A few months had passed since Luo Feng left Eden Village.
The long ride to the capital was uneventful for him — just steady days of travel, camping under the stars, and quiet thoughts of Miya and their unborn child waiting at home. He arrived at the city gates at dusk on a tired but strong horse, the Adamantite dagger still at his belt and the Cosmic Trident Spear safely stored away.
He went straight to the Adventurers Guild without stopping to rest or eat. The moment he pushed open the heavy doors, the hall was packed wall-to-wall with strong adventurers — A-rank and S-rank fighters from every corner of the kingdom, their armor dented and weapons well-used. The air was thick with tension and the smell of sweat and steel.
At the front of the room stood the Guild Master, an older man with a scarred face and a heavy voice.
"Listen up!" he called out. "We don't know when the next demon attack will hit the capital. Rest well tonight. Eat, sleep, and prepare your bodies and minds. When the alarm sounds, we move as one. Dismissed."
The gathered adventurers nodded grimly and began filing out toward the guild's sleeping quarters and nearby inns. Luo Feng was given a simple room on the upper floor. He ate a quick meal, lay down on the hard cot, and closed his eyes, thinking only of returning home soon to Miya's smile and the life growing inside her.
Meanwhile, far behind him on the long northern road…
Little Suki had been riding without rest for months.
The horse Miya had sent her on never slowed. It galloped day and night, driven by some deep instinct to reach the capital. Suki had eaten only the small bundle of dried fish and maize cakes her big sister had pressed into her hands before tying her to the saddle. That food ran out after the first week. Since then the nine-year-old had survived on nothing but rainwater she caught in her palms and whatever wild berries she could reach while the horse kept moving.
Her small body had grown painfully thin. Her lips were cracked, her eyes sunken. She hadn't slept properly in days, only drifting in and out of consciousness while tied tightly to the horse's back.
On the evening of the same day Luo Feng reached the capital, the horse was still running hard along the final stretch of road leading to the city walls. Suki's head lolled forward. Her tiny hands, once gripping the saddle ropes, had gone limp.
"I… I have to find Brother Feng…" she whispered hoarsely, voice barely audible.
Her eyes fluttered shut. The world spun and went black.
Suki passed out completely, slumping forward against the horse's neck.
But the loyal animal did not stop. It kept running at full speed toward the glowing lights of the capital, carrying the unconscious little girl like a silent messenger of tragedy — straight toward the city where her brother-in-law was resting, completely unaware that his entire village, his wife, and almost everyone he loved had been slaughtered weeks ago.
The horse's hooves thundered on, purple dusk turning to night behind it.
Luo Feng slept soundly in the guild quarters, dreaming of green fields and Miya's gentle laugh.
He still did not know.