In a vast yet dark and empty space, with a thin layer of black mist filling the place, Louis lay on the ground of that desolate place.

  "Louis... Lo... uis..." mentioned a deep, resonant voice that seemed to vibrate inside his mind, giving the sensation that his thoughts were being invaded.

  Louis opened his eyes and got up from the ground, a bit disoriented by the place he was in, looking around to see if there was anything besides darkness. "What is happening?"

  "Hello, Louis..." Approaching Louis, this figure revealed a bit of its appearance. It was very tall, and its face was covered by darkness; it wore a black cloak that covered its entire body, even darker than the place itself.

  "You again... Who are you, and what are you?!" Louis was bewildered by the place and stepped back upon seeing the dark being.

  "Who am I? I... am you..." it responded, getting closer and taking on the exact form of Louis, with the same voice, but in a deep and resonant tone. Its eyes remained red, and its skin turned grayish.

  "Impossible... This must be a dream," Louis thought, surprised to see himself.

  "Well... yes, it is... but I am very real... Hahaha, after so long... I can finally exist! Hahaha!" it expressed with madness, a resonant laugh filled with mockery and perverse pleasure.

  "You're insane," Louis commented upon witnessing its madness.

  "Yes! I am! Hahaha!" A great amount of darkness captured Louis, and the dark being returned to its original form.

  "Damn it, let me go!" Louis tried to escape, but the darkness surrounding him would not relent.

  "Ha, ha... I'm crazy about killing and turning this kingdom into ashes... just like that day I was born... Do you remember?!" The images of that day... screams of suffering and people's despair... appeared all around as translucent memories.

  "Enough, ENOUGH!" Louis shouted upon seeing it all again, terrified by the images, he closed his eyes and lowered his head.

  "Aww, why? We've barely begun, is that all you can handle?!" it mocked.

  "What the hell are you? And where did you come from?" he asked, trying to free himself from the darkness around him.

  "Me? I am you! Are you listening? I am Louis! But... I was born that day, the best day of my life so far! Hahahaha. I never had the chance to exist! I only watched what you decided..." it expressed with madness and resentment. "You looked like a fool, doing everything that man told you when you were stronger than him!" it shouted angrily, right in Louis’s face.

  "Heh, you're insane! If you say that... it's clear you didn’t see everything," Louis replied, mocking its words.

  "Of course not... By following that guy’s orders so much, I disappeared, but now... I’m back. I don’t really know why," it said as it walked around Louis. "But... now that I truly exist... I'll go deeper, where you hide your greatest pain. That way, maybe you'll accept what you are! And I can take control. Hahaha, HAHAHAHA!" it screamed with madness as it approached Louis and plunged its hand into his forehead.

  "No! NO!" Louis struggled to resist, but the dark being's hand kept pushing into his forehead.

  "Yes... Remember the day our father died... that precise moment," the being once again took the form of Louis, displaying a sadistic and crazed smile.

  "Noooo! Leave me... ALONE!" Louis shouted, his eyes glowing intensely. The vast darkness surrounding him exploded, and the entire place filled with blue and red lava.

  "Interesting... Hahahaha! Don’t think I’ll disappear because of this," the dark being was fascinated by Louis's power after being pushed away by the explosion.

  In the real world, the blue pendant on Louis's chest glowed intensely, and he was sweating from his face, gripping the sheets of his bed tightly.

  "Come on, show me more...!" the dark being screamed as it endured the vast amount of lava around it.

  The lava turned violet and yellow, and the entire place was completely filled with it while Louis remained surrounded by lava, his face covered in violet and blue tattoos.

  "Yes... Yessss!" it said with satisfaction as its body crumbled into small rock pieces like charcoal.

  Seeing the dark being's madness and realizing the state of the place, Louis began absorbing all the lava again.

  "Huh? What are you doing, damn you?! No, this isn’t over!" it screamed as it saw Louis absorbing all the lava.

  Louis kept absorbing the lava, making the tattoos on his face disappear, and the darkness once again filled the place. After absorbing everything, a great explosion of blue, violet, red, and yellow light made the darkness vanish.

  "Bastard! Then I'll find that memory instead! Heh, either way, you won't get rid of MEEE!" it screamed while smiling at the overwhelming amount of light reaching it.

  The pendant stopped glowing, and Louis suddenly woke up, breathing heavily, clutching his chest, and looking at his pendant. "What... was that?" he murmured while observing his pendant and then looking at the room, which was completely different from what he knew. Louis was only wearing his blue shirt and dark blue pants. He noticed the total silence in the place and saw his katana on a piece of furniture; then, he observed that the window to his right had a blue veil.

  The door to his room was opened by Hanks, and upon seeing him awake, he quickly went to inform Professor Maxwell.

  Louis got up and put on his black boots. He was curious and tried to touch the blue veil; his hand passed through it, and nothing happened, but then the veil disappeared, and the Professor entered the room with Hanks behind him.

