The rain had long since stopped by the time they returned to the kingdom.
But the weight of it remained.
The sky above the capital was gray, heavy with silence, as if even the world itself understood what was about to take place.
Word had spread quickly.
Not through panic.
Not through chaos.
But through something quieter.
Something heavier.
Loss.
At the center of the kingdom, the grand courtyard had been cleared.
Rows upon rows of soldiers stood in perfect formation, their armor polished, their weapons held firmly at their sides.
No one spoke. No one moved out of line.
The usual pride and discipline in their stance remained but today, it carried something else.
Respect.
Grief.
At the far end of the courtyard stood a raised platform.
And upon it
a single resting place.
Louis.
His body, now prepared, lay upon a decorated bier draped in the kingdom's banner. His armor had been restored, cleaned of the battle that had taken him. His weapon rested beside him, placed carefully as if he might rise at any moment to claim it again.
But he wouldn't.
The sound of marching boots echoed softly as a unit of his soldiers stepped forward.
They were the ones who had fought beside him.
Trained under him.
Survived because of him.
Now they carried him.
Slowly, with precision, they brought his body forward and lifted it onto the platform. Every movement was careful, deliberate, as if even the smallest mistake would dishonor the man they followed.
When they stepped back into formation, their heads lowered not in weakness, but in respect.
At the front of it all
stood the King.
He did not sit upon a throne.
He did not hide behind guards.
He stood among them.
Clad in royal armor, his presence commanded silence without effort.
His gaze rested on Louis, steady and unwavering, as if committing this moment to memory.
To his side stood the elite knights.
Alexander among them.
Still, silent.
And among the gathered
stood Solarynth.
He wasn't in formation.
He didn't stand like the others.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
His eyes rested on Louis' body, unmoving, unblinking, as if still trying to process something that refused to settle.
This wasn't the battlefield.
There was no chaos.
No enemy no reason to fight.
And yet, this felt heavier.
Because here there was no denial left.
The King stepped forward.
The sound of his armor was the only thing that broke the silence as he approached the platform. He stood before Louis for a moment, saying nothing at first.
Then slowly
he spoke.
"Captain Louis…"
His voice was deep, steady, carrying across the entire courtyard without needing to rise.
"You stood where others would fall."
A pause.
"You fought where others would flee."
The soldiers remained still, but their grips tightened slightly on their weapons.
"And in the end…"
The King's gaze hardened not with anger, but with pride.
"…you gave your life not for glory… but for those who could not stand for themselves."
The words settled across the courtyard.
Heavy, meaningful.
Final.
"You have served this kingdom with honor."
Another step forward.
Closer now.
"And today…"
He placed a hand over his chest.
"…this kingdom honors you."
At that moment
every soldier present did the same.
A unified motion.
Steel against chest.
Silence filled the air once more.
And Solarynth—
stood there.
Watching.
Listening.
But something inside him didn't move the same way as the others.
Because while they honored a hero
He only saw the man who stood beside him… in the Red Zone.
The man who fought with him.
Taught him.
Trusted him.
And now—
He was gone.
Solarynth's hand slowly clenched at his side.
Not out of anger this time.
Not even frustration.
But something quieter.
Something deeper.
"…Captain…" he murmured under his breath.
he truly felt it not confusion but loss.
After Captain Louis' funeral, the weight of the ceremony lingered in the air long after the soldiers had dispersed.
No one celebrated.
No one spoke louder than necessary.
Even the kingdom itself felt quieter.
Solarynth didn't stay not in the courtyard.
Not within the walls.
Without a word, he made his way beyond the gates of the kingdom, walking past the towering stone walls and into the open land beyond.
The further he went, the more the noise of the capital faded, replaced by something calmer.
Something… distant.
He eventually reached a wide field of flowers.
Soft colors stretched across the plains, moving gently with the wind, untouched by the destruction that had taken place not long ago.
The sky above was clear now bright blue, open, endless.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Solarynth walked slowly through the field, his steps uneven.
His body still carried the damage from the battle with Maelkris.
Bruises marked his skin, his movements lacked their usual precision, and every now and then, his legs trembled slightly beneath himsmall signs that his body had been pushed far beyond its limits.
Not just from the fight but from something else.
The speed he awakened.
Eventually, he found a lone rock resting in the middle of the field.
Without thinking much of it, he sat down, letting out a quiet breath as he leaned back slightly, his gaze drifting upward toward the sky.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His thoughts wandered back to the battlefield.
