After twenty minutes, several large military planes arrived.

I was sitting down, drinking water and eating some provisions from my plane now that the battle had ended.

The toll was heavy, at least two hundred people had lost their lives, most of them local residents. Three members of Genesis had fallen, along with over thirty members of Gladius.

"Are you hurt?" Old Man Drei asked as he approached me.

"I'm fine, General Andrei," I responded.

"There was nothing you could have done, Riel.

Niko was already fatally wounded by the time I was asked to send backup," he said solemnly.

"I know… but losing a friend still hurts," I replied.

Dia walked up to us, her gaze shifting across the battlefield, taking in the devastation.

Hundreds of bodies lay scattered across the ruined landscape.

Her face paled as the reality of it sank in.

"Riel… will you be alright?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'll be fine. Thanks," I assured her.

"General Andrei, we've located the corpse of a Sword of Sin, most likely Black Snow," an officer reported.

"Tyrfing was found as well," he added.

"Ensure that no one touches the sword.

Have the mechanical retriever secure it, and instruct the Sweepers to collect the body of the Sword of Sin along with the fallen Gladius members for a mass burial," General Andrei ordered.

"And help the surviving residents recover their loved ones," he added.

As the officer left, I turned to Old Man Drei. "Was it always like this?"

"This is one of the worst ones," Old Man Drei admitted.

"But lately, Gladius seems more focused on killing civilians and retrieving relics", he added.

"What relic were they after here?" I asked.

"Probably Lævateinn," he answered.

"Yeah, that makes sense.

The crimson-haired woman could summon flaming spears," I noted.

"That was likely Scarlett Rain, another Sword of Sin captain," he said.

"I figured," I replied.

"Then why… ?" he asked, but before he could finish, I cut in.

"That girl couldn't have killed my grandpa.

There's more to this," I said firmly.

Old Man Drei studied me for a moment before speaking.

"She could. After all, both of her parents were killed by your grandfather’s sword."

"I see… So that's why Grandpa couldn't bring himself to kill her," I muttered.

"Remember, Riel, she's still a member of Gladius," he reminded me.

"I know," I replied.

Dia then accompanied me to the small military plane I had arrived in.

"Are you coming with me?" I asked.

"Of course. There's no reason for me to stay," she said.

"I see. About the tour… can we do it the day after tomorrow? I need a full day to rest," I said.

"Sure.Take a day off, and I'll show you around the base the next day," she agreed.

"Thanks," I said.

I closed my eyes for a moment, exhaustion finally setting in.

Then, I felt Dia gently guide my head onto her shoulder.

"We’re still here for you," she whispered.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I allowed myself to drift into sleep on the flight back home.

The flight lasted only half an hour, but it seemed like the pilot had deliberately slowed the aircraft to give me more time to rest.

When we arrived at the UNION base, the sun was still hanging low in the late afternoon sky.

At some point, Dia had also dozed off beside me.

When I woke up, the pilot and co-pilot simply smiled, amused by the sight.

I reached over and poked Dia’s cheek with my index finger.

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She stirred, letting out a small yawn before quickly becoming flustered upon realizing she had fallen asleep.

As we left the military aircraft, Dia and I parted ways.

Even as I walked steadily toward my room, I could sense her gaze following me from a distance.

It took only a few minutes to reach my door.

"I'm home," I whispered as I stepped inside.

Silence greeted me, a deafening and heavy silence.

Too exhausted to dwell on it, I placed both Decapitator and Devourer beside my bed and slowly sat down.

My eyes wandered toward Niko’s empty bed.

A hollow sadness filled my chest.

The promise we made to play together would never be fulfilled.

My mind swirled, still struggling to process everything that had happened.

Niko had mentioned he played as a Reaper in Arcadia Online.

On impulse, I grabbed my personal device and searched for his fights against Avalon.

To my surprise, Niko was a well-known Reaper in the American server, a solo player.

In-game name: Wandering Mist.

His playstyle revolved around hunting players during instance and group dungeons.

A small smile crossed my lips. So that was him.

"I was looking forward to fighting you too," I thought, realizing the identity he had hidden from me.

Leaning back on my pillow, I imagined a different reality,one where he had survived.

