'I can't...remember?'
No. It wasn't that he couldn't remember. But rather the memories he had were foggy and fragmented. No matter how much he tried, he could only remember certain events rather than the flow of them.
And even those were fleeting.
'No...'
Leon rushed out of the shower and tried to find something to write on. But then he remembered it wouldn't matter. Everything inside the nightmare would disappear when he was done.
He punched the wall in a fury. No matter what, it seemed he couldn't save his memories from being taken away.
After taking a while to calm down, he knew he couldn't do anything till the nightmare was over.
Leon dressed in the clothes left by Aurelia as he kept contemplating his attribute.
'Does the spell know? Does it know I'm a transmigrator? Is that why I have this attribute?'
The only solace to this situation was the final line on the runes.
'Nothing is truly lost...'
A knock sounded. Leon jolted up and made his way over. As he opened it, he saw the same green eyes. Aurelia.
"Hey."
Aurelia bowed slightly as she began speaking.
"Leon, you must be hungry. Come."
She led Leon through an unfamiliar corridor, then through another door that opened outside. The sun shone on Leon as his eyes struggled to adjust to the change in brightness.
As he tried to block the sunlight with his palm, Leon finally saw where she had brought him.
A massive field stretched before him, filled with countless injured people who looked like soldiers. All of them had injuries that were being tended to by other people.
The people looked like they would collapse at any moment as they all moved in a slow and unconfident manner.
As Leon and Aurelia walked past, the soldiers began to look up. Due to Keen Insight and the state of the soldiers, he could read most of their emotions.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Hatred.
Envy.
Despair.
His body shuddered as he continued to look at them.
'A war? Has the titan already come?'
"Apologies for the sore sight. These are all my soldiers. We have been in a sort of...internal conflict."
Leon narrowed his eyes, thinking.
'These people are all injured, which means the war is ongoing. Aurelia is on one side of this as she is a princess. But who is she fighting? The King perhaps?'
The two then moved to one of the tents where they were serving all the soldiers food. The soldiers lined up near the tent, but the person giving out food paused as Aurelia approached them.
Aurelia went up to the woman serving food and smiled.
"Two portions please."
The woman froze, not able to comprehend the order given to her. She hesitated a moment then quickly stumbled as she took out two bowls and poured out the broth into them.
She gently handed the two bowls to Aurelia, who received them and thanked the woman with a smile.
She then gestured for Leon to follow her as the two went away from the field and made their way to a small hill nearby.
The two climbed the hill. They were now a fair distance away from the soldiers, so much so that Leon could see the large building that held him.
The building was a majestic dome with many windows. Two tall rectangular buildings were connected to the central dome with narrow pathways.
They then reached the top of the hill. Aurelia sat down and extended her hand, handing a bowl to Leon.
Leon took the bowl and sat down beside her. But then quickly moved a little away from her.
"I know you are a cautious man Leon. Hence I hope this is alright for you."
Aurelia said, bringing the bowl to her lips. She smiled as she looked out across the hill.
Leon followed her eyes and saw the sun kingdom in all its glory. It looked just like it had in his vision, but without the crimson red painting the streets.
He hesitated for a while but remembered all the soldiers on the field. She couldn't possibly have replicated that. Even if she did, their eyes definitely spoke the truth — their pain and fury were all real.
He then took a bite as Aurelia looked at him and smiled a little.
"This is the Divine Sun Kingdom. All the people inhabiting it are all the children of the sun. They are protected by the Sun's Will which is in the walls of the kingdom."
Leon then turned to look at her as she began explaining. His body relaxed as he kept eating.
"The walls protect all the creatures trying to enter. They have protected them for centuries now. But the walls also prevent anyone from leaving the kingdom itself."
Aurelia then lowered her bowl as a small frown appeared on her face.
'They can't leave? No...But then the titan would...'
"If anyone from the kingdom were to leave the vicinity of the walls, they instantly lose all vitality and shrivel into a corpse."
Leon stopped eating as the sudden realization hit him. The people wouldn't just lose their kingdom. No.
The kingdom would be completely wiped out because of the titan.
Aurelia then saw his surprised reaction and chuckled.
"Don't worry Leon. They are not that desperate to leave, they have been living in prosperity for a long time now....Well, till now."
That was when Leon became suspicious of Aurelia again. Since she had begun explaining everything, she had always seemed to mention the kingdom as though she wasn't a part of it.
A small thought crept into his mind.
She kept saying they.
Not we.
Wasn't she a princess? Why was she speaking as though the kingdom didn't belong to her?
Aurelia suddenly lifted her head. Her eyes shone as she grabbed Leon's hand.
