Like a veil being opened, the darkness that had covered Gideon’s sight began to disappear. When it vanished completely, the colors surrounding him returned. They appeared vibrant, brimming with a life that his previous scenery lacked.

He had just woken up, both eyes opening and closing until they adjusted to the light. An intense pain attacked his body. Each pang gave no mercy to his limbs, as if countless hammers pounded over him. Gritting teeth was all he could do just to stay awake, but once the ache subsided, his breathing became calmer. His chest expanded and contracted in a more rhythmical way, easing into comfort as his consciousness returned.

He raised his right hand. On it were bandages, wrapping his arm from elbow to palm. Little blood spots that had dried were visible to the naked eyes. He then realized the bandages all over his body. Without his armor, the sighing of the wind brushed directly against his skin.

Only after releasing one more breath of air did he mutter to himself.

“I see. I’m still alive.”

Above him was the roof of a tent. On a flat surface, he was laying down. Shadow blanketed him from the heat outside, and another shadow–now as a person–blocked his view of the roof.

“Finally. You’re awake.”

It was Eghwin. His scar was unmistakable. He was leaning forward from the chair next to Gideon. On his hand was an apple. There was already a clear bite mark on its side.

He noticed the stare that Gideon gave before handing the apple to him. “Want this?”

“Get that out of my face.”

“Don’t be shy and take this already.”

Faced with Gideon’s refusal, Eghwin shoved the apple into his mouth, forcing his lips to part ways. Having no other choice, Gideon closed his jaws, taking some part of the apple away before chewing and tasting its juice spreading all over his mouth. It wasn’t a pretty scene, arguably, but Gideon felt much better now. His mouth was no longer dry, so making a speech now wouldn’t crack his lips nor burn his throat.

“There’s no point in asking if you were planning to do that anyway,” he said.

“It’s never a bad thing to ask for consent.”

Eghwin bit that apple again, leaving the third bite mark on it. Silence accompanied both of them. The stench of blood still filled the air inside the tent. Both of them weren’t bothered, though, as the battlefield had made them accustomed to such a smell.

“Why?” Gideon opened his mouth again. “Why did you spare me? Are you pitying me?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that very honest of you?”

“You can thank your men for that,” Eghwin said after taking one more bite. “All of them surrendered, begging me to save your life. They rather dropped their weapons for the exchange for their commander’s life. Honestly speaking, that’s a failure of an army.”

He kept on chewing the apple, biting where its flesh remained until nothing was left. Gideon heard every bite and word, those things came out from the same mouth.

“But you have succeeded as a commander.”

“Don’t think that because you won, you have the right to lecture me. More or less, we’ve both been through enough.”

“Your men are loyal. Make sure to cherish them.”

“Of course. You don’t have to remind me of that.”

After a while, Gideon lifted his upper body until he was also sitting on his soft mattress. Pain lit up every nerve in his body, but he persevered.

“Rest as much as you can. You need it,” Eghwin said.

“You’re awfully kind to the defeated. Doesn’t that make you a failure of a rebel?” Gideon replied with a sarcastic tone. “But that doesn’t matter. What are you going to do now?”

“My lord won’t stop until he reaches the capital.”

“That’s why he’s going as low as to hire a mercenary group, is that what I’m hearing now?”

“Gideon, don’t–”

“–Badmouth your lord. Remember, Eghwin. I’m fighting in this war to avenge my lord. One or two mean words won’t cut down your prince, will they?”

The tension hung in the air, and the silence which kept returning once in a while only amplified it. They knew that the next few words being uttered would lighten or dampen the mood, so they waited and chose what they wanted to say carefully. A string of words was being arranged, and the first person letting it out was Gideon.

“So what now? As much as I thank you for sparing my life, the moment I step into the capital, they will ask me to stand on the frontline. Eventually, we will fight again.”

It was certainly a question to think about. If the time for them to clash ever came again, Gideon couldn’t spare any kindness to his friend, even if his heart wanted to. Their role ordered them to put their weapons close to each other’s necks. Even if their hearts trembled at the thought of that, their hands must not.

Eghwin paused for a second, deep in his own thoughts. “But that doesn’t have to be the case.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me ask you this. Do you really believe that my lord killed your lord?”

“....”

“Do you really believe that the Third Crown Prince betrayed the Second Crown Prince’s trust for the chance to sit on the throne?”

Gideon pondered that question. It made his already jumbled emotions conflict with one another. His expression dimmed , a slight change that Eghwin immediately noticed.

