"Watch my back," Maxim said to Theodora. It had been a long time since she’d heard those words from him. Maxim was facing the massive Death Worm, and she could hear his labored breathing behind her. Despite her broken leg, Maxim trusted her enough to rely on her to guard his back, a testament to the deep trust they shared.

Theodora didn’t respond verbally. She simply focused on dealing with the approaching monsters, hoping that Maxim could defeat the Death Worm quickly. The monsters hesitated to approach, sensing that despite her injury, she was far from an easy prey.

Theodora cast a glance at Maxim. He was locked in a standoff with the Death Worm. She noticed the slight trembling of his sword, a sign of the immense pressure he was under.

She had to trust him.

Forcing herself to ignore the growing unease, Theodora turned her attention back to the encroaching monsters. This was her immediate priority.

How long can I hold out? Maxim wondered, glancing down at his sword. The blade was battered, with some of its edges chipped away.

His heart pounded in his chest, sending a rush of blood coursing through his veins, spreading warmth from his torso to his limbs. Mana circulated along with his blood, tightening into a tense, revolving loop that aggravated his wounds.

The scars on his body throbbed, but Maxim pushed the pain aside. The sharp, stabbing sensation morphed into a burning ache. Ignoring the pain, he forced his mana to circulate even more intensely. His eyes burned with focused intensity as the explosive power gathered in his legs.

The Death Worm let out a terrifying shriek as its mouth contracted. Maxim watched the creature’s head closely. Despite having no eyes, it seemed to track him and Theodora, lowering its massive head toward them menacingly.

Dust billowed from the crimson shell of the creature as it lowered its body. Each movement caused cracks to spiderweb across the ground.

Should I jump in or wait for it to attack? How can I pierce that shell and drive my sword into it?

The distance between Maxim and the Death Worm slowly decreased. Though the beast was right in front of him, it didn’t advance, yet the gap between them continued to close. The shadow cast by the Death Worm swallowed up the shadow of Maxim’s feet as the ground beneath them cracked and crumbled. Maxim took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the Death Worm’s mouth was wide open. Its gaping, dark maw resembled a black void, as if the world had plunged into an eclipse. Maxim’s legs tensed, eager to launch him into action.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Maxim’s eyes tracked every slow movement of the Death Worm as it reared back to strike. His heart pounded as he pushed his body beyond its limits, forcing his mana to circulate with explosive force.

Boom!

The Death Worm’s head slammed into the ground, digging deep into the earth, creating a large crater. At the same moment, Maxim disappeared from view.

The worm reared its head, letting out an ear-piercing screech as a long, deep gash appeared on its thick shell. With every convulsion, its transparent blood sprayed out, splattering along with chunks of its flesh.

"Again."

Maxim’s form blurred as he slashed the worm’s body once more. And again. Each strike left new wounds on the creature’s body, as Maxim relentlessly hacked away with cold determination.

But inflicting this level of injury wasn’t enough. Unless he could dismember the worm completely, there was no way to kill this cursed beast. The sword in Maxim’s hand could only inflict minor cuts, nothing more.

Screech!

The Death Worm coiled its body and thrashed violently, shaking the ground and sending debris flying in all directions.

"Dammit...!"

Maxim dodged and deflected the flying rocks, rolling to avoid them. The Death Worm, leaking its clear blood, raised its massive body again. Maxim anticipated another charge, but instead, the worm did something unexpected.

"...No."

The worm began to burrow back into the ground. It wasn’t fleeing; its movement was too deliberate. It intended to ambush them again from below.

There was nothing Maxim could do to stop it from disappearing into its tunnel. Dust billowed up like a sandstorm as the creature vanished from sight. Maxim started to move forward but halted when he saw the last traces of the worm’s head disappear into the ground.

Don’t move.

Maxim froze in place. The only way the eyeless monster could track him was by sensing the vibrations caused by his movements.

"...Wait."

Vibrations.

The strongest vibrations were coming from behind him, where Theodora was fighting the other monsters.

Maxim sprang into action, dashing toward Theodora. He scooped her up in his arms and leaped away from the ground.

"Maxim?!"

"We need to move!"

"What...?"

The sound of the earth cracking interrupted them. Theodora quickly realized what was happening and clung tightly to Maxim.

"Hold on."

Maxim’s voice was barely a whisper.

Boom!

The ground split open, revealing a gaping maw filled with swirling, razor-sharp teeth.

And then the world exploded.

The ground beneath them collapsed. The monsters Theodora had been fighting plummeted to their deaths. Maxim felt a burning pain in his left arm. His armor had been torn away, and he stared at the shattered remains of his gauntlet, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"It’s coming!"

