[Leif’s POV—Returning from the ForjnHolm Wilds]

The path back to camp was too quiet.

The wolves padded ahead in single file, crimson fur catching faint threads of moonlight. Zephyy dozed on my shoulder, tail twitching with every step. Alina had fallen asleep against my chest, her tiny fingers still curled in the fabric of my coat.

Everything looked the same. Sounded the same. But it didn’t feel the same.

The sword’s weight against my waist wasn’t heavy—but it pressed . Every step I took, it pulsed faintly, a rhythm that matched the marble under my shirt. Heartbeat against heartbeat, whisper against whisper.

I tried not to look at it. I tried not to remember him .

That man. That face . My face.

The way he looked at me before fading—like I was the echo, not him. Like I was the one borrowed from someone else’s story.

My fingers twitched around the hilt at the memory. The sword hummed once, low and living, like it had heard the thought.

By the time we walked back into the borders of FrojnHolm territory, the night air had turned thin and sharp. Torchlight glimmered ahead, and two familiar silhouettes broke through the dark.

" My lord! " Sir Roland’s voice carried relief and worry all at once as he hurried toward us, Nick right behind him. Their gazes went straight to the bundle in my arms.

"Thank the gods," Roland breathed, seeing Alina safe and sound. "We feared the worst, Your Grace."

Alvar exhaled softly, the tension in his shoulders finally loosening. "Captain," he said, his voice calm but edged with quiet command, "from now on, assign two personal knights to guard Alina. Day and night. No exceptions."

Roland straightened instantly. "Understood, my lord."

Then Alvar turned to Nick, his expression softening only slightly. "And find her a caretaker. Someone gentle. Someone trustworthy."

Nick blinked. "A... nanny, my lord?"

Alvar’s eyes flicked toward me, his meaning clear. "She’ll be living with us now, won’t she?"

For a heartbeat, I didn’t answer. Alina stirred in her sleep, pressing closer to my chest. Her tiny hand found the edge of my cloak, clutching it like a promise.

"...Yes," I said finally, my voice quieter than I intended. "She’ll live with me. From now on."

Nick nodded after a moment, his usual grin faltering into something more sincere. "Then... if it pleases you, my lord, may I ask my mother to care for her? She raised half the barracks when we were children—Miss Alina would be safe with her."

I looked at him, searching his face, then gave a short nod. "You can."

His shoulders eased, and for the first time that night, the tension around us cracked just a little.

"Thank you, sir," he said, bowing quickly before turning to make the arrangements.

As the men dispersed, I looked down at the girl in my arms again. Her breath was soft against my collar, steady, untroubled.

The sword at my back hummed once more—low, restless. I could feel Alvar’s eyes on me from the shadows, watching. Protecting. Questioning.

And for reasons I couldn’t name... That frightened me more than the forest ever had.

***

[ThorenVald Estate—Later—Lief’s Chamber]

After laying Alina down in her room, I finally slipped into mine. The fire was already lit—its glow soft, painting the walls in amber. Alvar sat by the fireplace, leg on leg, staring at the flames like they might answer some question only he could hear.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.

He glanced up at me, then smiled—one of those tired smiles that still managed to melt everything inside me. "Nothing, my love. Come here."

I chuckled under my breath. "That ’nothing’ looked ready to start a war."

But I went to him anyway, and his arms found me the moment I sat down. He brushed a hand over my back. "Do you feel any better?"

"Yes," I murmured against his shoulder. "You’re my therapy."

He laughed softly. "Flattery this late at night? You must be exhausted."

I smiled faintly, and for a while, we just stayed like that—the crackle of the fire, the distant howl of wind outside, and the quiet that only comes after chaos.

Then, his hand stilled on my back. "And what about Alina?"

"She’s fine. Nick’s staying with her, and two guards are posted outside her door."

"Good," he said, nodding approvingly. Then, after a pause, "And... what about that sword Alina dug up?"

I leaned back, blinking. "Right. That."

His brow arched. "That doesn’t sound like a normal sword."

"It’s not," I said, moving toward the table. "Zephyy said it’s a Divine Sword ."

Alvar straightened instantly. "A Divine Sword ?"

"Mm-hm. You know, the kind that’s usually locked away in ancient temples and guarded by dramatic prophecies."

That earned me a small grin. "So... we have one of those now."

I placed the sword gently on the table, its metal catching the firelight. It wasn’t glowing anymore—but it felt alive somehow. The silver was smooth, untouched by dirt or time, as though it had never been buried at all.

We both leaned in, staring at it far too seriously.

"...It’s kind of creepy how clean it is," I muttered.

"Maybe it has a self-cleaning magic," Alvar said absently, eyes narrowing.

