Part 2
The sky was still painted in deep blue when Kaito stepped out of the inn, carrying his new magic pouch at his waist.
The city of Astralis was just beginning to wake up, and the early morning air carried the scent of wet stone and freshly baked bread.
"I never thought I'd be leaving this city so soon," he murmured, adjusting his cloak.
Behind him, Seri and Eve followed in silence. The elf was half-yawning, tangled in the overly long cloak that Eve had insisted on adjusting for her.
"Do we really have to leave this early?" Seri asked, rubbing her eyes. "At this hour, even the birds don't know where they are."
"The earlier we leave, the fewer eyes on us," Kaito replied. "I don't want to raise suspicion."
Eve walked with mechanically perfect steps, as if patrolling the perimeter of a fortress.
"Confirmed. The city registers 73% less civilian activity during the first three hours of dawn. Ideal for avoiding unwanted encounters."
"That didn't need to be so specific…" Seri said with a sigh.
Upon arriving at the small carriage terminal, Kaito approached one of the attendants.
The man, with an unkempt beard and a travel-worn coat, was lazily reviewing a list.
"Good morning," Kaito greeted. "We were told the first carriage to Aldoria leaves around this hour."
The coachman looked up and slowly shook his head.
"Bad news, kid. All trips are suspended until next week. City orders."
"Suspended? Why?"
"Security reasons," he replied with a shrug. "That's what the guards said. Something about protecting the 'royal guests.'"
Seri frowned.
"You don't think it's just the hero party that's allowed to leave?"
Kaito felt a chill down his spine. Something about this was off.
"Isn't there any carriage available?"
"Not to Aldoria. Only local routes. If you want to travel, you'll have to go on foot. Though, with those outfits, I doubt you'll last long."
The man walked off without another word.
Kaito stood in silence for a moment. The plan had been simple: leave early, catch the carriage, reach Aldoria before anyone could interfere. But now…
"I don't like this…"
"You think the Church is behind it?" Seri asked, lowering her voice.
"Yes. I have no doubt. It's likely they want to 'erase their mistake.'"
"Something tells me… they don't want us reaching Aldoria at all."
Eve stopped beside them, her tone as impassive as ever.
"Suggestion: change route or prepare for unannounced encounters in unsupervised zones."
Kaito clenched his teeth. The early morning breeze no longer felt so fresh.
"We have no choice. It's almost certain we're being watched. The longer we stay in this city, the worse it'll get."
"What if it's a trap?" Seri asked, looking around.
"Then let it be…" Kaito replied firmly.
Seri looked at him with a faint smile.
"Well… at least we've got a 6-foot-tall murder maid now."
"Master," Eve interjected without blinking, "would you like me to activate combat mode or initiate the 'Humanity Eradication Protocol'?"
Kaito placed a hand on his forehead, sighing.
"I honestly don't know whether to laugh or be concerned. It's like having a porcelain doll… with a murder instinct."
Eve tilted her head, expressionless, as if trying to look innocent.
"I mean… is it not allowed?" she asked, with unexpected sweetness.
"No, you can't exterminate anyone… especially us," Kaito replied, pointing at Seri.
"If I allow you to use your combat mode… do you promise not to harm us?"
Eve shook her head gently.
"In my directives, I am forbidden from harming my creator, my master, or members of their group. Whether by action or inaction. Your lives are my highest priority."
"Ugh… that makes me feel a lot better," Kaito said, sighing with relief.
Seri also let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
But then Eve spoke again:
"However… I cannot promise to spare your enemies, Master," she added while cracking her knuckles in a robotic, elegant—and disturbingly eerie—gesture.
"Why does this always happen to me…?"
Kaito placed a hand over his face in resignation.
"Alright… activate combat mode only when necessary. Monitor our surroundings, stay alert to any threats, but… I don't want you exterminating anyone."
"Unless it's a monster or a demon. Understood?"
