Atela landed on a tree branch in the middle of the forest and leaned against the trunk. Her breathing was heavy and uneven. She clutched her throat—each breath burned through her airways.
"You should try to rest to slow the infection."
She brought a hand to her infected shoulder, grimacing in pain.
"Daziatis is a poison that only develops in the Western Empire… How did they manage to obtain it?… Are they connected?"
She was pulled out of her thoughts by a sharp surge of pain—the cracks spread up to her cheek.
"The poison is progressing more slowly in your angelic body, but I'm afraid you don't have much time left."
Atela had already realized it before Maelle even said it. She lifted her head toward the light flickering through the leaves.
She placed a hand on her forehead, still out of breath, then closed her eyes.
Flashback.
Her memories were blurry, but she could still make them out.
Standing on a balcony, her younger self gazed over the kingdom suspended beneath the clouds. A thin mist filtered the sunlight, reflecting in her red eyes.
Someone in royal attire approached her—a man with blue hair, his gaze both warm and weary. He placed a hand on little Atela's head, making her flinch in surprise.
— Dad? Is that you? You scared me… You could've told me you were here.
Her father, King Nafaris, smiled gently at her. But that smile carried weight—deep concern hidden beneath it.
— Sorry for scaring you… but I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes.
His voice was calm and reassuring, but Atela immediately sensed something was wrong.
— Dad, what is it? You look sad…
Nafaris slightly turned his gaze toward the cloudy horizon.
— Atela… do you think this world deserves to be protected?
Atela was surprised. She knew her father wasn't well, but chose to answer first.
— Um… I don't know… but I think it could be improved. It does have countless flaws… but that's not a reason to destroy it. You can't change a world overnight… you can only improve it, so it becomes a better version of itself. After all, beauty also comes from imperfections… so it would be a shame to erase everything.
A deeply moved smile appeared on her father's face. He knelt down to her level.
— I agree with you… But soon, in the near future, it will be up to you to realize that ideal.
Atela didn't immediately understand his words. Silence settled between them.
— Atela… you will soon become the next guardian of the Avacorrector, the most powerful weapon of all, once wielded by the very first hero.
He placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders as she stared at him wide-eyed.
— I'm sorry to place such a burden on you at such a young age… but soon, the balance of the entire world will rest on your shoulders.
He lifted her into his arms. Then he raised a hand toward the sky and pointed to a star.
— You will become the one and only light of hope capable of stopping the spread of darkness in this world…
As she looked at the star, Atela's gaze softened slightly.
— You and your friends will be the last line of defense against this calamity… But don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to restore balance.
He set her back down. She looked up at the stars. Her father watched her for a moment, then slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a red crystal. It shone more intensely as Atela approached, as if mimicking the rhythm of her heartbeat.
Nafaris narrowed his eyes.
— Atela, you must also know that—
He was interrupted by his daughter, who called out cheerfully:
— Dad, come look!
Nafaris blinked, then gave in and walked over with a smile.
Back to the present
Atela opened her eyes. She noticed the sunlight had turned orange. She suddenly straightened up.
— I… I fell asleep?! But how… why?
Maelle explained that she had been asleep for an hour and that she hadn't wanted to wake her given her condition.
— But… well, it's fine.
Maelle's voice echoed in her mind again, calm and composed.
"Princess, are you sure it was really a good idea to leave the kingdom of Garion without informing the generals?"
Atela looked at the cracks on her arm—their spread had slowed.
— Yes… I had to. Otherwise, I'd be in a far worse state than this. I'm convinced there's a traitor among the twenty generals… and that one of them is responsible for all the chaos happening in the world right now.
Maelle responded with another question:
"Do you think this so-called traitor could be Hiro Kazao?"
Atela hesitated for a moment.
— That man is a complete enigma… but I hope not. After all, he's the second strongest of the twenty. We'd be in a catastrophic situation if it were him…
The princess gently scratched her head, thoughtful, her eyes following the branches swaying in the wind.
— Especially since he's backed by Valt Xavier, the third strongest… those two together… just thinking about it gives me chills.
A sharp whistle suddenly cut through the silence.
The upper half of the tree Atela was perched on split instantly.
The wood burst apart like paper under an invisible blade.
Atela turned around.
Kay had just sliced the tree in half with a single swing of his sword.
— Found you.