, unwavering. "You fear what she could become," she acknowledged. "You fear the power she wields. But power alone does not make a ruler dangerous." She let the words settle before delivering the final blow. "Cowards do." The room stiffened. Hime had not raised her voice. She had not accused them outright. But the meaning was clear. They had sent assassins to eliminate someone who had saved them. They had tried to silence her, to erase her before she could rise beyond their control. And yet¡ªshe had returned. Not as a tyrant. Not as a destroyer. But as a woman who had proven herself beyond their petty schemes. Haruka, standing beside her, let out a sharp exhale. ¡°You lot can stop shaking now. Hana¡¯s not here to burn your fancy palace down.¡± A few nobles visibly paled. Hime gave them a pointed look. ¡°If you bow before her now, it should not be out of fear.¡± Silence. Then, finally, Lord Kagetora¡ªthe one who had tried the hardest to orchestrate Hana¡¯s downfall¡ª shifted. Slowly, deliberately¡ªhe knelt. One by one, the rest followed. Some bowed their heads in resignation. Some did so out of genuine respect. But all of them, without exception, bowed. And when Hana finally spoke, her voice was quiet. "You don¡¯t need to fear me," she said. "So long as you never try to betray me again. but remember that i will never forget and there is no second chance" The weight of her words settled over them. Then, without another word, she turned¡ªwalking past them as if their judgment no longer held meaning to her. Because it didn¡¯t. Not anymore. --- A New Dawn The sun had begun to rise. Hana stood on the palace balcony, looking out over the city. Hime stood beside her, hands folded neatly in front of her. Haruka leaned against the railing, watching as the first light of morning spilled over the rooftops. It was quiet. Not the silence of fear. Not the silence of uncertainty. But the quiet of something beginning anew. For the first time in her life, Hana felt free. Not because the chains had been broken. But because she had proven¡ªbeyond all doubt¡ªthat she was stronger than them. Stronger than fate. Stronger than the expectations forced upon her. This was not the end. It was only the beginning. And when the time came¡ªwhen Aikyo would no longer be enough, when they would need something greater¡ª She would be ready. --- Chapter 10 : The Invasion of Aikyo The morning sun was hidden behind a shroud of thick clouds, casting the land in a dull, lifeless gray. The capital of Aikyo stood silent, its people watching in tense anticipation as the black banners of Zankoku stretched across the horizon like an approaching storm. From the palace balcony, Hana stood motionless, golden eyes locked on the vast army assembling beyond the gates. They had come. She had known this moment would arrive. The moment she shattered the chains of fate, the moment she returned to Aikyo unbroken, it had begun. Zankoku had waited. They had observed. They had calculated. And now¡ªRaiga had come to finish what he started. On the warpath, atop a black warhorse, Raiga¡¯s presence was like an iron spike driven into the heart of the battlefield. A seasoned warlord, built from battle and hardened through years of conquest. Hana could almost hear his thoughts. Hana Sato has broken her curse, but she has paid the price in strength. She is weak. Aikyo is weak. Now is the time to strike. He was wrong. --- The Battle Begins The first war horn split the air. Then the second. Then the third. The ground trembled beneath the sheer weight of Zankoku¡¯s march. Thousands of boots pounded against the earth in unison, swords glinting in the dim light. Shields locked into formation, a vast wave of steel, flesh, and fury surging toward the capital¡¯s walls like a tidal wave. The city braced itself. Then¡ªthe gates opened. And stepping forward to meet them¡ªthree lone figures. Hana. Hime. Haruka. They did not run. They did not flinch. They simply stood. Waiting. The Zankoku warriors slowed, the front lines hesitating at the sight. This was not what they had expected. Hana, clad in black and crimson, stood at the center. Her golden eyes burned, unyielding, the wind whipping through her long hair. To her left, Hime, her dark hair gleaming in the cold light, stood with arms crossed, her stance composed yet unreadable. To her right, Haruka, her black hair streaked with crimson at the ends, cracked her knuckles, twin blades glinting in her grip. A smirk ghosted her lips, but her stance was anything but relaxed. They did not speak. They did not need to. The battlefield itself seemed to hold its breath. Then, Hana took a step forward. The ground groaned beneath her footfall. The air around her distorted, warping as if space itself bent to her presence. ¡°You should have stayed home,¡± she murmured. Raiga, watching from the ridgeline, narrowed his eyes. "Kill them." The charge was deafening. Zankoku¡¯s front lines surged forward, war cries tearing through the sky, blades raised high. Hana exhaled. Then, she moved. "T¨­ketsu" (Time Lock). With a single swipe of her hand, the very air itself collapsed. The first row of soldiers froze mid-stride, their movements locking as if an unseen force had seized them. Their weapons hung in the air, their eyes wide with confusion. A heartbeat later¡ªthey were blasted back, sent flying like ragdolls across the field. Hana lowered her hand. And then¡ªHaruka was already among them. she dashed towards them with inhuman speed. she clenched and swung her sword. "Jigoku ¨C Shura no Mai" (Dance of Carnage). Jigoku gleaming with a crimson color around its edges. Her twin blades carved through the chaos like wildfire, each strike a seamless arc of death. One soldier lunged¡ªshe twisted, sidestepped, and drove her knee into his ribs before slicing clean through his armor. Another tried to flank her¡ªshe dropped low, sliding under his strike before slashing upward, cutting his sword hand from his wrist. The ground beneath her became slick with blood. And yet, she moved faster. Hime Unleashes the Storm "Tenp¨± (Celestial Tempest) ¨C Raging Wind Prison". Hime raised her hands. A howling gust erupted, spiraling into a massive vortex. The wind shrieked, slamming into the charging soldiers with the force of a tidal wave. Armor plates screeched against one another as bodies were hurled backward, the storm lifting them off their feet before slamming them into the ground like discarded dolls. An archer raised his bow toward her¡ªbut before his fingers could release the arrow, the wind itself shifted. A sudden burst of air pressure cracked the bow in half, sending the splintered wood spiraling from his hands. Hime lowered her arms. The wind obeyed. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it --- The battlefield had collapsed into chaos. The Zankoku front lines had broken. The Sato sisters stood unyielding. But Raiga had planned for this. From the second wave¡ªZankoku¡¯s Elite Guard emerged. Clad in obsidian armor, each warrior a master in their own right, battle-hardened and unshaken. This was not a reckless charge. This was a calculated strike. They came for Hana. Four moved at once¡ªone from the left, one from the right, two from behind. "Enkan ¨C Kekkai no Hikari" (The Barrier of Light). Hana twisted, her palm slamming against the air¡ª A golden ring exploded outward, forming a barrier around her. The first assassin¡¯s blade met the light and shattered on impact. The second was thrown backward as if he had struck an invisible wall. The remaining two adjusted instantly, pivoting mid-air¡ªbut Hana was already inside their defenses. She stepped through the barrier, her form a blur¡ª "Kiero" (Vanish). A whisper of a motion. A flicker of movement. And in the next instant¡ªboth assassins collapsed into the dirt, unmoving. Hana lowered her hand. Her golden eyes lifted¡ªlocking onto the warlord who watched from the distance. Raiga. He was already moving. A massive greatsword gleamed in the light as he dismounted, striding forward. The Battlefield Falls Silent. The clash of steel. The roar of dying men. The storm of wind and blood. It all faded into the background as Raiga stepped forward. The battlefield parted for him. Zankoku warriors withdrew, forming a circle of death, watching in tense anticipation. Aikyo¡¯s forces halted, their gazes shifting to Hana. Because in this moment, only two warriors mattered. Raiga. The war general who had conquered battlefields with nothing but raw power and ruthless cunning. And Hana Sato. The one who had defied fate itself. The warlord exhaled, tightening his grip on his colossal greatsword, the blade itself thick as a man¡¯s torso. His stance was heavy, calculated, every step forward a challenge. Hana did not move. She simply stood, watching. Waiting. Then, Raiga spoke. His voice was a low growl, tempered by years of war. ¡°I¡¯ve waited a long time for this.