Part 2
Arkendel Chapel – Military Bastion of the Kingdom of Valdheim
At the center of the chapel stood a golden statue a female figure like a valkyrie, holding a white orb in her hands.
It emitted no light.
To the untrained eye, it would seem like nothing more than an elegant ornament.
The small chapel of Yoru, built within the Arkendel military compound, was empty at that hour.
Only a single nun mopped in silence, her motions calm and mechanical like someone who had long since stopped expecting miracles.
And then…
Crack.
A subtle sound but in that stillness, it echoed like muffled thunder.
The nun froze.
Her eyes scanned the stained-glass windows, the walls, the containment seals.
Crack... crack...
The sound came again, clearer this time.
The source was unmistakable.
The orb in the statue's hands was fracturing slowly.
She swallowed hard.
Her fingers trembled.
She knew exactly what it meant.
A being of pure light… had used divine magic.
And not just any magic, a kind that was never meant to exist.
"I must inform the general immediately," she whispered, letting the mop fall with a dull thud.
She ran from the chapel without looking back.
Without closing the door.
As if something terrible were quietly approaching.
She hurried up the stone steps of the military bastion.
The chill of aged stone… the feeling of being watched…
Everything felt heavier than usual.
Panting, she reached the office of General Hector Balliard.
She knocked twice and entered without waiting.
"General Balliard! We have… serious trouble," she said, breathless.
The general was reclining in his plush-backed chair, behind a desk cluttered with papers.
"You may leave. Looks like this is going to be important," he said, looking down beneath the desk.
At that moment, a girl crawled out from underneath.
She looked like a student.
Orange hair.
Torn clothes.
A black eye.
Blood at the corner of her lip.
Her steps were unsteady.
Her breath, broken.
Her dignity the only thing she tried to hold onto.
For a second, she locked eyes with the nun.
A silent plea.
Then she left, closing the door gently behind her.
As if making noise would make her more guilty.
The general didn't apologize.
Didn't change his tone.
"Now that we're alone… Tell me, Sister Mariana. What can I do for you?"
"Sir…" she swallowed, steadying herself. "The light orb in the chapel is cracking. That can only mean one thing a divine anomaly is in effect. Pure light magic. A primordial star, I suspect."
Balliard stood slowly, buckling his pants without hurry.
He adjusted his belt.
Stretched.
And walked toward the window.
"A light anomaly… Haven't heard that term in a long time."
"Could it be one of the heroes?" she asked, without much conviction.
"No, sister. The orb was designed to ignore blessings from Yoru. It only reacts to magic from other entities."
Balliard nodded, his gaze fixed on the window. The sun was beginning to set behind the bastion walls.
"Very well… let's not rush to conclusions. We'll send expeditions to the Mist Valley, the Faerie Forest… and the Pit."
Mariana nodded, already turning toward the door.
"By the way, Sister…" he said, still without moving.
She stopped.
"This," he added—his voice flat and controlled—"stays between us."
"Yes, sir. Of course."
She exited in silence.
Behind the door, the statue of virtue continued to shine… in a chamber that knew no forgiveness.
A few days later…
Arkendel – Valdheim Military Bastion
Military Tactics Hall
The large oval table in the war room was occupied by mid-ranking commanders, field strategists, and—at the head—General Hector Balliard, giving final instructions.
Around him, three figures stood out among the uniforms:
the kingdom's chosen heroes stationed in the city.
"Welcome, heroes of the Realm and selected adventurers," Balliard said in his deep voice. "Today, you'll receive your next assignment."
A blonde girl with a gyaru-style hairstyle lazily raised her hand.
"Yes, Nanami. What's your question?"
"How dangerous is this mission?" she asked, not hiding her boredom.
Balliard gave the faintest smile.
"It's only reconnaissance. You, as a beast tamer, will be sent to the Faerie Forest."
"And what exactly are we looking for?" she pressed, still disinterested.
A secretary began distributing folders, maps, and mission briefs to each group.
"You'll find the details in these documents. For now, we don't know for certain what's causing the anomalies. But each group will be given a sensory orb."