  "Thank God you woke up! Are you feeling alright? Is everything okay?" The Professor approached, asking with concern, analyzing Louis from head to toe, even pulling at his cheeks.

  "I'm fine... Professor, what happened? And where are we?" A sigh of surprise escaped his lips as he recalled his fight. "The white-haired guy? Where is he?!"

  "Everything is fine, everything has been resolved, and we are in our new home. Yeynos won’t find us here again," he replied, trying to reassure Louis. "I’m sorry for involving you in this, Louis. I never thought he would appear," the Professor averted his gaze, feeling guilty about what had happened.

  "It's alright, Professor... I'm a paladin, and I must fulfill my responsibility in any kingdom. My master told me that I must always help, but... this time, I didn't help at all... They stole your piece, didn't they?" Louis’s words were filled with immense guilt for having failed; he clenched his hands and lowered his gaze to the ground.

  " 'Sigh' I’m sorry for placing this burden on your shoulders, but you shouldn't feel guilty... A mission or an object is not more important than your life," the Professor understood Louis’s words, feeling even more guilt. Louis remained silent and turned his back on the Professor, reflecting on what he had said.

  "Putting that aside... I want to talk about your wounds, Louis. You're half-human, right? Yesterday, when Hanks went to change your bandages, he found your wounds completely healed. I want you to understand that you have nothing to fear... but I need you to tell me what you really are. I am the only one who will support you. Mei won’t either." The Professor's words were clear and firm, leaving an air of gravity in the room.

  "I... I am a half-demon human… nothing more, Professor. I’m sorry for not being more honest with you…" Louis responded, his voice slightly rigid. His gaze held a shadow of conflict, a sense of duty toward the Professor, clouded by the burden of not having been entirely truthful.

  "Alright, Hanks, bring..." Understanding Louis, the Professor was about to order Hanks something, but he was interrupted.

  "I think, to avoid causing you trouble, it would be best if I leave," he expressed with a determined and serious look, taking his katana and jumping out the window.

  "Louis! Wait!" The Professor watched as Louis ran away down the sidewalk with his katana in hand.

  "It's the best... I'm a nuisance, I always was... Not even my own kingdom wants me there, why would this one?... No matter how incredible this place is, sooner or later, they'll find out what I am... And they'll end up hating me," Louis thought as he continued running east; people watched him run, seemingly recognizing him and murmuring.

  Louis kept running and, for a moment, lowered his gaze, seeing that everything was clear. "My things are back there... What will I do?" he thought, then lifted his gaze just as a car was starting to pull out of a house and crashed into him, sending him to the ground. He didn't get up; he just lay there, staring at the sky with his arms extended as people looked at him with concern.

  "Are you okay, kid? You should look ahead, huh? You... You're the Paladin of Alahead!" said the man in the car, recognizing Louis by his eyes and red hair.

  "How do you know that?" Louis asked as he got up, surprised.

  "Oh, please! Ystir has the best journalists; they notice everything!" The man was so excited that he even got out of his car.

  "Journalists...?" he repeated, confused, as he got up from the ground.

  "Yes, journalists, sir," he said in a moderately high-pitched and rhythmic voice. He was a man with cream-colored hair, wearing a cream-colored suit, and had a mustache; his eyes were a vibrant brown. "Sorry you crashed into my car... No, wait... No! How great that you crashed!" he exclaimed excitedly, realizing something.

  Louis was raising his katana, but upon hearing the man, he turned his head, puzzled by the comment. "What did you say?"

  "Don't you want to come into my clothing store? Of course you do, you must be interested!" The man grabbed Louis by the arm and led him inside his shop.

  "Wait... sir!" Louis said, trying to protest.

  "Don't worry, my shop is the best! Let me take your katana; I'll put it over here." The man managed to get Louis inside by insisting too much and also pushing him in.

  "Aren't clothing stores supposed to be in the south? Did I get lost?" Louis thought as he looked around the store. The shop had a counter at the front entrance with a young woman attending it; there were lots of clothes from left to right, and further inside, all kinds of footwear and a staircase at the end of the corridor.

  "Love! Come quickly, we have a very special customer! It's the Paladin Louis! Yina, get your notebook to take his measurements," he said excitedly while searching for his measuring tape.

  "Yes, father!" said a girl with brown hair and dark skin; her eyes were identical to her father's. She wore a long-sleeved, wide white blouse with golden details on the edges. The blouse's design included golden embroidery near the neck and chest. Over it, she wore a deep blue sleeveless dress, fitted at the waist with a golden rope belt that fell into two long tassels in front. The dress also had an additional emerald green layer at the bottom; she also wore flat shoes that matched her outfit. Floating on her shoulder was a being shaped like a boomerang.

  "Sir, I...".