¡± Hana tilted her head slightly, golden eyes unreadable. "Then let¡¯s not waste time." --- The Clash of Titans Raiga moved first. The air shattered with the force of his swing, his greatsword cleaving down like a falling executioner¡¯s blade. The ground beneath him split, dirt and stone ripping apart from the sheer weight of his strike. Hana was gone. She had moved in the blink of an eye, sidestepping without a sound. Raiga¡¯s sword slammed into the earth, cratering the battlefield. But he was already pivoting, his weapon tearing free in a violent arc¡ªaiming to cleave her in two. "Shipp¨± ¨C Kaze no Utsuwa" (Vessel of the Tempest). A whirlwind erupted, Hana¡¯s form twisting like a phantom as she stepped into the storm, vanishing into the wind. The strike passed through nothing. Raiga¡¯s eyes widened¡ªand then Hana was behind him. Her palm lashed out. "T¨­ketsu¡± (Time Lock). Raiga¡¯s body seized, his movements locking for the briefest instant. A heartbeat. A single moment¡ªbut against Hana Sato, a single moment was enough. Her fist slammed into his side, sending him skidding across the battlefield. Raiga dug his heels in, stopping himself before he could crash into his own men. His grip on his sword tightened, muscles coiling, rage flickering behind his cold gaze. "You think you¡¯re fast?" he rumbled, rolling his shoulders. "I¡¯ve fought faster." Hana arched a brow. "And yet, here you are." A muscle twitched in his jaw. Then, he moved again. His next strike was different. Not a blind charge. A test. A calculated feint. And Hana took the bait. She shifted¡ªjust as Raiga¡¯s real attack came. He raised his greatsword high in the air "Rengoku ¨C Tenchi Metsuzan" (Heaven and Earth Cleaving Slash). The air itself collapsed, his greatsword crashing downward like a judgment from the heavens. This time, Hana did not dodge. She caught the blade. The force ripped through her body, dirt exploding outward, the very air trembling. Hana¡¯s knees bent slightly, absorbing the impact¡ªbut she did not fall. Raiga¡¯s eyes widened. Then¡ªHana smirked. "Was that all?" With a sudden burst of force, she pushed his sword aside, twisting her body into a spinning counterattack. she swung her sword precisely. A single strike. A blur of motion. Raiga barely had time to react before pain tore through his side. Blood splattered across the dirt. The warlord gritted his teeth, staggering¡ªbut not falling. Instead, he laughed. Blood dripped from both of them. One deep gash on Raiga¡¯s ribs. A shallow cut on Hana¡¯s cheek. The air between them was suffocating. Neither spoke. They moved. Raiga lunged, sword swinging in a wide arc. Hana twisted, a step ahead, countering with a swung of her sword to his chest. He barely staggered, retaliating instantly, a brutal knee aimed for her ribs. She dodged at the last second, flipping backward, her hand slicing through the air. "Tomare" (Stop) The battlefield froze for a fraction of a second. Then, she struck. "Shinj¨± ¨C Setsudan" (Fatal Severance). Raiga felt his strength drain in an instant. The force sent him reeling¡ª He landed on his knees, breathing ragged, his sword slipping from his grip. For the first time, Raiga felt it. Defeat. Not at the hands of an army. Not by some god or curse. But by Hana Sato. By a woman who had been meant to die. A woman who had been thrown to fate¡ªand had shattered it instead. He exhaled sharply, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "Looks like¡­" he muttered, "I was wrong." Hana stepped forward. She did not gloat. She did not mock him. She simply met his gaze. "You should have known," she said, voice quiet but firm. "I am not someone who breaks." The warlord scoffed. "I see that now." Then, he lowered his head. And yielded. Silence fell over the battlefield. Zankoku warriors stood frozen.The warlord they had followed¡ªdefeated. Aikyo¡¯s forces watched, breath held. Then¡ªRaiga raised his hand. A signal. The black banners of Zankoku lowered. A retreat. The war was over. And Hana Sato had won. --- The Dawn of a New Era The sky was clear by the time Hana, Hime, and Haruka stood atop the capital¡¯s walls, looking over the land they had fought to protect. Aikyo was still standing. And so were they. Haruka exhaled, stretching her arms with a tired grin. ¡°So. We¡¯re alive.¡± Hime nodded, her hair swaying in the breeze. ¡°For now.¡± Hana closed her eyes for a moment. She had won. But this was not the end. This was only the beginning. Because one day¡ªAikyo would no longer be enough. One day, the world would need something greater. And when that day came, she would be ready. ¡ª Chapter 11: Haruka’s First Nightmare – The Worst Lesson of Her Life Aikyo stood victorious. The banners of Zankoku had burned to ash, their once-feared warriors scattered, slain, or bent to the will of their conquerors. The war was over. Yet, the price of victory was written in blood. The walls of Aikyo bore the scars of endless sieges. The land, once green and fertile, still carried the scent of fire and steel. The echoes of war lingered, even in silence. The people had suffered, had endured the unrelenting cruelty of the Zankoku invaders, had fought with their very last breath. And yet, they had survived. The Sat¨­ sisters, who had once been mere royal heirs, now stood as the warriors who had delivered Aikyo¡¯s salvation. Hana, with her unshakable resolve and impossible power. Hime, the ever-calculating strategist, her mind shaping victory from the shadows. And Haruka, the fiery blade that had carved through the battlefield, her twin swords glistening with the vengeance of the fallen. It was over. And now, another nightmare was upon them. Aikyo¡¯s people rejoiced. The formal ball¡ªthe grand Victory Celebration of Aikyo¡ªhad been announced. It was meant to be a night of revelry, of honor, of basking in the long-awaited peace. But for Haruka, it was a nightmare unlike any battlefield. She had faced warriors ten times her size, had dodged arrows in the heat of battle, had slain commanders of Zankoku with a smirk on her lips. But this¡ªthis was a different kind of war. A war of etiquette. A war of dresses, noble dances, and courtly formalities. A war¡­ she was completely unprepared for. The Formal Victory Ball of Aikyo¡ªAikyo¡¯s greatest nightmare for one Haruka Sat¨­. Haruka knew she had fought in countless battles, survived brutal training, and even faced legendary warriors. But nothing¡ªabsolutely nothing¡ªhad prepared her for this. Sitting stiffly in a grand hall filled with noblewomen, scholars, and etiquette instructors, she stared at the massive book in front of her. "The Noblewoman¡¯s Guide to Elegance and Decorum." Haruka grimaced. "This is torture." Across from her, Hana sat gracefully, adjusting her sleeves. Unlike Haruka, she effortlessly embodied the refined elegance of royalty. She sipped her tea with practiced ease, her posture perfect. "Hime-nee," Haruka groaned, slumping in her chair. "Do I really have to do this?" Hime, standing nearby with her arms crossed, gave her a sharp look. "Yes." Haruka sighed dramatically. "But I¡¯m a warrior, not some delicate lady who¡ª" "You are an royal princess," Hime interrupted, her voice calm yet unyielding. "And as of this festival, you will be formally introduced as the heir to the Aikyo kingdom." Haruka groaned again. "Can¡¯t I just¡­ skip the formal part and go straight to the festival?" "No." Hime¡¯s one-word answer made Haruka shiver. Hana, ever the peacemaker, gently patted Haruka¡¯s hand. "Come on, Haruka. It¡¯s just for one night. You can survive that, right?" Haruka narrowed her eyes. "Hana-nee I¡¯ve been stabbed twice and smiled through it. This is different." Hime raised an eyebrow. "You would rather be stabbed than wear a dress?" Haruka thought about it. "...Maybe." Hime closed her eyes for a brief moment before taking a deep breath. "Enough stalling. We¡¯re starting with proper walking posture." She gestured toward the long hall, where a polished marble floor reflected the golden light of the chandeliers. "Walk from one end to the other without slouching, stomping, or looking like you¡¯re ready to charge into battle." Haruka grumbled under her breath but stood up. She took a step.Then another. Then¨C She tripped on her own long sleeves, face planting straight into the floor. Hime sighed. Hana winced sympathetically. "...This is going to take a while," Hime muttered. The training continued for hours. Haruka suffered through the entire training with Hime yelling at her. Posture training (Stop slouching, Haruka!). Walking lessons (You are not stomping into battle¡ªstep lightly!). Dancing practice (NO, you cannot lead like it¡¯s a sparring match!) By the end of the afternoon, she had had enough. When the attendants arrived with her formal dress, she snapped. "NOPE. I¡¯M DONE." She bolted from the room. Hana gasped. "Haruka!" Hime rubbed her temples. "...Why does she insist on making everything difficult?" A maid peeked into the room nervously. "Should we¡ª?" Hime stood up calmly. "I¡¯ll handle this." And thus¡ª The Great Imperial Chase began. Haruka dashed through the palace halls. She dodged servants trying to stop her. She even tried to climb out of a window. But¡ªHime was faster. In one graceful, swift movement, Hime grabbed the back of Haruka¡¯s collar and yanked her back inside. "Enough," Hime said, her voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Haruka struggled. "LET ME GO!" Hime tightened her grip. "No." Hana finally caught up, panting. "Haruka, please. Just one night. You can do this." Haruka whined. "I HATE THIS." Hime dragged her back inside effortlessly. "You¡¯ll live." Haruka crossed her arms, sulking. "I hate both of you." Hime patted her head. "No, you don¡¯t. Now get dressed." With Haruka grumbling, The Transformation of a Reluctant Warrior begins. Haruka stood in front of the mirror, arms crossed, scowling. She was fully dressed. A deep crimson and black silk robe embroidered with gold. A delicate silver hairpin holding her tied-up hair in place. A refined, regal air that did not match her usual wild presence. Hana, sitting nearby, clasped her hands together excitedly. "Haruka, you look amazing!" Haruka glared. "I feel ridiculous." Hime walked up beside her, observing with an unreadable expression. Haruka waited for the teasing. Instead¡ª Hime smiled slightly. "You look like a true princess." Haruka froze. "...You¡¯re serious?" Hime tilted her head. "Of course." Haruka shifted uncomfortably. "...Weird." Hime patted her shoulder. "You¡¯ll get used to it. Now, let¡¯s go. The ball is starting." Haruka sighed deeply. "Here we go¡­" ¡ª The Grand Announcement The ballroom shimmered with golden light, the chandeliers casting a soft glow over the assembled nobles, officials, and foreign dignitaries. The murmurs of the crowd fell into