The once-proud city of Milix now lay in smoldering ruins as far as the eye could see, a wasteland of charred buildings and broken lives. The air was thick with smoke, swirling into the darkened sky, and the acrid smell of burning wood and ash stung Katsuo’s nose as he approached the city’s outskirts.

The streets that had once been filled with laughter and bustling activity were now eerily silent, save for the occasional crackling of flames and the distant wails of the wounded.

Grant, Katsuo, and Serena stood together at the edge of the destruction, their expressions grim as they surveyed the devastation. The city had been Katsuo’s home—its people had been his family. Now, all that was left was ruin.

Katsuo’s heart tightened painfully as he gazed upon the destruction, memories of his childhood flashing through his mind. He clenched his fists, his knuckles white with the force of his grip, as a surge of anger and grief welled up inside him. But there was no time, Milix still had survivors, and those people needed their help now more than ever. He couldn’t let his emotions get in the way of the mission.

Serena, standing beside him, noticed the tension in his body. Her brown eyes softened with understanding as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Katsuo,” she said quietly, her voice filled with gentle concern.

“I know this is hard for you, but we need you focused. There are people here who need us. We can’t afford to lose you to grief.” Katsuo nodded slowly, her words pulling him back from the edge of his emotions.

She was right. He couldn’t let the past paralyze him.

“You’re right,” he replied, his voice hoarse but determined. “We’ll save as many as we can.”

Grant surveyed the scene with sharp eyes, already calculating the next steps.

“We’re running out of time,” he said, his voice calm but laced with urgency.

“We need to split up. Serena, head to the eastern district. There are likely survivors in the wealthier parts of the city who will need help. Katsuo, you take the Kuragari District. You know the layout better than anyone, and we need to find as many survivors as we can.” Katsuo nodded, his focus sharpening as he accepted his assignment.

“I’ll do what I can,” he said, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of his katana, feeling the familiar weight of the blade. He would not fail his city.

The three of them exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them. They had fought side by side in battles, but this one felt different. The stakes were higher, the cost greater. Without another word, the three parted ways, each heading toward their respective destinations with a sense of purpose driving their every step.

Katsuo moved quickly through the debris-laden streets, his mind focused on finding survivors and fighting off any remaining enemies. He couldn’t afford to think

about the memories that haunted him. Those memories belonged to another time, another world. Now, there was only the mission.

As he made his way deeper into the city, the scale of the destruction became even more apparent. Buildings that had once stood tall and proud were now nothing more than piles of rubble, their charred remains jutting out of the ground like skeletal fingers.

The air was thick with the smell of burning wood and flesh, a nauseating combination that made Katsuo’s stomach churn. He forced himself to push past the revulsion, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement. There had to be people still alive—there had to be. He couldn’t let himself believe that the city was lost.

Suddenly, the faint sound of crying reached his ears, pulling him from his thoughts. Katsuo’s heart leaped into his throat as he sprinted toward the sound, his katana drawn and ready.

As he rounded the corner, he saw a sight that made his blood run cold. Sora, the young boy he had once protected, was cornered by two dark-robed mages, their hands crackling with dark energy. The boy’s face was pale with fear, his small body trembling as the mages advanced on him.

But before Katsuo could react, a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows—Yumi.

Yumi moved with the grace and precision of a trained fighter, her metal rod held high as she launched herself at the first mage. Her face was set in fierce

determination, her movements fluid and deliberate as she swung the rod with all her strength, catching the mage across the head.

The force of the blow sent him staggering forward, his spell fizzling out before it could reach Sora.

“Run, Sora!” Yumi shouted, her voice sharp with urgency. She grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled him back, shielding him from the second mage, who snarled in frustration.

The second mage’s eyes blazed with dark energy as he raised his hands, ready to unleash a deadly spell. But before he could release the magic, Katsuo was there.

His katana gleamed in the dim light, cutting through the air with deadly precision as he blocked the attack with ease. The force of the impact sent a wave of heat washing over him, but he remained steadfast, his blade flashing as he struck down the first mage in a single, fluid motion. The second mage barely had time to react before Katsuo’s blade sliced through him as well, his body crumpling to the ground in a lifeless heap.

“Katsuo!” Yumi’s voice was filled with a mixture of shock and relief as she rushed toward him, pulling Sora along with her. Her face was streaked with dirt and sweat, but her eyes were bright with determination. Sora, tears streaming down his face, ran to Katsuo and threw his arms around him, clinging to him as if he were a lifeline.

“I thought you were gone forever!” Sora sobbed, his voice muffled against Katsuo’s chest. Katsuo knelt down, pulling both Yumi and Sora into a tight embrace, his heart heavy with guilt.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“I’m back,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Yumi and Sora clung to Katsuo as if their lives depended on it, and in that moment, Katsuo felt the full weight of his responsibility settle on his shoulders.

He had left them behind, left them to fend for themselves in a city torn apart by war and magic. But now, he was back, and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to them.

Yumi looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of relief and fear. “What do we do now?” she asked, her voice small and uncertain.

Katsuo stood slowly, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana as he scanned the ruined district around them. “We find whoever is left,” he said, his voice steady. “And we save them.”

They moved quickly through the streets, Yumi and Sora following close behind Katsuo as he led the way. The Kuragari District, once a vibrant hub of life and activity, was now little more than a graveyard of smoldering ruins.