  "Oh, sorry... What bad manners. My name is Lowin, this is my daughter Yina and her rune companion, ?in... And my wife, Lara, the best tailor in Ystir!" he expressed with excitement, passion, and a bit of nervousness.

  "Oh, don't exaggerate. It's a pleasure to meet you, Paladin Louis," Lara exclaimed, blushing slightly and gently hitting Lowin.

  "Likewise," Louis responded, perplexed by the situation.

  Lowin focused on taking measurements, which he mentioned while Yina wrote them down in her notebook.

  "I need to get out of here..." he thought as they measured his arm. "Mr. Lowin, I don't think your clothes can withstand my magic."

  "That offends me a little, but don't worry! What? Do you have blue fire magic like Paladin Ribrin from the Kingdom of Centarion? If so, my wife is prepared to make you the best clothes to withstand such a powerful magic," he said, initially slightly offended but then continuing with excitement as he measured his arm and then moved to measure his forearm.

  "Oh no..." Louis thought as he realized he couldn't leave.

  After the measurements, Louis finally caught a breath. "Tell me, what would you like me to make? Something similar to what you're wearing?" Lara asked while observing Louis's clothes.

  "(Well, my coat is probably damaged... I'll have to go back to get my things anyway...) I'd like a blue coat with... I don't know how to describe it... it has things like triangular extensions on the chest that fold over or something like that, I don't know."

  "They fold? Those must be lapels. Very well, what else?" Lara said, noting everything down after figuring out what Louis meant.

  "I think that's all... Ah! Just with inner pockets, please, and no buttons; also, boots like these, but red," he answered while looking at his slightly worn boots.

  The family finally finished noting the details, and Louis was free.

  "Perfect, thank you very much, Mr. Louis, and don't worry, I'll make you a great design. Can you give me your address so we can deliver everything?" Lowin asked, signaling his daughter to write it down.

  "Don't worry, I'll come to pick it up... And how long will it take?" he replied, sadness showing on his face.

  "Uhm... By tomorrow afternoon. But is something wrong, sir? I notice you're sad... Did I say something?" Lowin asked, a bit concerned upon seeing Louis's expression.

  "No... I... I feel like... I'm no good, and... that I shouldn't be in this kingdom... or any other." Louis's words resonated with them, filling them with a warm sadness and guilt.

  "But you're a Paladin, you must be in a kingdom. You're a good person; you came to our kingdom to help us... I saw on the news that you and a girl helped when the prisoners escaped from the palace," he said understandingly, feeling the sorrow, guilt, and warmth in Louis's words.

  "Maybe, but... I've failed, and I'm supposed to be strong... but in reality, I'm just a danger." He lowered his head, his words heavy with deep sadness.

  "Sir...".

  "It's fine, thank you for everything. I'll pick up the clothes tomorrow," he finally grabbed his katana and walked out the door.

  "Poor thing, he's too young for this burden," Lara commented after Louis left.

  "We'll make him an incredible outfit to cheer him up! I'll go design it right away!" Lowin shouted determinedly, grabbing Lara's notebook and heading to the stairs at the end of the corridor while his daughter and wife watched him.

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  "It seems people already know who I am... Or at least, part of what I am," he thought as he kept walking.

  People who saw him passing by recognized him and talked about him.

  "Look, it's the Paladin of Alahead," said an older woman.

  "He's so handsome," another woman mentioned.

  "He must have trained a lot to be a Paladin," added another.

  "His eyes are incredible," said a woman who walked past him.

  "He's carrying his katana; I wish I could use one someday," a child mentioned.

  "Look at his arms, he must be very strong," commented a man.

  "He's just a kid," an old lady said.

  "Yeah, he seems too young to be a Paladin," added a woman beside her.

  "His eyes are strange," a man commented, and someone else responded, "At least he's human," crossing their arms.

  "It's a bit boring that some Paladins have the same magic," mentioned a teenager.

  "I wish I were a Paladin," one said, to which another replied, "What are you saying? That must be way too much responsibility."

  After a long walk, hearing both admiration and criticism around him, Louis reached the kingdom's exit. The air felt different there, fresh and free. The eastern exit had a stone bridge with railings at the beginning, and next to the kingdom's wall, there were many carriages with different people.

  "!? Huh!? Paladin Louis!" shouted a man from a carriage in the distance.

  "Marti..." Louis whispered, recognizing him and stopping.

  "How are you? Do you need me to take you somewhere? It's a bit early, and I'm the only one here, but I'll take you anywhere," he asked as he stepped out of his carriage and approached him.

  "I'm... not well, and no... I don't need to go anywhere," he replied hesitantly, wondering if he should lie, but he didn't want to anymore.

  Marti and Louis sat together on a bench to talk.

  "Why do you feel bad? Did something happen? Do you want—?" he asked, feeling sorry as he sensed his negativity, offering him a piece of bread.