Back to Maelkris.
Back to that overwhelming presence… that gap in power he couldn't close.
And then
back to Louis.
His expression shifted slightly, though he didn't fully realize it himself.
A light tap landed on his shoulder.
Solarynth glanced over, turning his head just enough to see who it was.
Asura stood there.
"Feeling alright, Solarynth?" Asura said, tilting his head slightly, a faint smirk forming. "You don't exactly look like someone who's alright."
There was a teasing tone in his voice, subtle, intentional an attempt to lighten the mood.
Solarynth let out a small, quiet chuckle.
Not full but enough to respond.
"What do you want Asura.." he said, his voice calm but tired. "I've been… feeling a little down since what happened to the Captain."
The words came out slower than usual.
He didn't try to hide it.
Asura's expression softened just slightly.
For once, he didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he walked over and sat down beside Solarynth on the rock, resting his arms loosely as he looked out across the field.
"I know," Asura said after a moment.
There was no teasing in his voice this time.
"But Steel Beard told me something," he continued, glancing over at Solarynth. "He said you awakened something out there."
A small pause.
"Care to explain what it is?"
Solarynth looked down at himself for a moment, his eyes tracing his own hands as if trying to understand them again. Then slowly, he lifted his gaze back toward the horizon.
"…It's my speed," he said.
Asura listened quietly.
"When I'm in that state…" Solarynth continued, choosing his words carefully, "I feel… light. Like everything around me slows down, and I can move however I want."
He exhaled softly.
"But I'm not used to it," he admitted. "I don't really understand it yet. It just… happened in the middle of the fight."
Asura nodded slowly, taking that in.
"Can you tap into it again?" he asked.
Solarynth hesitated for a brief moment.
Then
he nodded.
"I can try."
He stood up from the rock, his body still slightly unsteady as his feet met the ground. He walked a few steps forward, moving toward the center of the field where nothing surrounded him but open space and swaying flowers.
The wind brushed past him.
The sky remained clear.
Solarynth took a breath.
Closed his eyes and focused.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then something shifted.
A faint glow began to form around him.
Subtle at first.
Then growing.
Aqua-gold streaks flickered into existence, tracing along his body like threads of light. The air around him distorted slightly, reacting to the sudden surge of energy as his presence sharpened.
And then.
he moved.
Not yet.
But enough.
His trail ignited behind him like burning strands of sunlight, tearing across the wind in smooth, flowing motion like ribbons of solar energy dancing through the air.
The field responded.
The flowers bent.
The air warped.
Solarynth stood at the center of it all
surrounded by speed he barely understood.
he wasn't thinking about running away.
He was trying to understand.
Solarynth slowed.
The motion didn't stop all at once it unraveled, like threads of light being gently pulled apart.
The blazing trails that once followed his every step began to thin, their glow flickering as the energy around him gradually calmed.
The aqua-gold streaks that wrapped around his body softened, losing their intensity as if the world itself was returning to its natural pace.
The distortion in the air faded, the wind settling back into a gentle breeze as the field of flowers slowly rose from where they had been bent by his movement.
With one final step, Solarynth came to a complete halt.
The light disappeared.
What remained was only him—l standing there, breathing slightly heavier than before, his body still adjusting to what it had just done.
There was a brief moment where he stayed still, as if making sure the ground beneath him was real, as if confirming that everything had truly stopped.
Behind him, Asura let out a low whistle before bringing his hands together in a slow, deliberate clap.
"Well… I'll give you that," Asura said, a smirk forming as he leaned back slightly on the rock. "That was something."
His tone carried a mix of amusement and genuine interest, his eyes still fixed on Solarynth as if trying to fully understand what he had just witnessed.
Solarynth didn't respond immediately.
He looked down at his hands again, flexing his fingers slightly, feeling the faint remainder of that speed still lingering in his body.
It wasn't gone completely it was still there, resting beneath the surface, waiting.
"…It doesn't feel natural yet," he admitted quietly.
His gaze lifted back toward the field, where the flowers had already begun to sway peacefully again, as if nothing had happened at all.
"But it's there," he continued, his voice steadier now. "I can feel it."
Asura's smirk softened just a little as he watched him.
"Yeah," he said, crossing his arms slightly, "and once you figure it out…"
A small pause.
"…you might actually start being a problem for monsters like him."
The wind passed through the field again.
Gentle and calm.
But this time
something had changed.