Chapter 26: The First Battle Beyond Lunaris

Before the sun had fully risen, Rowan was already knocking on the children's door.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

“Wake up, you little—”

Before he could finish, the door opened.

All three children were already standing there, fully dressed and ready to leave.

Yun Yun smiled faintly.

“We're ready.”

Kaien nodded as well.

“And ready to go.”

Rowan blinked in surprise.

A broad grin spread across his face.

“Well, look at that.”

He crossed his arms.

“Did you actually remember to bring everything?”

Kaien instinctively rested a hand on the short sword at his waist.

The small dagger Rowan had bought for him was secured to his right thigh, while the wooden practice sword protruded visibly from the top of his backpack.

Yun Yun lifted her metal-reinforced gloves slightly.

And Lyra...

simply raised her leather satchel.

Rowan immediately laughed.

“Of course.”

Lyra glanced back into the room.

Her old winter clothes were still neatly folded on the bed.

The thick coats.

The old gloves.

The heavy fabrics they had worn back in Asterveil.

Her voice became noticeably quieter.

“We just don't know what to do with the old clothes.”

For a brief moment, nobody spoke.

Yun Yun slowly looked toward the folded clothes.

“We probably won't need them anymore...”

Her crimson eyes suddenly grew sad.

“But they're the last thing we have from our old home.”

Kaien remained quiet for several seconds.

Kaien gave a small nod.

“Besides, they're almost ruined anyway.”

His gaze fell on the tears and cuts scattered across the fabric.

“From the escape... and the training.”

Yun Yun stepped closer.

Carefully, she picked up the three old scarves from among the clothes.

One for Kaien.

One for Lyra.

And one for herself.

A faint smile crossed her face.

“Then we'll at least take these with us as a reminder.”

Kaien looked down at the scarf in his hands.

Lyra did the same.

A quiet laugh escaped Rowan.

Without saying a word, he simply gathered the remaining clothes into his arms.

All three children looked at him in surprise.

Rowan only grinned.

He carried the clothes downstairs and walked over to the innkeeper.

The elderly man looked up in surprise as Rowan carefully placed the clothes on the counter.

“Could you keep these for the kids?”

The innkeeper immediately understood.

He slowly nodded.

“Of course.”

Rowan pulled several silver coins from his pocket and placed them on the counter.

CLINK.

Twelve silver coins.

“Rowan, that's too much.”

Rowan casually waved him off.

“Then I'll just consider it payment for the next pillows they break.”

The innkeeper immediately burst into loud laughter.

Upstairs, even the children couldn't help but grin.

Afterward, Yun Yun, Kaien, and Lyra each gave the innkeeper a small bow.

“Thank you for everything.”

Kaien nodded as well.

“Really.”

Even Lyra sounded unusually sincere this time.

“Thank you.”

The innkeeper smiled warmly.

“Take good care of yourselves.”

Then he glanced toward Rowan with a grin.

“And you make sure they don't get themselves killed.”

Rowan proudly crossed his arms.

“I'll do my best.”

A short while later, the four of them finally stood at the gates of Lunaris.

A warm breeze swept across the fields beyond the village.

The roads were still quiet.

Only a few people were already out and about.

Rowan looked ahead.

A faint smile crossed his face.

“So... this is it.”

Kaien slowly took Yun Yun's hand.

He looked toward the road ahead as well.

“Yeah...”

A weak smile appeared on his face.

“This is it.”

Lyra immediately looked at him.

“Rowan already said that.”

For a moment, nobody said anything.

Then all four of them burst into laughter.

Even Kaien.

And together, they finally left Lunaris behind.

The road to Falkenreach led through wide meadows and narrow forest paths.

Birdsong filled the air wherever they went.

Several times, they passed small merchant carts or travelers on horseback.

Yun Yun admired almost everything they encountered.

Lyra, on the other hand...

kept running off whenever she spotted something new to draw.

A river.

A carriage.

A bird.

Or simply the landscape around them.

More than once, she suddenly stopped right in the middle of the road.

Each time, Rowan had to gently pull her along.

“Lyra.”

She kept writing.

“Lyra.”

No reaction.

Eventually, Rowan placed a hand on her shoulder.

“If you keep stopping every ten seconds, we won't arrive until next year.”

Lyra looked at him with complete seriousness.

“Then I'll have more time to draw.”

Kaien and Yun Yun immediately burst into laughter.

As they traveled, Rowan continued training Kaien and Yun Yun whenever they took a break.

Kaien practiced movements with his wooden sword, working on his footwork and posture.

“Use your legs more.”