  "No... it's just that... I've failed... I haven't completed my missions correctly... I let Professor Maxwell get hurt, I couldn't save those two men, I couldn't prevent the theft of the professor's piece... I broke his bicycle, and now that voice..." Louis's words were deep, filled with guilt, sadness, and remorse. Tears began to fall from his face, slipping down his cheeks and hitting the ground with a soft sound.

  "Hey, calm down, kid... It's normal to fail, you're not perfect. In fact, you're very young to be a paladin. You saved me... Me, the woman from the eastern harvest, and her son; without you, we would have died," he said with understanding, placing a hand on Louis's shoulder.

  "I'm supposed to be different... I'm supposed to be strong, and now I'm... crying like a weakling," he added, feeling hatred toward himself as the tears continued to fall.

  "Crying doesn't make you weak... It makes you human. Can you imagine someone who never cries? I don't know what they would be... Crying helps you let it all out," Marti's words came out with a sincerity that resonated in the air, as if someone had once told him the same in a difficult moment.

  Marti's words managed to calm Louis; he wiped his tears and looked at his katana. "Thank you very much..."

  "I hope you keep protecting people and become a great paladin," Marti said with a smile on his lips.

  Louis stood up and took a few steps. "I will... *sigh* I feel better, but... this is strange... I don't feel like crying or feeling bad, but I still sense something negative," he mentioned, noticing a strange feeling inside him.

  "There he is!" a woman shouted, pointing her hand at Louis; she seemed to have a holographic device.

  Suddenly, a large group of people in suits arrived at the scene; they started shouting and running towards Louis. "Huh? Wait! Hold on, aaaaaah!"

  The crowd began to surround and crush him. "We have some questions!" a man shouted.

  "Paladin Louis, tell me, do you wear contact lenses?" a woman asked.

  "Agh... I don't know what that is!" he replied as they continued crushing him.

  "Could you tell us why you decided to come here?" asked a tall man wearing a cap.

  "I wanted to change my life!" he responded.

  "Are you a spy?" asked a blonde woman with glasses.

  "Not at all!"

  "Hey! You nosy people! Get away!" Marti shouted, trying to push them aside.

  "Do you think our kingdom is a great place?" asked a woman with short pink hair.

  "How did you manage to become a paladin at such a young age?" asked another man with short hair, combed to the side.

  "Is it true that your red eye glows when you use your magic?" said an orange-haired woman.

  "Please, calm down! Let me breathe!" he shouted.

  Suddenly, someone fired a shot at the ground, causing the people to panic and immediately take cover behind Louis.

  "What?!" Louis said, startled.

  "Looks like you've become famous. Thanks to that, we found out you were here," said a robotic voice.

  "Kein!"

  "And not just him... We're here too," "us!" said Jhin and Inock with robotic voices, standing beside Kein. All three wore metallic armor that covered their entire bodies, including their faces; Kein's armor was black, Inock's was grayish, and Jhin's was red.

  "Now all three of you wear suits? Heh, you managed to escape, huh? What do you want now?" he asked seriously, placing his katana at his waist.

  "Please, isn't it obvious? Revenge!" Kein responded, extending a blade from his metallic arm and propelling himself forward with his boots.

  "Everyone, move!" Louis instantly drew his katana, blocking Kein's attack. All the journalists and reporters scattered, pushing Marti and making him crash into his carriage.

  Then, Jhin approached at great speed, punching Louis in the face and sending him crashing into the stone railing to his left, making him fall off the bridge. Below the bridge, the area was rocky with trees in the distance.

  "This looks so easy with armor like this!" Inock shouted, firing projectiles from his right arm.

  Louis quickly got up and started running from the projectiles that hit the ground, creating several explosions. One of them hit him, sending him flying far away. The three brothers descended from the bridge, approaching Louis with a huge cloud of smoke behind them.

  "Film this! Paladin Louis is fighting three criminals at once!" one of the journalists shouted.

  Kein turned to look at the journalists and shot a net to keep them from moving. "I'll deal with you later, little ants," he said before continuing to walk.

  "Damn... What can I do? I don't want anyone to see me using my magic, and these three... all at once?" he thought, stunned by the situation.

  "Louis... show them what you're worth! If they're going to hate me, let them hate me!" he thought. "But I'll do what I must do!" Louis created two lava wolves with both hands. "This should be enough to disable their armor without hurting them... This time... Don't drop the katana, Louis!" he thought with determination, heating up his katana.

  "What the hell?" Jhin commented, surprised.

  "Is that lava?" Inock exclaimed.

  "Wow! I got the exclusive, hahaha!" said the pink-haired journalist excitedly, who hadn't been caught in the net.

  "Damn rookie!" shouted a man in the net. "Stop moving so much, you idiots!" added the orange-haired woman; the journalists were too tightly packed in the net, making escape impossible. The pink-haired woman turned to them and stuck out her tongue.