hushed anticipation as the royal attendants signaled the arrival of their rulers. Then¡ªThe great royal doors swung open. A herald stepped forward, his voice ringing through the hall. "Presenting Their Highnesses, the Royal Princesses of Aikyo!" The crowd stood in reverence as the three sisters entered, each exuding a presence of power and grace. Hime, the eldest¡ªa figure of poised authority, moving with effortless control. Hana, the middle sister¡ªgentle yet commanding, warm yet undeniably regal. Haruka, the youngest¡ªknown as the wild warrior, but tonight, she carried herself with practiced dignity. The guests bowed deeply as the sisters stepped onto the grand balcony overlooking the ballroom. Hime raised a hand. Silence fell. She spoke first, her voice clear and steady. "Honored guests, nobles, and friends¡ªtonight, we celebrate the unity and prosperity of Aikyo." She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room. "Our kingdom stands strong not only through might but through wisdom, diplomacy, and the will of our people. Let tonight be a reminder of the bonds we have forged and the strength we carry together." The guests murmured in admiration. Then¡ª Hana stepped forward, her voice softer but no less powerful. "In times of uncertainty, we have always endured. Through hardship, we have found strength. And in our differences, we have found unity. May this evening serve as both a celebration and a promise¡ªthat Aikyo will continue to flourish, guided by our shared purpose and unwavering resolve." A warm round of applause followed. Finally¡ªAll eyes turned to Haruka. The nobles were already preparing to be amused or horrified. After all, Haruka was a warrior, not a speaker. But then¡ª Haruka straightened her posture, placed a hand on her sword¡¯s hilt, and began speaking. "Aikyo has always been a land of strength. But strength is not only measured by the sword or the battlefield, True strength is found in the loyalty of its people. The trust between its leaders. The ability to rise after every fall." The nobles blinked in surprise. The room, which had expected an informal and reckless speech, was now completely silent. Haruka continued. "We are warriors, scholars, rulers, and citizens. But before all of that¡ªwe are one kingdom. And tonight, we do not celebrate just power or prosperity, but the spirit of Aikyo itself." A beat of stunned silence. Then¡ªThe room erupted into applause. Haruka exhaled slowly. Hime nodded approvingly. Hana smiled proudly. Meanwhile, the nobles whispered in astonishment. "That was¡­ eloquent." "I never expected her to speak like that." "Perhaps we¡¯ve underestimated Princess Haruka..." Haruka smirked slightly. "Maybe next time, don¡¯t assume things." With the speech finished, the ball officially began. --- In the ball Haruka had expected the worst. Awkward conversations? Fancy speeches? Being stared at like an exotic beast? But¡ª What she hadn¡¯t expected was how naturally she fell into place. She greeted nobles without growling. She accepted compliments without rolling her eyes. She even held a full conversation without scaring anyone. Hime watched her from a distance, nodding slightly. "...She¡¯s doing well," Hime murmured. Hana smiled. "She¡¯s stronger than she thinks." Haruka, however, was dying inside. "This is torture. This is pain. Someone save me." Then¡ª A noble approached her. "Princess Haruka," he said, bowing. "May I have this dance?" Haruka stiffened and she stared at the noble. The noble waited, smiling politely. Haruka turned slightly to her sisters, eyes screaming for help. But it turns out they betrayed her. Hana looked encouraging. Hime looked expectant. Neither of them would save her. Haruka forced a tight-lipped smile."...I don¡¯t dance." The noble chuckled. "Surely a warrior of your caliber can handle one waltz?" Haruka felt trapped. "If I refuse, it¡¯ll be a scandal. If I agree, I¡¯ll die of embarrassment." She turned to Hime one last time. Hime raised an eyebrow. "Haruka," she said, her voice firm. "Dance." Haruka gritted her teeth "...Fine.¡± The music swelled. The noble led her onto the dance floor. Haruka was sweating more than she had in actual battles. "Okay, okay. Just move your feet. It¡¯s like sparring. Just with¡­ less stabbing." Haruka said to herself The noble placed a hand on her waist. Haruka instinctively grabbed his wrist. He winced. "Uh, Princess, you¡¯re gripping too hard." Haruka loosened her grip. "...Right. Sorry." The dance began. Step forward. Step back. Turn gracefully. Haruka was actually doing it. "I¡¯M NOT FAILING!" Then¡ªThe noble spun her. Haruka panicked.She stepped wrong¡ªAnd accidentally kicked the noble¡¯s shin. HARD. The noble collapsed instantly. The music stopped. The entire ballroom went silent. Haruka froze. "Oh no." The Aftermath of the incident even though The noble was fine. (Mostly.) The dance was ruined. (Absolutely.) And Haruka wanted to die. Haruka turned to Hime and Hana. Hana was covering her mouth, eyes wide. Hime was pinching the bridge of her nose. "...Haruka," Hime sighed. Haruka raised her hands in defense. "HE MOVED TOO FAST." Hime closed her eyes. "...Just sit down." Haruka fled to the nearest table, burying her face in her hands. Hana patted her back. "Well¡­ it wasn¡¯t that bad." Haruka groaned. "I want to leave." Hime sat down beside her. "You made an impact," she said dryly. Haruka glared at her. "I hate you both." and after that Haruka still had to stay and endure herself until the Ball concluded. but one thing that is certain in Haruka¡¯s mind ¡°I hate these things¡± but she knows deep down that this is her role as the royal princess. She and her sister already pour all they have to defeat Zankoku and it¡¯s time for them to celebrate. No matter how ridiculous she felt about this ball she will endure it. For now. Just for now. Chapter 12: The Fool Who Caught a Summer Cold The mid-summer heat blanketed the kingdom of Aikyo. The kingdom is now at peace after they have defeated their threat, the Zankoku army. The golden sun blazed overhead, making the streets shimmer with warmth. Inside the palace, however, trouble was brewing. "ACHOO!" Hana sniffled, rubbing her nose as she flipped through a diplomatic report. Hime glanced up from her desk. "Hana, was that a sneeze?" Hana waved her hand dismissively. "I¡¯m fine." Haruka, who had been stretching near the balcony, raised an eyebrow. "You sure? That sounded like you just exorcised a spirit from your lungs." Hana rolled her eyes. "It¡¯s just a little irritation. Nothing serious." Hime stared at her. She placed her palm on Hana¡¯s forehead "You¡¯re warm." Hana sighed. "That¡¯s because it¡¯s summer, Hime." Hime narrowed her eyes. "Hana." Hana held up her hands. "I promise. I feel fine!" She did not feel fine. Her head felt a little heavier than usual. Her throat was dry. But she refused to let a silly summer cold slow her down. Hime watched her carefully. "...If you say so." One hour later, Hana had a mild headache. Two hours later, her body felt sluggish. Three hours later, she was feeling really warm, uncomfortably warm. But still¡ª She powered through. Until she stood up too fast and the world tilted. Hana barely had time to blink before her legs gave out. The last thing she heard before hitting the ground was Haruka yelling. "HANA¡ª!" The Kingdom in Panic. Hana collapsed. The palace exploded into chaos. Haruka scooped Hana up immediately. "HIME-NEE! DO SOMETHING!" Hime was already in motion. Healers were summoned. Servants scrambled. The palace was thrown into a full-scale emergency. Hime placed a hand on Hana¡¯s forehead. She was burning up. "...She has a fever," Hime confirmed. Haruka gawked. "YOU THINK?!" A royal physician rushed in, panting. "Your Highness! We came as soon as we heard!" Haruka rounded on him. "FIX HER." The doctor hesitated. "It¡¯s just a fever, Princess. It will pass in time¡ª" Haruka grabbed his collar. "SHE FAINTED. FIX. HER." Hime gently pulled Haruka back. "Let them work," she said calmly. Haruka grumbled but backed off. Hime turned to the physician. "Do what you must. If you need anything, ask." The physician nodded and got to work. Hana, meanwhile, stirred weakly. "...What¡¯s with all the yelling?" she mumbled. Haruka hovered over her like an overprotective hawk. "YOU FAINTED." Hana blinked slowly. "...Oh." Then she closed her eyes again. Haruka shook her. "NO, STAY AWAKE." Hime sighed. "Haruka, let her rest." Haruka pouted. "But what if she dies?!" Hime stared at her. "...From a fever?" Haruka paused, blinking. "...Fair point." They bring Hana to her private chamber, even when Haruka is angry about what happened she refuses to leave Hana¡¯s side. And the real fever madness had yet to begin, the Delirium Begins. Hana was running a high fever. Haruka refused to leave her side. Hime remained calm¡ªbut prepared for the worst. At first, Hana only mumbled nonsense. Haruka leaned in, listening carefully. "...No... Haruka, you... can¡¯t... eat the moon..." Haruka tilted her head. "What?" Hime raised an eyebrow. "She¡¯s delirious." Haruka poked Hana¡¯s cheek. "What else is she saying?" Hana¡¯s murmuring continued. "...Banana soup... the glorious... banana soup..." Haruka snorted. "HAH! She¡¯s dreaming about banana soup!" Hime sighed. "Of course she is." Then¡ª Hana¡¯s voice changed. It grew lower, resonant, unnatural. Her murmurs shifted. The air in the room turned heavy. A pressure settled over them. And suddenly¡ª She began chanting in an ancient, unknown language. "Vra''koth il saiir..." "Uln tharai... zu''kar veyth...!" Haruka froze "...That doesn¡¯t sound like banana soup." Hime narrowed her eyes "No, it does not." Hana¡¯s body trembled, her voice echoed strangely, layering over itself. "Xal''zen... furak shiin''del...!" Then¡ªThe candles in the room flickered violently. The floor rumbled. A servant