“Gideon, you’re the Second Crown Prince’s retainer. You’ve served under him for years, so you know how close our lords were. Do you really believe that my lord could do such a heinous act?”

“....Even I can tell that.”

“So you know that–”

“But….” Gideon interrupted Eghwin. It was the surging emotions within him that swelled up suddenly. “But what should I do? I thought I could serve under him once more after I returned from Sagra Kingdom. Instead, what I saw was his casket. I didn’t even have the time to see his corpse! So now, what can I do? Tell me, Eghwin. Tell me….”

There was anger in Gideon’s voice, alongside a shameful note that reverberated through his body. He didn’t want to say those words either. But he was confused. His belief wavered when remembering the moments that his lord and the Third Crown Prince had shared.

Most of the time, Gideon had been by the Second Crown Prince’s side. He had witnessed his young lord’s smile, which radiated a certain warmth that others cherished–including him. And he had always shone the brightest when in the company of the Third Crown Prince. That sight brought joy to his heart.

As much as he tried to, Gideon couldn’t imagine the Third Crown Prince–Eghwin’s lord–as a murderer. His mind refused to.

He became even more conflicted now.

Eghwin noticed that. They stood on different sides, and yet, he understood the dilemma building up within the man before his eyes. Like a storm, wrecking havoc on ships, it felt like his belief was torn into pieces that couldn’t be restored.

The moment The Third Crown Prince started the rebellion, Eghwin was struck with the same dilemma. His heart faltered. To think that there would come a day when he drew his sword against his own kingdom, it was almost laughable. But it was his undying loyalty towards his lord that pushed him forward.

And now, he had to do the same with his friend whose lord had eternally slumbered for a grim reaper–if they even existed–to visit.

“Join us,” Eghwin said. He stared directly into Gideon’s eyes, not wavering even for a second. He had to, because he knew his friend could handle it. “Believe me when I say that my lord is also devastated by the loss of his brother. He also knows that our kingdom is in a dire state right now.”

“Dire state?”

“Yes. What my lord seeks is prosperity for our kingdom, not destruction.

“And you think under the Third Crown Prince, our kingdom would be better?”

“That’s one thing I can assure you of.”

“I see. So that’s your path….”

Again, Gideon peered into Eghwin’s eyes. Sincerity was all he could see. That look on his face, he understood it well. After all, he was sure that he had the same expression when standing next to the Second Crown Prince–his honorable lord whom he respected wholeheartedly.

He then shut his eyes before attempting to stand up. Out of all places, his legs didn’t get injured as much, so standing up wasn’t a bother to him. He wasn’t as steady as before, however. So when he tried to straighten his torso, every step became a hindrance that almost made him fall. If it weren’t for Eghwin who supported his arm, Gideon would fall and plant his face on the ground.

“Thanks,” Gideon said.

“Always.”

“Where are my men?”

“They are outside,” Eghwin answered. “So what’s your–”

“Carry me outside.”

Before Eghwin’s sentence finished, Gideon interrupted him. Eghwin understood what his friend meant, so he accompanied him at his side. One step at a time, they finally reached the outside where a ray of light showered them. Since the battle had lasted for barely an hour, it was still in the morning. The bright sunlight prickled his eyes as a choir of voices greeted him–his men.

“Commander! You’re awake!”

“Good morning, Sir!”

“How do you feel, Commander?”

Question after question, he was bombarded by his men whose expression was those of delight and relieved. Sitting on the ground a few meters away from them was Sephi. Even under the bright sunshine, her teal hair shone brighter. And although she looked annoyed, she seemed to be fine.

He didn’t realize that his expression softened. Although it hurt him to see some casualties, knowing that most of his men were still alive brought him a moment of respite.

“Let me be with my men first. I will give my answer to your offer later,” Gideon said without looking back.

“Sure. Take your time.”

***

A few steps away and Eghwin already saw another group of people, one of them being David. He was talking to a girl with a blonde bob haircut. From this distance, Eghwin couldn’t really hear their words clearly, but judging from the papers that the girl held, it must be something quite technical. She also wore a pair of glasses. David soon followed her line of sight and found his commander walking closer.

“Commander! How is Commander Gideon?” he asked.

“He’s going to be fine, though it’s hard to tell if he will join us or not.”

“Either way, good work out there, Commander.”

“You too.”

