Beyond The Crimson Sky

Dear Arthur,

As I lie upon this battlefield, I watch my own blood spread across the earth beneath me. A sword pierced my chest. At first, there was pain. Now, there is only cold.

Above me, the sky burns crimson.

Strange... I never cared much for sunsets.

I spent my life following your orders, fighting battles, and fulfilling my duty. Yet now, as I watch the sun sink beyond the horizon, I cannot look away.

I wonder what lies beyond it.

Perhaps a place without war.

Without blood.

Without loss.

There is only one thing that troubles me.

I never got to see you again.

Of everything I must leave behind, that regret weighs upon me the most. To die without seeing you one last time, without hearing your voice or standing at your side again, is a sorrow I never imagined I would carry into death.

I spent my life serving under your command. I followed every order without hesitation and gave everything I had to the cause we believed in. Yet now, in my final moments, I find myself wishing for something as simple as a farewell.

But such wishes belong to the living.

Arthur...

Please protect the Princess.

In these dark times, her smile reminds us why we continue to fight. It is one of the few lights this war has failed to extinguish. As long as she is safe, there is still hope for this kingdom.

That hope now rests with you.

I trust you more than anyone. If there is one man who can bear this burden, it is you. You have always been our strength when we needed it most, and I know you will continue to lead, even after I am gone.

The cold grows stronger with every passing breath.

The sounds of battle fade into silence.

My eyes are growing heavy.

All I can see now is the crimson sky above me... and the blood surrounding me.

Perhaps this is a fitting end for a knight.

The sun is setting.

And so am I.

Your loyal soldier, until the end.

---

A voice reached him through the darkness.

Soft.

Gentle.

Patient.

At first, the knight believed it to be nothing more than the final dream of a dying man. The last illusion of a fading mind refusing to surrender.

Yet the voice remained.

It called his name.

Again.

And again.

Each syllable carried a warmth he had never known.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

A young woman was kneeling beside him.

For a single moment...

He forgot how to breathe.

Her skin was as pale as untouched snow.

Long white hair cascaded over her shoulders, swaying gently in the evening breeze.

Her crimson eyes gazed into his without fear, without hesitation.

He had never seen anyone like her.

The knight remained perfectly still.

Then realization struck him.

The wound...

It was gone.

The sword that had pierced his heart had vanished without a trace. Only a thin scar remained upon his chest.

There was no pain.

Nothing that should have been possible.

His confusion deepened.

The young woman smiled faintly and spoke once more.

Her voice was soft enough to calm a frightened child.

Yet the words meant nothing to him.

They belonged to no language he had ever heard.

Still, she continued speaking.

Slowly, she leaned closer.

Veon could not move.

His eyes remained fixed upon hers.

Behind her, the crimson sun rested upon the horizon.

Its fading light wrapped around her figure, turning her white hair into strands of gold and scarlet.

She no longer seemed human.

She seemed older than the world itself.

Still she spoke his name.

As though she feared he might vanish if she stopped.

Then-

Without warning...

The words became clear.

"Inhaling, I live.

Exhaling, I die.

In the pause, I am.

I shall await you in the forest, Sir Veon."

A shiver raced through his body.

His heart pounded violently against his ribs.

Until that moment, her voice had been comforting.

Now...

It filled him with a fear beyond reason.

He tried to move.

His body refused.

His eyes remained locked upon hers.

Watching him as though she had known him long before he had ever drawn breath.

Sweat formed upon his brow.

Questions flooded his mind.

Who was she?

How had she healed a mortal wound?

Why did she know his name?

And what did she mean by waiting for him?

The young woman said nothing more.

She simply watched him.

Silent.

Unmoving.

Then Veon blinked.

She was gone.

No sound.

No footsteps.

No trace.

Only the crimson sun hanging low above the horizon.

For several long moments, he remained frozen, staring at the empty place where she had been.

Had she truly been there?

Or had death itself deceived him?

At last, strength returned to his limbs.

Slowly, he rose from the blood-soaked earth.

The battlefield stretched before him exactly as he remembered.

Broken swords.

Shattered shields.

Countless fallen soldiers.

The scent of blood still lingered in the air.

Everything was real.

The battle.

His death.

The scar upon his chest.

And somehow...

His survival.

Veon placed a hand over the mark above his heart.

No pain answered him.

Only silence.

Whatever had happened...

Whatever that woman truly was...

He knew only one thing.

He had been granted another chance.

Fear still lingered within him.

Confusion remained.

Without looking back, Sir Veon turned toward the distant walls of the kingdom and began to run.

The evening wind swept across the dying battlefield as the crimson sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon.

Yet even as he ran...

He could not forget her voice.

Nor the promise she had left behind.

Somewhere within the forest...

She was waiting.