Kaien immediately nodded.

Yun Yun worked on quick steps and kicks.

Rowan repeatedly showed her how to shift her weight more effectively.

“Don't just be fast.”

He lightly tapped her forehead.

“Move intelligently.”

Yun Yun immediately stuck her tongue out at him in annoyance.

Several hours passed.

And slowly, Kaien began to loosen up.

He was talking much more now.

Mostly with Yun Yun.

But also with Rowan.

It almost seemed as though he was beginning to truly experience the journey around him.

Eventually, Rowan came to a stop.

A broad grin spread across his face.

“Maybe it's about time...”

His gaze shifted between Yun Yun and Kaien.

“...you two had a little sparring match.”

Both of them immediately tensed.

“W-What?!”

“Right now?”

Lyra slowly raised her head.

A spark of excitement appeared in her crimson eyes.

“...Very interesting material.”

Rowan couldn't help but laugh.

He briefly ruffled her hair.

“Good to know I'm not the only one who finds this interesting.”

A short while later, Kaien and Yun Yun stood facing each other.

Kaien held his wooden sword firmly in both hands.

Yun Yun wore her reinforced leather gloves.

Lyra was already sitting nearby, frantically writing everything down.

“First official practice match.”

Rowan raised one hand.

“No seriously injuring each other.”

A faint grin appeared on his face.

“And Yun Yun... this time, try not to get sand directly into his mouth.”

Yun Yun's face turned slightly red.

“That happened ONE TIME!”

Kaien couldn't help but grin.

Then the match began.

Kaien moved first.

One quick step.

He swung from the right.

Yun Yun immediately moved backward.

Kaien followed up.

Another strike.

Then another.

The wooden sword cut rapidly through the air.

But Yun Yun was surprisingly agile.

She ducked beneath one strike.

Jumped backward from another.

Then twisted away to the side.

Lyra's pen moved faster across the page.

“Yun Yun favors mobility over direct confrontation.”

Kaien suddenly tried to strike at her side.

But at that exact moment, Yun Yun quickly scooped up a handful of sand.

WHOOSH.

The sand flew straight toward Kaien's face.

He immediately jumped back and instinctively covered his eyes.

“I already know that trick!”

Yun Yun grinned broadly.

But that was exactly what she had been waiting for.

While Kaien was still backing away, Yun Yun suddenly sprinted straight toward him.

Kaien heard her approaching footsteps.

He immediately swung the wooden sword from right to left.

But Yun Yun had anticipated it.

She dropped toward the ground in a flash.

One hand caught her weight against the ground.

Then she kicked Kaien directly in his rear leg.

THUD.

Kaien's stance collapsed instantly.

He lost his balance and fell backward.

Before he could properly react, Yun Yun had already pulled the wooden sword from his hand.

A few seconds later, the weapon was pointed directly at him.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Lyra immediately resumed writing at frantic speed.

“Kaien lost to Yun Yun due to excessive aggression and a lack of awareness.”

Kaien stared up at the sky for several seconds.

Then, unexpectedly, he started laughing.

Yun Yun blinked in surprise.

She immediately held out her hand.

“Are you hurt?”

Kaien took her hand.

“No.”

A faint grin appeared on his face.

“Thanks for the fight.”

Rowan was still standing nearby, looking genuinely surprised.

“Nothing against you, Kaien.”

His gaze shifted toward Yun Yun.

“But I was pretty sure you were going to win.”

Yun Yun immediately turned red.

“R-Really?!”

Rowan burst into loud laughter.

By evening, the four of them finally set up their first campsite.

A small campfire burned between several large trees.

The smell of grilled fish filled the air.

Above them, countless stars glittered across the night sky.

For the first time, the children were truly sleeping beneath the open sky.

And surprisingly...

none of them were afraid.

They shared stories.

They laughed.

They talked about Lunaris.

Eventually, Yun Yun, Kaien, and Lyra slowly drifted off to sleep.

Only Rowan remained awake.

He sat quietly beside the fire, keeping watch through the night.

The campsite had fallen completely still.

After a while, his gaze settled on Lyra's diary.

He looked at it for several seconds.

Slowly, his hand moved toward it.

Then he stopped.

His fingers hovered only a few centimeters above the cover.

He remained there for a moment.

Finally, Rowan withdrew his hand.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Privacy is privacy.”

He leaned back beside the fire.

What Rowan didn't notice...

Lyra was still awake.

She had simply kept her eyes closed.

And when she saw that Rowan hadn't touched her diary...

a small, genuine smile slowly appeared on her face.

A little later, she finally drifted off to sleep.