At one time, everyone had heard of the Shield Knight of the Blade. She had been a prodigy from a young age and by the time she was 20, she was matching levels with her peers. As a shield knight, she had access to skills and abilities that allowed her to protect herself and her allies. Rumors spread about how she had rescued a team on the brink of death in a dungeon by herself.

image [https://i.imgur.com/oA6IlD6.jpeg]

On top of all that, her skills with a sword were renowned. Shield knights were famous for using shields as defensive equipment as well as offensive weapons, but she was known to be exceptionally talented with a sword. If she had access to sword skills as well, she might've been legendary herself. But, as it does for most, fame fades.

Guilds started focusing on speed instead of safety. That meant players with offensive skills to decimate opponents quicker rather than defensive skills which might be safer, but could draw out battles. The spotlight switched to other players focused on power and aggression while less concerned with team synergy and safety.

Hana sighed. Sometimes she missed the days of chasing fame and glory, but those moments of nostalgia were short lived. Her last dungeon runs had been hectic affairs, trying to balance team safety with speed. Maximizing profits while minimizing costs. She hated it.

That was when Johann reached out. It'd been over a decade since they'd last spoken. Over 10 years since...

They rarely spoke of the others. Or of the past. Even the cadets noticed that often as not, the two instructors spent a lot of time around each other in silence.

She flexed her hand. In her youth, she thought she’d pulled a muscle in a dungeon. Rather than leave, she fought through the pain and finished her quest with her team. It wasn’t until much later a doctor explained the damage to her nerves. It had healed over time, but it was an important lesson. One that she had never needed repeating. But maybe, it was time to get over the past and look to the future. Maybe it was time to fight. Or at least, find a reason to fight.

Memories floated to the surface of her thoughts, unbidden. For a time, she would visit the shrine every day. Then every week. And finally, now, she preferred to wait for cadets outside the station. She liked seeing them emerge from the steps, excited for their next steps in life. It reminded her of how excited she had been when she was younger.

But, today was different. The cadets were more subdued, whispering excitedly to each other.

Hana blinked. While her mind wandered, the cadets had returned from the dungeon, flags in hand. For the most part, this dungeon had been heavily cleared. The opening sections were home to merchants and outfitters. Even a healer had set up shop in the antechamber where her brother had disappeared so long ago.

"You’re all awfully quiet for a team who just completed their first dungeon solo," she called out.

"Oh, right."

That was a strange reaction. Much less enthused than cadets usually are to be finished with their training from the Academy. Their expressions were still that of excitement, but there was something else. They were distracted.

"Did something happen in the dungeon?" Hana asked as she collected the flags. All there. All completed.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

They hesitated. Of course they had heard the stories of the missing player. Hunting for clues and studying the black shrine was a rite of passage at the Academy. Students passed notes in classes and attempted to decipher the symbols on the shrine itself. "Onion Knight", they had surmised. And when cadets learned that two instructors had been there when it appeared, word spread like wildfire.

The cadets were silent for a moment longer. Finally, one spoke up.

"You won't believe it. But the Onion Knight is back."

***

It was the summer of his twelfth birthday. His father was home, in Los Angeles. Originally, the three of them were supposed to travel to Seoul together but plans had changed. Some new business merger had required him to remain in California. So, instead, Jinyoung and his mother had flown all the way to Korea on their own for the summer.

Jinyoung had been on the bus with his mother. They sat in the back and, unbeknownst to him at the time, Hana and her parents were seated two rows in front of them. Jinyoung was returning to his grandmother’s house after visiting his uncle when he saw it. In the sky. It looked like fireworks. He marveled at the colors and pointed it out to his mother.

He hadn’t thought of his mother in years. He tried not to. Even less of his father. Instead, he did his best to adjust to life after the World Break. But between battles with the stone golem, he admitted to himself that he was afraid to think of them. To think of all that he had lost.

So he had focused on what was in front of him. Jinyoung had dreamed of finally escaping the endless horizon and getting away from the black shrine that had haunted his waking moments. He wanted to see Hana. The man she called father. His friends. He wanted to finally make his mark on the world.

But this… this was a nightmare.

“Jinyoung.”

He stared at Hana in disbelief. At first, he could see her. The 15-year old who was slowly becoming confident in her abilities. He had just taught her how to defend with a shield and counterattack with the short sword. Then he blinked.

And the woman who stood before him was…

Words failed him. He closed his eyes and held them closed while he took a breath.

“How…” He tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse. “How long?”

The healer had warned Hana about this. He’d tried to prepare her for what she was about to see, but nothing could have prepared her for this. Her missing brother, back.

She had spent her youth chasing her dreams and trying to make something of herself. Something Jinyoung could be proud of. And when that dream fell far away, she retreated from the world; biding her time. Now, she felt ready again. Ready to take her well-earned experience and build herself back up again. The energy of youth hadn’t left her, not fully. She could feel herself getting older and wasn’t thrilled to be seeing grays in her once jet-black hair, but…

image [https://i.imgur.com/JSScNJP.jpeg]

Jinyoung had barely aged. He didn’t look much older than the cadets who had led her here. Hana had battled monsters. She had seen the horrors of the dark. She had buried friends and allies. But she had never prepared herself for this. In some small corner of her heart, she’d always held on to hope, but this?

“Hana, how long has it been?”

That was all it took. The tears came fast and waves of rage, sadness and shame crashed on Hana’s heart. This was never how it was meant to happen. This was a curse. Or it wasn’t real. It had to be a dream. She needed to wake up now and be 15 again. This was wrong. This was unfair. This was-

Jinyoung took his sister’s hands in his own and looked her in the eyes. She struggled at first, but eventually met his gaze.

“Hana, how long have I been gone?”

Hana tasted the words on her lips. The bitterness of it. And when she spoke, it was barely above a whisper.

“It’s been 20 years.”