The sky was dark, and a soft rain fell. A cold breeze brushed against my skin as I slowly opened my eyes.

"H-huh? Where am I?"

I looked around, trying to take in my surroundings. A broken ceiling, old tables, lamps, and chairs filled the room.

As I continued to examine the area, I heard footsteps approaching. The sound grew louder as a voice hummed a tune, getting closer to the door.

"Good morni—oh! Y-you're awake!"

The man who had entered the room stood there, stunned. His hands trembled, and the glass he was holding slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor. A woman rushed in.

"Hey! Why did you drop that glass?"

The man pointed at me, still in shock. The woman's eyes widened when she saw me, as if she'd seen a ghost.

"K-Kyle! Jarred! Come here, quick!"

She yelled, and two more men hurried into the room.

"What's wrong? What happened?" one of them asked.

"He's awake," the woman replied.

"Huh? Who's awake—"

He turned to me mid-sentence, and his expression shifted to disbelief.

"You're awake… You’re actually awake! Is this some kind of miracle?"

The four of them stared at me, their faces showing a mix of shock and relief.

"Um, good morning?" I managed, unsure how to respond.

"How are you? Do you feel any pain, dizziness, thirst, or hunger?"

"Uh… I'm actually a bit hungry," I admitted.

As soon as I said that, one of the men rushed out of the room without a word. Unsure of who these people were or what had happened, I began to ask questions.

"Can you tell me where I am?"

"You're in Conju Village, in the northern continent," the woman replied.

"N-north continent?!" I exclaimed and rose up from the bed in shock. Pain shot through my body, and I groaned.

The woman quickly moved closer, concern etched on her face.

"Don't push yourself too hard. You've been unconscious for a long time. Your body is weak, and even the slightest movement will cause pain."

She was right. I clutched my stomach, breathing heavily. Just then, the man who had left returned with some food and water.

"Here, eat this. It'll help you regain your strength. Sorry, but it's all we have," he said, handing me a plate.

I took the plate slowly and began to eat. The food was simple, but it tasted like the best meal I'd had in a long time.

"Oh, by the way, we haven't introduced ourselves," the woman continued.

"I'm Mika. This is Carl, Jarred, and Kyle. The four of us grew up together. And you are?"

"Azrael… Azrael Vandey," I replied, my mouth still full of food.

Their eyes widened, and they all froze, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

"V-Vandey? Wait, are you serious?" Mika asked, her voice trembling.

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"Uh, yes? Do I look like I'm joking?" I said, confused.

"Does that mean… you're a… r-royalty?" she stuttered.

"Oh, your majesty!" Carl exclaimed, bowing awkwardly.

"Hey, he's just royalty, not a prince or a king!" Kyle corrected.

"Oh, right," Carl muttered.

I couldn't help but smile at their reactions, amused by how they seemed to be seeing a royal for the first time in their lives.

"Sorry about that," Mika said, still a bit flustered. "It's just that they've never met anyone from the nobility before."

I chuckled. "No problem, it's understandable."

"So… can we ask how you ended up in that carriage we were going to… borrow?" Mika asked hesitantly.

"Borrow? I thought it was yours," I replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, well, not exactly," she admitted, laughing nervously.

"I got into a fight… and lost," I said, feeling embarrassed.

Mika nodded. "That explains the state you were in. You really pushed your body to the limit."

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied, scratching the back of my head with a sheepish grin.

The atmosphere grew serious as Mika spoke again.

"Your injuries were severe. We had to use healing magic on you for two hours straight before we could continue one at a time, every hour."

"I see… I'm sorry for being such a burden. You helped me even though you didn’t know me. Thank you," I said, bowing my head in gratitude.

Mika sighed. "To be honest, we didn't save you out of the goodness of our hearts. Our original plan was to return you to your family and collect a reward. We're not wealthy, as you can see from this place. This isn't even our permanent home. We’re just staying here temporarily and will be leaving in a few days."

I stayed silent, understanding their situation.

"But honestly, we never expected it would take this long for you to wake up. Over the years, we took you to different places, hoping you'd wake up."

"Years? What do you mean?" I asked, my heart racing.

"Azrael… you've been unconscious for five years."

"W-what? How is that possible?"

Mika continued, "We tried everything to heal you. We even sought help from the best healer we knew, but no one could say when you might wake up."

I stared at my plate, struggling to process her words. "But… it feels like it just happened moments ago. I remember running from my attackers, hiding in a dark carriage—"

"Stop," Mika interrupted. "It didn’t just happen. You've been asleep for years. You need to accept this reality and learn to live in the present."

I fell silent, unable to find the right words. What could I say to them after everything they had done for me?

"We didn’t know who you were, so we couldn’t return you to your family," Mika explained. "If you hadn’t woken up by the end of this year, we were planning to leave you in the last town we visit."

"...I wouldn’t blame you for that," I said quietly. "I would have done the same. I’ve been too much of a burden."

