Haruto could hardly sleep.
The rebel encampment below the ridge pulsed with torchlight and tension. Soldiers moved in organized patterns, chanting rituals and sharpening blades. Haruto sat by the campfire, the Nullblade resting beside him. It looked dormant now, the strange pulses gone—but he could still feel it, like a living thing waiting to be unsheathed.
Commander Lucien stood across from him, speaking in hushed tones with the scout leader. Occasionally, his eyes flicked to Haruto. Not distrustfully—but watchfully. As though trying to decide whether Haruto was a weapon… or a risk.
The fire cracked softly.
Haruto looked up. Across from him sat a young woman in deep-blue robes, her long silver hair flowing like liquid moonlight. She was reading a glowing spellbook, her eyes scanning faster than any human could possibly manage.
"You're Haruto, aren't you?" she said, her voice like silk over steel.
"Yeah. And you're…?"
"Serenya Aurelindis. Archmage Apprentice. Heir to the House of Moonfire," she replied casually, not looking up from her book.
"Fancy title."
"It's a curse, mostly." She finally closed the book and met his gaze. Her eyes were violet unnaturally so. "I heard about what happened with the Nullblade. You're lucky it didn't erase you."
"Not sure I'd call that luck." Haruto gave a half-smile. "I feel like I'm standing on someone else's path. Someone I'm supposed to be, but don't remember."
Serenya's expression softened for just a moment. "That's the thing about fate. It waits but only for so long."
Before Haruto could reply, a bell rang twice from the watch post. Lucien turned sharply.
"It's time."
The army moved in silence, guided by spells of concealment. Serenya's magic cloaked their approach in a veil of mist and sound-deafening winds. As they neared the rebel gate, Haruto saw their objective: a glowing crystal tower, pulsing with blue energy. A Barrier Node. Destroying it would disable the shield over the fortress.
Lucien turned to him. "You'll strike the node with the Nullblade. That blade can sever mana itself. The rest of us will storm in after the barrier drops."
Haruto nodded, gripping the blade's hilt tightly. The moment his fingers touched it, the Nullblade shimmered to life once more ready.
Serenya stepped forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Focus on the target. Let the blade follow your will. Don't think about the cut—think about the truth behind it. What must be undone."
Haruto nodded. Then, together, they sprinted into the darkness.
The strike team reached the node platform in seconds. Alarms blared, and the rebel guards raised their staves—but Haruto didn't stop.
He raised the Nullblade high and brought it down onto the crystal.
Time stuttered.
The moment the blade struck, a shockwave of pure nothingness exploded outward. The crystal splintered, its glow fading instantly. The barrier above flickered, then shattered into thousands of falling shards of light.
The fortress was now vulnerable.
Lucien's horn blew across the battlefield, and Yurelia's resistance forces surged forward with a deafening roar.
Haruto turned, breathing hard. Serenya was already casting another spell beside him, flinging chains of frost at incoming soldiers.
"Good cut," she said coolly. "You're starting to remember."
Haruto didn't answer—but deep inside, something had stirred.