Chaptere 31: Valor

Silence.

Only the faint creaking of the trees could still be heard.

The dead Alpha Shadowrunner lay motionless among the leaves.

Black blood slowly spread across the forest floor.

And in the middle of it all...

Rowan sank heavily onto a nearby rock, breathing hard.

“Phew...”

He closed his eyes for a moment.

“Finally over.”

But right in front of him...

Lyra completely broke down.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

Her hands trembled so badly that she could barely hold onto her diary.

“W-Why...?!”

Her voice completely broke.

“Why did you do that?!”

She pointed toward his missing arm.

“Y-Your arm...”

But Rowan...

simply began to laugh softly.

Not loudly.

Not happily.

More tired.

Warm.

“I couldn't exactly let...”

A faint grin appeared on his face.

“...the person who might one day write a story about me die.”

Lyra stared at him through tear-filled eyes.

Rowan thought for a moment.

Then his grin suddenly widened.

“The One-Armed Knight of Falkenreach.”

He nodded in satisfaction.

“Sounds like a pretty good story, doesn't it?”

Despite her tears, Yun Yun let out a small laugh.

Kaien did too.

Only Lyra started crying even harder.

Rowan slowly opened his backpack.

Using only one hand, he pulled out some bandages.

Then he looked toward Yun Yun.

“Yun Yun...”

His voice had grown noticeably weaker.

“Can you help me, please?”

Yun Yun immediately tried to stand.

But before she could properly react...

Lyra was already moving.

With trembling hands, she desperately began opening the bandages.

“I-I’ll do it...!”

But her fingers were shaking far too badly.

She could barely pull the strips of cloth apart.

Rowan watched her for several seconds.

Then he gently patted her head.

“With hands shaking like that, you won't get anything done.”

He gave her a faint smile.

“You'll probably just make it worse.”

Rowan let out another quiet laugh.

Lyra immediately bit her lip.

Even more tears ran down her face.

Eventually, Yun Yun carefully took over.

Despite her own injuries, she did everything she could to treat Rowan's wound.

Meanwhile, Lyra's gaze slowly drifted toward the ground.

Toward Rowan's severed arm.

But Rowan gently placed his hand on her head again.

And turned her gaze away.

“Don't look.”

Lyra trembled slightly.

This time, Rowan's voice was much quieter.

“You don't have to see that.”

Lyra slowly nodded.

Then she began crying quietly again.

Kaien slowly got back to his feet as well.

His entire body was still trembling.

But this time, he forced himself to keep moving.

While Yun Yun tightened the bandages, Rowan suddenly gave a faint grin.

“So the sewing lessons turned out to be more useful than the training.”

Yun Yun blinked in surprise.

Then even she let out a small laugh.

Despite the tears still running down her face.

“T-That really isn't funny right now...”

Rowan only kept grinning.

The group slowly began packing their things.

But every time Lyra accidentally glanced toward Rowan's severed arm...

Rowan gently turned her head away again.

Almost automatically.

As if he still wanted to protect her from seeing it.

Eventually, Rowan slowly got to his feet.

His face had grown pale.

Even so, he still managed a faint smile.

“We'll keep moving for a little while.”

He looked deeper into the forest.

“Then we'll rest.”

Kaien and Yun Yun immediately nodded.

This time, nobody argued.

A little deeper into the forest, they eventually set up a small camp.

Kaien and Yun Yun carefully gathered firewood.

Never too far away from Rowan.

Never alone.

Meanwhile, Lyra sat silently beside him.

The campfire crackled softly between them.

For several minutes, neither of them said anything.

Then Lyra quietly spoke.

“Why...?”

She didn't look at him.

“Why are you doing all of this for us?”

Rowan remained silent for several seconds.

Then he gave her a faint smile.

“I promised you, didn't I...?”

His gaze drifted toward the darkness of the forest.

“...that I would get you safely to Falkenreach.”

He didn't say anything more.

Slowly, Rowan wrapped his right arm around Lyra and gently pulled her closer.

Then he calmly stroked her head.

At first, Lyra tried to stay strong.

But eventually, she broke down and began crying again.

And this time...

Rowan simply let her cry.

Later that evening, the group had calmed down somewhat.

The fire burned quietly between them, casting a warm glow across the campsite. Around them, the darkness of the forest had grown still.

Kaien’s gaze drifted toward Rowan’s sword.

“That white aura from before…”

Yun Yun immediately nodded.

“What was that exactly?”

Lyra also looked up curiously.

Rowan leaned back slightly.

“That was Valor.”

The children immediately gave him their full attention.

Rowan gestured lightly toward his sword.

“Mages use mana.”

His hand moved slightly upward.

“Priests use Lumen.”

His expression grew more serious.

“Demons use demonic energy… or corrupted mana.”

Finally, he lightly tapped his chest.

“And knights often fight using Valor.”

A faint grin appeared on his face.

“Though Valor users can use mana as well.”

Kaien furrowed his brow.

