The grand wedding hall was filled with laughter.
Nobles chatted happily.
Musicians played elegant melodies.
Servants moved between tables carrying expensive food and drinks.
For a brief moment...
It felt like a perfect day.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the entire castle.
The floor trembled violently.
Chandeliers swayed overhead.
Glasses shattered.
Screams erupted throughout the hall.
"What was that?!"
"An earthquake?"
"The castle is shaking!"
Panic spread among the guests.
Before anyone could understand what was happening, a soldier burst through the entrance.
His armor was stained with blood.
He was breathing heavily.
"The Civil War has begun!"
Silence.
The entire hall froze.
The soldier continued shouting.
"The enemy army has breached the outer defenses!"
"They're attacking the castle!"
"Everyone hide immediately!"
"Do not go outside!"
"It's too dangerous!"
The words shattered the remaining calm.
Instantly, chaos exploded.
People screamed.
Nobles abandoned their dignity and ran for safety.
Children cried.
Servants rushed to protect their masters.
Outside the castle...
War had already arrived.
BOOM!
Another explosion echoed across the battlefield.
The peaceful kingdom transformed into a nightmare.
Soldiers clashed with rebels.
Steel collided against steel.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Burning arrows rained from the sky.
Wooden carts exploded into flames.
Barrels shattered across the streets.
People desperately ran toward the castle gates seeking protection.
But the guards were overwhelmed.
The sounds of war swallowed everything.
Inside the castle...
The bride hurried up the staircase.
Her wedding dress dragged across the floor as she ran.
Fear filled her eyes.
Suddenly—
Someone grabbed her arm.
The bride gasped.
"What—?!"
Before she could react, she was pulled into a nearby room.
SLAM!
The door locked.
The bride turned around.
"Hima?!"
Standing before her was her cousin.
Hima placed herself between the door and the bride.
The bride frowned.
"Why did you lock me in here?"
"What are you doing?"
Hima's face looked pale.
"They're coming."
The bride blinked.
"Who?"
"They're coming to kill you."
The room fell silent.
The words sent chills down the bride's spine.
"What are you talking about?"
Hima looked away.
She said nothing.
That silence frightened the bride more than any answer could.
After several moments...
The bride slowly walked toward the window.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Outside...
The kingdom was burning.
Smoke rose into the sky.
One side of the forest had already caught fire.
Orange flames spread from tree to tree.
The distant sounds of battle reached her ears.
BOOM!
CLANG!
SCREAM!
Fear slowly tightened around her heart.
The wedding she had dreamed of was collapsing before her eyes.
Slowly she returned to the bed.
Her gaze drifted toward an old wardrobe.
Something inside pulled at her attention.
She opened it.
Inside was a small hidden locker.
The bride unlocked it.
Then she froze.
A book.
An ancient book.
The very same book that would one day play a role in Weston's disappearance.
Carefully she picked it up.
Dust drifted from its cover.
She sat on the edge of the bed.
Staring at it.
"This book..."
For some reason...
It felt familiar.
As though fate itself had placed it in her hands.
Meanwhile...
Elsewhere in the castle...
Pixie and Hina ran through a crowded hallway.
People pushed past them in panic.
Soldiers rushed toward the battlefield.
The sounds of war grew louder with every second.
Pixie grabbed Hina's hand.
"Stay close!"
They pushed through the crowd.
Then suddenly—
Several armed rebels burst through a side entrance.
"Nobles!"
"Kill the nobles!"
The hallway erupted into chaos.
Guests screamed and scattered.
The crowd surged like a wave.
In an instant—
Pixie lost his grip.
"Hina!"
People shoved between them.
The two were separated.
Pixie desperately searched the crowd.
"HINA!"
But she was already gone.
A short distance away...
Hina stood frozen.
The sudden chaos had left her disoriented.
She had no idea what was happening.
No idea where to go.
No idea where her friends were.
Then—
THUD!
Someone collided with her.
Both stumbled backward.
Hina looked up.
The other person looked up as well.
For a brief second...
Neither moved.
Then Hina's eyes widened.
"Daiki!"
Daiki froze.
His heart nearly stopped.
That face.
That voice.
He recognized her immediately.
"Hina?!"
Relief flooded his face.
He rushed toward her.
"I knew it!"
"I didn't know who you were at first..."
"But I knew you were one of us!"
Hina looked equally shocked.
"You found me!"
Daiki quickly grabbed her hand.
"No time!"
"We need to move!"
Another explosion echoed through the castle.
BOOOOM!
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The entire building shook.
Daiki pulled her forward.
"Come on!"
"Everyone is scattered!"
"We have to find the others before this place turns into a graveyard!"
Without another word...
The two disappeared into the chaos.
While outside...
The fires of war continued to spread.
And somewhere beyond the battlefield...
