The road to Era was long, winding through dense forests and rolling hills that glistened under the pale light of dawn. Rhea and Lector had left Crocus under the cover of darkness, slipping through back alleys and disappearing into the quiet countryside before anyone could track them. The Rune Knight headquarters in Era was their only hope—Rhea had allies there, people she could trust. Or at least she hoped so. After the mysterious assassin had nearly taken her life, trust felt like a fragile thing.

“We’ve been traveling all night,” Lector said, glancing up at Rhea from his perch on her shoulder. “You think we’re being followed?”

The Stellan's sunlit eyes scanned the horizon. The trees stood tall and silent, their leaves rustling in the breeze, but there was no sign of movement—no shadows flitting through the underbrush, no figures lurking in the distance. Yet her instincts told her something was wrong. The world felt too quiet, too still.

“I don’t know,” she replied, her voice low and guarded. “But I don’t like it. That woman back at the inn… she wasn’t alone. There’s more of them out there. I can feel it.”

Lector’s tail twitched nervously, but he said nothing. For once, his usual bravado was muted, and Rhea could sense the tension in him. She felt it too. Every step they took toward Era felt like walking into a trap. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the two travelers reached a clearing in the forest. The trees parted to reveal a wide, open plain, with a dirt road that stretched toward the distant city of Era. Rhea hesitated for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she studied the path ahead. It was exposed—too exposed. If someone wanted to ambush them, this would be the perfect spot.

“We need to move quickly,” she muttered to Lector, who nodded in agreement.

Rhea wiped the sweat from her brow, her golden eyes reflecting the dim light of the early dawn as she stood now far away from the city gates of Crocus. The events of the previous night had left her mind racing. That assassin—whoever she was—had been sent by someone with a vendetta. Her words echoed in Rhea's mind.


The encounter had raised more questions than it answered. Who wanted her dead? And why now? Whoever they were, they were bold—bold enough to send assassins into the capital of Fiore itself. The Dragon Slayer knew she needed answers, and quickly. Her only option now was to go to Era, the city that housed the headquarters of the Rune Knights, where her superiors might help her piece this puzzle together.

The sun rose higher in the sky, and the gentle warmth of the day began to melt away the lingering cold of the morning. The journey was quiet for the most part, save for Lector’s occasional complaints or observations about the landscape. For a while, they walked in relative peace, but the stillness in the air kept Rhea on edge. Something felt off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

The sudden rustling of leaves was her first clue. Rhea’s hand moved instinctively to her dragonic claw as she heard footsteps. Light, calculated, and too quiet for any common traveler. Her pulse quickened. Lector sensed it too, his nose twitching as his fur bristled.

“Rhea,” Lector hissed, his voice tense. “We’ve got company.”

Before she could respond, a figure burst from the tree line, moving with the precision of a trained killer. The assassin’s face was masked, their eyes cold and calculating as they lunged forward with a pair of gleaming daggers. Rhea reacted instantly, ducking low and rolling to the side, the assassin's blades missing her by inches. She sprang back to her feet, her dragonic claw flashing as she deflected a second attack. The sound of metal on metal rang through the air as sparks flew from the impact.

“Another one!” Lector shouted, pointing to the opposite side.

Two more assassins emerged from the shadows of the forest, their movements fluid, predatory. Rhea’s heart pounded as she faced them, her muscles tensing for the fight. She was outnumbered, but she had faced worse odds before. The first assassin attacked again, slashing at her with swift, deadly strikes. Rhea parried each one, her claw weapon a blur as it blocked and countered. She danced around her opponent, her body moving with the grace of a seasoned warrior. With a swift kick, she knocked the assassin off balance, then spun, delivering a crushing blow with the back of her gauntlet. The talons dug deep into the assassin’s side, and they crumpled to the ground with a muffled groan.

Before she could catch her breath, the other two assassins charged, one flanking her from the left while the other circled around to her right. Rhea gritted her teeth, her mind racing as she tried to anticipate their moves. They were working together, coordinating their attacks. Lector leaped into the air, his small body agile as he launched himself at one of the attackers, claws extended. “Take that, you sneaky bastard!” he yelled as he clawed at the assassin’s face, causing them to stumble back.

