The briefing room remained unusually quiet.
No one knew what to say next.
Kibo, Valentina, and Abraham had escaped.
They had awakened stronger.
They had seen another nation.
They had returned alive.
Everything about the situation felt impossible.
Then…
The doors creaked open.
Poison walked inside first.
His hood rested behind his neck, exposing the fresh cuts still healing along his face. His crimson eyes immediately landed on the three recruits.
He stopped.
"…You're alive."
Valentina grinned.
"You sound disappointed."
"I am."
Poison replied without hesitation.
"I lost the bet."
Kibo blinked.
"What bet?"
"The one where I thought you'd need saving."
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"…Good to see I was wrong."
The room relaxed ever so slightly.
Behind him, Ren entered.
His hands rested inside his pockets.
His eyes immediately found Kibo.
Then Valentina.
Then Abraham.
He studied them carefully.
Making sure they weren't hiding injuries.
"…You all look terrible."
Valentina laughed.
"You too."
"I always look terrible."
Ren answered dryly.
Poison rolled his eyes.
"That's because you refuse to sleep."
"I sleep."
"No."
"You pass out."
"They're different."
Ren ignored him.
His attention shifted back toward the three.
"…Welcome back."
His voice sounded awkward.
Almost forced.
Like he wasn't used to saying something sincere.
Kibo noticed.
"So…"
"You aren't gonna yell at us?"
Ren looked away.
"I considered it."
He paused.
"…Didn't feel right."
The room fell quiet again.
Only Ren understood why.
A memory surfaced.
"Be better than I was."
Seth's voice.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Regretful.
Ren slowly exhaled.
"I…"
His words caught for only a moment.
"…I'm glad you're back."
Everyone looked at him.
Even Saijew.
Ren scratched the back of his neck.
"…Don't make me repeat it."
Poison stared.
"…Did you hit your head?"
Ren looked at him.
"I've always been nice."
"No."
"You've always been tolerable."
"That's different."
Valentina covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
Abraham adjusted his glasses.
"I think this qualifies as character development."
Ren groaned.
"I already regret speaking."
Kibo laughed.
"…I missed this."
Poison stepped closer.
"So…"
"What happened over there?"
"They kidnapped you."
"They fed you."
"They didn't torture you."
"They didn't kill you."
"They didn't use their contracts."
He crossed his arms.
"What exactly were they trying to accomplish?"
Abraham answered first.
"They genuinely believe they're saving children."
Poison frowned.
"By kidnapping them."
"…Yes."
"That's stupid."
"It is."
"But…"
Abraham sighed.
"…they believe we're the ones who are wrong."
Silence.
Poison leaned against the nearby wall.
"…Still."
"They should've talked first."
"They didn't."
Kibo answered.
"They couldn't."
"They already believed we'd say no."
Ren nodded slightly.
"They weren't entirely wrong."
Valentina smiled.
"No."
"We would've."
Another silence settled over the room.
Not uncomfortable.
Simply thoughtful.
Sofia looked toward Kibo.
"…Those wings."
"You scared me."
"I scared myself."
Kibo admitted.
"I still don't know how to land."
Poison smirked.
"We noticed."
Saijew glanced toward the shattered courtyard outside.
"So did the wall."
Laughter finally spread through the room.
Small.
Brief.
Real.
It had been weeks since laughter sounded genuine inside the palace.
Footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Several sets.
Growing louder.
Saijew looked toward the entrance.
"They're here."
The doors opened once again.
Emma entered first.
Her silver hair swayed as she hurried inside, immediately scanning the room.
The moment she saw Abraham…
She smiled.
A relieved smile.
One she'd been carrying for days.
Magnolia walked in directly behind her.
His necklace rested against his chest.
The first person he noticed wasn't Kibo.
It wasn't Valentina.
It wasn't even Abraham.
It was the fact that all three stood together.
Alive.
His shoulders relaxed.
Matthew nearly sprinted across the room.
"You guys are alive!"
He threw his arms around Abraham before anyone could react.
Abraham nearly dropped his glasses.
"I…"
"I can't breathe."
"Oh."
Matthew immediately stepped back.
"…Sorry."
Luna walked in beside Amelia.
Valentina smiled brightly.
"Luna!"
The two embraced without hesitation.
Sous entered last.
His eyes swept across every face.
Counting.