outside screamed. "FIRE! THERE¡¯S A FIRE IN THE GARDEN!" Haruka whipped her head toward the balcony. Sure enough¡ªA haystack was ablaze. Haruka turned back to Hana "...Did SHE do that?!" This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Hime remained eerily calm and summoned a water magic to extinguish the flame. "Yes. And if we don¡¯t stop her, she may burn down the entire kingdom." Haruka groaned "OF COURSE SHE WILL." Hana continued chanting, completely unaware. "Torr''va saekra...! Fyrn velak..." The temperature in the room rose, the fire outside grew stronger, and this was only the beginning. ¡ª The Midnight Escape Hana was still feverish. She was still chanting ominous spells. Haruka held up her hands. "Okay. Nobody panic." The moment she said that¡ª Hana suddenly sat up, eyes still closed. The room went dead silent. Haruka froze. "...Ne-chan?" Hime tensed. "She¡¯s not awake." Hana slowly turned her head toward them Her lips parted. And in that same unearthly voice, she whispered¡ª "Veyna lor''ka... Keth''nar xal...!" Then¡ª She bolted for the balcony. Haruka lunged. "OH NO YOU DON¡¯T¡ª" Too late. Hana leapt off the balcony. Haruka screamed. "HIME-NEE, SHE JUMPED!" Hime was already moving. "After her." Hana was running through the capital. She was faster than anyone expected and of course she was still chanting. Guards on patrol watched in horror as the royal princess parkoured over buildings like a possessed cat. One guard pointed. "IS THAT PRINCESS HANA?!" Another guard gasped. "SHE¡¯S HEADING FOR THE TOWN SQUARE!" A merchant dropped his goods. "WHY IS SHE GLOWING?!" An old woman clutched her chest. "IT¡¯S THE END TIMES!" A child looked up at his mother. "Mommy, is the princess turning into a god?" The mother picked him up and ran. "I DON¡¯T KNOW, BUT WE¡¯RE LEAVING." Haruka was right behind Hana, dodging street stalls. "SOMEONE STOP HER!" Hime followed calmly, issuing orders to the royal guards. "Surround the square. No harm must come to her." Guards ran to obey. Meanwhile¡ªHana kept running. She vaulted over rooftops, she slid down banners, she flipped off market stalls. And all the while¡ª Her voice echoed through the city. "Fey''var tor''kai! Nyssar thel''khan!" Haruka panted. "I DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, BUT IT SOUNDS BAD!" A priest in the street gasped. "A DARK RITUAL!" A scholar tripped over himself. "NO! IT SOUNDS LIKE AN ANCIENT SPELL!" A drunk man stumbled out of a tavern, pointing at the sky. "NO, NO, NO. THIS IS A DREAM. A VERY WEIRD DREAM." Then¡ª Hana reached the massive Founding Statue in the town square and began to climb it. The crowd gasped. Hime sighed. "This is getting out of hand." Haruka shouted up at Hana. "NE-CHAN!, GET DOWN FROM THERE!" But Hana did not listed to her¡ª She kept climbing. A noble gasped. "She¡¯s ascending!" A baker clutched his bread. "She¡¯s becoming one with the heavens!" A soldier held up his spear. "DO WE STOP HER OR BOW?" Hime pinched the bridge of her nose. "Neither. Just catch her when she falls." And when Hana reached the very top¡­ She spread her arms wide¡ª And shouted one final spell. "Xer''thal¡ªSHIR''RA VAYN!" A massive, glowing red magic sigil expanded in the sky above the city covering the entire city wide sky. The sight of it is horrifying, it was dark ominously red, and it certainly will bring destruction. The people screamed, the guards braced themselves, the air crackled with energy. And then¡ªIt rained.But not fire.Not destruction. No¡ªIt rained paper.Thousands.Millions. Colorful pieces of paper fluttered down, coating the entire city. A merchant hesitantly picked one up. "...What in the¡ª?" A farmer read another.His face turned pale. A noble stared at one in confusion. The paper said: "All hail the glorious banana soup." A guard picked up another. "Why is the moon following me?" His head tilted with confusion. A priest held one in shaking hands. "If you lick a frozen sword, are you its wielder or its prisoner?" Haruka snatched a handful of papers.Her eye twitched. Hime rubbed her temples. Hana wobbled on top of the statue. Then¡ª She passed out. Haruka gasped. "OH NO¡ª" Hime moved instantly. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a wind current that slowed Hana¡¯s descent. Guards scrambled to catch her. Hana landed safely¡ªcompletely unconscious. Haruka collapsed beside her. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Hime exhaled slowly. "We¡¯re taking her home." The entire capital was covered in ¡®Sacred Wisdom¡¯ papers. And Hana¡ª Had absolutely no idea what she had just done. While Hana was unconscious, The kingdom was buried under millions of "Sacred Wisdom" papers. And the people had no idea what to do. The royal guards hesitated."...So do we clean this up?" A noble picked up a handful of the papers, his face unreadable. Another noble sighed deeply. "This will take weeks to clear." Meanwhile, the common folk were... reacting. Merchants were reading the papers out loud. Scholars were debating their meaning. Religious leaders were concerned. A priest clutched one of the papers. "What does it mean? ''The moon is my witness, and my cat is the jury''... Is this a prophecy?" A baker read another one. "If you put soup in a bread bowl, is the bread the soup''s armor?" A young child giggled. "Mom! The princess is funny!" His mother looked horrified. "No, honey. The princess is cursed." Haruka watched all of this unfold. Then she turned to Hime. "...Hime-nee..." Hime pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know." Haruka held up a paper. "This one just says: ''Hot soup is dangerous. Trust me.'' Does that mean something?" Hime exhaled slowly. "It means we need to leave." Back at the Palace¡­ Hana was tucked into bed, still unconscious. Haruka was pacing back and forth. Hime was planning damage control. Haruka threw up her hands. "So what do we do now?" Hime was already writing letters. "We will announce that this was an unfortunate magical accident." Haruka blinked. "Magical accident?" Hime looked at her. "Do you have a better explanation?" Haruka thought for a moment.Then she sighed. "...Nope." Just then¡ª Hana stirred.She groaned softly. Haruka rushed to her side. "HEY! SHE¡¯S AWAKE!" Hime stood. Hana blinked blearily at them. "...Why do you both look so stressed?" Haruka stared at her. Then she shoved a stack of ¡®Sacred Wisdom¡¯ papers into Hana¡¯s hands. Hana blinked down at them.She read the first one. "Banana soup is the path to enlightenment." She read the second one. "If you fall into a hole, was it fate or bad luck?" Hana paused. Then she slowly looked up at her sisters. "...What did I do?" Haruka threw her hands in the air. "YOU TERRORIZED THE ENTIRE KINGDOM IN YOUR SLEEP." Hana paled. "I¡ª what?!" Hime crossed her arms. "We will discuss the full extent of your actions later." Hana looked down at the papers again. Her face turned red. "...I want to disappear." Haruka grinned. "OH NO. YOU¡¯RE LIVING WITH THIS FOREVER." Hana buried her face in her hands. "Kill me." Hime patted her head. "No. You will suffer." Hana groaned. The "Sacred Wisdom" rain disaster would never be forgotten. ¡ª Chapter 13: Hana Learns the Terrifying Truth - The Sacred Wisdom The Scholars Take It Too Seriously The kingdom was still buried under millions of ¡®Sacred Wisdom¡¯ papers. Hana was trying to recover from her fever. But the scholars of Aikyo had other plans. In the grand Royal Library, a group of esteemed scholars sat in absolute silence. The table before them was piled high with colorful papers. Beside it, an entire bookshelf now contained 17 thick, leather-bound volumes. One of them, an elderly historian, adjusted his glasses. "...Volume 17 is complete," he whispered. Another scholar nodded gravely. "Volume 18 is already in progress. We have only decoded a fraction of her wisdom." A philosopher rubbed his chin. "Perhaps it is a divine revelation. A truth hidden beneath humor." A priest clutched his robe. "The princess¡­ has spoken in riddles beyond mortal comprehension." The head scholar picked up a paper. He read it aloud, his voice solemn. "A soup can be food, but can food be soup?" Silence fell over the room. Then¡ª A younger scholar gasped. "She questions the very foundation of reality itself!" The priest closed his eyes. "She teaches us to seek deeper meaning in the mundane!" The historian placed a hand over his heart. "This¡­ this must be preserved." The philosophers all nodded in agreement. And so, the "Sacred Teachings of the Enlightened Princess" continued to grow. They were already preparing Volume 18. Meanwhile¡ª Hana had just finished recovering from her fever. She stretched, feeling refreshed. "Finally, I can get back to normal life." Then¡ªA royal attendant burst into her room, panting. "Your Highness! The scholars have compiled 17 editions of your wisdom, and they are already working on the 18th!" Hana froze. She slowly turned to him. "...They did what?" The attendant held up a thick, beautifully bound tome. The title gleamed in gold letters. "The Divine Reflections of Hana the Enlightened ¨C Volume 17" Hana stared at it. Her brain shut down. "...What. The. Hell." Haruka peeked over her shoulder. She read the title. Then she burst into uncontrollable laughter. "HAHAHAHA! THEY MADE 17 VOLUMES ALREADY?!" Hime walked in calmly.She took one look at the stack of books. Then she sighed. "I should have seen this coming." Hana, meanwhile, was spiraling into existential horror. "This is a nightmare. A curse. I CAN NEVER SHOW MY FACE IN PUBLIC AGAIN." Haruka grinned. "Oh, but the people LOVE YOU now. The temple priests are already debating which of your quotes should be carved into stone." Hana grabbed her head. "NO." Hime closed Volume 17. "It¡¯s too late. It has already spread across the kingdom." Hana screamed internally. She had survived the fever. But now¡ª She had to survive her own accidental religion. The ¡®Holy¡¯ Teachings Spread Like Wildfire. Seventeen volumes of Hana¡¯s delirious ramblings had already been compiled. The scholars were hard at work on Volume 18. The kingdom was now fully embracing "Hana''s Teachings." --- And worst of all¡ª The temples had started using them in sermons. Inside the Great Temple of Aikyo, the high priest stood before a massive crowd. He held up Volume 17 with reverence. "Brothers and sisters! Today, we reflect on the profound words of our Enlightened Princess!" The crowd murmured in awe. The priest flipped to a random page. He read aloud with great intensity. "¡®The floor is only dangerous if you trust it too much.