It had been a rough time for the people in Eve Glade. Despite two months of restoration, they were still at their lowest, barely able to defend themselves.

The town was a mess. Burnt buildings were visible despite the weeks put into restoring it back to its former glory. It wasn’t that the townsfolk weren’t willing to help repair everything–they just lacked the materials to repair at all.

The merchants were warned not to visit Eve Glade for the sake of the horde’s attacks. While the lords were wise to push them away despite the need for supplies, it didn’t help them in the long run as now the merchants were nowhere to be seen.

It was possible that the cowardly city that had struck their defenseless town had forced the merchants to flee, or perhaps paid them to be in their service. Piker wouldn’t really put them in high regard–in the end, they only cared about money.

Still, he relented on getting angry with them. They only did as they were told to do–what their duty told them to do. It was their duty to ensure monetary wealth on top of everything else. What else are they if not merchants?

Piker was one of the soldiers who were tasked with restoring the town. Now that the horde situation has finally settled down, he and the rest of his surviving retinue helped the townsfolk to recover their lost homes and land.

It was just the end of the day when Piker was about to report back to the general about the going ons in the town. It was his own duty as a replacement second-in-command. Despite being at the early age of 25, Piker was regarded with enough responsibility to be held in such a high position.

The general being his foster father had nothing to do with it. While the other soldiers would not see it like that and just like to grumble that Piker is just being favored as some dog, it couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Piker owes everything to the general. If not for him, then he would still be at some gutter back at the capital city of Sham-la, fighting for scraps amongst the street rats and the depraved. No matter what, every amount of torturous training and intense schedules was better than living that life again.

As he approached the well-constructed door with nothing but its simplistic brown coloring, he knocked steadily three times, as always. He shouted out.

“General, I’ve come to report.”

“Come in.”

The muffled voice of the general echoed out, and Piker turned the knob. He opened the door to find the general sitting at his desk again, surrounded by nothing but more and more parchment.

Piker swore the amount steadily grew by the day no matter how often he found the general at his office. Just how much paperwork he has to do?

“Anything to report?” The general, Zacharia, asked with a monotone as his eyes scanned the parchments with a studious glare. It could be enough to burn them to ashes were he had the Fire attunement instead of the solid Earth attunement.

“Sir,” Piker saluted, his fist over his chest. “We have done what we can to aid the people of the town. There is no sign of any monster attacks except for the random few that we come across. None of them were charged like the ones from the horde, just strays that came close to the town walls.”

“That’s one bit of good news,” Zacharia said. “And the lords?”

“Lord Cloud is traveling outside the town, awaiting for any news regarding compensation by those responsible. As for Captain Valorie… She is still recovering.”

Piker’s chest aches when he thinks of the woman who nearly died at the dungeon they raided. It was such a simple action that left a powerful woman like her to fall to the hands of the psychopath necromancer, and it took all they had to bring her back from death’s claws. Even after being recovered to the best of their abilities, Val still looked exhausted at times whenever he spotted her, often paired with her daughter by her side, holding herself back to keep up with her slowed mother’s pacing.

“I see…” There was a grumble to Zacharia’s stoic tone, depicting the sad news. “And… what of the visitors?”

Stolen story; please report.

“The visitors…”

Piker knew who Zacharia was talking about. The visitors that came in around half a year at this point–Zeke and Mikella. While Clara, Mikella’s little sister, is among them, he can’t really treat her as a potential enemy, if ever.

The two, on the other hand, were balls of mystery to Piker. He knew their major secret now, and he still couldn’t believe half of what they said. Travelers from another world? A world where no levels and monsters existed? No system in place to keep everything in order?

Nonsense. Absolutely nonsense. And yet…

“Zeke is by Cloud’s side, offering aid and succor to those still injured. He also often helped repair the buildings with the other soldiers using his barrier skill. Mikella is doing most of the heavy lifting, being the one with the highest Strength and Endurance. With her aid, they managed to repair a quarter of all the buildings destroyed by the ambush.”