  "That's what you get for being nosy!" Marti shouted alongside them, watching them tangled up.

  Despite the revelation, Kein remained unfazed and prepared to fight. "No wonder my old armor couldn't withstand such heat. Take care of those two; Louis... is mine!"

  The lava wolves ran toward them... Inock and Jhin shot at them with their armor and flew above them to avoid contact. However, the wolves began spitting lava to reach them.

  Kein and Louis ran toward each other... As they met, they clashed swords, causing several sharp ringing sounds as the steel collided.

  "Interesting power, kid; now I see why you're a paladin at such a young age," he exclaimed as they continued clashing swords.

  "I am who I am because of my effort!" Louis stepped back and, gaining momentum, clashed his sword against Kein's. "And because of the help I received from the few people... who care about me," he responded with relief, remembering those who cared for him. Louis and Kein struggled in the sword clash, the ground cracked, and the air blew gently.

  "Nonsense! People with magic always have more advantages!" Kein shouted angrily, winning the struggle and forcing Louis to retreat.

  Kein planted himself in front of him and said mockingly, "Here's your privilege!" and shot him in the chest with his metallic arm, causing a large explosion that sent him flying.

  "Well done, brother! Ow! Damn wolf!" Inock shouted, dodging an attack from the lava wolf.

  "Damn it, his sword is much tougher, not like the first time... I must keep the others out of the fight," Louis thought, getting up with his shirt torn apart. Suddenly, the wolves jumped high, lost their form, and managed to reach both brothers.

  "No way..." Kein adjusted his arm and fired ice lightning at his brothers, managing to freeze the lava. "Are you okay?!" he asked, his concern evident despite sounding like a robot.

  "Yes, we're fine!" Inock responded, covered in rock and ice.

  "We still need to learn how to use these things," Jhin added, removing a piece of rock that had stuck to half of his face.

  Louis appeared behind Kein, attacking with his katana using his right hand... but Kein blocked the attack. "Do you think you'll catch me off guard again?" Louis placed his left hand on Kein's stomach and released a large amount of lava that covered his armor, but... Kein activated a mechanism that expelled air, freezing all the lava and part of Louis's hand.

  "You won't defeat me again!" Kein said angrily, grabbing Louis's arm with his left hand and punching him in the stomach with his right. Then he lifted him into the air and punched him in the face, breaking his nose and sending him flying.

  "Damn it, he's in trouble," Marti exclaimed, watching from above the bridge.

  "This is getting better, I'll have the exclusive of Paladin Louis's first defeat," said the pink-haired girl excitedly as she continued recording.

  "Hey, girl, if they win, they'll come for us next!" he expressed desperately.

  "That's even better! I'll be remembered as the only one who captured these images," she said, even more excited.

  "This girl is crazy..." Marti thought, scared of her.

  "Damn it, it hurts too much..." Louis expressed in great pain, his hands trembling as his face regenerated. Kein fired ice lightning at his arms and legs from a distance, preventing him from moving.

  "What the hell are you?" Kein muttered in disgust, watching the wounds on Louis's face heal while walking towards him, his armor expelling air that removed all the solidified lava from him.

  Louis started seeing Kein a bit blurry, but he managed to free himself from the ice by melting it and stood up, gripping his katana as his face finished regenerating.

  "What the hell are you doing? You're useless!" the voice of the dark being said in Louis's mind. The being was so enraged that its face glowed as if it were made of lava, revealing a dark silver helmet.

  "Shut up, Dark... I don't have time for you to bother me!" Louis replied, ready to continue his battle with Kein.

  "Who are you talking to? Did I hit you so hard that you're... delirious?!" Kein asked as he started running towards Louis, their swords clashing at great speed.

  "Dark?... You have the power to destroy a kingdom! Don't be weak!" the voice screamed, making its face glow even more.

  "A rookie paladin like you won't defeat me, not even with that magic," Kein was forcing Louis to retreat more and more due to the heavy impacts of their swords.

  "Kill him and his brothers! Turn them into ASHES!!!" his voice became distorted, deeper, and full of fury, spewing lava from the openings of his helmet.

  Louis approached Dark in his mind. "Silence!" he shouted as both his eyes shone. Louis grabbed Dark's face and crushed it, creating an explosion of lava in his mind and reality. The explosion burst from his entire body, completely destroying his shirt and sending Kein flying far away, crashing into a large rock and shattering it. For a moment, everything remained calm.

  "I don't understand your hatred... Just because I defeated you, what's inside you?" Louis asked, showing great seriousness.

  Kein got up from the ground, stepping away from the rock he had shattered upon impact. "What's inside...? Hatred! And humiliation! A rookie like you...! After crushing you, I'll go after the other two who dared to hurt... my family!" Kein's words were filled with contempt and fury, a feeling of humiliation and an insatiable thirst for revenge.