¡¯" Gasps echoed through the temple. A merchant whispered. "She warns us to be cautious in life!" A warrior crossed his arms. "A lesson in never underestimating your enemy!" A scholar scribbled notes. "A deep metaphor about faith and betrayal!" The priest raised a hand. "And now, let us reflect upon another passage!" He turned the page¡ª And read again. "¡®If you eat soup with a fork, you are simply challenging fate.¡¯" A noble clutched his chest. "A lesson in perseverance!" A farmer nodded sagely. "She teaches us to always seek a better way!" A poet teared up. "Her wisdom knows no bounds..." The priest smiled. "Let us all carry these truths forward!" The crowd erupted in cheers. --- Meanwhile¡ª Hana was holding her head in horror. She had just been informed that her "wisdom" was now being studied in schools. "...They¡¯re teaching it in classrooms?" she whispered. The royal attendant nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. Just this morning, a young student was tested on the phrase: ¡®Why does the sun exist? Because it does.¡¯" Hana looked like she was about to faint. Haruka was wheezing with laughter. "THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT''S EVER HAPPENED." Hime rubbed her temples. "This is escalating too quickly." Hana grabbed Hime by the shoulders. "NE-SAMA! FIX THIS." Hime sighed. "The problem is¡­ the people genuinely believe in it." Hana let go and dramatically collapsed onto a chair. "This is a nightmare." Haruka grinned. "Oh no, sis. This is history." Hana groaned loudly. And that¡¯s when it hit her. A simple, foolproof solution. "...I need to destroy all of it." Haruka blinked. "...What?" Hana stood up, determination burning in her eyes. "I need to burn every last book before it spreads any further!" Hime stared at her. "You do realize there are already thousands of copies circulating, right?" Hana paused. Then she slammed her hands on the table. "THEN I¡¯LL BURN THOSE TOO!" Haruka snorted. "Good luck. Half the kingdom owns one now." Hana gritted her teeth. "Then I will plan a heist!" Hime massaged her forehead. "This is going to be a disaster." Hana was already storming off. Haruka shouted after her. "WAIT! LET ME HELP BURN STUFF!" Hime watched them go. Then she sighed deeply. "...The kingdom is doomed." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡ª One Last Crazy Idea Late at night, deep within the palace¡ª Hana gathered her co-conspirators. Haruka, who was only here because she wanted to burn things. A very reluctant Hime. Two loyal palace attendants (who deeply regretted being here). Hana slammed a map onto the table. "Alright. Here¡¯s the plan." She pointed to the royal archives. "The largest collection of my so-called ¡®wisdom¡¯ is stored here." Then she circled the Grand Temple. "And this is where the priests keep the most ¡®sacred¡¯ copies." Finally, she drew an X over the city. "And scattered across the kingdom are thousands of books we need to eliminate." Haruka grinned. "So we¡¯re setting the whole kingdom on fire?" Hime gave her a look. "No, we are not." Haruka pouted. "Lame." Hana continued. "We¡¯ll start small. The goal is to sneak into the archives and destroy every single copy before dawn." Hime crossed her arms. "You do realize the archives are heavily guarded, right?" Hana grinned. "That¡¯s why we¡¯re doing this covertly." Haruka grinned back. "I love this plan." Hime sighed. "I hate this plan." The attendants raised their hands. "Can we leave?" Hana ignored them. "Let¡¯s move!" --- The plan fell apart immediately. The archives were locked. Guards were everywhere. Hana was not stealthy. Haruka peeked around the corner. "Okay, two guards at the entrance." Hime folded her arms. "We should turn back." Hana shook her head. "No. I have a plan." She walked up to the guards with confidence. Haruka blinked. "...Hana-nee, what are you doing?" Hana cleared her throat. "Good evening, gentlemen!" The guards bowed. "Your Highness!" Hana smiled. "I need to enter the archives immediately." The guards frowned. "But¡­ it¡¯s restricted at night." Hana clapped her hands together. "Yes, I know! But you see, I just remembered an urgent royal decree I left inside!" The guards hesitated. Haruka leaned over to Hime. "This is the worst excuse I¡¯ve ever heard." Hime sighed. "I know." The guards looked at each other. "...A royal decree?" "Yes!" Hana nodded enthusiastically. "Extremely important. Kingdom-altering. History-defining. Super official." The guards whispered amongst themselves. "...Should we let her in?" "...She is the princess¡­" "...But why is she sweating?" Before they could decide¡ª Haruka got impatient. She walked up, grabbed both guards, and knocked them out instantly. Hana stared. Hime rubbed her temples. Haruka shrugged. "There. Problem solved." Hana sighed. "You could¡¯ve let me finish!" Haruka grinned. "No time. Let¡¯s go!" And just like that¡ª They broke into the royal archives. And the real trouble began. Hana, Haruka, and Hime successfully broke into the royal archives. The guards were unconscious (thanks to Haruka). Now, they just had to quietly destroy every book inside. The archives were massive. Rows and rows of shelves stretched endlessly, packed with important historical documents¡ª And, of course, seventeen volumes of Hana¡¯s ¡°Sacred Teachings.¡± Hana rubbed her hands together. "Alright. We burn everything and get out before anyone notices." Haruka grinned. "Finally. FIRE TIME." She pulled out a small flask of oil. Hime immediately grabbed her wrist. "No." Haruka pouted. "But¡ª" Hime glared. "NO." Hana scoffed. "Come on, Hime. How else are we supposed to get rid of them?" Hime sighed deeply. "We do it carefully. No fires. We will¡ª" Before she could finish¡ª Haruka tossed a match. A book immediately caught fire. The flames spread unnaturally fast. Hime slowly turned her head to Haruka. "...What did you just do?" Haruka grinned. "I fixed the problem." Then¡ª The fire alarm went off. Loud. Blaring. Impossible to ignore. The entire palace woke up instantly. Guards swarmed the archives. "FIRE! FIRE IN THE ROYAL ARCHIVES!" Hana, Haruka, and Hime stood frozen. Hana slowly turned to Haruka. "YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT." Haruka held up her hands. "Okay. To be fair¡­ it was effective." Hime grabbed both of them. "No time. RUN." And so¡ª The Great Book Heist turned into the Great Escape. They dodged guards. They jumped over tables. They nearly got caught four times. Hana panted. "I HATE EVERYTHING." Haruka laughed. "Admit it. This is fun!" Hime muttered. "I am never doing this again." But just when they thought they were safe¡ª They ran straight into the High Priest. And he was holding an untouched copy of Volume 17. The three froze. The High Priest tilted his head. "...Why are you three running?" Hana laughed nervously. "Ahaha¡­ no reason!" The priest smiled kindly. "By the way, Princess Hana, we have begun carving your wisdom onto the temple walls!" Hana¡¯s eye twitched violently. Then¡ª She screamed internally. This wasn¡¯t over. Not by a long shot. The book-burning heist failed. The entire palace woke up. And now, the High Priest was staring at them¡­ with admiration. Hana was still mentally screaming. But then¡ª The High Priest clasped his hands together. "Your Highness, I must thank you!" Hana blinked. "...For what?" The priest smiled warmly. "Because of your divine wisdom, the kingdom has entered a new golden age of philosophy!" Hana froze. "...What." Haruka snorted. "Oh, this is hilarious." The High Priest continued excitedly. "The scholars and I have been deeply moved by your teachings. Just yesterday, a farmer used your words to solve a border dispute!" Hana stared. "WHAT?!" The priest nodded. "A simple phrase changed everything: ¡®The floor is only dangerous if you trust it too much.¡¯" Hana felt lightheaded. Hime rubbed her temples. "Oh no¡­" The priest kept going. "And soon, we shall unveil the Grand Inscription in the temple¡ªwhere your most profound teachings will be carved into stone for eternity!" Hana froze completely. "...You¡¯re carving it into stone?" The priest beamed. "Yes!" Hana was still trying to process the horror of her words being immortalized. But then¡ª The High Priest continued his explanation. "Just yesterday, two feuding landowners came before the temple, unable to agree on the boundaries of their fields." Hana blinked. "Okay¡­ and?" "The argument lasted for hours¡ªneither side would yield. Then, a simple farmer approached and reminded them of your divine words:" The priest dramatically opened Volume 3 and read aloud. "¡®The floor is only dangerous if you trust it too much.