Everyone settled down around the crackling campfire, the warm orange glow dancing across their faces as the night grew deeper.
Kairo leaned back slightly, staring into the flames.
"Well, I was kinda curious… what do you guys want to be in the future?"
Akio puffed out his chest with dramatic flair.
"Me? Talk about the present! I can easily defeat kingdoms with a single snap!"
Liana, still irritated from his earlier taunt, shot him a glare.
"Yeah, in your dreams."
Akio made an irritating face while Liana cutely puffed her cheeks and looked aside, deliberately ignoring him.
Hina smiled gently, her voice soft.
"Well, I just want to have a flower shop or be a gardener. That's it. I'm happy with my life. I just want to go on as how it is going."
She turned to Akio.
"Akio, what do you really want to have?"
Akio scratched his cheek, suddenly looking a little shy.
"Well… I just wanna be with you and have fun. Just having a regular life with regular money is fine. If I look at the ability and intelligence I have… well, I am kinda nervous how things will go."
Mika's eyes widened in surprise.
"Woah, no way… am I dreaming? You sound mature."
"What do you mean by that? I am already matured!"
Akio protested.
Renji leaned forward, his expression more serious.
"Well, about me… unlike Akio, I have a lot of pressure. I just wish I had a father like Akio's. His father lets him loose and free, while my family is very disciplined. So yeah, I have to make them proud, and I will make them proud by becoming the greatest warrior. Just like I chose the class of a warrior, I will never back down from my words."
Leonhart looked genuinely moved.
"Woah, I am actually touched by your motivation and your mindset. Well, actually… yeah, same goes for me. I will be a warrior."
He turned to Daichi.
"What about you, Daichi?"
Daichi yawned lazily.
"Well, I don't know if I have enough talent. Maybe I will be a warrior. If not… well, I guess I will live in the mountains with beautiful sceneries and live a life with peace. And yeah, I don't have any kind of motivations. I just want to have a peaceful life."
He glanced at the remaining two.
"Well, only you two have to tell your dreams."
Liana tilted her head.
"Wait, I already told about my dream just now."
Then everyone's eyes turned to Kairo.
Kairo scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit hesitant.
"Uhh… maybe I shouldn't have told that, but yeah…"
Akio leaned in eagerly.
"But yeah yeah yeah, tell me! But yeahhh!"
Leonhart sighed and placed a hand on Akio's shoulder.
"Stop teasing him, Akio."
Akio grinned sheepishly.
"I am sorry, but please hurry up. I am eager to hear your dreams. I support you with my full heart."
Kairo took a deep breath.
"My dream is similar to Akio's. I wanted to tell things like Akio, but you know… if I fail to become a king, it's fine. You know I have a lot less life than you guys. I can only live to 80s if I am lucky. Well yeah, even though I have a very little life… just remember me for who I was. And more importantly, how much of a good friend I am. That's it. My dream is to be alive even after death. To achieve a death so heroic that this world will remember my sacrifice until the very last generations. Maybe I won't last… who knows. After the world gets ended, those survivors will have heard about me, but everything will be gone. So yeah, then a new generation will be born. But until then… uhh, what am I even saying?"
For a moment, silence fell around the campfire.
Then everyone started clapping enthusiastically.
Leonhart grinned widely.
"Well, the best dreamer of the award goes to Kairo!"
He suddenly lifted Kairo up. Akio and Renji quickly joined in, hoisting him higher. Even Daichi, who was supposed to be lazy, got excited and started throwing Kairo into the air with surprising energy.
"Woah, guys! Please calm down! I just told you my dream, nothing else!"
Kairo laughed, flailing slightly as he was tossed upward.
Meanwhile, the girls cheered and laughed in the background, clapping along and enjoying the lively moment.
After the laughter died down, they extinguished the fire and prepared to leave.
Later that night, Kairo and Leonhart rode their horses side by side under the star-filled sky.
Kairo looked up at the glittering stars.
"Well, can we rest here and just look at the stars?"
Leonhart nodded easily.
"Ok, if you say so."
As they stopped, Leonhart glanced at his friend.
"So the first thing you asked your father about was stars. Stars weren't visible like this in your world?"
"Yeah." Kairo smiled faintly.
"So you guys really do ask about my old world, huh?"
Leonhart shrugged with a small grin.
"Well, that's not fair. You experienced both worlds while we only have one. Isn't it human behavior to be curious?"
"Calm down, calm down. I will tell you about my old world. Well, let me be in focus mode and see what would have happened if I didn't come to this world."
Kairo summoned a glowing book with his name on the cover.
Leonhart's eyes widened.
"Woah, Kairo! That's actually awesome! Could you also see what would happen to your future?"
"No, just at the age of me. So let me see."
