Six years later, in the village of Cylo, Marah Rackel recounts a story to the children of the orphanage.

  "And so the great hero Senghor stood before the dragon, sword gleaming in the moonlight. The beast roared, flames pouring from its jaws, scorching the earth black. But Senghor did not falter. His guardian spirit, a great Woonwo, slammed the ground behind him. 'You will not harm these people,' he declared. The dragon lunged, but Senghor was faster. With one strike, he smashed the beast down, and the kingdom was saved. The people cheered, calling him their hero, their protector, their light in the darkness."

  Marah closes the worn book, smiling at the wide-eyed children gathered around her.

  A child with green eyes shoots his hand up, bouncing in excitement among the other restless kids.

  "Yes, Everest?"

  "Mama, can I be a hero like Senghor too?" He looks at her earnestly, eyes shining.

  "Yes, of course you can." She pats his head gently. "Well then, now it's time to go to sleep." She claps her hands.

  "No!" the kids scream in unison.

  "We feel totally fine." Everest jumps up, running in a circle and hopping twice. "See?" He grins back at her.

  Marah places her hand over her face and sighs. "Oh, these kids." She mutters under her breath.

  Knock, knock!

  The door swings open. A man in his early forties with short dark hair and blue eyes stands in the doorway. Ernest. He holds a dead rat in his hand, dangling it by the tail.

  "Do you want to dream about this rat?" He bounces it in front of the children.

  The kids glance at each other before answering flatly. "No."

  Ernest looks surprised by their response. He glances at Marah, seeking help, then taps his head as if struck by inspiration.

  "Well, if you don't sleep, the dragon will come to eat you." He wiggles his tongue, trying to look menacing, but only manages to look silly.

  The room falls silent. Some of the younger children huddle closer together, eyes widening.

  Elydia, a girl with pale skin and black hair, one eye black and the other white, clutches a worn stuffed bear to her chest. "Bu-but Mama said Senghor will come save us." She takes a shaky breath. "Was it a lie?" Tears spill down her cheeks.

  Ernest rushes to her side, but one cry triggers another. Then another. Within moments, half the room erupts into wails and sobs. Ernest and Marah exchange helpless looks, unsure where to even start.

  Everest braces himself. "Stop crying, everyone. Don't be scared. I'll protect you if anything happens." He sniffles. "I'll be your hero." His legs tremble beneath him.

  Elydia giggles through her tears. "You're trembling."

  Everyone turns to look at him. Soon, they're all laughing.

  "Thought he sounded all high and mighty. He's more aware than I expected." Ernest chuckles.

  Marah elbows him sharply, shooting him an angry look. He stops laughing immediately.

  Everest struggles to hold back his own tears.

  Elydia reaches up and pats his head. "You'll be a really cool hero when you grow up." She gives him a warm smile.

  "You think so?" He wipes his eyes. "Not like I care." He puffs out his chest.

  "You're so cute when you do that."

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  He blushes, muttering, "Please, not in front of everyone."

  With that, Everest retreats to his bed, trying to escape the humiliation.

  The other children laugh before following him, settling into their own beds. Once everyone is tucked in, Marah snuffs out the torch and leaves with Ernest.

  Outside the room, Ernest pulls out a cigar and lights it by summoning small blue flames from his fingertips. He takes a long drag before speaking. "These kids sure grow fast, don't you think?"

  "Compared to your habits, they do."

  He looks down at his cigar. "Yeah, I said I'd stop, but it's complicated."

  "At least you don't do it in front of the kids. That's a relief."

  "Say... do you think Everest should actually become a war hero?" He sighs, smoke curling from his lips.

  "What's wrong? Are you scared he'll leave you behind?"

  "Yeah. I mean, he's kind of my son, isn't he?" He takes another drag.

  "You're worrying over nothing. It's just a child's dream. He'll grow out of it over time." She rubs his back reassuringly.

  "Those eyes weren't the eyes of someone joking. Maybe kids just look more convincing when they believe in something."

  "Just think about it like that. Don't worry so much." She pulls him into a tight embrace.

  The next afternoon, deep inside the forest, five kids play among the trees.