¡¯" Hana stared. "...How the hell does that solve a border dispute?!" The priest beamed. "Ah! You see, the feuding landowners realized they were fighting over an imaginary line in the dirt¡ªsomething they trusted too much, even though the land itself never changed." Hana¡¯s eye twitched. "That¡¯s not what I meant¡ª" "And so," the priest continued, "they agreed to move the boundary slightly, rather than risk trusting an invisible line that could change at any moment!" Hana felt dizzy. Haruka burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! YOU''RE A POLITICAL GENIUS NOW!" Hime rubbed her temples. "I¡­ I can''t believe this actually worked." Hana collapsed onto a chair. "...This is getting out of control." The High Priest smiled. "Oh, but it is only the beginning. Soon, your teachings will spread beyond Aikyo!" Hana screamed internally. Her books were mass-produced. The people loved them. And Now, they were permanently inscribing them into holy sites. Hana grabbed Hime¡¯s sleeve."Tell me this is a dream." Hime sighed. "It¡¯s not." Hana turned to Haruka."Tell me this is a joke." Haruka grinned. "Nope! You¡¯re an immortal philosopher now." Hana collapsed to the ground. "...I can never undo this." Hime patted her shoulder. "No. You cannot." The High Priest tilted his head. "Princess? Are you alright?" Hana looked up at him with dead eyes "...Yes. Everything is fine." She stood up stiffly. She walked away. And then¡ª She marched straight to her room, buried herself under blankets, and refused to leave. --- Hana¡¯s ¡®Sacred Teachings¡¯ were now unstoppable. The temple proudly unveiled the carved stone inscriptions. People quoted her ¡®wisdom¡¯ daily. Her words were taught to children. And worst of all¡ª There was nothing she could do to stop it. Haruka stood outside Hana¡¯s room, laughing. "Come on, Hana-nee! It¡¯s not that bad!" Hana threw a pillow at the door. "GO AWAY." Hime sighed. "Let her have this moment." Haruka grinned. "Fine. But I¡¯m getting a copy of Volume 17 framed." Inside the room, Hana screamed into her pillow. This was her life now. Forever. Chapter 14: The Wrath of the Tyrant Hime had always been calm. She was patient, graceful, and controlled. But today, that changed. It started at breakfast. Haruka was casually bragging about how ¡°fun¡± the book heist had been, while Hana was desperately pretending it had never happened. Hime, on the other hand, sat in absolute silence, slowly sipping her tea. Then, a servant burst into the dining hall, bowing quickly. ¡°Your Highness! The High Priest is requesting an audience.¡± Hime set down her teacup, her voice eerily steady. ¡°Why?¡± The servant swallowed nervously. ¡°They wish to discuss the placement of the next temple inscription of Princess Hana¡¯s teachings.¡± A loud crack echoed through the room as the delicate porcelain of Hime¡¯s teacup shattered in her hand. Hana, feeling the shift in the atmosphere, immediately sank lower in her seat. Haruka, on the other hand, was grinning, completely unbothered. ¡°Oh, this is getting good.¡± Then the entire table trembled. The air thickened, pressing down on everyone in the room. Without warning, Hime stood up so fast her chair collapsed beneath her. She slammed her hands against the table, and her voice rang through the hall like thunder. ¡°Enough.¡± The walls trembled, the windows rattled, and the polished floor beneath her feet cracked. Hana flinched, her instincts screaming at her to flee. ¡°Oh no.¡± Haruka blinked in genuine surprise. ¡°Wait. Is she actually mad?¡± Hime turned to them, her usually composed eyes glowing with suppressed fury. ¡°You two have caused me nothing but endless trouble,¡± she said, her voice deceptively calm. Hana quickly raised her hands. ¡°N-Now, Hime, let¡¯s be rational¡ª¡± But before she could finish, Hime took a single step forward, and the ground beneath them split further. Hana screamed, grabbing Haruka¡¯s arm. ¡°SHE¡¯S LOST IT!¡± Haruka, still grinning, leaned forward with excitement. ¡°This is the best thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Then Hime raised her hand, and in that moment, Hana knew¡ªthey were absolutely screwed. Hana and Haruka had seen Hime annoyed before. They had even seen her mildly frustrated. But this was different. This was pure, unfiltered rage, the kind that made the entire palace tremble under its weight. Before either of them could react, Hime took another step forward, and with it, the floor beneath them cracked even further. The servants in the room scrambled away, some whispering prayers, while the guards stationed at the door looked at each other, silently debating whether they should intervene or run for their lives. Hana desperately clung to Haruka¡¯s sleeve, whispering in terror, ¡°we need to run.¡± Haruka, ever the fearless fool, simply folded her arms, watching the unfolding disaster like it was the most interesting thing she¡¯d ever seen. ¡°Nah, I wanna see where this goes.¡± Hime finally spoke again, her voice low and measured, but carrying a force that sent chills down both their spines. ¡°I have been patient,¡± she began, taking another slow, menacing step toward them. ¡°I have endured every ridiculous stunt you two have pulled. I have cleaned up after every single disaster.¡± Her hands clenched into fists. ¡°But this¡ªthis is the final straw.¡± Hana¡¯s heartbeat skyrocketed. ¡°O-Okay, I see you¡¯re upset, but¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, I am upset,¡± Hime cut her off, her voice dangerously soft. ¡°First, a kingdom-wide panic. Then a holy text created out of your delirious mumbling. Then a heist in the royal archives that almost burned down the entire historical collection of Aikyo?¡± Hana flinched. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Hime¡¯s golden eyes darkened. ¡°Centuries of history. Thousands of irreplaceable documents. Scrolls, treaties, and royal decrees barely saved from complete destruction. And for what?¡± She paused, her voice dropping lower. ¡°So you could erase your embarrassing books?¡± Haruka cleared her throat. ¡°Okay, in our defense¡ª¡± Hime¡¯s deadly glare made her stop mid-sentence. Hime exhaled sharply and straightened her back. ¡°No more. You will learn your lesson today.¡± The temperature in the room seemed to drop as the air turned deadly silent. Then, with terrifying calmness, Hime turned to the guards. ¡°Bring the ropes.¡± Hana¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Wait, wait, WAIT¡ª¡± The guards hesitated. ¡°Uh¡­ Your Highness¡ª¡± Hime¡¯s head turned slightly, and the force of her icy glare made them snap into action immediately. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yes, Your Highness!¡± they practically ran to retrieve whatever she requested. Haruka, for the first time in this entire situation, finally started to look concerned. ¡°Uh¡­ Hime? What exactly are you planning?¡± Hime didn¡¯t answer. She simply turned back to them with the unholy calm of someone about to deliver divine punishment. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Hana screamed internally. This was not going to end well. Hana and Haruka tried to run. They did not succeed. The moment they turned to flee, the guards had already surrounded them. Within seconds, they were dragged back to the center of the room, their wrists tied securely behind their backs. Hana squirmed against the restraints. ¡°Hime! We can talk about this! We¡¯re sisters! We can¡ª¡± Hime, still eerily calm, cut her off with a single glance. ¡°You nearly destroyed the royal archives. There is nothing to discuss.¡± Haruka, despite being bound, still looked amused. ¡°Alright, alright, you got us. What now? A stern lecture? A boring speech about responsibility?¡± Hime didn¡¯t answer. She simply motioned to the servants. Then¡ª A chair was brought forward and placed in the center of the room. A stack of books followed. Hana¡¯s heart dropped. ¡°No¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡± Hime took her seat, crossed her legs, and picked up Volume 1 of The Divine Reflections of Hana the Enlightened. ¡°I would,¡± Hime said calmly. Then¡ª She opened the book. And began to read. "¡®A soup can be food, but can food be soup?¡¯" Hana screamed. --- The First Trial: Hana¡¯s Endless Lecture of Doom For the next several hours, Hime read every single word from the ¡°Sacred Teachings of Hana¡± out loud. Hana, tied to a chair, was forced to listen to her own nonsense in its full, unfiltered glory. "¡®The floor is only dangerous if you trust it too much.¡¯" "¡®If a cat stares at you for too long, are you guilty or is it judging you?¡¯" "¡®Banana soup is the key to enlightenment. Or maybe just indigestion.¡¯" Hana screamed into the heavens. ¡°HIME, PLEASE! I¡¯VE SUFFERED ENOUGH!¡± Hime did not stop. Haruka, meanwhile, was doubled over in laughter. "This is so much better than I imagined." Hime turned a page. ¡°Oh, this one is interesting. ¡®Why does the sun exist? Because it does.¡¯¡± Hana groaned, kicking her feet. ¡°I DON¡¯T EVEN REMEMBER SAYING THAT!¡± Hime calmly continued. ¡°I have seventeen volumes to go through. We¡¯re just getting started.¡± Hana screamed internally. This was hell. --- The Second Trial: Haruka¡¯s Noble Nightmare While Hana suffered from her own words, Haruka¡¯s punishment was far less entertaining. ¡°You,¡± Hime said, closing the book momentarily, ¡°are banned from training for a month.¡± Haruka froze. Her smile immediately vanished. ¡°¡­Wait. What?¡± ¡°You heard me,¡± Hime said smoothly. ¡°No training. No sparring. No weapons.¡± Haruka tried to process this. ¡°You¡ªyou can¡¯t be serious.¡± Hime gestured to the guards. Haruka¡¯s beloved twin swords, Tengoku and Jigoku, were confiscated on the spot. Haruka¡¯s entire world shattered. ¡°NO. GIVE THEM BACK!¡± The guards stepped away. Hime ignored her. ¡°And, since you insist on running around like an untamed beast, you will wear formal court robes every day for the next week.¡± Haruka gasped. ¡°You MONSTER.¡± Hime gave a small, satisfied smile. ¡°Oh? I thought you wanted to ¡®see where this was going.¡¯¡± Haruka struggled against her restraints. ¡°I TAKE IT BACK! I TAKE IT BACK!¡± --- After Manny Hours of "Torture" - The Lesson is Learned¡­ Maybe (?). By the time Hime was finished, Hana looked half-dead. Her head was slumped forward, her eyes lifeless. ¡°¡­How much longer?