“Excuse me,” the girl with the bob haircut interrupted them. She appeared to be expressionless, most likely because of her eyes, which rarely moved and twitched. They were also sharp and thin, as if her staring at you was the same as her slicing you into dice. “Commander Eghwin, are you not?”

“Yes, and you?”

“Kundang’s vice-captain.”

“First, I must express my gratitude–”

The girl raised her palm. “You should tell that to my leader, sir. I’m only following his orders.”

“Then I will do that,” Eghwin said. “What are you two talking about?”

“Oh, it’s about how they crossed the Hermann River.”

Hermann River.

A piece of landscape that separated the east and west battlefields. To see a reinforcement that arrived quickly amidst such terrain, this mercenary group must be quite something. Eghwin decided to keep that thought to himself.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the girl said. “My leader wants to talk to you. May I show you the way?”

“It happens that I also have a business with him. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Please follow me.”

Her politeness took Eghwin aback. From how efficiently she spoke, she seemed to possess leadership qualities compared to Malin, but Eghwin decided to not judge a book by its cover. It took a few more steps until they reached Malin. Same as before, Enfir stood beside him like a watchful guardian. Eghwin ignored him.

“Malin, I brought you Commander Eghwin,” she said.

“Oh, thank you. I hope you didn’t scare him with your cold gaze.”

The girl answered with nothing. Eghwin watched the silence unfold before his eyes.

“That’s just a joke! No need to take it with a hard feeling, okay?”

“....Sure.”

Eghwin wasn’t sure of that girl’s “sure.”

“Besides that, what about the information I asked you to investigate? Got anything?” Malin suddenly asked.

“Yes. It seems the barrier had indeed weakened. It should relatively be safe to enter now.”

“Relatively? Not completely?”

“Yes.”

“So that means there’s a chance my life will be in danger?”

“I guess so.”

“And you’re not concerned?”

“Not really.”

Their banter raised a question in Eghwin’s mind. Barrier? What barrier? Such an abrupt change of topic stunned him. It could most likely be a conversation that only both of them understood.

“Nice to see you’re safe, Eghwin,” Malin said.

At the same time, Eghwin also realized that the girl had disappeared. He didn’t pry further, however.

“Sir Malin, I would like to–”

“Please.” Malin raised his hand to stop Eghwin from continuing. “Just Malin. It’s my principle to call and be called by name with someone I have risked my life with, Eghwin.”

Eghwin. No more honorifics, though Eghwin himself didn’t mind.

“Malin, thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.”

“I will take that appreciation with open arms, then.” Malin chuckled. “Now, I believe you remember our promise.”

Promise. The one they had made before today’s battle.

It was none other than the payment Eghwin owed to Malin.

It wasn’t as if Eghwin had forgotten. He meant what he had said, but to ask it so directly and this fast, he didn’t know whether or not to be offended.

Then again, it was a promise. “How much do you want?”

“Oh, no no. Not money.”

His answer was now more puzzling than ever.

“I actually need your help this time.” Malin rose from his chair. The groan he made sounded like an old man, though he was clearly in his 20s. “I’m going somewhere after this–a personal request from your prince, actually–and I can’t really bring my entire group with me.

“....What request?”

“It’s a secret. Don’t want to spoil the fun. Anyway, so I will lend my men to you while I borrow some of your men.”

Hearing that it was his prince’s order was enough for Eghwin. “How many people exactly?”

“Just 5 is enough. Also the same number of horses too. Wait….Make it 7 horses since Enfir and I need transportation as well.”

“I can arrange that.”

“Good! Then let’s shake our hands to seal the deal.”

Clasping their hands, both of them did a handshake with Enfir being the witness. It all seemed to move very quickly when Malin widened his eyes.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” He took the emblem of his mercenary group off from his chest. “Take this with you. Let’s just say it’s a token for our mutual cooperation from now on. It’s my life, and I trust you to hold it for me until we meet again.”

Eghwin palmed the emblem. It felt almost weightless.

That almost distracted him from what he saw next.

Malin took another emblem from his pocket. It seemed ironic at first, considering that he had another emblem with him. But upon closer inspection, the symbol in that emblem was different–it was a different medal, and Eghwin’s realization was almost accompanied by a gasp, though he held it in the end.

It was an image of an upside down cross.

In the land of Cydonia, it could only mean one thing.

“Malin, you’re–”

Again, Malin interrupted him by shushing him, one index finger in front of his mouth.

“Like I said. I won’t spoil the fun.”