The church was quiet that night.
The dining table was small, made of simple wood worn by time. Nothing noble. Nothing luxurious. Just honest.
Candles cast a warm, flickering glow across the room.
Lyra and Nyx sat across from each other, speaking with an ease that felt almost unnatural considering how they had met.
"Is your hair naturally that color?" Nyx asked, resting her chin lightly on her hand.
"Yes…" Lyra replied, slightly embarrassed. "It has always been this way."
"Hm. It suits you. It gives off a feeling that's… almost too pure."
Lyra laughed softly.
"And your clothing is quite bold for this region."
"I'm from the Empire. If I dressed like you do, no one would take me seriously."
They both smiled.
Kael watched quietly.
At his side, Fufuin rested in his small form, his head leaning against Kael's leg. Kael gently stroked the wolf's soft fur in slow, absent motions.
It was strange.
Only hours ago, Nyx had been sent to kill him.
Now she sat at their table.
But the silence inside him remained.
He took a breath.
And broke their conversation.
"Nyx was sent by the king to kill me…" he said calmly, though unease lingered beneath his voice. "The gods gave me a nearly impossible mission… What do you think is coming next?"
Both women turned to him.
Nyx blinked charmingly, leaning back in her chair.
"The king isn't just curious about you," she said with a teasing tone. "He needs to bury every piece of information about the 'hero summoned by accident.'"
She made air quotes with her fingers.
"He has already performed the official ritual. Three great heroes were summoned."
The air shifted.
Kael felt his stomach tighten.
"Three…?"
"Yes. Three."
She shrugged.
"I don't know their names. Nor who they are. But they are under direct protection of the Kingdom."
Kael grew restless.
His fingers tightened slightly in Fufuin's fur.
Three legitimate heroes.
He was the mistake.
Lyra noticed.
Without drawing attention, her hand slid across the table and gently held his.
Her touch was warm.
Steady.
Supportive.
She smiled at him — a quiet reassurance.
You're not alone.
He exhaled slowly.
"How powerful is the Kingdom… really?"
Nyx's expression changed.
No more teasing.
"They are very powerful."
She leaned forward slightly.
"The Heroes' Guild. The elite knights. And… the Great Hero's Sword."
Silence filled the room.
Kael looked up.
"What is the true potential of that sword?"
Nyx closed her eyes briefly.
Then she summoned her staff.
A soft yellow flame ignited in her palm, and the long staff materialized, the orb at its tip glowing brightly.
The light expanded.
A vision formed within the orb.
A massive stone.
Embedded within it — fragments of a colossal sword.
An entire battalion guarding it.
Nyx continued:
"The sword is a sacred weapon. Many have tried to steal it. All were killed… by the sword's own power."
The vision showed a crushing invisible force — a pressure that rejected anyone unworthy.
"Legend says only the true chosen hero can wield it and awaken its full strength."
The vision faded.
Silence returned.
Lyra and Kael exchanged a look.
No words were needed.
They had reached the same conclusion.
Kael gently squeezed her hand before releasing it.
Then he stood.
"If the mission is to take the Great Hero's Sword…" he said firmly, "then we will take it from the Kingdom."
Nyx shot up immediately.
"Are you insane?!"
She pointed at him.
"That's not sneaking into a market stall! That's challenging the entire military power of the Kingdom!"
Fufuin's four little eyes opened.
Lyra stood as well.
But she didn't argue.
She simply stepped to Kael's side.
Fufuin jumped onto his shoulder.
The three of them looked at Nyx.
Determined.
Unshaken.
Nyx stared at them.
The accidental hero.
The devoted priestess.
The ancient wolf who hadn't formed a contract in seven centuries.
She let out a deep sigh.
"You truly have no idea what you're proposing…"
A pause.
Then she gripped her staff more firmly.
"…But if you're going to do something that insane, at least do it properly."
She looked directly at Kael.
"I'm coming with you."
Something shifted in the air.
This was no longer discussion.
It was rebellion.
Kael felt the fear inside him.
But now there was direction.
"Then it's decided," he said quietly.
And at that small, humble table inside the church, beneath the flickering candlelight…
Three figures marked the beginning of something that could shake the Kingdom itself.
And perhaps…
Rewrite the very story the gods were trying to protect.