¡± she whispered. Hime flipped to another page. ¡°We¡¯re only on Volume 5.¡± Hana let out the softest, most broken whimper. Meanwhile, Haruka was sulking in her newly issued formal robe, looking as though she had been sentenced to death. Hime finally closed the book. She stood, dusting off her robes. ¡°I hope this was educational.¡± Hana could barely lift her head. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re evil.¡± Haruka pouted. ¡°This is cruel and unusual punishment.¡± Hime smiled pleasantly. ¡°Good. Then you won¡¯t do it again.¡± She gestured to the guards. ¡°You may release them now.¡± The moment their bindings were undone, Hana collapsed onto the floor, face-first. Haruka, grumbling, yanked off the heavy silk robes. ¡°I swear, I¡¯ll get my revenge for this.¡± Hime sipped her tea. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try.¡± Hana, too exhausted to argue, weakly lifted a hand. ¡°I¡­ I need to go lie down¡­ forever.¡± And so¡ª Hime¡¯s wrath had been delivered. Justice was served. And Hana and Haruka finally learned one thing. Never. Ever. Make Hime truly angry. Chapter 15: The Wisdom and the Dragon Months had passed since the chaos of Hime¡¯s wrath. Life in the kingdom had finally settled into something resembling peace. The temples still preached Hana¡¯s "wisdom" but she had begrudgingly accepted her fate. Haruka, still bitter about her training ban, had returned to the mountains, swearing vengeance on formal robes. Hime was back to her usual composed self, sipping tea and ensuring her sisters didn¡¯t set the world on fire¡ªagain. But as winter arrived, trouble returned with it. Hana woke up feeling awful. Her head was heavy, her limbs weak, and worst of all, she felt the telltale warmth creeping up her body. At first, she tried to ignore it, pushing through her morning routine as if nothing was wrong. But the moment she sat down at the breakfast table, her vision blurred, and the world tilted. Hime immediately noticed. ¡°Hana. You¡¯re pale.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Hana muttered, even as she very obviously was not. Haruka, mid-bite into a roasted pheasant, narrowed her eyes. ¡°You sure? You look like you¡¯re about to pass out.¡± Hana waved them off. ¡°Really, I¡ª¡± She did not finish that sentence. Because the next thing she knew, she was face-down on the table. Haruka panicked. ¡°SHE DIED.¡± Hime, far calmer, lifted Hana¡¯s head and pressed a hand to her forehead. Her frown deepened. ¡°Her fever¡¯s already too high. This is worse than before.¡± The room exploded into chaos. The palace physicians were summoned, their hurried footsteps echoing through the halls as servants scrambled to bring cold compresses and medicines. The guards secured every exit, fully prepared after the last time Hana¡¯s fever had led to city-wide panic. The barrier chamber was reinforced with multiple layers of protective spells, a desperate attempt to contain whatever magical havoc she might unleash. They were ready this time. Or so they thought. --- Nightfall came, and Hana¡¯s fever only worsened. She lay in her bed, muttering nonsense in a feverish daze, her body burning hot despite the cool compresses placed against her skin. The royal healers hovered anxiously, taking turns keeping her stable. At first, her ramblings were harmless. ¡°¡­Banana soup¡­ divine truth¡­¡± Haruka snickered from her seat at the bedside. ¡°She¡¯s dreaming about banana soup again.¡± But then, the air around Hana shifted. A strange pulse of energy rippled through the room, and her body trembled. The flickering candlelight warped, and the soft glow of the enchanted lanterns dimmed. When she spoke again, her voice was layered¡ªboth her own and something else entirely. "Kyr¡¯haan vek¡¯tor... Azh¡¯var himnaru¡­¡± Haruka tensed, glancing at Hime. ¡°Uh. no not again.¡± The head healer took an uneasy step back. ¡°Her energy is spiking¡ªher power is reacting to the fever.¡± A deep hum vibrated through the palace, resonating like an unseen force was awakening. Hana¡¯s fingers twitched. And then something answered her call. Outside, a column of dark energy erupted in the courtyard. The air crackled, a suffocating weight pressing down as something took form within the swirling void. The shape was unmistakable¡ªa sword, black as the void, pulsing with an eerie, eternal flame. It hung suspended for a moment, as if deciding its purpose, before shooting forward like a falling star. Hime stood immediately. ¡°STOP IT.¡± The royal guards and mages tried to intercept, but the sword passed through every barrier, cutting through layers of magic as if they were nothing. Every defensive spell shattered, and the moment it reached the palace, it moved with terrifying precision¡ªstraight toward Hana¡¯s chamber. The moment her fingers curled around the hilt, her trembling ceased. The fever that had left her weak just moments ago no longer seemed to have a hold on her. The room pulsed with energy, magic thrumming beneath her skin. Then her eyes snapped open, glowing like molten gold The moment Hana¡¯s fingers curled around the hilt of the black blade, the fever that had kept her bedridden vanished as if it had never existed. She sat up slowly, her grip tightening instinctively around the weapon as an unfamiliar surge of energy coursed through her veins. The air around her shimmered, and the faint glow of black fire flickered along the edges of the blade. Haruka, still seated by the bedside, leaned forward. ¡°Oh. Oh, that¡¯s not normal.¡± Hime took a measured step forward, eyes sharp with warning. ¡°Hana. Put the sword down.¡± Hana didn¡¯t respond. She blinked slowly, her glowing golden eyes unfocused, as though she wasn¡¯t entirely present. The blade pulsed once, and a low, distorted whisper filled the room¡ªnot in words, but in a sensation, a call that sent a shiver down the spine of everyone present. The guards shifted uneasily, gripping the hilts of their weapons, though none dared to draw them. Then Hana moved. No one saw her legs shift, no one saw the preparation to leap. One second she was on the bed¡ª The next, she was gone. A burst of black flames and raw energy exploded outward as she shot forward, phasing straight through the balcony doors. Glass shattered. The curtains caught fire. The palace erupted into chaos. Haruka coughed, waving away the smoke. ¡°¡­Oh yeah, she¡¯s gone feral again.¡± Hime, already in motion, shouted orders to the guards. ¡°She¡¯s heading north! DO NOT LOSE HER.¡± --- Down in the courtyard, the soldiers barely had time to register what was happening before a flash of black light shot past them, tearing through the open gates like a hurricane. And just like that, Hana had vanished into the mountains. It was the dead of night. The blizzard howled through the jagged peaks of the northern mountains, snow whipping through the air like frozen daggers. The landscape was harsh, treacherous, and unforgiving. No sane person would willingly run into these conditions¡ª But Hana? Hana was not sane right now. She moved blindly, effortlessly, her bare feet gliding over the thick snow without sinking. Her sword pulsed in her grip, guiding her through the storm as if it had a will of its own. Despite the howling winds, she never slowed, never stumbled. And worst of all¡ª Her eyes were still closed. Behind her, a desperate army of pursuers was struggling to keep up. Hime led the chase with unrelenting speed, her expression frozen in cold determination. Haruka followed right behind, laughing hysterically between deep breaths. ¡°SHE¡¯S¡ªTOO FAST¡ªOH GODS¡ª¡± The royal guards were sprinting at full speed, their lungs burning, their legs aching. Some were on horseback. Others rode wyverns, desperately trying to cut off Hana¡¯s escape. ¡°YOUR HIGHNESS, STOP¡ª¡± A guard barely dodged a black fireball that exploded next to him. ¡°¡ªSHE¡¯S NOT LISTENING¡ª¡± Another soldier tried to block her path¡ªonly for Hana to phase through him like a shadow, completely oblivious. ¡°¡ªWHAT DO WE EVEN DO?!¡ª¡± One mage was sobbing. ¡°SHE¡¯S FIGHTING WITHOUT HER EYES OPEN!¡± Hime gritted her teeth. ¡°We have to catch her before¡ª¡± Before she could finish¡ª The mountain shook. A roar ripped through the sky, ancient, deafening, and impossibly deep. And suddenly¡ª The hunt became a battle. --- A beast as old as the mountains rose from the snowdrifts, its massive form unfolding like a waking god. Its dark emerald scales shimmered under the moonlight, its eyes burning with primal fury. A gust of power radiated from its colossal wings, sending waves of snow cascading down the slopes. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. It had been asleep for centuries. And now, Hana had disturbed it. The soldiers stopped in horror. ¡°A DRAGON¡ª¡± Hime froze in place. ¡°No.¡± Haruka¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Oh my gods. SHE¡¯S GONNA FIGHT A DRAGON.¡± Hana, still standing calmly in the deep snow, tilted her head slightly. Then, as if responding to the dragon¡¯s challenge¡ª She gripped her sword with both hands. And she attacked first. With a single step, she vanished. The dragon barely had time to react before she reappeared above its massive head, swinging her sword downward in a powerful arc. A crescent of black fire erupted from the blade, slamming into the beast¡¯s thick scales. The dragon roared, thrashing violently, the entire mountain trembling beneath its fury. It lashed out with its tail, a strike strong enough to shatter boulders¡ª But Hana, eyes still closed, dodged effortlessly, twisting midair like a phantom. The soldiers watched in absolute disbelief. ¡°SHE¡¯S FIGHTING A LEGENDARY DRAGON¡ª¡± ¡°WITH HER EYES CLOSED¡ª¡± ¡°IS THIS A DREAM¡ª¡± Haruka was practically vibrating. ¡°THIS IS THE COOLEST THING I¡¯VE EVER SEEN.¡± Hime, on the other hand, was rapidly losing her patience. ¡°STOP WATCHING AND STOP HER!