But the second assassin wasn’t so easily distracted. They closed in on The Dragon Slaying Knight, their movements swift and deliberate. Rhea raised her gauntlet just in time to block the first strike, but the force of the blow sent her staggering back. The assassin pressed their advantage, their blade flashing dangerously close to her throat. The Berserker's instincts took over. She dropped low, sweeping her leg out in a wide arc. The assassin faltered, and in that split second of hesitation, Rhea struck. Her dragonic claw tore through the assassin’s armor, drawing a sharp cry of pain as they fell to the ground, clutching their wound.

Before she could finish them off, a sharp pain shot through her arm. The third assassin had landed a blow, their dagger slicing through her flesh just below the gauntlet. Rhea winced, but she didn’t falter. She spun on her heel, her claw slashing out in a wide arc. The talons caught the assassin’s arm, leaving a deep gash that caused them to drop their weapon with a clatter.

Breathing heavily, Rhea stood over the fallen assassins, her twin sun eyes blazing with fury. Blood dripped from her wounded arm, but she barely felt the pain. Lector landed beside her, his fur bristling as he glared at the downed attackers.

“Who are they?” Lector panted, his eyes wide. “What the hell do they want?”

Rhea knelt beside the one who was still conscious, grabbing them by the front of their cloak and yanking them up. “You are going to tell me who sent you,” she growled, her voice low and dangerous. "And if you lie to me, I will make sure you regret it.” The assassin’s eyes flickered with defiance, but it was clear they were in no position to fight back. Blood dripped from their wounds as they gasped for air, their face pale from the pain.

“You think... you can escape this?” the assassin rasped, their voice weak but laced with venom. “You... are your father’s daughter. Bosco... will never forgive.” Rhea froze. Her father? Her father was long dead. He had died before she was born, or so her mother had told her. But hearing the name of Bosco stirred something dark inside her. Bosco—the country that had once colonized part of her homeland, Stella. The country her people had fought to free themselves from.

“What are you talking about?!” Rhea demanded, tightening her grip on the assassin’s cloak. “My father is dead. He’s been dead for years.”

The assassin let out a weak, bitter laugh. “Dead, yes. But his legacy... his bloodline... lives on. And Bosco... will make sure it ends with you.” Before Rhea could ask anything else, the assassin’s body convulsed, their eyes rolling back in their head. A faint glow emanated from their chest as their body went limp in her grasp. She dropped them to the ground, cursing under her breath as she realized what had happened.

“Diablo! A suicide spell,” she muttered, shaking her head. “They’d rather die than give up any more information.” Lector stared at the lifeless body, his eyes wide with a mix of horror and confusion. “Rhea... what does this mean? Your father...?” Rhea stood slowly, her mind reeling from the revelation. Her father, a man she had never known, was somehow tied to Bosco. And now, they were hunting her because of it.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice quieter than usual. “But whatever it is, it is bigger than I thought.” Lector hopped onto her shoulder, his usual arrogance replaced with concern. “So what do we do now?”

Rhea glanced down at the bodies, her jaw clenched. “We keep going. We need to reach Era, and fast. Whoever these people are, they’re not going to stop coming.”

As they continued down the road to Era, the weight of her past pressed down on Rhea’s shoulders. The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear; she couldn’t run from this. Bosco wanted her dead, and they weren’t going to stop until they got what they wanted. But of course, Rhea wasn’t going to let them take her without a fight.

She was her father’s daughter, after all.

The road stretched endlessly ahead of them, the dirt beneath Rhea's boots crunching with every step. Though she maintained her strong, purposeful stride, the weight of her thoughts pressed heavily on her chest. Her father, a man she had no knowledge of and even less often spoken to anyone about... now loomed in her mind with a sense of impending dread. Who was he to Bosco? Why had they cared enough to send assassins after her? Rhea’s grip tightened on the dragonic gauntlet, the sharp talons of her weapon digging into her skin, grounding her in the present. She couldn't afford to get lost in the whirlwind of questions. But still, her thoughts gnawed at her, each one a painful reminder of the growing storm she was walking into.