  Everest’s Perspective:

  I run through the forest, white cape fluttering behind me. Two boys chase after me.

  Sliding across the grass, I snatch up a stick and collide with one of them.

  The other charges in. I leap to dodge.

  "Stop right there... uh... whatever, bad guys! I'm here to save the princess!" I yell at them.

  "The princess is ours, and if you want to get her... eh... oh yeah, you'll have to beat us!" The big one on the left shouts.

  The other boy kicks him. "Idiot! He's the one who's supposed to get rid of us."

  "Are you sure it's like that?"

  "Of course! We're the bad guys."

  "But I don't like being the bad guy."

  "Seriously?"

  I clap my hands. "Hey, you two, quit it already and get serious!"

  Charging forward, I whack them both with my stick. They tumble to the ground.

  "Ow, it hurts!" The smaller one yelps.

  "Shh! We have to play dead."

  These guys. I'm grinning at the thought of winning.

  "Haaa!" Someone bursts from the bushes.

  "He's got the princess!" the big one noticed.

  Aren't dead people supposed to be quiet?

  "Hey, you! Let the princess go!" I point my stick at him.

  He holds Elydia in his grip, pressing his stick against her side. "You're the one who'll leave, or I'm getting rid of this girl!" He shouts.

  "Hey, that's not fair! That's cheating!" I yell back.

  "Cheating? Every real villain does that. It'd be dumb to lose when I can win."

  "Why? The hero always wins. Marah always says that."

  "Then I guess you want to take my place."

  "Of course not! I want to be the hero."

  "Just to keep winning? Why can't villains win sometimes too?"

  I turn around, burying my face in my knees. "Fillip, you're so mean. I don't want to play anymore."

  "Does that mean we don't have to play dead anymore?" Kaile, the big one, asks.

  "Of course, idiot." Martin stands up.

  "This game was a bad idea in the first place." Fillip looks at Elydia. "It would've been cooler if we had a real princess."

  Elydia hugs her stuffed bear tighter. "Maybe next time..."

  I interrupt her. "I don't know why you'd say that." I stare at Elydia. "She's perfect as a princess."

  Elydia blushes. "You really think so?" She sways slightly, looking down.

  "Those two are really lovey-dovey," the boys say in unison.

  Both Elydia and I startle.

  But I can't back down now, can I?

  "Yes, I think so. I promise I'll be your prince, and you'll be my princess."

  We both turn red.

  "You could've just told us you wanted to be together," Fillip comments.

  "Now I understand why you always want to be the hero. It should be my turn next time," Kaile adds.

  Martin looks around, confused. "Wait, aren't we a little too far from the playing ground?"

  Now that he mentions it, Marah told us not to go this far. Something about... what was it?

  My face slams into the ground. Pain explodes across my cheek and forehead. Through blurry vision, I glimpse half-naked men dragging my friends away. Rough hands. Muffled screams.

  No. My mind... it's fading. Everything goes dark.

  I see a person. I can't describe them, but there's someone standing over me.

  Was it a dream?

  I wake up. My head throbs, pulsing with each heartbeat.

  Where am I? The sky above is dark, stars scattered across it.

  I look around. My body shakes suddenly. No, someone's shaking me. It's Ernest. His mouth moves, but I can't hear the words. Everything sounds muffled, distant.

  "Who did this? Do you know?" His voice finally breaks through.

  "Uh? Did what?"

  I turn to look. Blood. Everywhere. Splattered across the grass, soaking into the earth. Dark pools reflecting starlight. I stiffen. What is this? My friends... I scan frantically. They're breathing. They're fine.

  Was it Ernest I saw earlier?

  "What a relief. I was so scared something happened to you." Ernest pulls me into a crushing hug, tears streaming down his face. I'm still confused about what happened, my mind sluggish and heavy.

  He carries us home on his back. As we walk, I glance up at the night sky.

  I think I see a shooting star.

  At home Marah scolds us for being so reckless but she reassures us after.

  Apparently, the people who attacked us were survivors from the Kaldur empire who partake in illegal activities. The elders tried to deal with them but they didn’t know some were left.

  What could be the reason for a whole Empire to collapse? I close my eyes and sleep.