¡± Hana lunged again, completely unfazed, her movements swift and unnaturally precise. She weaved between the dragon¡¯s claws, her sword carving streaks of flame through the frozen air. Every strike left scorch marks in the snow. The dragon, enraged, took a deep breath¡ªgathering power. The air trembled as its throat burned with golden fire. Hime¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°She¡¯s not dodging.¡± Haruka realized it at the same time. ¡°OH NO¡ª¡± The dragon unleashed a massive breath of fire. And Hana, still eerily calm, simply raised her sword. The black blade shimmered. The flames, roaring toward her like a tidal wave, were suddenly sucked into the sword¡¯s edge, swallowed completely. Silence. The dragon blinked. The soldiers blinked. Haruka let out a low whistle. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s new.¡± Then Hana turned toward the dragon, her glowing eyes finally opening. Her voice, distant and dreamlike, spoke for the first time since this all began. ¡°¡­Not enough.¡± And the dragon, a beast feared for centuries, took an instinctive step back. That was when Hime snapped. With a single motion, she disappeared. The next second, she reappeared behind Hana, seized her by the waist, and lifted her off the ground like an unruly cat. Hana blinked slowly. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re here.¡± Hime, her patience gone, didn¡¯t answer. She simply carried her sister back down the mountain, completely ignoring the stunned onlookers. Haruka, watching from a distance, doubled over in laughter. ¡°I CAN¡¯T BELIEVE SHE WAS ABOUT TO SOLO A DRAGON.¡± The dragon, still standing in place, seemed genuinely confused. Hime, walking through the snow with Hana dangling from her arms, did not care. This madness was over. For now. --- Mountain Range - The Way Back The journey back to the palace was eerily quiet. Hime, still carrying Hana in her arms like an oversized sack of trouble, marched through the thick snow without saying a single word. The storm had calmed, leaving only the crunch of footsteps as the soldiers followed at a cautious distance. Haruka, still reeling from what she had just witnessed, kept sneaking glances at Hana, who had finally stopped struggling and now rested limply in Hime¡¯s grip. Hana sighed dreamily, her golden eyes half-lidded as she stared up at the cloudy sky. "The dragon was beautiful," she murmured. Haruka grinned. "Yeah, especially when it almost roasted you alive." Hime¡¯s grip tightened slightly. "Do not encourage her." The journey might have continued in silence¡ªuntil a gust of wind rushed past them, heavy with magic. The entire party froze. The energy in the air shifted, thick with an ancient presence that pressed down on their chests like a physical weight. The horses stirred uneasily, the wyverns let out low growls, and the torches flickered unnaturally. Then, from the darkness beyond the cliffs, a voice echoed¡ªdeep, powerful, and amused. "You are far more interesting than I expected, girl." Hime stopped walking. She turned her head slowly, her golden eyes narrowing. A massive shadow loomed at the mountain¡¯s edge, two glowing emerald eyes piercing through the night. Onikazan, the Black Flame Tyrant, had not left. The guards instantly reached for their weapons. "STAND DOWN," Hime ordered. The dragon remained still, his form partially hidden in the darkness of the forest. He made no move to attack, no sign of hostility. Instead, he merely watched Hana. Hana blinked lazily at him, still half-dazed. "...Oh. You¡¯re still here." The dragon let out a low rumble, something between a laugh and a growl. "The sword called for you. I expected nothing more than another foolish mortal to claim it and perish under its power. But you¡­" His piercing gaze flickered to the black sword still clutched in Hana¡¯s hands. "You are different." Haruka whistled. "Wow. She woke up an ancient dragon, stole its sword, and survived. New record." Hime shot her a look before turning back to the dragon. "She is not in her right mind. If she offended you, we will compensate accordingly." Onikazan¡¯s eyes gleamed. "Offended? No, little human¡ª I am entertained." Hana, still being held hostage in Hime¡¯s arms, tilted her head. "So¡­ what now? Are you going to follow me?" Onikazan let out a slow chuckle. "No, little human. You may wield Kurohazan, but I am not your pet. My place remains in the mountains. I will watch." His gaze flickered toward the darkened forest. "For now." Hana blinked. "...You¡¯re just going to stalk me from the shadows?" The dragon did not answer immediately. His wings shifted, scattering snow into the air as he turned his gaze toward the distant palace. "You have awakened something long thought lost. Whether you remain worthy¡­ we shall see." Then, with a powerful gust of wind, Onikazan¡¯s massive form began to fade into the shadows of the woods. Within moments, the glowing emerald of his eyes disappeared, and the presence that had weighed so heavily on the air was gone. The guards let out quiet, relieved sighs. Haruka huffed. "Great. Now she¡¯s got a dragon overlord watching her every move." Hana, despite everything, grinned. She had gained a sword, the attention of an ancient being, and an entirely new set of problems. And she couldn¡¯t wait to see what happened next. --- The True Form The journey back to the palace remained tense, but the air had shifted. Even though Onikazan had vanished into the mountains, the weight of his presence still lingered. The soldiers whispered amongst themselves, speaking in hushed tones about the dragon¡¯s words. Some were still shaken. Others seemed oddly reverent. Hime had been carrying Hana this entire time, but as they continued down the mountain, her steps slowed. With a quiet sigh, she glanced toward Haruka. ¡°Take her.¡± Haruka blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re stronger. It¡¯ll be easier for you,¡± Hime said simply. Without waiting for an argument, she shifted Hana forward and practically dumped her onto Haruka¡¯s back. Haruka barely had time to adjust before Hana slumped entirely against her. ¡°¡­Oh. Wow. She¡¯s out cold.¡± Hime dusted off her sleeves. ¡°That¡¯s your problem now.¡± Haruka snorted. ¡°Sure, just toss her at me like a sack of rice. I love being everyone¡¯s transportation.¡± Hana, only half-conscious, muttered against her shoulder, ¡°You¡¯re warm¡­¡± Haruka froze. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re weirdly affectionate when you¡¯re half-dead.¡± Hime ignored them both and kept walking. The journey might have continued in silence¡ªuntil Hana stirred, shifting against Haruka¡¯s back. Her fingers twitched slightly as if something was calling to her. She exhaled slowly. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not just a sword, are you?¡± she murmured. Haruka frowned. ¡°Are you talking to the sword?¡± Hana didn¡¯t respond. She was already too focused on the weapon in her grasp. Even in the dim torchlight, Kurohazan gleamed unnaturally, its black metal rippling as though it were alive. The longer she held it, the more she felt it¡ªsomething beyond just a weapon. Something waiting. Then, without warning, the blade shivered. The shape of the sword melted, black metal folding in on itself, fire dimming. Before anyone could react, it collapsed, shifted¡ª ¡ªand suddenly, Hana was holding something very soft and very alive. A creature. A small, sleek-bodied dragon now rested in her arms where the sword had once been. Its fur was deep black, almost like liquid shadow, with streaks of glowing ember-like lines running along its body. Its narrow eyes, sharp and almost cat-like, stared up at her with quiet intelligence. Small, curved horns protruded from its head, and its tail flicked lazily behind it, faint traces of dark fire trailing in its wake. Hana and the creature stared at each other. Then Hana smile, her voice barely above a whisper, muttered, ¡°Oh gods. It¡¯s adorable.¡± Haruka nearly tripped over herself. ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!¡± Hime stopped walking. The entire procession behind them halted. The soldiers, who had already been through enough tonight, gawked. Hana, slowly cradling the tiny dragon, felt something deep and ancient settle in her chest. Kurohazan¡ªthe sentient blade, the legendary sword of shadows¡ªhad a true form. And it had chosen her. The tiny dragon let out a quiet huff, its small body curling against her as if it had always belonged there. Haruka pointed at it accusingly. ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT''S ADORABLE?! THAT WAS A SWORD FIVE SECONDS AGO!¡± Hana gently stroked the soft fur. The dragon flicked its tail, clearly enjoying the attention. ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem.¡± Hime, for the first time in a long while, actually looked exhausted. ¡°¡­It never ends with you, does it?¡± Hana beamed with the best smile she has. ¡°Nope.¡± Haruka threw up her hands. ¡°Great. Now she¡¯s got a cursed pet.¡± The small dragon lifted its head, staring at Haruka for a long moment. Then, very deliberately, it hissed. Haruka recoiled. ¡°IT HATES ME ALREADY?!¡± Hana giggled. ¡°Oh, I like you.¡± She gently lifted the tiny dragon, staring into its glowing ember-like eyes. ¡°¡­I think I¡¯ll call you Kuro-chan.¡± The dragon blinked once. Then, in a very cat-like manner, it slowly closed its eyes and nestled deeper into her arms. Haruka looked horrified. ¡°Oh no. It likes the name.¡± The soldiers were still speechless. Hime sighed deeply and started walking again. As the procession moved forward once more, Hana cradled her new companion, completely at peace. She had gained a living weapon, a mysterious companion, and the loyalty of an ancient blade. And for the first time in a long while¡ª She felt like this was just the beginning.