Everyone.
No one missing.
"…Good."
He quietly said.
"They made it."
For the first time in what felt like forever…
Every remaining Egyptian recruit stood together beneath the same roof.
Not preparing for battle.
Not mourning another loss.
Simply…
Together.
Saijew looked across the room.
Children.
All of them.
Laughing.
Talking over one another.
Comparing bruises.
Sharing stories.
Arguing about whose escape had been the most embarrassing.
He allowed himself one brief smile.
Then his gaze drifted toward the palace windows.
Outside…
The sun had begun to set over Setkhem.
The City of Seth.
Its crimson light stretched across the palace floor like spilled blood.
Beautiful.
Quiet.
Temporary.
Because Saijew knew.
Deep down.
Peace inside these walls never lasted long.
The conversations slowly died away.
Laughter faded.
The room settled into silence once again.
General Saijew stepped toward the center of the chamber.
His presence alone was enough to draw every recruit's attention.
One by one, they faced him.
Kibo.
Valentina.
Abraham.
Magnolia.
Poison.
Emma.
Ren.
Luna.
Matthew.
Sous.
Amelia.
Sofia.
Children.
Yet every one of them had already seen more death than most soldiers.
Saijew folded his hands behind his back.
"Listen carefully."
"You've all grown."
His eyes slowly traveled across the room.
"Some of you physically."
He looked toward Kibo.
"Some mentally."
His gaze shifted to Magnolia.
"And some…"
His eyes briefly landed on Ren.
"…have begun carrying burdens far heavier than they should."
Ren looked away.
Saijew continued.
"The vacation is over."
"But your training…"
"It changes."
Several of the recruits exchanged confused glances.
Poison spoke first.
"No more obstacle courses?"
A faint smile appeared on Saijew's face.
"No."
"No more mindless sparring."
Matthew tilted his head.
"So… less getting punched?"
"No."
"You'll still be punched."
Matthew sighed dramatically.
"I had hope."
Kibo quietly muttered,
"I've got plenty."
Several recruits laughed.
Even Saijew allowed himself another smile.
"The battles you've fought have taught me something."
He began pacing slowly.
"I've been training warriors."
He stopped.
"When I should have been training leaders."
Silence.
"The battlefield no longer exists only in Egypt."
"There is Greece."
"There are other kingdoms."
"There are civilians."
"There are politics."
"There are philosophies."
"There are people worth protecting who cannot fight for themselves."
His voice hardened.
"If you wish to survive what's coming…"
"You must understand the world."
"Not merely defeat it."
Abraham listened intently.
"So what does that mean?"
Saijew nodded.
"It means your education expands."
"You'll continue combat training."
"But you'll also study diplomacy."
"History."
"Military strategy."
"Economics."
"Languages."
"Civilian governance."
Poison blinked.
"…Homework?"
"Yes."
"I preferred getting punched."
"You'll receive both."
The room erupted into quiet laughter.
Saijew waited until it settled.
"Beginning tomorrow…"
"You'll spar less."
"You'll think more."
"You'll travel farther."
"You'll debate."
"You'll question."
His expression became serious once more.
"And…"
"You'll begin making decisions."
Magnolia frowned.
"Decisions?"
"The kind that determine whether people live or die."
The room fell silent.
"You've all been following orders."
"That ends."
"Not immediately."
"But slowly."
"When the day comes…"
He looked directly at every recruit.
"…one of you will have to lead."
No one spoke.
Not even Ren.
Because everyone understood.
Saijew wasn't speaking about training anymore.
He was speaking about the future.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the palace corridor.
Every recruit instinctively turned toward the entrance.
The guards standing outside immediately straightened.
Their spears struck the marble floor simultaneously.
The great palace doors slowly opened.
A warm desert wind swept through the chamber.
Fine grains of sand drifted across the polished stone.
Then…
Pharaoh Neitiqerty Siptah entered.
His black and gold robes shifted gently behind him.
Not a single grain of sand clung to them.
His golden eyes calmly swept across the room.
Finding every recruit.
One by one.
Alive.
Together.
A faint smile appeared across his face.
"My children."
Every recruit immediately knelt.
Every one except Saijew.
The Pharaoh raised a single finger.
"You may stand."
They obeyed.
His gaze immediately found Kibo.
"I've heard quite the story."
Kibo rubbed the back of his neck.