“Mmh…”

Zacharia mumbled, closing his eyes as he entwined his still-gauntleted fingers together, resting his chin on top of them. Seeing the general in deep thought, Piker furrowed his brows before Zacharia opened them again.

“So… Do you know where they came from?

Piker froze. His heart lurched as the question seemed to come out of nowhere, just like the ambush.

“Know where, sir?” Piker asked, hoping his dumbstruck answer would suffice.

“I’m very certain Mikella must have told you something, otherwise, you would have not come along to her crazed plan of finding Zeke. Of course, in the end, it proved that he was still alive. But it shouldn't be possible… not unless they have something that proved otherwise.”

Zacharia stared at Piker with those cold eyes that could pierce through metal. It was the same set of eyes that found him on the streets, judging him for his worth.

Even now, Piker found them frightening, despite years passing by since then.

“So tell me, did she tell you anything of worth? Something that I should take notice of?”

“...No, sir.”

Piker stayed resolute. While his heart beat rapidly, his face remained neutral as always as he answered calmly.

“I asked, but all I heard were ramblings of a young girl who refused to believe her partner had died. Personally, I found it wanting. I’d like to believe that the two were just lucky to have found one another. Personally, everything about the dungeon was just luck on our side…”

It hurt him to say that. He hated the word ‘luck’. Even though the general would say that luck is also an important factor in battle and war, Piker never liked that. That would mean his lot in life before joining the military was considered unlucky.

He wished to change that fate, that luck. That’s why he wanted to grow stronger. But what truly made him stand his ground is his promise to both Mikella and Zeke. Mikella poured her heart out to Piker, even though it was possible that Piker might betray her trust to relay to the general.

But both Mikella and Zeke proved their loyalty time and time again. Even after Piker treated them with contempt, they continued to work tirelessly for the sake of Eve Glade. Hell, the two have made incredible progress helping the town recover despite only just staying here for half a year, while Piker had been there for three at best. If that’s not loyal to the town, Piker doesn’t know what else it could be.

So he will keep his promise to them. It’s not truly to have loyalty to the visitors–but to ensure he kept his will, his pride as a soldier. Once he makes a promise, he will enforce it no matter what, even if it means keeping it from his father and benefactor. There was also that oath he kept, but that wasn't nearly enough to change his perspective on keeping his promises.

But the look of Zacharia’s eyes said otherwise. He stood up from his chair, his weight shifting and causing the chair to groan in reprieve once he left. He turned over the desk and faced Piker, being a head taller than even him.

“Piker… you are a good man, and a son I’m proud to have,” Zacharia said, his eyes stoic and almost distant. “I know you must have promised to keep their secret. I know, because that’s what you are–loyal and proud… but you are still green. You do not realize that even trying to keep loyalty can become a weakness.”

Piker’s heart beat faster, ready to burst out of his chest. Did someone tell Zacharia about his promise? Could it be Myra? No, she hated the general way more than Mikella and Zeke, or at least frightened of him as much as the lords.

Then… how did–

“I will not ask for forgiveness,” Zacharia said, raising his hand. “I am simply doing my duty. But I do hope that you can see past this, Piker.”

Piker’s eyes widened as he felt something churn deep within him–deep within his core. Something was… tugging at him. As if something had bounded a rope straight to the inside of his spirit and was now pulling at him, straining his mentality.

He saw then, what was within Zacharia’s raised hand. It was a crystal, a blood-like red crystal that glowed ominously in his hand. Within its shimmering surface, a purple haze swirled around it, and in some small, almost microscopic way, he could see traces of mana connecting to him–to his chest.

“General…” Piker’s voice strained, unable to understand what was happening. “What is–”

“Do not worry,” Zacharia cut him off. His eyes seem to show pain, the pain of a parent having to discipline their child. Yet the crystal in his hand glowed ever brighter. “This won’t hurt you. But you will feel a slight… pinch.”

Those were the last words Zacharia spoke before Piker’s mind turned bright white, then soon faded into darkness.