Eve looked to the side, as if reconsidering her entire existence, and then spoke in a subdued voice, like a scolded child.
"Understood, Master. I will activate defensive mode. I'll only attack when the situation requires it…"
Kaito nodded silently.
As strange as his new companion was… at least they weren't alone.
He took a deep breath and glanced one last time at the city behind them.
Astralis stood tall, proud… full of secrets and sealed paths.
Seri pulled up her hood and walked beside him.
Eve followed in silence, like a tall and elegant shadow.
And so, three figures—an unrecognized hero, a banished elf, and a protocol-flawed killer maid—crossed the city gates, heading toward a destiny no one had foreseen.
Far away, atop the Lunar Temple of Astralis, the sun shone through the stained glass windows, bathing the marble in golden tones.
The solemnity of the hall wasn't disturbed, not even by the hurried steps of the acolyte who burst into the high priest's private chamber.
"What is so urgent that you would interrupt my prayer?" asked Marcel Delacroix without opening his eyes, his voice calm but firm.
"Sir… it's about the discarded hero. The boy named Kaito Amakawa."
Marcel slowly opened his eyes.
He didn't speak at first.
"Continue."
"He's left Astralis. He departed this morning with an elf and an… automaton. They were headed toward Aldoria."
A long silence.
"Only three people?"
"Yes, sir. No escort, no official route. No one else accompanied them."
Marcel rose from his seat and walked to the large window.
He gazed down at the city from above, as if he could see beyond the horizon.
"How disappointing. I thought that boy had given up… or at least understood his place."
"Should we take action?"
"Aldoria must not know of his existence," Marcel said at last, without turning."
"If he reaches them… it would reflect poorly on the Church."
"We have already blessed the three chosen ones publicly. A fourth hero who wasn't acknowledged by the altar would cast doubt on our authority."
The acolyte swallowed hard, uneasy.
"Should we order his elimination?"
Marcel remained silent for a few seconds more… and then smiled—without joy.
"Not yet."
"Send someone to observe him."
"If he were to 'disappear' along the way, no one will ask questions."
"But if he survives… Then we'll see if he's truly worthy of our full attention."
He turned slowly, as if remembering something.
"Now that I think about it… this might be a good opportunity to test our latest acquisition.
Take her with you. She may prove useful."
The acolyte nodded in silence, bowed his head, and left in a hurry, leaving the pontiff alone before the great stained glass of Mizuki, which bathed the altar in bluish light.
Marcel stared at it for a long while, with a mixture of contempt and pity.
"What irony… The day will come when this stained glass is replaced."
"That false face will be destroyed."
"She was never our goddess… she never was."
Slowly, he pulled a small golden emblem from within his robe—
A sun with many rays, its lines glowing with a heat that seemed foreign to this world.
"The Solar Judgment is near."
He clenched the symbol between his fingers.
"The Dragon of Judgment will rise over Estelaris… and King Raiden shall fall, along with that celestial impostor."
The pontiff's laughter echoed through the empty temple as the first rays of dawn pierced the stained glass, dyeing the stone walls in shades of red and gold.
"Soon, all shall kneel before the true light… Minerva will save us all."
High above, hidden in the shadows of the cathedral's arched dome, a female figure watched him with a faint smile.
Her silhouette was slender, her chestnut hair floated softly, and two white wings spread from her back—so perfect they didn't seem of this world.
Yet in her eyes… there was no compassion.
"Poor fools," she whispered.
"They still believe they worship a goddess. How endearing."
Another figure knelt beside her.
A dark-skinned man, clad in light armor etched with solar symbols.
His eyes burned with the same intensity as his reverence.
"Shall we move, my lady? The bearer of Lunaris Edge has left Astralis."
She raised a finger to her lips.
"Not yet. Let the Church believe it is in control… while it dances to the rhythm we've set."
She turned, her wings folding behind her, and left one final phrase floating in the air.
"After all… to them, the Lunaria no longer exist."
And with a flicker of light… they vanished without a trace.