Theodora shouted from his arms. Maxim gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain, and twisted his body. The worm narrowly missed them as it collided with the cliffside. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, causing Maxim to stagger. The Death Worm turned its head toward them once more.

Screeeech.

The worm’s head, protruding from the ground, was aimed directly at them. Theodora’s expression twisted in horror.

"This... is bad."

The ground trembled again as the worm reared its head and let out another high-pitched shriek.

Screeeech!

The earth shook once more. Maxim scrambled to find stable ground as the Death Worm revealed its full, terrifying form above them.

"Maxim, you’ll have to use your aura."

Theodora’s voice cut through the chaos.

"Without it, we don’t stand a chance—so let me go!"

They couldn’t escape. The ground beneath them had become the worm’s hunting ground. From this vantage point, the Death Worm appeared even more massive. Maxim squeezed his eyes shut.

There was no time to hesitate.

Theodora was in no condition to fight. Any sluggish movement on her part would only hinder them.

Would you keep acting like a fool until the very end? The man in the mirror had once asked him that.

No, not this time.

Maxim gently set Theodora down, who looked at him in confusion.

"Theodora, listen to me."

Maxim’s voice was steady, but firm. He reached for the signal flare case attached to her belt, pulling out the flare and placing it in her hand.

"As soon as I start using my aura, fire the flare. And..."

Maxim’s grip tightened.

"No matter what happens, promise me that you’ll prioritize your escape."

Theodora, still confused, looked down at the flare in her hand and nodded.

"Alright, I promise."

Maxim lifted Theodora into his arms again, his steps feeling lighter than before, she thought. He carried her to a safer spot beyond the rubble and set her down.

"You’ll only be in the way if you try to fight. Stay here."

Maxim stood, sword in hand. The Death Worm was still emitting that horrible screech. Maxim checked his body, feeling strangely unburdened for the first time in three years. The pain that had been gnawing at him was now just a distant sensation. Though the scars on his body burned as if scorched, he pushed the pain aside.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Screeeech!

The mindless cry of the creature echoed through the air. The Death Worm lunged at Maxim, its head diving straight for him.

The ground shook, dislodging rocks that tumbled down around them. Maxim leaped into the air. His body ascended, piercing through the dust cloud stirred by the worm. His enhanced senses made everything feel slow as he reached the apex of his jump.

Then he descended. Time fractured, and Maxim landed.

He stood atop the writhing body of the Death Worm, his eyes cold and calculating. His body screamed at him to stop, but he ignored it.

Pieces were being chipped away.

He could feel something inside him being worn down with each use of mana that pushed him past his limits. Maxim reversed his grip on his sword.

The reason he hadn’t used his Aura Blade until now wasn’t because of some secret or a contract with the count. It was because if he failed to kill the worm with it, he wouldn’t be able to save Theodora.

Maxim steadied his breath. The pain that had begun to intensify only helped him focus.

He drove the tip of his sword into the worm’s shell without hesitation. A gush of transparent blood sprayed across his cheek.

The Death Worm thrashed violently, trying to shake Maxim off as it rolled and slammed its body into the ground. But Maxim remained focused.

"Why a knight?"

It was a question Theodora had asked him not long after they first met. He remembered it had been late spring or early summer. Maxim still didn’t understand why this cadet, who usually wore a cold expression, showed him so many different emotions.

"What do you mean, why a knight?"

Maxim had asked her in return. It was after sunset, and Theodora had often come to watch him practice in the training grounds. After his training sessions, she would ask him various questions while he tidied up.

"I’m asking why you wanted to become a knight."

Theodora had looked genuinely curious. Maxim shrugged.

"...I didn’t have any grand dreams. I just liked using a sword, and I wanted to face the world in a different way than the rest of my family."

Maxim wiped the sweat from his forehead. Theodora, finding some amusement in his response, continued to watch him intently. Her lifeless, stormy eyes unnerved him. To break the silence, Maxim spoke again.

"...Could you help me instead of just watching?"

"I didn’t train, though."

She had a point. Maxim sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he pushed the remnants of his training into a corner of the grounds. It was then that he realized she had come to stand beside him.

"Hand me the broom."

"...Why?"

"I changed my mind. I’ll help."

Maxim smiled as she extended her hand, offering to help.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing."

It was a moment of impulse.

"Do you want to train with me sometime?"

Theodora’s eyes widened in surprise at his invitation. Maxim immediately regretted his words and was about to wave it off when Theodora answered before he could take it back.

"Sure. I’ll come when I feel like it."

