Chapter 203 - Brother and Sister

Night has fallen over the Forbidden Battlefield.

The sky which had been grey throughout the day had now turned pitch-black, not the usual dark blue but the kind that swallowed anything that lay below it and kept all light hidden inside. There were no stars shining. No moonlight. Just clouds floating above the cursed land, hiding all that light from the heavens.

The knights had set up camp inside the ruins of the ancient fortress.

The walls of the fort were cracked, crumbling at the edges. Half the towers had fallen down and their debris lay strewn about the courtyard. Old banners, the flags of a long-dead kingdom of a thousand years gone by hung from the broken pillars. The symbols printed on them were almost faded out with time.

Several magical lanterns lit up the camp with their soft blue glow, pushing away the darkness.

The knights rotated shifts to guard while others rested, their weary, exhausted faces reflecting their anxiety.

Roxy had dozed off beside the fire. Her silver-white hair lay on her self-made pillow, twitching from time to time due to her dreams. Snow lay beside her, his enormous white tail covering half of her and acting as a makeshift blanket for her. His breathing was calm, but his ears never missed a thing.

Even in his sleep, the wolf was aware.

Jennie sat against a broken pillar.

Her eyes were shut. Eclipse lay in the pocket of her cloak, the dark blade patiently waiting. She appeared very peaceful-looking; her breathing calm, her facial expression relaxed, her hands lying loose on her lap.

But she was not asleep.

All those images flashed through her head. The battlefield. Leonis. The Divine Swords. And the mysterious voice coming from below the earth.

Clang.

Jennie's eyes snapped open. The sound echoed in her mind—silent, not loud, not urgent, but persistently there.

There was nothing happening in the camp.

She slowly closed her eyes again. I will know what is below this land tomorrow.

At last, she succumbed to exhaustion. The weight of the entire day fell upon her, making her thoughts sluggish and breathing deeper. She fell asleep.

Lucas was still awake.

As the Commander of the Royal Knights, he was used to sleeping less than the others. Over the years, he had taught himself to function on minimal sleep—the little that was left of it after serving the army. He knew how to survive on the edge of exhaustion, keeping his mind sharp despite his weary body.

He stood near the edge of the ruins, looking at the battlefield. It extended like the ocean of darkness in front of him—endless, silent, dead. Nothing moved. Nothing breathed. There was no wind blowing. Only the oppressive silence of a land that had seen thousands of deaths.

Yet there was something in this silence that bugged him.

Lucas looked back at the camp. Everyone was sleeping peacefully. Roxy. Snow. The knights. And Jennie.

Lucas moved towards her.

His steps were quiet—the careful walk of a soldier who knows how to move silently. He stopped a few feet away from her and gazed at his sister's peaceful face.

Jennie was sleeping against the wall, her silver-white hair gently dancing in the cold wind. Her face was at peace, relaxed—young somehow, as if sleep had stripped off the weary layers of the woman she was.

Lucas gazed at her.

Somehow, he felt a tightening in his chest.

He didn't know why. It felt like there was something that tied them together—something that went beyond the many years that they had spent together as brothers and sisters. Some other kind of tie. Some older one.

He kneeled down beside her.

" Raven."

She didn't stir.

Lucas smiled slightly. It was a gentle, melancholy smile that he would never show anyone if someone were watching him.

"You're really stubborn."

Lucas tenderly moved a strand of her hair away from her face. His fingers touched her cheek—warm, alive, real.

Then... his vision blurred.

----

Flash Back -

It was a sunny afternoon.

The light was golden and warm—it was the kind of light that was found in the memories of childhood, the light of a simple and safe world full of wonder.

A younger Lucas was running through the gardens. He could be not older than seven then. His legs were small and clumsy, and his laughter was clear and joyous.

"Luuucas!"

Lucas stopped.

A little girl came running towards him. Her hair was silver-white, gleaming with sunlight. She was small—much smaller than Lucas, just a little toddler girl. She had chubby legs, round cheeks, and bright eyes.

The little girl stumbled.

Lucas immediately turned to her. "Careful!"

The little girl was about to fall—her feet had slipped onto a root of the tree and she had almost lost balance with a shout of surprise. But Lucas was quicker. He caught her hand, his little fingers gripping hers, stabilizing her before she could fall.

She looked at him.

Lucas could not recognize her face properly. The memory was strangely blurred—fuzzy around the edges, as if the picture of the past had been soaked in water. But he could hear her voice. Clear, joyous and bright.

"Lucas!"

"I'm here."

"You ran too fast."

Lucas chuckled. "Then catch me."

The little girl puffed out her cheeks—an expression of pretended annoyance that only made him laugh harder.

"I'll catch you next time!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

She grabbed his hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong for a little girl.

"Promise."

Lucas smiled. "Promise."

They kept running. The garden extended in front of them—flowers and hedges and ancient trees, the paradise of children. The sun shone warmly on their faces, and the wind played softly in their hair. Everything was perfect for a little while...

And then the scene shifted.

The little girl cried.

She sat on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. What frightened her—was it a nightmare, or something else? A monster, or a dark shadow?

Commander knelt before her. His face was concentrated and determined.

"Hey."

She raised her tear-stained eyes and looked at him.

"Don't cry."