Beside her, Lector had gone silent, his usual snark replaced with a quiet, nervous energy. Every few steps, he glanced up at her, as if to say something, but he held back. His concern was palpable. Rhea could feel it, but she wasn’t in the mood to address it. She couldn’t. Not now. As they continued, Rhea felt the weight of exhaustion settle into her bones. The fight had taken more out of her than she wanted to admit. Her arm throbbed from the cut left by the assassin’s blade, blood still staining her sleeve. She hadn’t had time to bind it properly, but there was no time to stop. The wound was shallow, but the constant ache reminded her of just how vulnerable she was.

Rhea glanced at the horizon. The city of Era, with its towering walls and grand spires, was just visible now in the distance. Relief washed over her at the sight, but it was short-lived. She knew that even once they reached the Rune Knight headquarters, the danger wouldn’t be over. Far from it. The assassins who had attacked her weren’t a random threat...they were a symptom of something larger, something deeper. And Rhea had no idea how far it extended.

“Do you think Commander Armin will believe us?” Lector’s voice finally broke the silence, his tone hesitant.

Rhea’s jaw tightened. “He has to,” she said, though there was a flicker of doubt in her heart. Commander Armin had been a trusted Major, someone the other Knights had looked up to during her initial training with the Rune Knights. But the political landscape of Fiore was complicated. And after what had happened in Stella... well, loyalties weren’t always what they seemed.

Lector was quiet again, but Rhea could feel his anxiety mirroring her own. As they neared Era, the air grew colder, the wind picking up as they approached the towering stone gates that marked the city’s entrance. The Rune Knights' insignia was carved into the stone, a proud symbol of Fiore’s strength and order. But to Rhea, it felt distant. She had never felt pride in wearing the same emblem. Now, however, it even began to feel like a burden.

The gates loomed above them, and without hesitation, Rhea strode forward, Lector clinging tightly to her shoulder as they passed through the narrow opening. The streets of Era bustled with people, merchants setting up their stalls, guards patrolling in tight formations. It was a city of order, of law. But none of that mattered now.

Her feet moved faster, the urgency building in her chest. She pushed her way through the crowded streets, not caring about the looks of disapproval from the citizens she brushed past. Her destination was clear. The grand building at the heart of the city, the headquarters of the Rune Knights. When they finally reached the building, its tall columns and massive doors imposing against the backdrop of the city, Rhea felt her pulse quicken. Her heart pounded, not from the physical exertion, but from the weight of what was to come. She needed answers. And she needed them now.

Without pausing, she stormed up the steps, her boots echoing against the stone. Lector was silent, tense on her shoulder. The guards posted at the entrance gave her a strange look, their eyes flicking over her bruised face, the bloodstains on her sleeve, the wild intensity in her gaze. But they didn’t stop her. Whether they recognized her as a Rune Knight or simply saw the desperation in her expression, they stepped aside.

Rhea slammed her hands against the doors, pushing them open with a force that made them creak loudly. The grand hall inside was filled with Rune Knights going about their duties, some in discussion, others reading reports or sharpening their weapons. All activity stopped the moment Rhea burst through the entrance. She didn’t care about the startled glances or the murmur of voices as people noticed her disheveled appearance. Her eyes scanned the room, her focus razor-sharp.

“Where’s Major Armin?” she demanded, her voice carrying across the hall.

Several Rune Knights stared at her in shock, taken aback by the ferocity in her tone and the state she was in; her clothes torn, her arm bleeding, her hair wild from the journey and the fight. Lector hopped down from her shoulder, his fur bristling as he glared at the room full of knights, daring anyone to challenge them. A younger knight stepped forward, his face pale with confusion. “Sergeant Rhea...? What—what happened? Are you—”

“I need to see Major Armin,” Rhea cut him off, her voice hard. “Now.”

The knight blinked, clearly rattled, but nodded quickly. "H-he’s in his office. I’ll take you there.” He turned and began leading the way, glancing over his shoulder nervously. Rhea followed him, her jaw clenched, her body aching, but her determination unshaken. She didn’t know what awaited her behind those doors. She didn’t know if she could even trust Commander Armin with the truth. But she was done running. Whatever vendetta Bosco had against her bloodline, she would have to face it head-on.

And she wouldn’t face it alone.

Lector trotted beside her, silent, but she could feel his presence, his unwavering support. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep her moving forward. As the doors to Commander Armin’s office loomed ahead, Rhea took a deep breath. This was only the beginning.