  "You're an idiot! I'll never let you hurt the professor AGAIN!" Louis shouted angrily, positioning his left foot back and his right foot forward, holding his right hand behind him, gripping his katana, which glowed intensely from the immense heat.

  "Damn it! I won't lose... I won't lose to a rookie paladin like you!" Kein shouted and used the thrusters on his feet to charge at full speed, preparing to strike with all his strength using his blade.

  Louis raised his katana above his head, covering it with a massive amount of lava. Louis's red eye shone intensely, and a reddish tattoo appeared beside it. Kein arrived and, with all his might, launched an attack with his blade, while Louis swung his katana downwards, clashing against Kein's and creating a massive sound wave. Then, a great surge of lava erupted from the katana, dragging Kein along the ground and leaving a mark on it. Kein's suit activated its cooling system repeatedly, but it was reaching its limit.

  "Brother!" Inock and Jhin shouted, rushing to help Kein.

  "No!" Louis said, realizing he had gone too far.

  "Yes! Ha ha ha ha ha! Look at the great power you have!" Dark screamed in madness.

  Louis began cooling the lava, extending both arms toward it.

  "Don't be an idiot!"

  "Shut up!" Louis shouted.

  With great effort, Louis managed to stop the massive attack, turning all the lava into rock. Louis fell to his knees, exhausted from the effort, as Kein's brothers reached him.

  "Kein! Tell me you're okay, talk to me, please!" Jhin asked as he pounded on the rock alongside Inock. After hitting it multiple times, they finally found him and pulled him out.

  "Brother, please answer..." Jhin said, taking off his helmet, revealing his expression of concern and fear. Louis watched them from afar, also worried and breathing heavily.

  "I'm... fine... Move aside..." Kein replied with difficulty, and his brothers stepped back as his armor expelled a large amount of steam.

  "I'm glad you're okay, brother," Jhin said, hugging Kein after the armor finished expelling the steam. "We thought you were dead," Inock added, hugging him as well.

  "What do we do now?" Inock asked.

  "Isn't it obvious? Now we attack him, the three of us..." Kein replied tiredly.

  "But..."

  "He has already used a huge amount of magic, and if I remember correctly, magic that creates elements requires much more, so... he shouldn't have much left. We can win," Kein stood up with difficulty and started walking toward Louis.

  "Alright... Let's go, Inock," Jhin put on his helmet and followed his brother Kein.

  "Are they crazy? Never mind... I can do it, I have enough magic... thanks to those six years training with Master Rei..." Louis thought, grabbing his blue necklace. "I must continue too!" Louis stood up and gripped his katana once more.

  Suddenly, a great amount of yellow wind burst from the top of the kingdom’s wall. "Hello, everyone!" a woman shouted with a cheerful and radiant voice. Her hair was long and blonde, with bangs and a blue streak, and her eyes were violet. She was about 167 cm tall. She wore a half-yellow, half-pink jacket, a black mid-high collar shirt with little stars on the chest, pink pants, and pink and yellow shoes. "Let's see... red hair... Aha! Found him. So, the other three must be the bad guys. Don't you think a three-against-one is unfair!? But it doesn't matter, I'm here now!" The girl rushed towards them at great speed using her magic.

  "Aaaaa! No way, it's the ex-paladin and singer Ann Stary!" the pink-haired girl screamed.

  "No way!" all the journalists exclaimed online.

  "I think we should leave, brother," Inock expressed in fear.

  "Why?" Kein asked, unaware of who she was.

  "It seems the ex-paladins have arrived, and I don't think we can beat them. Remember, we're not good at using the suits," Inock responded, shaking Jhin.

  "But why are you shaking me?!" Jhin shouted, annoyed.

  Ann reached them, and Kein ordered them to shoot her. Ann created large currents of yellow air that easily destroyed the rockets. "Don't be rough!" she exclaimed, putting her hands back and then forward, creating a yellow tornado that rushed toward them, lifting stones and other objects, generating a strong current of yellow wind in the area.

  Inock and Jhin pushed Kein aside, but the tornado caught them. "Idiots! What are you doing?" Kein said, annoyed after falling to the ground.

  "Run, brother!" Jhin shouted as they spun in the tornado along with Inock. "We'll distract her!" added Inock.

  "Damn it, I won't leave you!" Kein got up again with some difficulty, aiming his arm, but it only released black smoke.

  "You're hurt, you won't be able to do anything, and the armor isn't working properly!" Jhin shouted, and then the yellow wind covered him, and the tornado disappeared.

  "Huh?" Inock and Jhin said, confused.

  "Done, I caught them!" Ann commented while still flying, with the two trapped in a fast-spinning circle of wind around her.

  "You missed one, pay more attention, Ann," said a man with a deep, calm, and slightly grave voice, with a confident tone; he was 172 cm tall. He had slightly messy brown hair and wore black-rimmed glasses. He was dressed in a long dark green coat over a black turtleneck shirt, brown pants, and coffee-colored sneakers. He was watching Kein with a rifle.

