SOTBW - 113

Belshua looked up at the sky filled with stars. Long ago, he used to gaze at those stars, trying to predict the future by observing how they shone and moved. But now, the stars no longer revealed anything to him. This was because Belshua had sinned and fallen, no longer a pure being.

Since being trapped in the body of a holy knight, he hadn’t looked up at the sky. For countless years, he had struggled to understand the reason for his existence, but in the end, the universe remained silent to his desperate search.

Centuries ago, he believed there was a god somewhere in the heavens. Dragons, humans, and even lesser beings were all under the control of a great, absolute force from afar.

It made sense that someone who created the heavens and shaped life was responsible for the birth of Mahilen. A god would not create life without a reason. Thus, Mahilen once thought, “I am not just a dragon who came into being by chance, nor am I a dragon who will disappear when the world runs out of magic and turn into energy. I must have been born for a purpose.”

This was why Mahilen sought the truth. But in the end, there was no special reason for anyone’s birth. Mahilen, too, was simply a product of chance, destined to vanish someday without a trace, only to be used as energy for the world.

Mahilen, who had lived as long as the Dragon Lord, learned the truth and, in a fit of rage, went on a rampage. Why was I born a dragon? Why did this world make me a dragon? If I hadn’t been a dragon, if I had been human…

Unlike dragons, who would vanish without leaving any trace, humans left both tangible and intangible inheritances to their children and disciples, ensuring that their existence was remembered in the world. Mahilen, enraged that the primitive humans lived with more hope than he did, destroyed an entire country. In a frenzy, the dragon slaughtered countless people without mercy until the Dragon Lord subdued him.

It was only after being chained that Mahilen realized the terrible deeds he had committed, but he felt no regret. The humans who had lost their families cried for divine punishment, but Mahilen already knew. No such gods existed in this world.

Thus, the Dragon Lord delivered Mahilen’s first punishment on behalf of the gods and humanity.

“You must realize how evil and cruel your actions were. You who cannot even care for the weak, you who cannot understand love or joy. Having fallen into self-pity and committing the sin of harming precious lives, you must be punished for as long as the time those you sacrificed lived. With the help of the elders gathered here, I now seal all your magical powers. You will also live as the very beings you have despised, and for eons, you will regret your actions.”

Then a holy knight stepped forward. Mahilen never learned the name of that knight or why he volunteered to be the vessel to seal the dragon. The only thing he remembered was that the woman who was supposed to marry the knight was named Emaydis.

That woman was remarkable. The moment Mahilen was sealed into the knight’s body, the person she loved disappeared into the boundary of reincarnation. Yet, the woman watched over Mahilen, ensuring that he could not do anything foolish with the knight’s body for the rest of his life.

Thus, the name Emaydis was special. It was the first human name Mahilen ever remembered. After being sealed in a human body, Mahilen wandered the world without purpose. Whenever tired, he would sleep anywhere and wake up after a century, only to walk aimlessly once more. The human body was so frail that even a small injury would cause yellow pus to form, and a fall from a height would break bones.

Mahilen led a meaningless life until a small tree grew into an ancient tree over a thousand years. Then, by chance, he witnessed a woman giving birth in a carriage. He had no intention of helping, but the woman’s servant insisted, so he reluctantly took the child. However, the woman told him to discard the child or leave it somewhere.

When the servant begged him to at least give the child a name, the woman left that task to Mahilen. Without any particular significance, Mahilen named the newborn Emaydis.

The second Emaydis Mahilen met. Emaydis Bastronia. Magician name: Sylin. From the moment they first met to this day, she became Mahilen’s whole life, the world itself...

Belshua drew the sword he had planted into the ground and glanced behind him. Jacob was waking up the soldiers who were dozing while standing. It seemed that tonight, the Serith would not be attacking. After sheathing the sword, Belshua stared at the quiet great wall, then lowered his gaze.

At that moment, a song could be heard from somewhere. It seemed someone was singing to chase away their drowsiness.

“We are the heroes of a troubled age, working hard so that the mother, who is weary and asleep, can have a peaceful night. We give our youth to the fields. If we close our eyes, the sun of tomorrow will never rise. Dear friend, let us wake the sun that sleeps with the blood spilled by our brothers…”

As Belshua listened to the clumsy song, his eyes closed. Hearing the off-key song reminded him once again of the old days.

“Let’s all go to the border. There are many monsters there, so it’s the worst place for humans to live, but it’s perfect for people like us. We’ve already gotten permission from His Majesty the King. I’ll tell you upfront, we won’t be part of the border defense unit; we’ll be operating independently.”