Now it was Maxim’s turn to be surprised. Theodora, perhaps realizing she had agreed too quickly, stared back at him with wide eyes.

"..."

"...Yeah."

Maxim’s initial goal as a knight hadn’t been grand. But at some point, he had decided to wield his sword to protect her.

Maxim had awakened his Aura Blade a month later.

The world shook as sky and earth flipped, and the horizon split apart. Maxim gripped his sword tightly and inhaled deeply. The rhythm of his mana changed, and a silent pulse spread through his body with each beat of his heart.

His Aura began to suffuse his blade.

The Aura Blade.

To a knight, it was a word filled with complexity and beauty.

Few knights could wield the Aura Blade. Perhaps one in twenty knights might achieve it. No matter how gifted they were with mana, no matter how skilled they were with a sword, the use of aura lay in a realm beyond talent and effort.

Some said that the ability to wield aura seemed predestined, like a twist of fate.

A knight who wielded aura became a hero.

A knight who couldn’t wield aura dreamed of the day they would, honing their skills tirelessly.

Aura was the knight’s dream, the knight’s everything.

The aura a knight created embodied the knight themselves—no excuses, just the pure essence of who they were. The color of their aura reflected their soul; its form mirrored their spirit.

Maxim’s aura was gold.

Not a brilliant, radiant gold like the sun, but a noble, auspicious gold. It was a gold that illuminated the darkness, unstained and unyielding. When Theodora had first seen it, she had called it beautiful.

"...You can already use aura?"

Maxim had let out a dry laugh at her words. The night air in the training grounds was stifling, the result of ongoing heatwaves.

"You could already use it skillfully before you even enrolled. Why are you surprised?"

Theodora had furrowed her brow, glaring at him.

"How long did you say you’ve been holding a sword?"

"About five years now. It was around that time when I first met my master..."

Maxim had tapped the tip of his sword against the ground as he answered.

"Exactly! What kind of madman can wield aura after only five years of holding a sword...?"

"How long did it take you?"

Theodora had huffed as she absentmindedly toyed with her sword.

"Over ten years. By the time I enrolled, at least."

She had drawn her sword. Despite being a standard-issue, academy-provided blade, it looked different in her hands.

Without even concentrating, she had swung the sword through the air. In an instant, her blade was shrouded in platinum mist, the same color as her hair. Maxim had watched in awe as the aura enveloped her blade. It was a little shaky, but it was clean and flawless, just like her character.

"Impressive."

Maxim had drawn his own sword then. Theodora had watched him with a skeptical gaze. Feeling a bit awkward, Maxim had smiled at her before focusing his mind.

It had started to bloom.

From the base of the blade, a golden aura had slowly begun to wrap around the sword. It had a solid presence, growing up the blade like a tree taking root. That was how Maxim had shown his aura. Though his mana was limited, it had wrapped around his sword with a steady cohesion.

"...It’s really aura."

Theodora had sighed, gazing at his sword with newfound interest.

"It suits you. Just like your personality."

Maxim had lifted his sword with a smile.

"Thanks."

"And it’s a beautiful color."

Theodora had given him a faint smile.

"I remember you saying that gold was your favorite color."

Maxim’s expression had faltered. To hide his flushed face, he had lowered his head.

"...Yeah."

Theodora had said nothing more. She had simply smiled wider, as if amused by his embarrassment.

Maxim’s sword wasn’t flashy or overwhelming. But it was illuminated with a golden aura, glowing softly.

Theodora looked up. The ground had caved in, burying all the surrounding monsters. She was left to witness the scene before her.

Whir, whir.

Maxim’s sword hummed, resonating with a deep sound. The Death Worm seemed to sense its impending doom, thrashing wildly in a last-ditch effort. Maxim drove the sword deeper into the creature’s body.

Screeeech!

The Death Worm reared back, letting out a pained shriek. Maxim rotated his body, twisting the sword within the creature.

In the sky, a golden moon appeared.

Theodora stared in awe at the full moon shining above. The Death Worm’s body was cleaved in two, crashing to the ground.

Thud.

The earth trembled as the worm’s life came to an end.

As the dust settled, Theodora felt a mix of emotions. She was relieved that Maxim had used his Aura Blade again but also felt a pang of concern. She began walking toward him to get a closer look.

"Maxim."

Theodora called out his name. There was no response. Maxim stood there, seemingly frozen after delivering the final blow.

"Maxim...?"

He slowly turned to face her, his expression one of utter exhaustion. His eyes were unfocused, wavering with fatigue. Anyone could see that he was in a precarious state.

Something’s wrong.

Before Theodora could fully grasp what was happening—

Cough.

Blood began to pour from Maxim’s mouth.