[EXT. FOREST CLEARING – EARLY MORNING]
Birds chirp like tiny alarm clocks. The campfire spits a few last sparks as Haruki tries to meditate—cross-legged, eyes closed, attempting Zen—while Bacon the boar snuffles dangerously close, occasionally sneezing moss into Haruki's tea.
Haruki (wincing):"Seriously, Bacon? Personal space, please.You're built like a siege weapon with a sniffle."
Leonhardt sits nearby, polishing his sword like it just insulted his lineage. Haruki glances over, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
Haruki:"You talk in your sleep, you know."
Leonhardt (flat):"No, I don't."
Haruki:"You do. Last night?'Clarisse… don't go.'Super dramatic. Full soap-opera energy."
Leonhardt stiffens. His hand pauses mid-polish, the sword catching the morning light.
Haruki (softer):"Who was she?"
Silence hangs. Then, quietly—
Leonhardt:"She was my everything."
Haruki sets down his tea, attentive.
Leonhardt:"We grew up in the same village. Dirt-poor place.Half of us had swords made of sticks.She was light. Kind. Smarter than me.Too smart, honestly."
Haruki:"And she loved you?"
Leonhardt:"Yes. Even when I had nothing to offer.No title. No land.Just wild dreams and a half-broken sword."
He laughs—short, sharp, like breaking glass.
Leonhardt:"She used to sneak food from her father's pantryso I wouldn't starve.And I swore I'd become someone worthy of her."
Haruki (soft, curious):"What happened?"
Leonhardt:"I left to join the army. To earn a name.She waited for years. Letters back and forth.Then fewer. Then… silence."
He exhales slowly, the past weighing on his chest.
Leonhardt:"Next I heard… she was engaged.To a baron. Good man, I think. Wealthy. Kind. Stable."
Haruki (nodding):"So she chose a future."
Leonhardt:"She chose safety."
Haruki:"And you chose glory."
Leonhardt (quietly):"I thought if I just became something…If I returned with medals and a title…She'd still be there."
Haruki (gently):"And now you're the Emperor's personal knight."
Leonhardt (bitter):"I have everything. Fame. A place in the palace.People salute when I pass.And none of it fills the hole."
Haruki (softly):"You're not just grieving her.You're grieving who you were.The version of you that believed love was enough."
Leonhardt doesn't reply. His fingers tighten on the sword's hilt.
Haruki:"You don't need fixing.You need space to feel what no one let you say out loud."
Leonhardt (quiet):"...I failed her."
Haruki:"No. You outgrew a dream.She moved on. You survived.That doesn't make you a failure. That makes you human."
Silence fills the clearing. Different this time—no walls, just truth.
Haruki stands, brushing moss off his coat with purpose.
Haruki (brisk):"Alright. New deal."
Leonhardt:"Deal?"
Haruki:"You want to die? Fine.But I'm lost, broke, emotionally constipated,and pretty sure I just offended a tree spirit.So help me not die first."
He grins.
Haruki:"Be my guide. My emotional support NPC.Teach me swords, potions, what not to lick—y'know, the basics."
Leonhardt (raising an eyebrow):"I'm a knight. Not a babysitter."
Haruki:"Too late. You saved me once,now it's a codependent situation. Legally binding."
Leonhardt stares, then the faintest smile breaks through.
Leonhardt:"Fine. But if you get eaten by a slime,I'm not rescuing you twice."
Haruki:"Fair. But if you mope near any more campfires,I will make you journal about it."
Narration (Haruki):One step at a time.Maybe I didn't get thrown into this world to save it.Maybe I was sent to remind its heroes they're still human.