"…Sorry about the wall."
The Pharaoh looked toward the collapsed section of palace.
He studied it for several seconds.
Then…
A soft laugh escaped him.
"It can be rebuilt."
He stepped closer.
"But children cannot."
Kibo blinked.
The Pharaoh turned toward Abraham.
"I've also heard you've begun analyzing your captors."
Abraham nodded.
"They're complicated."
"So is everyone."
The Pharaoh replied.
His eyes shifted toward Valentina.
"And you?"
Valentina crossed her arms.
"I still don't like them."
"But…"
"They weren't monsters."
The Pharaoh nodded slowly.
"I expected as much."
His attention drifted across the room again.
Landing briefly on Magnolia.
Then Emma.
Then Poison.
Then finally…
Ren.
The two held eye contact for only a moment.
Something unspoken passed between them.
Then it was gone.
The Pharaoh addressed everyone.
"You've all changed."
"I can see it."
"You've begun seeing the world."
"And the world has begun seeing you."
He slowly walked toward the large palace window overlooking Setkhem.
The crimson evening light bathed him in gold.
"The war we fight…"
"…is no longer Egypt's alone."
His voice lowered.
"Others are moving."
"Others are watching."
"And soon…"
His reflection stared back at him through the glass.
"…they'll stop watching."
"They'll act."
Behind him, every recruit listened in complete silence.
Only Saijew noticed it.
For the briefest instant…
The Pharaoh's reflection smiled.
Not the smile on his face.
A different one.
Colder.
Gone before Saijew could convince himself he'd seen it.
He narrowed his eyes.
Then dismissed the thought.
Probably exhaustion.
The Pharaoh turned back toward his recruits.
"Rest tonight."
"Because tomorrow…"
His golden eyes gleamed.
"…your real education begins."
Outside the palace walls, somewhere beyond the city of Setkhem…
A lone snake quietly slithered beneath the desert sand.
Vanishing without leaving a single trail behind.
Far from the deserts of Egypt, beneath a sky painted with shades of violet and fading gold, the imperial citadel of Greece overlooked the sea.
Unlike the Pharaoh's palace, built from sandstone and sun-baked pillars, Nero's fortress was carved from black marble and white limestone. Massive columns lined the entrance, each depicting victories won throughout Greece's history. Soldiers stood perfectly still along the throne hall, bronze armor gleaming beneath hundreds of oil lamps.
Not a single voice echoed.
Not until two familiar figures entered.
Valerie.
Calix.
Both walked with straight backs despite knowing exactly what awaited them.
At the opposite end of the hall, Emperor Nero sat upon his obsidian throne.
His chin rested lazily against one fist.
His expression revealed nothing.
Alexander stood at the Emperor's right.
One hand rested upon the hilt of his sword.
Baron stood opposite him.
Still bandaged from Magnolia's attack.
Still furious.
Still embarrassed.
The silence lingered.
Then…
Baron laughed.
"So…"
He slowly walked toward Valerie and Calix.
"You failed."
Neither of them answered.
"You kidnapped three children…"
"And still let them escape."
His grin widened.
"I expected more."
Valerie never looked at him.
"We made our choice."
Baron scoffed.
"No."
"You made a mistake."
He circled them like a scavenger.
"You've endangered this entire operation because you couldn't bring yourselves to hurt a few bra…"
"Enough."
The single word froze the room.
Baron immediately stopped speaking.
Nero hadn't raised his voice.
He hadn't moved.
Yet the throne room somehow became heavier.
The Emperor slowly lifted his eyes.
"Tell me, Baron."
His tone remained calm.
"Who was defeated by a child?"
Baron's jaw tightened.
"…"
"I don't recall Valerie or Calix being thrown through buildings."
Silence.
"I don't recall either of them begging Alexander to spare their lives."
Baron's fists clenched.
His face reddened.
"…My Emperor…"
Nero interrupted him again.
"Know when silence serves you better than pride."
Baron lowered his head.
"…Yes."
Only then did Nero return his attention to Valerie and Calix.
Alexander stepped forward.
"My Emperor."
Nero looked toward him.
Alexander's voice remained as steady as always.
"Shall I execute them?"
The room became perfectly still.
Valerie didn't react.
Neither did Calix.
Both had expected the question.
Nero studied them quietly.
Then…
"No."