  "Aaaa! It's the ex-paladin Ririam Bloick and also Ann's partner! This day couldn't be better!" she shouted excitedly, recording Ririam, while Marti looked at her strangely.

  "Oops... Hehehe, I'll go get him!" Ann put her hand over her mouth and laughed sweetly.

  "No, I'll go. Just launch me toward him," Ririam prepared himself and jumped high from the bridge, and then Ann propelled him with her magic.

  "Before that, wouldn't you like to answer some questions?" the journalists shouted before he took off.

  "Damn it, the armor isn't working... I can beat him, yeah, of course, I can!" Kein thought.

  Ririam fired with the sniper rifle, causing Kein to lose his balance. As he fell to the ground, Ririam struck him in the face with the rifle's stock. Then, he pulled out a rod that turned into a staff and began hitting him, moving from side to side without letting Kein respond. "Damn it, it's too damaged, it's struggling to react, but... You're mine!" Kein thought, waiting for an opportunity, and attempted a right hook. But Ririam electrified his staff, shocking Kein and stopping his attack. Struggling with all his strength, Kein snatched the staff from Ririam, but Ririam used his magic and covered Kein in a large amount of slime.

  "Damn it, more magic! Come on, come on!" Kein said, frustrated, trying to get the armor to respond. Finally, the armor managed to function and destroyed all the slime covering him with an explosion from his hands. "Perfect, huh? Where is he?" Kein thought, confused at not seeing him. Ririam landed on top of him and shot him in the back at a very specific point, making Kein fall to his knees.

  "Bastard! How did you...?" Kein couldn't move, and the armor shut down.

  "I know these things. Don't think I don't stay informed about advancements in war armor," Ririam interrupted Kein and then put away his staff.

  "At least I was beaten by an experienced paladin," Kein mentioned, feeling slightly relieved but still annoyed.

  "Please... You were already defeated; I just immobilized you so you wouldn't escape," Ririam responded while checking his communicator.

  "That's not true!" Kein replied, annoyed.

  "Yes, it is," Ririam insisted. "No, it's not," Kein retorted. "It is! And shut up already," Ririam replied.

  "You'll pay for this... You'll see!" Kein exclaimed.

  "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Mei, we're here... The kid's fine, don't worry. Okay, we'll head there immediately," Ririam said, activating his communicator and speaking with Mei while walking around Kein and touching his armor, noticing the damage.

  "What just happened...? Who are they? Paladins?" Louis thought as he watched Ririam from a distance.

  Ann approached Louis but was looking at Ririam. "He's so handsome... Just watching him walk... *sigh* I feel in love..." Ann expressed, feeling a deep love just by looking at him, her gaze lost and a dreamy smile on her face.

  "Huh?" Louis muttered, puzzled by what he heard.

  "Sorry, it's just that sometimes, when I see him..." Ann added, her heart in her hand, slowly turning toward Louis. "Aah! Sorry, I shouldn't look at other men shirtless, I have a partner, hehe, sorry for scaring you." Ann instantly turned around, feeling bad for startling Louis. "You're Louis, right?"

  "Oh, that's right, my shirt got destroyed! How embarrassing...!" he thought, blushing slightly and turning around. "Yes... it's me. Are you... paladins?"

  "We were; the king stripped us of our status," Ann responded while still facing away and noticing Ririam approaching.

  "So, you're with Mei..." he said, thinking about what to do.

  "Yes, she sent us to find you... Professor Maxwell says you shouldn't leave..." Ann commented, trying to convince Louis at the professor's request. "I think, from experience, it's normal to fail; we want to do everything right, but we can't always," she expressed sincerely, smiling as she remembered her past.

  "I understand..."

  "So, you're the kid... Hmmm, you have good muscle tone, but I still say you're too young to be a paladin," Ririam exclaimed after analyzing his body with a serious look, then turned to Ann and noticed she was still facing away. "Here, put this on, but don't touch my artifacts," he said authoritatively, handing Louis his coat.

  "Thanks..." Louis sheathed his katana and put on the coat.

  "Ann, you can turn around now," Ririam said once Louis had put on the coat.

  "Aah!" Ann squealed as she turned around, placing her hands on her face.

  "Why are you screaming!?" Ririam asked, confused.

  "It's just... without the coat, you look very handsome," she replied, a little nervous, slightly opening her hands to look at him.

  " 'sigh' Ann... Whatever, let's go to the agency. Have you flown before, Louis?" he asked, still puzzled, as if he couldn't understand why she was acting that way.

  "Yes, I've flown before with green magic," Louis replied, confused by Ann's behavior.

  "Green magic... interesting. Well, let's go!" he said, starting to fly thanks to Ann's magic.