The buildings that had once stood tall and proud were now reduced to piles of ash and rubble, their skeletal remains jutting out of the ground like broken bones. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and decay, and the distant sound of battle echoed through the streets, a grim reminder that the city was still under siege.

As they moved deeper into the district, Katsuo’s eyes scanned the area for any signs of life. He knew there had to be survivors—people trapped beneath the rubble, families hiding in the shadows, waiting for a chance to escape.

His heart raced as he thought of the people he had known, the families who had lived here, the boys who picked on him. Were they still alive? Or had they been consumed by the flames that had ravaged the city? He pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand. There was no time for doubt. He had to believe that there were still people left to save.

Suddenly, a voice called out from beneath a collapsed building, faint but unmistakable. Katsuo’s heart leaped as he sprinted toward the sound, his eyes scanning the rubble for any sign of movement.

He could see a hand sticking out from beneath the debris, trembling as the person trapped underneath struggled to free themselves. Without hesitation, Katsuo began to dig through the rubble, his muscles straining as he lifted heavy pieces of stone and wood, clearing a path for the trapped survivor.

Yumi and Sora joined him, their small hands working quickly as they helped to clear the debris.

After several minutes of frantic digging, they finally uncovered a man, his face pale and covered in soot.

He gasped for air as Katsuo helped him to his feet, his body shaking from the ordeal.

“Thank you,” the man whispered, his voice weak but filled with gratitude.

“I thought I was done for.” Katsuo nodded, his expression serious as he scanned the area for more survivors.

“There are more people out there,” he said, his voice filled with determination.

“We have to keep moving.” The man nodded weakly, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and hope as he followed them through the ruined streets.

As they moved deeper into the Kuragari District, Yumi fell silent, her gaze distant as if lost in thought. Katsuo noticed the change in her demeanor but said nothing at first. There was a heaviness to the air between them, an unspoken tension that had been there since they had reunited. Finally, after several minutes of walking in silence, Yumi spoke.

“Katsuo… there’s something I need to tell you.” Her voice was quiet, almost hesitant, and Katsuo could sense that whatever she was about to say weighed heavily on her heart. He glanced at her, his brow furrowing in concern.

“What is it?” he asked gently.

Yumi hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty before she took a deep breath and continued.

“I… I’m not who you think I am,” she said, her voice trembling.

“I’m not just some girl from the Kuragari District.” Katsuo frowned, confused by her words.

“What do you mean?” Yumi’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, and her gaze dropped to the ground.

“I’m… the bastard daughter of King Milix,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

“My mother was a servant in the palace, and when the king found out she was pregnant, he cast us both out. He didn’t want anyone to know about me—about his mistake.”

Katsuo’s eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, he was speechless. He had known Yumi for as long as he could remember, but this revelation was something he had never expected.

“Yumi… I had no idea,” he said softly, his voice filled with sympathy. Yumi shook her head, her expression hardening.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, her voice filled with quiet anger.

“I grew up in the streets, hiding who I really was. But I’m not just some forgotten child. I’m a prodigy. I’ve been watching, learning, training in secret for years. I’ve inherited the same talent for combat and strategy as the royal family. And now, I’m going to use it to take back what was stolen from me.”

Katsuo’s heart ached as he listened to her story. He had always known there was something special about Yumi, but this revelation shifted everything.

The determination in her eyes was undeniable, and there was a weight to her words that made it clear she was not asking for sympathy. She had endured so much, hiding in the shadows of a city that was supposed to be her birthright. But now, standing amid the ashes of Milix, Yumi’s resolve was unshakable.

She was no longer just the young girl from the Kuragari District; she was a warrior with a purpose. Katsuo could see the fire in her eyes—the same fire that had driven him to fight for his home.

“You’ve been through more than anyone should have to endure,” Katsuo said quietly, his voice filled with empathy.

“But that doesn’t make you less deserving of your place in this city. It’s yours, just as much as it is anyone else’s.”

Yumi looked up at him, her expression softening as the anger in her eyes flickered for a moment. “I’ve spent so long trying to prove that,” she admitted.

“Trying to prove that I’m more than just the king’s mistake. That I’m someone who can fight for Milix, even if I was cast out.” Katsuo placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, offering her a small smile.

“You’ve already proven it, Yumi. You’re stronger than anyone could have imagined.”

Sora, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, looked up at Yumi with wide eyes. “You’re really a princess?” he asked in awe, his small voice breaking the tension in the air.

Yumi smiled softly, ruffling his hair. “I guess so, but it doesn’t really matter,” she said, her voice gentle.

“What matters is that we’re going to save this city—together.” Sora nodded enthusiastically, his fear momentarily forgotten in the excitement of Yumi’s revelation.

Katsuo, seeing the determination in both Yumi and Sora, felt a renewed sense of purpose. This wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about reclaiming what had been lost.

As they continued through the ruined streets, Katsuo’s mind raced with thoughts of Yumi’s revelation. Her heritage changed things, but it didn’t change who she was.

She was still the same fierce and brave girl who had fought beside him, the same girl who had protected Sora in his absence. But now, there was more at stake. Yumi’s bloodline meant that she had a claim to Milix’s throne, and that made her a target for the dark forces that had taken over the city.

Katsuo’s grip tightened on the hilt of his katana as he resolved to protect her at all costs. The fight for Milix had become even more personal.