Kairo closed his eyes and began meditating. A soft green aura surrounded him, and soon a glowing screen appeared in the air.
He opened his eyes.
"Can you see it? A screen?"
Leonhart tilted his head, confused.
"Screen? What's that?"
Kairo chuckled softly.
"Well, let me explain you bit by bit…"
"Well, I think I am addicted to a device named mobile phone, also known as smartphone," Kairo said, staring up at the starry sky.
Leonhart tilted his head with genuine curiosity.
"Mobile phone?? Smartphone? Yeah, that phone must be smart as me."
Kairo chuckled softly.
"Well, I was playing video games. It is the same as playing games as us, but uhh… how do I even explain it to you? So basically, we play tag game, but we play it on a 6-inch mirror which will show another world that looks like another world visually. And we can play it even if we are separated and are standing on the other side of the world."
Leonhart's eyes sparkled with pure wonder.
"Woah, no way! What kind of magic is that? I wanna play that!"
"Do you wanna hear what my parents used to complain about that smartphone?" Kairo asked with a faint smile.
Leonhart nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, I know it will be negative."
"My parents complain about it like… we won't go outside, we will be stuck 24 hours in that phone, and don't talk. See, if that smartphone was in this world, we wouldn't be out here having a campfire, talking about dreams, and enjoying ourselves."
Leonhart's expression turned serious for a moment.
"It's not a smartphone… that's an evil phone. Thank goodness we don't have it. I got manipulated by it."
Kairo laughed lightly.
"Well, I think yeah. This world I am currently living in right now is more fun than that virtual game."
At that moment, King Ariston and Duke Reinhardt rode up side by side, their horses moving with quiet grace under the moonlight.
The King smiled warmly.
"So what are our young generation, who will lead this world, doing here? Discussing something secret?"
Duke Lionharth chuckled, his gaze sharp yet kind.
"From the look on your faces, perhaps you weren't talking about food or games, strategies or dream battles or something… or perhaps a secret talk you don't want old men like us to hear about."
Kairo shook his head quickly.
"Nothing. Just telling him about my old world. Nothing more."
Leonhart added with a small smile.
"Well, Father, we are just tired from strategies after that yesterday's battle. No way we would think about that."
King Ariston raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Perhaps the surprise test was brutal to you, huh?"
"Way too… especially me. I was asleep a whole day,"
Kairo admitted with a tired grin.
Leonhart chuckled.
"Well yeah, I thought you wouldn't wake up."
Leonhart straightened in his saddle, trying to look serious.
"We were also… talking about the old world of Kairo, Father. About how lucky we are to live here."
Kairo added softly, his voice carrying a quiet sincerity.
"Yes. We were comparing this land to… places I've read about. And I realized how much better this world truly is."
The King's eyes softened with quiet pride, a gentle smile touching his lips.
"Good. Very good. If even at your age you're reflecting on such things, it means you will grow into wise rulers. Remember, strength without wisdom only brings ruin. But wisdom with kindness—that is what makes a true leader."
Duke Lionharth placed a firm yet warm hand on Leonhart's shoulder, his gaze steady and meaningful.
"And both of you must always keep each other in check. Rivals you may be, but also brothers in spirit. Promise me you'll never forget that."
Leonhart and Kairo glanced at each other, then nodded in unison, their voices overlapping with quiet determination.
"We promise."
A deep, guttural ROAR suddenly shattered the peaceful night.
The ground trembled violently beneath their horses. The once-serene flower fields quivered as if the earth itself was terrified of what was coming. Kairo and Leonhart froze in their saddles, eyes widening in alarm, as four massive shapes emerged from beyond the shimmering boundary of the Land of Harmony.
King Ariston's face hardened instantly, his hand instinctively moving toward his sword.
"Impossible… predators cannot cross the barrier."
But these lions were anything but normal. Their golden coats were marred by sinister black streaks that pulsed like living shadows. Their eyes burned with an unnatural crimson glow, radiating pure malice. They were far larger than any beast Kairo had ever seen in his old world—each rippling muscle looked forged from steel, and their presence alone pressed down on the air like an invisible weight.
The King and Duke Reinhardt leapt from their horses in perfect sync, blades flashing under the moonlight.
"Stay back, boys!"
the Duke barked, his voice sharp with urgency.
"These are ancient lions—creatures of the first wilderness!"
Before the boys could even think of retreating, two smaller lions—cub-sized yet still larger than any ordinary predator—lunged straight at Kairo and Leonhart. Their fangs gleamed wickedly in the moonlight, and their claws left deep, cracking gouges in the earth with every bound.
"We don't have swords!"
Leonhart shouted, narrowly dodging a swipe that whistled past his shoulder.
Kairo's heart slammed against his ribs. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Then we fight barehanded!"