But she continued crying. Her little hands were desperately reaching out for him.

Lucas placed his hand on her head. It was awkward—the gesture of a boy who tried to copy adults—but sincere.

"Don't worry."

He smiled brightly, full of confidence and affection.

"Big brother will protect you."

*

Lucas suddenly opened his eyes.

He found himself inside the destroyed castle. Wind bites, and darkness presses upon him as if it is alive.

He was breathing heavily. His heartbeat was louder than before.

"What..."

He looked around. Camp was still quiet. Knights stayed at their posts. Roxy and Snow were still sleeping. Nobody noticed anything.

Lucas touched his forehead with his fingers. Memory was already disappearing—as if slipping through his fingers.

That memory. Who was that girl?

Lucas could remember her hair—silver-white. He could remember her voice—bright and full of life. He could remember her hand in his—warm and trusting.

But her face was completely blurring.

Lucas whispered: "Who were you?"

No answer was coming. Darkness did not bring any comfort or explanation.

Lucas slowly looked towards Jennie. She was sleeping. Silver-white hair, small body.

The same feeling.

Lucas froze. "No..."

He looked closer. His heartbeat was accelerating—much faster than it should.

That voice. That hair. That feeling.

It could not be.

Lucas shook his head. "Impossible."

He grew up with Jennie. He knew his sister—her habits, her facial expressions, her mood swings. He saw her becoming a warrior and took part in all her life.

But the memory is from childhood that he could hardly remember—it is like a book with missing pages or a song with forgotten lyrics.

Lucas looked at Jennie's sleeping face. "Why do you feel so familiar?"

Lucas reached out. His hand hovered over her hair—stopping in the air, shaking a little.

Another fragment appeared.

A little girl holding his hand. She holds it tightly.

Don't leave me.

Lucas's eyes opened wide.

Then another.

Crying little girl. Her voice is cracking and pleading.

Big brother...

And another.

Smiling silver-haired girl. Her eyes are shining with love and trust.

I'll stay with you.

Lucas whispered: "Jennie..."

The memories are connecting. Silhouette of a little girl is getting clearer—more accurate, defined. Silver-white hair. Bright eyes. Familiar smile.

Lucas's heart skipped a beat. "Is it..."

Suddenly memory shattered.

Crack.

Image disappeared as glass—shattered into thousand pieces and scattered into the darkness.

Lucas gasped. He covered his head with his hands, fingers digging into his scalp.

"No!"

The headache disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Silence returns. The camp was quiet. Night is still.

Lucas remains frozen. He looks at Jennie again. She is still sleeping—calm and innocent, ignorant of everything.

Lucas slowly sits next to her. His legs are weak, body exhausted. After several minutes, he whispers:

"I don't know why..."

Lucas looks at the dark battlefield. Wasteland stretched in front of him, silent and deathly.

"But I feel that I forgot something important."

His eyes return to Jennie. Something about you.

Jennie shifts in her sleep a little. Lucas stops talking immediately, holding his breath.

She murmurs something. Words are barely audible—barely a whisper.

"Brother..."

Lucas freezes. His eyes widen.

Jennie turns a little and continues sleeping, looking calm, as if she had said nothing at all.

Lucas stares at her. The word echoes in his mind—brother, brother, brother. It feels right. It feels familiar. It feels like something that he waited for a very long time.

Then a soft smile appears on his lips. It is warm—the smile of an older brother who finally understands something he did not even look for.

Lucas pulls off his cloak from his shoulders and covers her with it. Fabric softly envelops her, protecting from cold wind.

"You don't have to worry."

Lucas looks at the darkness. His voice is quiet, but firm.

"I'll protect you."

Pause. The words hang in the air like a promise.

"Just like I promised."

He stands up and goes back to his place. His steps are steady, posture straight. He is Commander Lucas Queens, leader of the Royal Knights—and he has his duty to perform.

Behind him, Jennie slowly opens her eyes. She hears everything—every word, every whisper, every broken memory. She looks at his back, at his silhouette.

For a second, her expression becomes soft. Walls around her heart crack a little—allowing warmth to enter.

She whispers: "You're still the same..."

Her eyes become wet. Tears threaten to fall, but she holds them back.

"... Big brother."

Lucas does not hear her. He already is at his post, looking at the darkness and thinking about his fragments of memories and questions without answers.

The battlefield is quiet. The night stretches endlessly and cold.

But deep down the ruins of the castle... something moves.

Clang.

Jennie looks at the ground. Her expression immediately becomes serious. Softness disappears, replaced with sharp vigilance of a warrior.

The old blade was awake.

And it knew everything.

She could sense it—something lurking underground, something very old and very angry, waiting. It spoke to her in the language of steel and shadow, sharing the secret it had been keeping hidden for a thousand years.

Clang.

Jennie stood up slowly, being careful not to disturb the others. She looked at Lucas—still on guard duty, staring out into the dark—and then at the ground under her feet.

Tomorrow, she promised herself. Tomorrow, I'll find you.

She sat back down, wrapping herself in Lucas's cloak. It felt comforting to be wrapped up in something that reminded her of better times.

But the sound persisted.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

A beat of heart underground.

A blade that remembers.

And somewhere out there, a Demon General smiled.