“So what exactly is Valor?”

A faint silver aura slowly appeared around Rowan’s right hand.

It drifted around his fingers like warm mist.

“Valor is a type of aura.”

The silver energy slowly faded again.

“It is created through willpower.”

Rowan turned his gaze toward the fire.

“The stronger your will…”

A faint silver glow returned around his hand.

“…the stronger your Valor can become.”

Yun Yun listened with fascination.

Rowan continued.

“Valor can strengthen your attacks. It can reinforce your body and strengthen your weapons.”

Kaien looked thoughtfully at Rowan’s sword.

“And the rest?”

Rowan glanced at him.

“With enough control, Valor can also strengthen armor.”

He briefly raised his hand again.

“The important part is concentration. Valor follows your will. If your mind loses control…”

The silver aura flickered.

“…so does your Valor.”

Yun Yun’s expression changed slightly.

“So if you’re scared…”

“Being afraid is normal,” Rowan interrupted gently.

His gaze moved toward the three children.

“Even strong people are afraid.”

The fire crackled softly.

Rowan looked back into the flames.

“The problem begins when fear takes control of you.”

Kaien lowered his gaze.

Earlier, his body had frozen.

He had been unable to move.

Unable to fight.

Rowan noticed the expression on his face.

“Valor requires concentration,” he continued. “When panic completely takes over, using it properly becomes much harder.”

Kaien slowly tightened his grip around his wooden sword.

Rowan gave him a faint smile.

“But that doesn’t mean you’re weak.”

Kaien looked up.

“Earlier, you were terrified.”

Rowan’s gaze briefly shifted toward Yun Yun.

“But when Yun Yun got hurt…”

Kaien remained completely still.

“…you moved.”

His grip around the wooden sword tightened.

Rowan leaned back against the tree.

“That takes more strength than you think.”

Yun Yun looked at Kaien.

Kaien noticed and gave her a small, embarrassed smile.

Meanwhile, Lyra had already begun writing again.

SCRITCH.

SCRITCH.

Rowan glanced toward her.

“Of course you’re writing this down.”

Without looking up, Lyra answered:

“Of course.”

Rowan sighed.

“I should have known.”

Kaien and Yun Yun laughed softly.

Rowan shook his head before continuing.

“Valor is the power of a knight who refuses to give up.”

Lyra stopped writing.

For a moment, she simply looked at him.

She thought about his words.

After a moment, she asked carefully.

“But why didn’t you use it…”

Her gaze briefly drifted toward his missing arm.

“…to stop the Alpha’s attack?”

For several seconds, Rowan didn’t answer.

His eyes remained fixed on the fire.

“Because Valor requires concentration.”

Lyra listened carefully.

“When panic takes over, it barely works.”

Rowan slowly clenched his right hand into a fist.

“You need focus.”

His voice grew more serious.

“And an iron will.”

Kaien listened closely.

“The calmer your mind…”

Rowan looked at the silver glow beginning to form around his fist.

“…the better you can control your Valor.”

A few minutes later, Kaien spoke again.

“You called those demon wolves Shadowrunners…”

His gaze drifted toward the forest.

“What exactly are Shadowrunners?”

The fire crackled softly.

Rowan began to explain.

“Shadowrunners are among the most common demonic creatures in the world.”

His voice grew noticeably more serious.

“On their own, they aren’t a major threat.”

He briefly looked at the children.

“But as a pack…”

He paused for several seconds.

“…they are deadly.”

The children listened quietly.

Rowan continued explaining.

Shadowrunners often live in forests, ruins, and border regions. They usually attack at night, hunt intelligently in packs, and stronger demons often use them as the first wave of an attack.

For the first time, Rowan mentioned a new name.

“Many of them come from the Demon Kingdom of Noxthar.”

All three immediately looked up.

“They are bred there in enormous numbers.”

Lyra immediately got goosebumps.

“They are considered expendable.”

Rowan’s expression grew heavy.

“But that is exactly what makes them dangerous.”

He gestured toward the forest.

“The demons send them first.”

Kaien swallowed slightly.

“They wear down defenses.”

Yun Yun slowly lowered her gaze.

“They spread panic.”

The fire crackled louder.

“And they clear the way for worse things.”

For several seconds, no one spoke.

Later, Kaien and Yun Yun finally fell asleep by the fire, exhausted from everything that had happened.

Only Rowan remained awake.

Keeping watch.

The firelight reflected quietly in his eyes.

After a while, he heard footsteps.

Lyra.

She slowly sat down beside him.

Her journal was held carefully in her hands.

For several seconds, she didn’t say anything.

Eventually, she spoke quietly.

“Would you like to…”

She pressed the book lightly against her chest.

“…hear something from it?”

Rowan briefly looked at the journal.

Then, with a small laugh, he raised his right arm.

“Turning the pages is going to be pretty difficult with only one hand.”

Lyra laughed softly again.

With the last traces of tears still visible on her face, she sat beside him.

Then she slowly began to read from her journal.