“So, are we a knight order or a militia?”

“We’re definitely a knight order with a salary.”

“What’s the name of the knight order?”

“Astrun. The Astrun Knight Order!”

“Astrun?”

“It means ‘a star falling to the earth.’ If you don’t like it, we also have another candidate for the name: ‘Princess Rakhshu and the Trouble-making Children.’”

“...No, let’s just go with Astrun.”

The song that had been heard from afar abruptly stopped. Belshua opened his eyes and looked around. The soldiers had gathered around a campfire, sitting close together to warm their hands and feet. Staring at the great wall, smeared with dark blue blood, Belshua sighed and absentmindedly brushed his hair back. By now, he should have forgotten most of it, but why was he still living with such longing for old memories?

To avoid such thoughts, Belshua began walking.

For a brief moment, dark clouds gathered over the field, and flurries of snow fell. The snow came down briefly before stopping. One of the soldiers, looking up at the unpredictable night sky, muttered softly.

“It’ll be a heavy snowfall soon. People are going to die in the fight.”

________________________________________

Thirty minutes after Najane entered the knight’s dormitory, Maximón left his residence sharply. He hurriedly walked toward the knight’s dormitory. The orange glow of light around the lounge windows was bright.

Before entering the building, he paused for a moment and gazed at the city walls. No sounds of battle reached him from beyond the walls. Even though it was well past midnight, the silence meant that the Serith were not planning to attack.

Maximón entered the dormitory with a look that seemed to say, I knew it. No sooner had he stepped inside the building than he heard heavy footsteps thumping from upstairs. He had thought only Daniel and Najane were in the lounge, but it seemed that all the knights had gathered for a farewell party.

A sense of discomfort rose in him at the thought of Najane being among the men. Just as he was about to rush upstairs, Maximón suddenly stopped.

“Wherever the desolate wind is about to blow, there will always be a dragon. O those who loved and envied fleeting life, watch the meteor shower fall.”

From somewhere not too far away, a song could be heard. Who was singing in the lounge? Maximón furrowed his brow slightly. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared whether a song was playing or not, but this was definitely the voice of a woman he hadn’t heard before. He stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned his gaze in the direction of the song.

“Aha, our names are those of stars falling to the earth, stars, stars, stars. One star is fire, one star is ice, one star is healing, one star is death.”

It was a song Maximón had never heard before. Had some troubadour composed a new tune?

Maximón, forgetting that he was supposed to fetch Najane, turned toward the source of the song.

“The fire turns to ash and disappears, the ice melts but becomes water. A star born with nothing awakened its sanctity, but a star born with nothing shattered in the end. The shattered star sank into the river where the ice had melted, yet no longer shone.”

The song seemed to be coming from Gwyneth’s room. But it sounded too young to be Gwyneth’s voice. Maximón, silencing his footsteps, stood in front of the door. From beyond the door, he could sense no movement, but the song clearly echoed.

Without knocking, Maximón opened the door. The old door creaked as it swung open, and cold wind rushed into his face. He looked at the curtains, which fluttered weakly, as if they were about to blow away.

There was no one in the room. It seemed the owner of the room had been away for quite some time, as there was no trace of anyone having stayed even briefly. In any case, Gwyneth had been spending long hours at the cathedral recently. He didn’t know what he was doing there, but it seemed like he was handling quite a complex matter.

Maximón quietly entered the room. Through the wide-open window, he could faintly hear the loud voices of the knights. The song that had been so clear earlier had completely vanished. Could it be that he had imagined it? No, that couldn’t be. He still remembered the lyrics to the song he had just heard.

Maximón softly hummed the tune and glanced toward the window. There had definitely been a woman singing here. With a puzzled look, Maximón surveyed the room, then left Gwyneth’s room with a dissatisfied expression.

Was there a song among the popular ones lately that mentioned dragons? He wasn’t particularly interested in the songs that troubadours were singing, but dragons were creatures that had disappeared long ago—an unknown species. It didn’t seem like a fitting subject for a song that would capture the interest of war-weary people.

Maximón closed the door and stood there for a moment, then suddenly remembered Najane. Cursing under his breath, he hurriedly ran upstairs. As his irritated footsteps faded, the sword of Rakhshu, abandoned in the room, once again sang.

“O you with golden eyes, who have awakened the truth but committed the arrogant sin. When the meteor shower falls, break through the darkness and rescue the broken star. One star is fire, one star is reincarnation, one star is sacrifice, one star is death. Aha, our names are those of stars falling to the earth, stars, stars, stars. Wherever something new begins, there will always be a dragon.”