  "Goodbye, Marti! Thank you so much!" Louis shouted to Marti.

  "Don't mention it! Keep going, kid!" Marti shouted, watching them leave.

  "This is the best day of my life! And you... I won't get you out, get out on your own, for being bad!" said the pink-haired girl, leaving the journalists in the net.

  "Damned girl!" they all said.

  "Don't worry, I'll untie you, I'll get a knife," Marti went to find it in his carriage after witnessing the girl's mischief.

  "Thank you..." they all said, sadly.

  "Hey, Louis, by the way, did you do all that?" Ririam asked, pointing to the rock that was once lava.

  "Uhmm... yeah... it was me..." he replied, nervous.

  "Then, do you have another type of magic? Mei told me your magic was fire," Ririam added while watching the siblings argue in the distance, as Ann carried them with her magic as well.

  "Uh... yeah, you could say I have other abilities," he replied, trying not to lie and sitting on the yellow wind cloud.

  "That's good," Ririam said before speaking with Ann.

  "What should I do...? Professor Maxwell will scold me, but... do I even have a future here? 'Sigh' Master Rei... what should I do?" he thought while looking at his katana. "This time, I didn't let go..." he said, forming a slight smile—barely a movement on his lips—while thinking about everything that happened this morning. "What will I do with Dark? Heh, it seems he got annoyed when I called him that... I need to take care of this problem myself. It's something within me, and only I can solve it," he thought, his face reflecting firmness and determination.

  After a while, everyone arrived at the agency and headed to Mei’s office.

  "Hello, Canbel," Ann said with a smile on her lips before entering the office.

  "Hello, Miss Ann," Canbel replied kindly.

  "Here it is!" Ririam said as she entered the office.

  "Louis! What happened?" the professor commented, surprised to see him in such tattered clothes and wearing Ririam’s coat.

  "Kein and his brothers attacked me outside the kingdom," he responded, trying to avoid looking directly at him.

  An awkward and long silence filled the office; everyone remained quiet except for Ann, who was humming.

  "Hmmm, well, we’ll leave you two alone. Everyone, out," Mei exclaimed, noticing they needed to talk in private. Then, everyone left the office.

  The door opened once again. "Take care of my coat and my things," then she closed the door and left.

  "Okay... I’m sorry for worrying you, professor," he said, a bit embarrassed.

  "I want you to know that... you haven’t been a problem for me. Yes, maybe a few minor issues, but nothing big. Having you as my guest has been very good for me: you helped me with Zthur’s men, you helped me retrieve my blueprints, deliver my packages, even though you’re not from here; though, of course, that was your job. You didn’t let anything of value in my house get damaged, but not only that. You also helped Mei, you saved people. Taking care of you... was the right decision, or at least I believe so," the professor expressed with sincerity, appreciation, and a slight touch of pride, as he approached and placed his hand on Louis’ shoulder.

  "Thank you very much, professor..." he murmured, lowering his head and trying to hide his small tears after hearing those words. Then, he hugged the professor, and the professor returned the embrace. "I always... wanted to hear that from someone," he said, his voice slightly trembling.

  "Don’t worry, Louis... I won’t let them hurt you anymore," the professor thought, knowing everything he had been through to get here.

  We move away from Mei’s office through her window and head to a distant place in this world, hidden high in the mountains.

  *West of Lyran - Church - Priest’s Office*

  We see an old man with short white hair; he wears a black collared shirt and a white tunic with golden details, loose black pants, and black loafers. He is seated, looking out his window with both arms resting on a wooden cane, and on his left shoulder rests a golden staff. He also wears round glasses.

  "Edgar! I need you to inform me when Rei Fordesthmans arrives," he shouted with his deep and rough voice, carrying a tone that inspired respect and authority.

  "Sir... he arrived just yesterday," Edgar replied in a serious, respectful, and deep voice. He has medium-length white hair, dark skin, and intense yellow eyes. He wears a long black tunic down to his knees, decorated with bright orange details that contrast with the black. His cape is white with orange borders and has a hood. He wears a belt with silver details, carrying pouches and daggers; additionally, he wears dark brown gloves and metallic boots of the same shade.

  "What? Why didn’t you inform me?" he asked, irritated by the news.

  "Sir, he arrived at noon while you were in a meeting with the Tetran," Edgar replied, trying to calm him.

  "I see... he must have convinced Litny... Tell me, when do I have free time to go to Ystir?" he asked with a mix of interest and anticipation.

  "This entire month is full, sir; it’s when you have meetings with all the kingdoms. The problem is that the king of Ystir did not request a meeting," Edgar responded, remaining firm in front of the priest.

  "What a shame... just when I need to go. Well, let that demon enjoy himself; I’ll take care of the matter myself. You may leave," he mentioned calmly while continuing to look out the window. And after Edgar left the office, he began to smile.

  End of the chapter.