"If that orb breaks due to magical saturation… you must return immediately and report it."
His tone grew more stern.
"I want no confrontations. You'll go in small groups, with designated escape routes. Speed and stealth, not glory."
A young archer, his feet propped up on the table, spoke in a lazy tone.
"What's the Mist Valley? Never heard of it."
"Junya, your mission is the most delicate. And that's why I need you to pay attention," Balliard said, locking eyes with him. "You are not to engage with anyone."
"You're the quietest in the group… and that valley is full of creatures that don't take kindly to human presence."
"I see… will we get rewards for this?" Junya asked, like someone asking for a tip.
"Of course. Each group will receive generous compensation for a complete report."
Then, a girl with jet-black hair timidly raised her hand.
"I… I don't have exploration skills. I can only generate barriers and craft artifacts…"
"Don't worry, Yui," Balliard said with a calm smile. "You're assigned to a special squad."
"You'll be accompanied by an S-rank adventurer—one of the kingdom's top assassins—along with two A-ranks."
"You'll be well protected. However…"
Balliard turned and pointed at a shadowed region on the map laid out across the table.
"You're being sent to the Pit. According to doctrine, that's where Yoru's heretics reside."
"My recommendation… is that you do not cross that line. Under any circumstances."
Yui swallowed hard.
A chill ran down her spine.
The young assassin—a girl with blue hair and a quiet presence, more kunoichi than knight—placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"Don't worry," she said in a calm voice. "We won't let anything happen to you."
"Thank you, Amira," Yui replied with a timid smile.
Junya kept rocking back in his chair, his expression distant as if nothing that had been said interested him in the slightest.
"The Pit, huh… that place sounds familiar…"
Yui looked down.
Something tightened in her chest.
"Oh, right," Junya suddenly said, as if finally connecting the dots. "That's where they sent that failed German guy!"
The silence that followed was instant.
Harsh.
Uncomfortable.
No one laughed with him.
No one even smiled.
Yui clenched her fists.
She didn't think—
she just spoke.
"Rei Kanzaki was not a failure."
Her voice rang louder than she expected.
She slammed the table without realizing it.
"He was a good boy… kind…"
The words dissolved in her throat.
Her fingers, tense, slowly loosened one by one.
Balliard cleared his throat—without emotion.
"Yes, yes… whatever."
He turned the page.
Pointed to the tactical board as if nothing had just happened.
"If our suspicions are confirmed, we may send a larger military unit. Perhaps a few dragon knights. That will depend on the sensory orb's readings."
He looked back at the group.
"And one last thing. We've detected growing demonic activity in several areas. These anomalies aren't connected… but either one could prove deadly. Don't forget that."
Everyone nodded but the fear… lingered in the air.
"That's all."
"You have your documents. You'll be given provisions, sensory orbs, tents."
"Your adventurers know how to survive in the wild. You'll be in good hands."
"You'll depart as soon as the coming storm passes."
Balliard raised a hand one final time.
"And I repeat, no unnecessary heroics."
The young ones nodded in silence.
And one by one, they left the room.
Only Balliard remained in that vast chamber, a map stretched out before him… and too many ideas swirling in his mind.
None of them knew it yet but they were being sent to places where the world… had already begun to change.
And perhaps… not all of them would return.
The general stabbed a knife into the map, right over the neighboring kingdom's border.
A smile crept across his face, like a shiver from the soul.
"I hope there's something good to fight."
"I'm getting bored of this peace…"
He sighed with mock calm, gazing out the window.
The storm was coming.
Heavy.
Slow.
Unstoppable.
"If we're lucky… and those brats behave with dignity, maybe we can conquer the neighboring kingdoms."
"Maybe they'll even reward me with a kingdom of my own."
His smile twisted.
It turned foul.
Greedy.
Animal.
"I'd love to take Zvukograd for myself. Especially their Empress Aurora… she looks absolutely delicious."
He clenched his fist. Licked his lips like a predator on the hunt.
"I'd love to break her spirit…"
Then he turned toward the door.
"Speaking of which… the new recruits arrive today."
"I'd better take care of that… personally."