Alexander nodded once.
"As you command."
The Emperor slowly rose from his throne.
His footsteps echoed throughout the chamber.
Measured.
Patient.
He stopped only a few feet away from Valerie and Calix.
"I've known both of you for many years."
Neither spoke.
"I watched you become warriors."
"I watched you become parents."
A flicker crossed Valerie's face.
Almost too small to notice.
Almost.
Nero noticed.
"I also watched you bury your daughter."
The room seemed to lose its warmth.
Calix lowered his eyes.
His hands trembled.
Only slightly.
Nero continued.
"You remember."
"I know you do."
"I remember everything."
Silence.
"The fever."
"The prayers."
"The healers."
"The promises."
Valerie slowly closed her eyes.
For one moment…
She wasn't standing inside a throne room.
She was kneeling beside a tiny bed.
Holding a little girl's hand.
Listening as weaker and weaker breaths escaped her chest.
Until…
None came at all.
Calix's voice barely escaped him.
"…We remember."
Nero nodded.
"Good."
"Then remember something else."
He stepped closer.
"So another parent never has to."
Valerie finally looked at him.
"What are you asking us to become?"
Nero's expression never changed.
"What necessity demands."
Calix spoke quietly.
"They're children."
"They're soldiers."
"They're both."
The Emperor answered.
"You hesitated."
Neither argued.
"You sympathized."
Neither denied it.
"You allowed emotion to cloud purpose."
His eyes hardened.
"If you had used your two contracts…"
A pause.
"…they would not have escaped."
The words lingered.
Heavy.
Painful.
True.
Calix slowly lowered his head.
"…Yes."
Valerie clenched her fists.
"But we would've hurt them."
Nero stared directly into her eyes.
Then spoke with absolute certainty.
"Sometimes…"
Another step forward.
"…violence…"
The throne room itself seemed to grow quieter.
"…is the only answer…"
Even Alexander remained completely still.
"…for a necessary cause."
No one answered.
No one could.
Because every person in that room believed those words.
For different reasons.
Baron believed them because strength decided history.
Alexander believed them because duty demanded sacrifice.
Nero believed them because peace, in his eyes, was something won through force before it could ever be preserved through kindness.
Valerie…
Looked away.
She wanted to disagree.
She truly did.
But all she could see…
Was her daughter's face.
Calix reached over.
His fingers gently intertwined with hers.
A silent reminder.
They had endured worse together.
Nero turned his back to them.
"The Egyptian children have escaped."
"They will report everything."
"The Pharaoh will respond."
His gaze shifted toward the map spread across the chamber.
"The game has entered its next stage."
Alexander stepped beside him.
"Our orders?"
Nero smiled.
Small.
Patient.
"Nothing."
Baron looked confused.
"…Nothing?"
"They've won a battle."
Nero rested one hand on the edge of the map.
"Let them celebrate."
His finger slowly traced westward across the Mediterranean.
"History has always favored those willing to wait."
Outside, thunder rolled across the distant Greek mountains.
Inside the throne room…
Every soul present felt it.
The next move had already begun.
No one had made it yet.
Chapter 35: The Weight of the Dead
Night settled quietly over Greece.
The empire never truly slept.
Soldiers still trained beneath torchlight.
Merchants packed away their stalls.
Priests whispered evening prayers.
Yet there were places even soldiers avoided after sunset.
Places where victories no longer mattered.
Only names.
Only memories.
Baron walked alone.
The imperial gardens had become nearly empty, their marble paths washed silver beneath the moon. Olive trees swayed gently in the evening breeze, their leaves whispering softly overhead.
He eventually reached the secluded spring hidden beneath the cliffs.
The same spring where memory refused to fade.
Chloe still sat beside it.
Exactly where Alexander had left her.
She hadn't moved.
The water reflected the stars above while her fingers lazily drifted across its surface.
Baron stopped several feet away.
"…Alexander told you."
She nodded.
"He did."
Silence.
"I came to check on you."
Chloe let out a quiet laugh.
"You?"
Baron frowned.
"What's funny?"
"You've never checked on anyone."
"…People change."
She looked over her shoulder.
"So I've heard."
Baron slowly walked closer before lowering himself onto a nearby stone.
For several moments…
Neither spoke.
The spring flowed quietly between them.
Finally…
"I remember when we first came here."
Chloe smiled faintly.
