🌌 Scene 1 — The Night Before
After Shinonome announced their departure to the Mana Volcano, the stars above the Montelo valley glittered like embers of fate.
The night air was silent, thick with expectation.
William stood alone beneath the courtyard tree, his soul blade sheathed at his side. The hum of it had grown stronger. As if it, too, knew where he was going.
Footsteps echoed on the stone path behind him.
"Still awake," came a deep, familiar voice.
William turned to see his father—Julius Montelo—his posture regal, but his expression… softer than usual.
"I expected you'd be up," Julius said, stepping beside his son. He held something wrapped in deep-blue cloth.
"I'm not nervous," William replied.
"I never said you were."
They stood in silence for a moment.
Then Julius unwrapped the cloth, revealing a scroll sealed in black wax.
"This has been passed down through the Montelo line for generations. Taught only to those who survive the training and show… restraint. Resolve."
He handed it to William.
"White Severance Style," Julius said quietly. "The art of the Crescent Sundering."
William raised an eyebrow. "Sounds poetic."
Julius smirked faintly. "Don't let the name fool you. At full strength… it can flatten a mountain. Or a city."
William blinked. "You're giving this to me now?"
"No. I'm giving you the first form. The rest—" Julius pointed to William's heart, "—will come from in there. This art does not obey rage. It obeys will."
William opened the scroll. Within was a single drawn arc. A crescent. Below it, a phrase written in old Montelo script:
> "To sever what cannot be seen, one must swing for what cannot be lost."
William nodded slowly.
"I'll honor it."
"I know you will," Julius said. Then paused.
"And William… if what lives inside your sword ever threatens your will—cut it down."
William looked up, surprised.
But Julius was already walking away.
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🛫 Scene 2 — Departure
Three days later, the Montelo caravan stood at the estate gates.
Four riders. Two carts of supplies. One path toward the Volcano of Mana.
Shinonome mounted her horse, silver hair braided and sword at her back.
William tightened the strap across his chest, his blade resting silently against him. Alicia adjusted the gloves on her hands, her new rapier secured at her waist.
Gin… wore a feathered hat.
"What," William asked flatly.
Gin grinned. "Every legendary expedition needs comic relief."
Shinonome sighed. "He's coming to supervise. Try not to let him fall off a cliff."
Alicia leaned close to William, whispering:
"If he flirts with one more maid, I'll push him myself."
Gin waved. "I heard that! And I accept your affection in all forms."
Alicia raised her boot. He backed off.
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🛤️ Scene 3 — The Road Ahead
The path south wound through villages and woodland.
For the first time in his new life, William saw how the world truly looked. Not just nobles and estate walls—but common people. Dirt roads. Merchants. Children with bare feet playing beside broken wells.
In one village, they stopped to rest.
Then it happened.
A scream.
A group of bandits—low-tier mercs—descended from the trees, surrounding the caravan.
"Hand over your gold," the leader barked. "And we won't hurt the girl."
Alicia narrowed her eyes. "Try."
Shinonome stayed silent, observing.
William stepped forward.
"I'll give you one chance," he said, calm. "Run."
The bandits laughed.
One charged.
William didn't draw his blade. He raised one hand—palm open.
A silver arc of mana burst from his palm, slicing through the bandit's weapon and knocking him backward into a tree.
The others hesitated.
William's voice was colder now.
"Next one loses an arm."
They fled.
A little girl peeked from behind a barrel, her eyes wide.
"Th-thank you…"
William knelt beside her.
"Stay brave," he said softly. "Protect your family."
Alicia watched from a distance, her hand resting gently over her heart.
> He's not the same boy who teased me under the tree.
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đź“ś Chapter End Quote:
"To change the world, one must first see the world they wish to protect."