Maybe right now, we’d be eating dinner together, chatting about Arcadia Online like we always planned.

I wanted to cry, but something else weighed heavier on my heart.

The guilt.

More than twenty lives were taken by my sword today.

"So this is how it feels, Grandpa," I whispered.

With a single swing, years of potential memories… of stories, of friendship… had been erased in an instant.

My stomach grumbled, pulling me from my thoughts.

I sighed.

Food first.

Overthinking later.

After a quick shower and a change into casual clothes, I made my way to the mess hall.

There were only a few people eating when I arrived.

I grabbed a tray and headed to the serving station, scanning the available dishes.

There were plenty of appetizing options, but, as expected, no rice.

I picked up a couple of pieces of fried chicken and pork, a serving of vegetable stir-fry, and some creamy mushroom soup.

I was about to grab some bread when a voice called out to me.

"Aren't you Asriel, Niko’s friend?"

I turned to see one of the female cooks looking at me.

"Yes, I am," I replied.

"He asked me to cook some white rice for you," she said with a gentle smile.

I hesitated for a moment. "Can I have some?"

"Of course," she said, handing me two cups of rice.

As I reached for them, she suddenly asked, "By the way, where's Niko? I haven't seen him all day."

I froze.

Then, in a quiet, almost broken voice, I answered,

"Niko was killed in action today."

The female cook stared at me in shock as the weight of my words sank in.

"I see," she whispered, her voice trembling as she fought back tears.

"He was a great kid," she added softly.

"And a good friend," I replied.

She took a deep breath, composing herself. "Make sure to enjoy your meal."

"I will," I assured her.

Without another word, she turned and walked back into the kitchen.

I carried my tray to an empty table in the corner and sat down.

In silence, I ate, grateful for the meal and for the friend who had once shared this space with me.

"The rice tastes like home, Niko," I whispered, a single tear slipping down my cheek.

I wiped it away quickly and continued eating.

Once my stomach was full, I made my way back to my room.

Though it was only a short walk, the hallways felt unnervingly empty when I walked them alone.

Just before reaching my door, I noticed a familiar figure waiting outside.

Dia.

She stood there holding a basket, her expression shifting to surprise when she saw me approaching.

"Riel?" she called hesitantly.

"Why are you standing outside my door?" I asked.

She fidgeted slightly before replying, "Ah, my mom was worried you hadn’t eaten, so I brought you some homemade sandwiches."

I glanced at the basket.

"Want to come inside?" I asked.

"Can I?" she asked.

"Of course," I said, stepping aside for her to enter.

She took a seat on my bed while I sat across from her.

"Mind if I have one?" I asked, nodding toward the basket.

"Of course! Here," she said, brightening a little as she handed me a sandwich.

I took a bite.

As expected, it was delicious.

Just as I was about to compliment her, she hesitated before speaking.

"Ahm, Riel… my mom and grandpa think you should transfer rooms."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

She hesitated before answering, "For people with cursed eyes, emotional instability can be dangerous."

I nodded, understanding where she was coming from. "Especially for those like us, the Blessed Children," she added.

"I see… but I think I should spend one last night here," I replied.

Dia gave a small nod.

"Alright. But tomorrow, you'll be moving to a room near mine," she said as she stood up.

At the doorway, she turned back, flustered. "Make sure to finish those sandwiches! I put a lot of effort into making them."

Then, without waiting for a response, she quickly stepped out and closed the door behind her.

I exhaled, watching the door for a moment before picking up another sandwich.

I really made her worry…

The next morning, I woke up early and started my daily routine, a few kilometers of running followed by a few hundred sword swings.

Thankfully, I had brought my bokken, a treasured gift from my late grandpa.

Using Decapitator for training seemed excessive, even for me.

After half an hour of practice, I made my way back to the mess hall for breakfast.

As I walked into the serving station, my eyes immediately landed on something I had been craving.

Egg fried rice.

The female cook caught my gaze and smiled knowingly.

I wasted no time, scooping two cups onto my tray before adding a couple of steak slices and a generous serving of orange chicken.

I grabbed an apple and a cup of miso soup to round out my meal.

Taking a seat, I took my time enjoying the food, savoring each bite.

After finishing, I decided to head back to my room for a quick shower, preparing for whatever the day had in store.