"You almost fell into the water."
"I slipped."
"You panicked."
"There was moss."
"There was."
"…You laughed."
"I still do."
A small smile finally reached Baron's face.
The first genuine one in what felt like months.
"I missed that."
Chloe looked toward the water again.
"So did I."
The silence returned.
This one felt different.
Comfortable.
Baron looked toward her.
"…Selena would've punched me."
"For what?"
"For losing."
Chloe laughed quietly.
"She definitely would've."
"…Then she'd probably punch Magnolia."
"…Probably."
"…Then Alexander."
"…Definitely."
The two of them laughed together.
Only briefly.
Only because neither wanted to cry.
Baron eventually stood.
"I'll leave you to your memories."
Chloe nodded.
Before he could walk away…
"…Baron."
He stopped.
"You don't have to carry everything alone."
He didn't answer.
He simply nodded.
Then disappeared into the darkness.
Several miles away…
Alexander stood before a weathered gravestone.
No guards.
No soldiers.
No Emperor.
Only him.
The grave rested beneath an old cedar overlooking the sea.
Its inscription had begun fading.
Damon
Brother.
Nothing else.
Alexander knelt.
His gloved hand brushed dirt from the stone.
"…It's been six years."
Only waves answered.
"They still haven't replaced your sword."
"They should."
Silence.
"I asked them not to."
His voice remained calm.
Almost emotionless.
"I wanted it to stay broken."
His hand slowly rested atop the grave.
"I remember your face."
"You smiled."
"You knew."
His breathing became uneven.
"You knew I wouldn't disobey."
A memory surfaced.
"Do it."
"That's an order."
Nero's voice.
Then another.
"It's alright."
"You always listened."
Damon.
His older brother.
Still smiling.
Even while staring down Alexander's blade.
Alexander shut his eyes.
"…I should've refused."
Wind answered.
"I should've died beside you."
He lowered his head.
"…It's the only order I ever obeyed…"
"…that I regret."
Footsteps approached behind him.
Alexander didn't turn.
"I wondered who visited this grave."
Calix.
Alexander slowly stood.
"…She's nearby."
Calix nodded.
"I know."
His own daughter's grave rested only a short walk away.
The two men stood quietly.
Facing the sea.
Eventually…
Calix spoke.
"You killed him?"
Alexander answered without hesitation.
"…Yes."
"My brother."
Calix lowered his eyes.
"…I'm sorry."
Alexander looked toward him.
"So am I."
Silence lingered.
Neither man needed to explain.
Calix finally walked farther down the hillside.
Alexander followed several paces behind.
The second gravestone appeared beneath a flowering olive tree.
Small.
Beautiful.
Far too small.
Fresh flowers rested against its base.
Calix gently knelt.
He brushed away a fallen leaf.
His fingers lingered against the stone.
Alexander respectfully remained several steps back.
"…She loved climbing trees."
Calix spoke softly.
"Valerie hated it."
A tiny smile appeared.
"Every afternoon…"
"…I'd find her halfway up one."
He laughed once.
"…She said the birds looked lonely."
Alexander quietly listened.
"She wanted wings."
Calix whispered.
"So she climbed."
His smile disappeared.
"I never told her…"
"…that I admired her courage."
Another long silence.
"I thought there'd always be another day."
Alexander finally spoke.
"There never is."
Calix nodded.
"No."
"There isn't."
The sea breeze carried the scent of salt across the hillside.
For several minutes…
Neither warrior moved.
Neither general.
Neither soldier.
Only two fathers in different ways.
One who had buried his daughter.
One who had buried his brother with his own hands.
Finally…
Calix stood.
"I used to think grief became smaller."
Alexander looked toward the horizon.
"It doesn't."
"It simply becomes familiar."
Calix stared at him.
"…How do you keep going?"
Alexander answered without looking away.
"…Because they can't."
Calix followed his gaze toward the moonlit sea.
"…I hope one day…"
"…children stop filling these graves."
Alexander's expression remained unreadable.
"…So do I."
Behind them…
Hidden among the trees…
A single figure watched silently.
Emperor Nero.
He had heard every word.
His eyes rested upon the two men for only a moment before he quietly turned away.
He offered no interruption.
No comfort.
No judgment.
Only silence.
Because even an emperor understood one truth.
There were battles no nation could win.
Only endure.