Yuki was already moving toward the castle.
With revenge burning in her heart.
The wind howled across the plains.
Yuki rode her horse at full speed.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The horse's hooves pounded against the earth as she raced toward the distant castle.
Far ahead, dark smoke rose into the sky.
Even from this distance, she could see flames.
The war had already begun.
Yuki narrowed her eyes.
Her grip tightened around the reins.
The words of Chiyo echoed inside her mind.
"Your family died..."
"Your kingdom was destroyed..."
"Take your revenge."
A cold determination settled within her heart.
Every second she spent away from the battlefield felt unbearable.
"Pixie..."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"I'm coming."
The horse surged forward even faster.
---
Meanwhile...
Inside the capital city...
Raithasu sat outside a small café.
Only moments ago, the streets had been peaceful.
Merchants had been selling goods.
Children had been laughing.
Families had been enjoying their day.
Now...
Everything was different.
CRASH!
A wooden stall exploded into pieces.
Raithasu immediately stood up.
His eyes widened.
All around him, people had begun fighting.
Some carried swords.
Others held clubs.
A few carried burning torches.
The streets descended into complete chaos.
Men attacked each other without hesitation.
Shops were smashed apart.
Windows shattered.
Smoke rose from burning buildings.
The peaceful city he had walked through earlier was gone.
In its place stood a battlefield.
Raithasu clenched his fists.
"How did it become this bad so quickly..."
Before he could think further—
A man suddenly charged toward him.
Sword raised.
"Die!"
Raithasu reacted instantly.
He grabbed the attacker's wrist.
The man's eyes widened.
With a single movement, Raithasu twisted his arm and pulled him forward.
THUD!
The attacker's stomach slammed into Raithasu's knee.
The man's breath escaped his lungs.
His body collapsed onto the street.
Raithasu didn't stay.
He immediately began running toward the castle.
Michael...
The thought remained fixed inside his mind.
If the war has started... what happened to Michael?
His pace quickened.
---
Suddenly—
A woman's scream echoed through the street.
"Help!"
Raithasu stopped.
His head turned.
Several armed men surrounded a woman holding a small child.
The child was crying.
The mother desperately shielded him behind her body.
Around them, people pretended not to see.
Everyone was too busy trying to survive.
One of the attackers stepped forward.
His sword rose.
The woman closed her eyes.
Then—
CLANG!
The sword stopped.
The attacker's eyes widened.
A hand was gripping the blade.
Blood dripped from Raithasu's palm.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The woman stared in shock.
The child stopped crying.
Raithasu slowly lifted his head.
His sharp eyes locked onto the attacker.
"You attack a woman carrying a child..."
His voice was cold.
"And you call yourself a man?"
The attacker stepped back.
Raithasu released the blade.
Blood continued running down his hand.
"If you want to prove your courage..."
He stepped forward.
"Fight someone who can fight back."
The attackers exchanged glances.
Then one of them laughed.
"You've got guts."
"You think you can take all of us alone?"
Raithasu ignored him.
Instead, he looked at the woman.
"Leave."
"What?"
"Take your child and run."
The woman hesitated.
"But—"
"I'll handle them."
The authority in his voice left no room for argument.
The woman nodded.
"T-Thank you."
She quickly turned and ran.
However, one attacker moved to block her path.
"You aren't going anyw—"
BAM!
Raithasu's kick smashed directly into the man's face.
The attacker flew sideways and crashed into a broken cart.
The woman immediately escaped.
---
The remaining attackers roared in anger.
"Kill him!"
They charged.
Swords flashed.
Raithasu moved.
One attack.
Two attacks.
Three attacks.
Every blade missed.
His body flowed between their strikes like water.
He ducked beneath a sword.
Sidestepped a spear.
Spun around another attacker.
Then counterattacked.
THUD!
CRACK!
BAM!
One after another, the attackers fell.
Within minutes, the street was silent.
The surviving men crawled away in fear.
Raithasu stood alone.
Breathing heavily.
His injured hand continued bleeding.
Yet his mind wasn't focused on the fight.
It was focused on the castle.
On Michael.
On his friends.
On the war.
He looked toward the distant smoke rising above the kingdom.
The castle was there.
And so was the center of this nightmare.
Raithasu picked up a fallen sword from the street.
Its blade reflected the flames around him.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then tightened his grip.
"I can't just run to the castle."
"If innocent people keep dying..."
His eyes hardened.
"If I can save them..."
"Then I will."
The sounds of battle echoed through the city.
More screams.
More fire.
More destruction.
Raithasu took a deep breath.
Then he ran deeper into the burning streets.
Not toward safety.
But toward the people who needed help.
While far away...
Yuki continued racing toward the castle.
And at the heart of the kingdom...
The Great Civil War raged on.