Then, quieter, he added, "There’s a legend. About a buried blade—said that only the Bearer or someone pure of heart, without greed or desire, could get this out again."

I nodded. "Hm...I see why Alina found the sword easily."

He picked up the sword then, turning it carefully.

"But it still feels incomplete," he murmured. His thumb brushed the hilt, then paused at the top. "Here—look. There’s a hollow."

I stepped closer. There it was—a smooth, circular indentation, like a missing piece.

"This... It feels like something belongs here," he said slowly. Then, realization dawned in his eyes, and he looked straight at me.

"At your chest," he said suddenly. "Leif... that marble."

I blinked, then frowned. "You mean this ?" I tapped the faint glow beneath my collarbone. "You think the mysterious heart-stone in my chest is the missing accessory?"

"There’s no harm in trying," Alvar said with a half-smile. "Worst case, it will explode. I’ll clean up after you."

"Comforting," I muttered, but I was already pulling the marble free. Its surface pulsed softly—alive, curious.

I held it over the hollow. "Alright, let’s see if your wild theory holds.

The moment it touched the metal—

SHHHIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEEEEEEE!

It wasn’t light. It was a star exploding in my face.

For a second, I thought the sun had given up on rising outside and decided to do it right in my room instead. The air roared, curtains whipped, and both of us yelped like idiots while shielding our eyes.

When the glare finally dimmed, I peeked between my fingers. The sword lay on the table, humming softly, its surface no longer dull silver but molten gold threaded with veins of light.

"It... really was part of this sword," I breathed, lowering my hand.

Alvar, still blinking away stars, nodded slowly. "Seems so. But—" He looked at me, sharp and serious. "Leif, where did you get that marble?"

"Uh."

I froze.

Because, yeah... what was I supposed to say?

’Oh, this? A cryptic grandma in my dream gave it to me after turning herself from cat to human. Totally normal.’

"Just... found it," I muttered, scratching the back of my neck. "On the ground. Somewhere."

Alvar’s expression was the royal equivalent of "really?"

I avoided his eyes entirely, pretending the wall suddenly became fascinating. He sighed—long and dramatic. "Alright, fine. Keep your secrets, my love."

And then—

CRACK!!!

Both our heads snapped toward the sound.

A thin line had split across the blade’s surface, glowing faintly like a vein of light beneath glass.

"What the hell

—why did it crack?!" I blurted, panic bubbling instantly. "We literally just fixed it! Did I—did we just break the legendary Divine Sword?! Oh my gods, I’m going to die—divinely!"

Alvar leaned closer, frowning. "It shouldn’t have cracked... unless—"

"Unless what? Unless it’s cursed? Possessed? Don’t say cursed!"

He didn’t answer. Because at that exact moment, the sword twitched. Yes— twitched.

And then—

"HELLO, MASTER!!!!"

The voice boomed so loudly in my head that I nearly threw the sword across the room (but I didn’t).

Alvar furrowed as he saw my shocking face. "Leif?! What happened?!"

I stood there frozen, blinking at the glowing sword.

"...I think," I said carefully, "I just found another telepathy partner."

He blinked. "Another what? "

Before I could answer, the voice came again—louder, brighter, and entirely too cheerful for a divine relic.

"I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU FOR AGES, MY KING! FINALLY, YOU’VE AWAKENED ME!"

"Yeah," I muttered dryly. "Sure. Why not? Add a talking sword to my collection of existential nightmares."

The sword pulsed, light swirling around the hilt as if it were offended.

"I AM NO ORDINARY SWORD! " it declared grandly, light bursting from its hilt like a miniature sun. "I AM THE DIVINE BLADE—LUMINAEL! THE HEART OF EONS! DESTROYER OF DARKNESS! LIGHT OF THE SEVEN SUNS! THE LOYAL SERVANT OF—"

The sword paused dramatically, and the air itself seemed to hold its breath.

"— THE SERAPH KING! "

"The Seraph King?" I repeated, frowning. "Great. Congratulations. Now—if you’re his loyal sword, shouldn’t you, I don’t know, fly off to him or something?"

Luminael’s light flared indignantly.

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, MASTER?! YOU—YOU ARE THE BEARER OF THE SERAPH KING!"

I froze mid-eye roll. "The... bearer ? What’s that supposed to mean?"

The sword pulsed once—bright, steady, certain. "THE ONE WHO CARRIES HIS SOUL. HIS LEGACY. HIS LIGHT. "

The air in the room turned still, heavy enough to crush a heartbeat. Then, with a pulse that rippled through the floorboards and the flame in the hearth—

" THAT’S YOU, MASTER. "