In a daze, Kolin heard some kind of noise, as if a crowd of people had gathered around him. But why? He hadn’t done anything impressive—not a single thing since childhood. Why would so many people be surrounding him? Shouldn’t they be gathered around his older brother, Ke’er? He was the one who truly deserved to be the center of attention.
Because his mind was too foggy, Kolin couldn’t clearly grasp what was happening. He only knew that someone seemed to have lifted him up and placed him back on a somewhat hard floor.
It was a bit uncomfortable, but Kolin felt a long-lost sense of ease. After all, compared to the cramped, crowded space he had been in, this hard ground was far better.
As Kolin’s consciousness grew hazier, he felt a warm power flowing into his body. This warmth was so comforting—even more so than being in his mother’s arms as a child. It was an extreme, soothing warmth he had never experienced before, and the moment he felt it, he fell in love with the sensation. Even in his deeply muddled state, Kolin couldn’t help but think: ’If only I could always feel this warm power.’
And so, under the influence of that gentle warmth, Kolin gradually drifted into sleep.
—
After who knows how long, Kolin finally woke slowly. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling. Just as he was feeling at a loss, a delighted voice came from beside him.
“Thank goodness! You’re finally awake! Looks like the healing worked!”
Hearing the voice, Kolin turned toward it and saw a man sitting by his bed, watching him. It was hard to tell whether the man was middle-aged or elderly—just that he was definitely very old.
Seeing a stranger staring at him like that, Kolin grew flustered and didn’t know what to say.
Fortunately, the elderly man began explaining on his own, helping Kolin, who had been completely confused, finally understand what had happened.
The man’s name was Larui’an, a Holy Knight. He had originally been leading a small group of Holy Knights to track a powerful Demon Executive—the blue-black man who had attacked Kolin’s village. That man was the Demon Executive.
Because it was a secret pursuit, Larui’an had been keeping his distance to ensure the target wouldn’t get suspicious and flee. But that meant he watched helplessly as the Demon Executive entered Kolin’s village and began slaughtering the villagers.
Due to the distance they had maintained, by the time Larui’an and his men arrived, the demon had already killed everyone in the village. After they defeated the demon and tried to search for survivors, they found the two of them beneath a collapsed house.
Finding that they still had faint breaths, Larui’an immediately administered emergency treatment, successfully saving their lives. They became the only survivors of the entire village. Afterward, since the Demon Executive had been dealt with, Larui’an brought the Holy Knights and the two survivors to the nearest town for a short rest. And it was then that Kolin finally woke up.
After learning the whole story, Kolin didn’t blame Larui’an for not arriving sooner. Instead, while feeling a sense of relief at surviving, he also felt a bewildering uncertainty about the future.
Just then, a thought struck him, and he quickly asked Larui’an, “Oh, right! Is Eleanor all right? And what about my brother Ke’er? Did they make it?”
Faced with Kolin’s question, Larui’an fell silent for a rare moment before speaking slowly. “…Eleanor—that’s the girl, right? She’s fine, just like you. She’s already woken up and is in good health. As for the other boy, your brother… He passed away just a few minutes before we pulled you both out of the rubble. I’m truly sorry. If we had arrived just a little earlier…”
Kolin didn’t listen closely to the rest of what Larui’an said. He just stared blankly at the man, overwhelmed by the shock that his brother was already dead.
Seeing this, Larui’an felt a pang of heartache. He suddenly spoke with firm resolve. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to worry about your future. The Temple will definitely raise you. You can live safely within the Temple. I’ll vouch for your life from now on. If you need anything, just tell me!”
After hearing this, Kolin remained silent for a while before speaking slowly. “…In that case, could I… go see Eleanor? I want to know how she’s doing.”
At this, Larui’an said nothing. He simply nodded quietly after a pause and personally led Kolin to the door of Eleanor’s room.
Once they arrived, Kolin began to feel at a loss. His original thought had been that since Ke’er had died, Eleanor—who loved Ke’er the most—must be heartbroken. So he had wanted to comfort her.
But now that he was actually standing outside her door, Kolin suddenly realized he didn’t know how to comfort anyone. And at a time like this, ordinary words of comfort might even have the opposite effect.
Staring at the closed door, Kolin hesitated. Behind him, Larui’an watched the hesitant boy without saying anything, simply waiting quietly for him to make a decision.
Finally, Kolin gritted his teeth and decided to open the door just a crack to see how she was doing before deciding whether to go in and comfort her.
So he slowly pushed the door open a little and saw the scene inside.
In the room, Eleanor was lying on the bed, her eyes vacant, staring at the window beside her. Outside the window was a lively, bustling town—a stark contrast to the last scene they had seen in their village. Faced with this sight, Eleanor said nothing, did nothing. She just watched quietly.
Seeing this, Kolin gently closed the door again, giving up on the idea of comforting her. Accompanied by Larui’an, he returned to his own room.
After Larui’an confirmed he had no other issues and finally left, Kolin pulled his head under the covers and cried softly.
The reason he hadn’t cried until now was that he had only had a vague sense of not being able to return to his old life—he hadn’t truly understood yet. It was only when he saw Eleanor like that that Kolin finally realized he could never go back. At last, he felt both the nostalgia for the past and the confusion about the future.