Leon flinched at the sudden contact, half-expecting to be thrown down the slope.
"But you are the exception Leon!"
He froze as he heard her statement. She continued:
"Since you are an outsider, you are free to enter or leave any time you want."
As she said that, a sudden noise attracted his attention. Leon turned as a horn sounded from the direction of the building.
The echo of the horn spread everywhere as he tensed up.
'No...The titan?'
Aurelia's grip on his palm tightened as she stood up, prompting Leon to get up with her.
"I'm sorry Leon. It seems we are out of time. They have realized you are a threat and are coming after you."
Leon looked back at her, fingers already closing around a sharp rock he'd pocketed earlier — just in case.
But she simply let go of his hand and turned towards the slope of the hill where countless people were running toward them. Leon turned toward the group of people rushing for them.
There were countless guards in silver armor rushing toward them, and the person leading them was none other than the green haired woman.
'The inquisitor...'
Soon, the inquisitor stopped a couple meters away and spoke up.
"Princess. Please hand over that person right now."
She paused and pointed her sword upward.
"We know that he is an outsider."
Aurelia summoned a bow out of thin air that materialized with white sparks twirling around it.
'A memory? But how?'
She knocked an arrow on the bow and replied.
"I'm sorry teacher. But you have to trust me. He is the only way we can move forward in this kingdom."
The inquisitor gripped her sword as she frowned.
"You."
She paused for a while.
"I should have known. They were all right. You are just like your father."
"A traitor..."
The inquisitor spat out.
Aurelia's mouth gaped open as her brows furrowed. Her hands shook lightly but she gritted her teeth and shot the arrow into the sky.
The arrow shot up to the sky and exploded into a bright orange flame.
The inquisitor dashed toward Leon in an attempt to kill him but was soon met with Aurelia's blade.
As the two clashed with their blades, a guard rushed at Leon with unnatural speed, almost as if he teleported.
He paused just a couple feet away, then lunged with a sword.
Leon pushed Keen Insight to its limit and barely read the movement in time.
The guard lunged.
For a fraction of a heartbeat, he saw it — not the blade, but the intention. The shift in weight, the tightening shoulder.
He moved before the strike was fully born.
Steel kissed his cheek instead of splitting his skull.
The guard was unfazed by his sudden dodge, and simply moved to strike again.
But before the sword could meet Leon, a giant creature swooped in and threw the guard backwards.
The guards rushing up behind were sent tumbling as the flying body crashed into them.
He looked at the bird with glorious white feathers and a large yellow beak. It was three times bigger than Leon. He realized this was the bird that fought the titan — which meant...
'She...She's the one who'll fight the titan...'
Leon hesitated for a moment with the revelation before a tight grip seized his arm, and threw him on to the bird.
Leon couldn't resist, as Aurelia's strength was overwhelming. He felt as though his arm was shackled again.
Aurelia batted away another sword strike from the inquisitor as she jumped onto the bird. The bird took flight immediately and shot up into the air.
Aurelia then turned towards Leon.
"Please trust me, I will protect you."
She spoke as the bird continued to fly further and further away from the building. Leon had subconsciously closed his eyes against the strong winds.
Leon opened his eyes as he gritted his teeth. He couldn't let things go out of control, so he had to do something. And now was an opportunity.
"You promise?"
He asked looking at Aurelia, hoping she would answer.
Aurelia smiled.
"I swear on my life I will protect you, Leon."
Leon's mouth curled up slightly.
"I accept."
He felt a strange force envelop him. Warmth crept up all over his body.
Oathbound had activated.
Something shifted behind his ribs — not painful, but present. Like something had been given away without his full understanding of what.
He was a mundane and even he could sense it — Aurelia surely could too. But to his luck, she was busy fending off arrows that rained onto them from the dome.
The bird flew away into the bright blue sky as countless arrows kept firing at them.
Leon was confused. Why would they shoot their own princess even if she was trying to help a potential prisoner escape?
***
Aurelia's bird flew straight toward the giant wall. The bird flapped its wings as it picked up speed at a frightening rate.
Leon held on for dear life as the bird flew faster and faster.
Aurelia looked down at Leon and smiled.
"I'm so sorry for the bumpy ride Leon. But please hold on!"
Her voice was loud, and yet it was drowned out by the constant whistling of the wind.
He saw her face and noticed she looked scared. Her eyes were filled with fear and determination. Aurelia gripped the bird, gritting her teeth.
Leon didn't breathe. He stared at Aurelia — waiting for her eyes to turn lifeless, or her body to turn into a dried parchment.
The white bird flew over the wall and crossed the giant stone bricks.
Nothing happened.
Aurelia simply smiled, as the bird then dropped into the forest beyond the wall.