I bowed my head again, apologizing and thanking them for everything they had done.

"I promise you this," I continued, "if I manage to return home, I will ensure you receive the reward you truly deserve. Each of you will get a sum far greater than you’ve ever seen before. I give you my word."

Mika sighed again. "I suppose we do deserve some kind of reward after all these years."

"Thank you for understanding. By the way, do you have any means I could use to get back to the South Continent?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Mika laughed.

"H-huh?"

"Do you think you’re in any condition to travel on your own? Look at yourself! You were healthier when we found you, and now you’re nothing but skin and bones."

"Ah… right," I muttered.

"Don’t give me that grin," Mika said, rolling her eyes. "We'll take you back ourselves."

"You’ve already done so much for me—"

"What choice do we have? If you don’t make it back safely, all our efforts would be for nothing. It’d be a waste if you died on the way," Mika reasoned.

"Thank you, truly," I said, bowing once more, a smile on my face.

"Finish your meal," she replied. "We’ll leave for the South Continent in a few days."

I nodded gratefully, watching as she walked away, shaking her head.

The days that followed were filled with rest and recovery. At first, I could barely stand. I had tried to get up the day before but had collapsed immediately, needing their help to get back into bed.

For five years, they had used healing magic on me twice daily to keep me alive without food. But without proper nourishment, my body had withered away.

They did everything they could to keep me alive, and I realized my birthday had passed. I was now sixteen and realized that there's only one month left before the end of the year.

After a few days, I could finally walk again. I gazed out the window, looking at the beautiful snow outside.

"Wow, it's been so long since I've seen snow."

While exploring the room, I found a mirror. I noticed that my body had regained some strength. I was still thin, but not as emaciated as when I first woke up.

I also realized I had grown taller and that my appearance had changed so much that I barely recognized my own face.

As I gazed out the window, Mika entered the room.

"It looks like you're walking better now," she said. "We’re leaving in two days. Can you come to the living room so we can discuss the route we’ll take?"

"Sure, I’ll be right there."

Mika left the room first. I lingered by the window for a few more seconds, watching the snow before finally stepping out.

Slowly, I walked down the hall, using the wall for support. When I reached the living room, I saw them seated around a table with a map spread out on top. I took the empty seat beside Jarred and Kyle.

"Are you feeling any better, Azrael?" Kyle asked.

"I can walk now, so I guess I’m getting there," I replied.

"That's good to hear," Carl added.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s go over our plan to reach the South Continent,” Mika began.

The three of them became serious, though I could sense Carl struggling to hide his usual smile. It seemed there was never a moment when he wasn't joking or grinning.

"We’re currently in Conju Village, which is in the central part of the North Continent," Mika continued. "If we travel through Caroline Mountain, we can reach Tancki Valley faster."

"Caroline Mountain?" Kyle asked. "Can a carriage even pass through there?"

"There’s a hidden path between the two mountains, but we have to pass through a forest first to get there," Mika explained. "Not everyone knows about the passage, so it’s a bit of a shortcut to Tancki Valley and Aoyu Village."

"Oh, I see," Kyle murmured.

"To leave Garuga Country, we’ll have to cross the sea once we reach Tancki Valley," Mika said.

"Right," Carl nodded. "As far as I know, there are ferries that transport people to other countries, like Kura Country. But it could take us a few days, and that might be expensive."

"Don’t worry, money won’t be a problem," Kyle assured him.

I let out a deep sigh, sensing they might resort to stealing to pay for the journey.

But what could I do? I couldn’t stop them—they were the ones helping me, after all. I decided to let them handle things their way, as long as they didn’t harm any innocent people.

"Once we reach Kura Country, it will be much harder to get to any neighboring nation. Sigh. We need to think of an alternative route," Mika said.

"There’s no easier route," Jarred replied. "If we go through other countries, it could take us up to two years just to get to the next one and finally leave the North Continent."

"Um, may I ask why you’re so against going through Kura Country? It’s the closest nation to the border of the North Continent," I inquired.

"How should I put this… well, we’re kind of wanted in that country, so it’s not exactly easy for us to get in and out," Carl explained.

"W-what?! Wanted?! What did you do to become wanted in an entire country?!" I shouted in surprise.

"Uh, we… stole something valuable from the country’s president," Carl answered, his voice growing quieter with each word.

I held my head in my hands, shaking it at their reckless actions. I couldn't believe they had stolen something so important from a president. What were they thinking? Sigh.

"But like Jarred said, there’s no easier route. I suppose we’ll just have to find a way to deal with it once we’re there," Kyle said.

"Alright then, it’s decided. We’re going to Kura Country, and no matter what happens, we stick together. Agreed?" Mika declared.

"I'm in," Jarred nodded.

"Me too," Kyle added.

"Absolutely, count me in," Carl grinned.

"Um, wherever you guys go, I’ll go too," I agreed with a nervous chuckle.