They said I was a disgrace. A failure. An embarrassment to the family. They called me weak. Useless. Not even worthy of our bloodline. My brothers laughed at me. My mother looked at me like I was some stranger she hated. And my father… he never looked at me at all. It was like I didn’t exist. Then one day, without warning, they threw me out of the house. I wasn’t allowed to pack my things or say goodbye. Not that anyone would’ve cared. They sent me far from the kingdom, all the way to a small orphanage in the countryside. And they took away my last name too—Valion. A name that once meant something. Now I was just nobody. Just a boy with no name. A boy who tripped when he walked and fainted when he tried to use magic. A broken kid the gods seemed to have forgotten. Most days, I stayed alone in my small room. I liked sitting by the window, looking far into the distance, hoping to see the place I once called home. I used to dream about being strong. About being fast. About be

“Ahhh!” I shot awake, screaming at the top of my lungs. My hand reached out for something—anything—but nothing was there. My chest rose and fell fast, heart hammering in my ears. I looked around, my eyes darting from wall to wall, but nothing looked familiar. The room was warm. Light spilled down from a chandelier above me. Cloth lined the walls, rich and heavy. The floor shone with rose-colored tiles, polished smooth. My bed frame glimmered with jewels pressed into oak wood, carved and shaped with care. Everything looked too fine, too perfect, too far from anything I knew. But in the far corner, where the chandelier’s glow could not reach, there was only darkness. A patch of shadow, thick and heavy, sitting still as if it were alive. “Where… where am I?” I muttered, voice weak. I tore the sheets aside and tried to get up. My feet touched the floor, but the moment I stood, pain rushed through me. It tore me apart from the inside. My stomach burned. My chest shook. I collap

We rolled out of the portal and hit the floor hard. Elise landed on me, her arms locked tight around my chest. Her breathing was sharp and uneven, her eyes still closed as if afraid to look. I lay still for a moment, catching my breath. My gaze shot around the room. The golden chandelier above us glimmered with warm light. Silk curtains framed the windows, swaying gently with the draft. The rose-colored tiles beneath us shone as if polished that very morning. I knew this place. It was safe. I let out a long breath and touched her head softly. “Hey,” I whispered. “We’re safe now.” Elise clung tighter, her hands trembling against me. Slowly, carefully, her eyes opened. Emerald green. Bright, shining, and wet with tears. They caught the chandelier’s light, turning the tears into crystals as they fell down her cheeks. She smiled faintly through her tears. “Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet, fragile. Her words pierced my chest. My throat tightened, and I could only sm

The walk dragged on longer than it should have. Lancelot had dismissed his dragon with a wave, insisting we continue on foot. His tone allowed no argument, though I couldn’t see the reason. Perhaps he didn’t want the beast drawing attention. Perhaps he wanted us to take in the land with our own eyes. Whatever the case, my legs were already aching, and I had no patience left to ask. But Elise was worse. Much worse. Her breathing had grown uneven. Her steps faltered. The color drained from her cheeks even as her skin burned red. She stumbled once, caught herself, stumbled again—and then she collapsed. “Elise!” I darted forward, catching her before she struck the dirt. My chest tightened at the sight of her face, slick with sweat, lips pale. “Elise, talk to me. Stay with me.” My voice cracked. Her eyes fluttered open but barely. She looked at me as though she were fighting through a fog. I pressed a hand to her forehead and instantly hissed in shock. “She’s burning up… damn it.”

“Archers to the walls! Mages split into two factions—one supports above, the other aids the ground troops!” Uriel’s voice cut through the camp like a sharpened blade, steady and commanding. The knights obeyed without question, moving as if bound by her will. I remained seated beside Elise’s cot, my eyes never straying too far from her. Yet even in my silence, I couldn’t ignore Uriel. She moved with a certainty that was frightening. Every word she spoke carried the weight of war, every gesture carried precision. She was not just experienced—she was born for this. “Listen up!” Her tone hardened, drawing every knight’s attention. “When the Leviathan is struck, it will spawn fast, humanoid creatures. Infernals. If you hesitate, you will die.” Her words lingered like iron on the air. Tension rippled across the camp. Even I felt it, sitting away from the chaos. But then, Uriel shifted. The edge of her lips curved with humor, her words dipping into mockery. “But you are Crusaders