They landed on the ground as Aurelia jumped down and Leon just fell from the bird, gasping for air.
Leon struggled to stand up as he noticed the amount of trees surrounding him. They were outside the walls right now.
He widened his eyes as he shot his head towards Aurelia.
She seemed to be fine. She was smiling, her hand running along the bird's feathers.
She didn't lose her vitality or shrivel into a corpse. She turned back to Leon and laughed loudly. The laughter felt like a melody as it rang out through the dense forest.
"We actually made it out, Leon!"
she said as her green eyes were filled with joy.
"But...you said that—"
Leon was cut off by Aurelia as she walked closer to him.
"I am actually a half-breed."
She then stopped in front of him, smiling apologetically.
"I would love to explain but maybe we should find shelter first?"
Leon froze and then slowly nodded.
He was out of the kingdom. He was safe.
Or that's what he told himself to keep calm. The nightmare was yet to be over.
***
They travelled through the woods for a couple hours — circling the giant wall closely.
The forest felt eerie, its canopy covering the sky entirely. Each tree shot up into the sky. It was almost half the length of the wall, or maybe a quarter — he couldn't tell its height from down there.
The leaves and branches of the trees covered the sky like a blanket, only letting small rays of sunshine shoot through the leaves.
It was as though a world beyond the forest didn't exist. He continued walking behind Aurelia as she kept quiet the entire time. The bird followed in silence.
He had too many questions, but kept quiet as safety was the first concern. He had thought of running away from her but knew she was far too strong.
The two eventually found a cave nearby and settled in while the huge bird brought a pile of dried sticks for a fire.
Aurelia sat down as she began preparing the fire. The sun was setting outside, and it would be dark soon.
Leon sat across from her as warmth began to radiate from the growing fire. He saw Aurelia sit down, her expression not even showing a hint of fatigue.
"So, do you want to explain what's going on?"
Leon asked in a casual tone.
Aurelia looked up and smiled.
"I'm sorry, Leon. Yes, I will explain. I think I should start from the beginning for you to understand."
She opened a leather bag, took out strips of meat, and laid them over the flame.
"My father...The King had actually met the first outsider before I was born." She said, her face expressionless.
"He fell in love with her. They lived happily lived inside the castle, and even had a daughter. Her name was Aurelia."
A small smile bloomed on her face as she said her name.
Leon now understood why she could exit the walls. She was not a pure-blooded citizen of the kingdom. She was the daughter of an outsider, which meant that she could leave at any time.
"Then why are you still here?"
Leon asked suddenly. It was so sudden that even he was shocked as to why he blurted out that question. But his curiosity gnawed at him.
"Because my father loved this kingdom. He loved its people. So even I, no matter what they think of me or what they do to me... it is my responsibility as the princess of flame to protect the kingdom."
"Loved?"
Silence followed, before she spoke again.
"The King died a year ago."
Leon froze as he heard those words. He looked at her with a frown as Aurelia's smile disappeared.
"A few years after the child was born. The queen left the kingdom and returned a year later. Except she did not have any good news."
The fire crackled as sparks of flame flew up into the air in the silence of the cave.
"She said that she had a duty to fulfill...that she would have to change this world."
Leon's eyes twitched as he heard her words.
'Does that really justify leaving her daughter?'
"She said goodbye and left the kingdom for good this time. Years passed and she never returned. My father grew sick of everything day by day. He even stopped talking to me at one point."
She sighed and dropped her head.
"He then spent months trying to find a way to leave the walls. He even tried to destroy them with the divine flame once, but was stopped by his friends. Eventually, he tried to get out again, and well..."
She remained silent for a while before continuing.
"He ended up dead."
Leon looked down at the flame.
"I'm sorry." he said in a low voice.
Aurelia smiled and nodded sideways.
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault anyway. It was honestly nobody's fault."
She paused for a while before speaking.
"I'm sure my mother had a very important reason too."
Her voice cracked slightly before finishing that sentence.
Leon frowned.
She may have spoken as though she had already moved past it, but he could clearly sense the deep sorrow in her eyes.
Her smile grew brighter and she continued.
"So that is why you are so important!"
Leon perked up, raising an eyebrow.
"With you as an outsider, and me as a half-breed, we can find some way to help the kingdom folk to get out of the walls. I'm sure of it!"
She took the meat from the fire, set it on a plate of leaves, and handed it to Leon.
"That way, no one will have to suffer anymore. No one else will have to die."
Leon took the meat and bit into it.
"But why would they suffer if they just stayed inside the walls?"
Aurelia's smile slowly faded.
"Because if they do..."
She met his eyes.
"Everyone will die."