The two sat silently, gazing into the endless sky.
It was Elan who broke the harmony of the night.
"I once had a soldier..."
Amid a training ground where clouds of dust rose with every step,
one group swung their swords at targets while another walked carefully along painted lines.
The camp, filled with tents, was in the midst of preparations for war.
Laughter drifted from one of the tents...
"Hahahahaha…"
"That was a good one."
"Would you like to come over for dinner tonight, Keln?"
"Can I bring my family too?"
"Of course."
A wooden house stood on the largest branch of a tree.
Its windows had grown together with the wood, branching like the tree itself.
As if it were a doorway leading into the heart of the tree.
With a child on his shoulders and a woman by his side, Keln knocked on the door.
"Welcome."
"So this is what a commander's house looks like."
"Good to see you, Elan."
"Let me introduce you. This is my beautiful wife, Sophia."
"And the princess on my shoulders is Alice."
Before Elan could respond, his wife spoke up.
"I'm Sora, and our little daughter is Tracie."
"Here's hoping we all get along."
All six of them placed their hands on their foreheads and raised them in greeting.
"Well? Are we going to stand at the door all evening? I thought we were invited to dinner."
"Right, right. Let's get to the table."
Reaching up toward Alice, Keln said,
"Hooop, little lady. Time to come down."
At a table covered with meat and vegetables, wine was poured and laughter filled the room.
One person spoke while the others listened and laughed.
"And then Elan said, 'I trust my soldiers.'"
"His superiors couldn't say a thing."
"I thought to myself, if I'm going to trust a man with my life, he should at least be able to do that."
Elan lightly punched his shoulder.
"Come on, you're exaggerating."
"I'm not even telling the best parts."
"There was also that one time..."
Later, in the quiet of the night, the two men stood on the balcony, sipping their drinks.
A gentle breeze brushed against their skin as they spoke.
"Thank you for this wonderful day, Elan."
"Thank you as well, Keln."
They looked at each other.
"Hahahaha…"
Elan wiped a tear from his eye and said,
"Don't mention it. You're always welcome here."
"Everything was going well... until the day of that mission."
"Keln, there's a reconnaissance mission. They requested you specifically."
"I'm going to file an objection."
Keln raised a hand to stop him.
"Didn't you just get suspended for arguing with them the other day?"
"And what excuse are you even going to give?"
"But the location is far too dangerous."
"They're practically telling you to die."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Just trust me a little."
"...Damn it."
Looking unhappy, Elan reluctantly nodded.
"Alright."
"When I get back, let's have another family gathering."
"Deal. But this time at my place."
"Yes, Commander."
He snapped into a formal salute.
When Elan didn't react, Keln lightly patted his shoulder.
"Cheer up, Elan. It's not like I'm marching off to die."
"His smile was pure. Unbreakable."
"But every good thing comes to an end."
"I never spoke to Keln again after that day."
"The mission failed, and they were taken prisoner."
"I begged my superiors, but they made no effort to rescue them."
"A while later, his body and equipment were returned."
"Since I was the one who sent him on that mission, it became my duty to deliver him to his family."
"But those steps were so hard to take, Karon."
"With every step toward that door, the weight on my shoulders bent my knees."
"By the time I reached it, I felt ready to collapse."
"I couldn't take my eyes off the bloodstained armor and the polished sword in my hands."
"I stood before the door, and it felt like a wall."
"I don't know how much time passed before I finally knocked."
"First, Sophia came to the door."
"The moment she saw what I was carrying, her knees gave out and she began to cry."
"Then Alice..."
"She covered her eyes with her arm and started sobbing."
"She kept asking, 'Mom, where's Dad?'"
"The child who should have been sitting on her father's shoulders was clutching her mother's skirt instead."
"I tried everything, but..."
"The only thing I could do was kneel down and cry alongside them."
He fell silent for a moment and wiped away his tears.
"Do you know what the worst part was?"
The tears still hadn't stopped.
"My superiors had actually approved a rescue team."
"But they wanted me to lead it."
"At first, I accepted."
"Then I went home that evening... and my wife and child wrapped their arms around me..."
The two continued staring silently at the sky.