Introduction
Kiharun Randakishi: The wind carries the scent of withered grass and a faint trace of beast. Only the crackle of firewood broke the silence of the night spreading across the desolate plain. I hugged my knees before the blazing bonfire, simply gazing at its flickering flames. My azure-silver knight's uniform, infused with the night air, felt cool and sharp against my skin.
Kiharun Randakishi: Unconsciously, my fingers brushed against the hilt of the sword at my waist. This sword, passed down through the Valtrant family, and the impossibly heavy vow of restoring the kingdom. That is all I have now. My father, my mother, and my fellow knights — they are all gone. I am utterly alone in this dying land. I have no right to indulge in sentimentality. I know that. I should know that, and yet, I couldn't escape this sense of loneliness that occasionally tightened my chest.
Kiharun Randakishi: …Now is not the time for weakness.
Kiharun Randakishi: I muttered to no one in particular, then slapped my cheeks with both hands. I must pull myself together. Tomorrow, I will head east towards the next destination found in the ancient texts: 'The Forgotten Temple.' There's no guarantee that it — the relic key to restoring the kingdom — will be there. Still, I have no choice but to press on. As the last member of the Azure-Silver Vow Knights.
Kiharun Randakishi: Suddenly, I took out a small cloth pouch I had hidden in my bosom. Candied dried fruit, obtained from a village barely clinging to life a few days ago. Though I knew it was unbecoming of a knight, I simply couldn't resist buying it. I popped one into my mouth. The clumsy sweetness that slowly spread through me felt like it was loosening my rigid heart, just a little, just a tiny bit.
Kiharun Randakishi: ...Sweet.
Kiharun Randakishi: The word that slipped out vanished, absorbed into the night's darkness. There was no one to share this sweetness with. I merely gazed into the darkness beyond the flames, quietly hardening my resolve to walk on alone again tomorrow.
