It was a spectacular view. He couldn’t remember ever seeing such a dark and clear night sky. The stars shimmered with incredible clarity.

As Hupo gazed at them, he wondered if they matched the ones in his old world. He had spent most of his life in urban areas, where artificial lights and polluted skies obscured his view of the stars.

A voice flowed from behind him.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I see it."

Hupo looked over his shoulder. "Good evening, Erwin."

"If you'd rather be alone…"

"No, it's fine. I could use some company."

"Me too." Erwin walked to Hupo's side.

"I'm sorry for imposing on your village like this."

Erwin smiled. "Don't be. It's an honor to be able to do something for our saviors. We wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you and Alana."

"You allowed us to stay here, knowing full well what we're planning to do."

"Any loyalty I may have had toward the royal family vanished long ago, when they abandoned us to the werewolves. They didn't give a damn about me, so why should I give a damn about them? When I heard what the prince had done to those poor girls, my opinion of the royal family sank even lower."

"You could be branded as traitors."

"I've already discussed this matter with the other villagers. We all know the risk, but we still agreed to take you and your friends in."

"Dugu will stay behind tomorrow to protect the village."

Erwin's brows drew together. "Are you sure you don't need to take him with you?"

"I’ll be fine."

"How will you sneak into the Royal Palace?"

"Sneak in, like criminals?" Hupo shook his head. "Never, I'll do no such thing. We're the ones who've been wronged."

"Then how do you intend to reach the prince?"

"Like a man."

***

Chicken Castle had been so rowdy, so animated – a warm, welcoming place for friends and families to enjoy each other’s company. Now only a blackened skeleton remained of the once popular restaurant. The wind whistled through the twisted metal and black fragments of wood that had once been furniture.

Hupo stood in front of the remains of his restaurant. “I remember standing here, on Chicken Castle’s opening day. I was so proud and excited at the prospect of owning my own restaurant. The location was perfect – it was right next to a busy road. All we needed to do was convince people to come inside. And that’s exactly what we did, with our good food and welcoming environment. We drew in more customers than we could handle. Everything seemed perfect.”

Alana walked to his side. “You worked hard to build it up.”

“We did it together. Seeing it in this wretched state pains my heart. But that pain is nothing compared to what I felt when I saw what had happened to Coco and Easton. What the prince did to them is unforgivable.” He clenched his fists.

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“Their bodies have been restored to normal, but it’ll take time for their minds to heal.”

“I feel partly responsible for what happened to them. If only I had been there to protect them…”

“It wasn’t your fault. Thinking about ‘what if’ scenarios isn’t going to help you. It’s only going to make you feel worse.”

“You’re right. I can never change the past. The only thing I can change is the future.” His eyes fell on a signboard sticking out from the ruins.

He pulled it out, and wiped ash from its surface. “Do you remember how we came up with the name for the restaurant?”

“We sampled your food, and then you asked us what we thought the restaurant should be called. In the end, we agreed that Easton’s suggestion was the best.”

Hupo smiled. “He’s often quiet, but he’s much more extraordinary than he lets on. That man is actually very thoughtful and courageous.”

He turned to face Alana. “Thanks for the lift. I must finish the remainder of the journey alone.”

“Let me come with you.”

“You don’t need to be concerned about my safety. I’ll be fine, no matter how many opponents stand in my way. By now, you too must’ve realized just how powerful we are in this world.”

“It’s not your safety that I’m worried about. I’m concerned about what fighting so many of your own kind would do to you.”

“That’s precisely why I must go alone. Don’t forget, you’re human too. Please respect this selfish wish of mine and let me bear this burden alone.”

Alana embraced him. “Be careful.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “I will. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Moving away, he leaped onto the roof of the closest building.

He continued leaping, from rooftop to rooftop, toward the Royal Palace.

***

General Hyperion yawned. He had spent most of last night and all morning assembling and organizing the capital's knights for battle. Behind him was a twenty-five thousand strong army. Each knight within the army was trained and equipped to kill. They were organized into a disciplined battle formation, in front of the palace gates.

This is absolute insanity - gathering together twenty-five thousand knights just to fight one man. I can't believe Youji convinced King Rowan to go along with such a ludicrous plan.

He found himself constantly nodding off to sleep and jerking back awake. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t keep his eyes from closing.

"General!"

General Hyperion snapped back awake. He looked at the knight captain. "What is it?"

"He's coming."

Looking into the distance, General Hyperion could make out Hupo's figure.

"He's going for a frontal attack?"

He hadn’t expected anyone to show up. It wasn’t something a man in his right mind would do. The most sensible way for an assassin to reach Prince Darius would be to sneak into the Royal Palace. It would be much easier to get past the palace guards than to take on an entire army.

He turned toward the knight captain. "Alert the king immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" The knight captain bowed before leaving.

General Hyperion rode his horse toward Hupo. It was his duty to meet with the representative of the enemy army, as he’d always done before any large-scale battle. Except this time, the enemy army and representative were one and the same. The meetings had more of a symbolic, rather than practical, purpose. They showed that each side was willing to exhaust all diplomatic options, up until the very last moment.

He stopped in front of Hupo. "I'm General Hyperion. I've come to negotiate the terms of your surrender."

Hupo laughed. "You crack me up."

Has he gone mad after seeing the enormous army before him?

General Hyperion cleared his throat. "Threatening the prince's life is a grave offense, punishable by summary execution. But luckily for you, the king is a merciful and forgiving ruler. He is willing to overlook your transgression, just this once. In return, you must leave the Dominion and never come back."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you will die. As you can clearly see, you are hopelessly outnumbered. Even if you are the Combat Tournament champion, there is no way you can fight this many men. No matter how strong you are, you will tire eventually and fall. I'm giving you a clear-cut choice - fight and die, or run and live."

"I've got a proposal of my own: Tell your men to get out of my way, or I'll cut every last one of them down."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Hupo showed the back of his fist and extended his middle finger upward.

General Hyperion narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry; I fail to comprehend the meaning of your hand gesture."

"Where I’m from, it means negotiations are over."

"Well, that's a shame." General Hyperion turned to leave. "I'll see you on the battlefield."

When General Hyperion returned to his army, the knight captain approached him. "Sir, I've notified the king. He's watching from the palace's observation deck."

"Thank you. Unfortunately, Hupo refused to capitulate. I don't know if he's brave or just plain stupid."

"What should we do?"

"Strike him down with arrows. Against a warrior, it's one of the most dishonorable things to do, but also one of the most effective. I will not risk the lives of my men for the sake of pride."