Kyle Stravan, the Crimson Sword Saint.

He was a hero of the continent, having led the campaign against the cultists during the Great Extermination and leaving his mark across countless pages of history. A star that reached the highest point in the night sky.

He had slain countless dark mages, bringing light to the chaos-ridden Empire. He had even died a glorious death at the end of the war.

The Empire honored his noble legacy, commemorating the hero who had fallen from the sky, calling him the “Fallen Star.” It was a classic tale of a great figure.

But, of course, that wasn’t the whole story.

Beyond the scenes known to the public, there were stories untold, details hidden from the audience. And Kyle Stravan had his share of such hidden tales.

—*I saved the continent… yet, I failed to protect what was most precious to me.*

Kyle had a family—a beautiful wife and a daughter he cherished. He took up his sword initially to protect them, but that choice ultimately plunged his happy family into a nightmare.

It was a tragedy.

—*I ruined everything.*

As he led the front lines of the extermination, his overwhelming power became evident. Fearing they couldn’t defeat him directly, the dark mages concocted a scheme to bring down the star.

They kidnapped his beloved family.

—*Lay down your weapon and surrender. If you wish to save your wife and daughter, you’d best comply.*

He couldn’t defy them.

The star fell, helplessly.

Without resistance, Kyle was captured. The cultists imprisoned him where no one would find him, using him for dark experiments and torture, withholding any news of his family’s fate.

He endured, clinging to hope that his loved ones might still be alive.

—*How does it feel now, Sword Saint? You stood in our way for so long, but now the roles are reversed. Let’s see how well you hold out.*

Painful days passed.

He was stabbed, cut, torn apart. More torture than experimentation, each malicious touch chipped away at his once-iron resolve. But just as he was on the verge of breaking, someone appeared.

—*I’ve come to retrieve you, Crimson Sword Saint.*

It was a boy with golden hair and narrowed eyes.

After swiftly eliminating the cultists in the facility, the boy approached Kyle’s cell, his ominous gaze assessing Kyle’s condition.

—*You haven’t become a monster yet. I was worried I might be too late… I suppose I should be relieved. It would’ve been quite a hassle if you’d ended up as a stage boss.*

The boy muttered cryptically as he cut through the bars, freeing Kyle, and helped him to his feet, as if to help him escape.

—*Let’s go together.*

The wounded beast was taken in, and they left the scorched facility behind.

The boy took the fallen hero somewhere he could never have dreamed of—back to the woman he had longed to see, his wife, who had also been abducted.

—*She was in a branch outside Imperial territory. I rescued her while wiping out some remaining cultists. As you can see, she’s quite injured, but she should recover well. She was lucky.*

Kyle wept as he held his wife.

His heart, weakened, began to crumble, allowing the boy’s influence to slip through the cracks.

The boy—the serpent—tempted the once-great hero with a whisper.

—*From now on, serve me, and I will fulfill all that you desire.*

The voice was calm, yet the boy’s unsettling smile held an adult’s cynicism.

The serpent’s offer was one Kyle could not refuse.

—*If you wish, I will find your daughter as well. I don’t know how long it will take… but I will bring her back, that missing part of your world.*

Kyle could not resist.

—*I am now your master.*

From that day forward, the hero served a new god.

The promise was eventually fulfilled—at an entirely unexpected moment.

“I have returned your lost daughter… as I promised.”

The serpent’s eyes narrowed into a faint smile, and the grotesque mass of flesh behind him writhed.

*Aaah… aah…?*

A distorted moan came from the monster’s five-parted mouth. Hundreds of tentacles wriggled along its body, and countless eyes dotted its skin. Sharp teeth protruded like thorns.

It was a horrifying sight, yet Kyle couldn’t look away.

He stared, dazed, at the dying creature. Perhaps it was instinct.

“…”

No matter how twisted, a parent can recognize their child.

It was not a logical deduction, but a searing emotion that burned within his heart. As a father, Kyle knew.

*Aaah… aah…*

The daughter he had loved so dearly.

Though his eyes tried to deny it, his heart beat wildly. As a father, how could he not know?

“…Eileen?”

The name he hadn’t spoken in so long caught in his throat. It felt painfully raw.

Kyle’s breathing grew uneven as he realized the truth.

*Aaah…?*

The creature he beheld was, in fact, his daughter.

Overcome by the sight, Kyle’s body froze.

He could only look at her ruined form.

“…”

Her red eyes blinked, and while she had countless others, they were strikingly similar to his own crimson gaze.

Those were the eyes his daughter once possessed.

After a moment, Kyle took a step forward, slowly approaching the creature.

His lips, bitten and torn, bled bright red as he staggered closer, his steps hollow.

“Eileen… my daughter.”

*Thud.*

His legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees before the writhing tentacles.

Dry tears traced down his cheeks.

“Your father has missed you so much…”

Deep down, he’d always known.

Captured by dark mages, he had imagined this outcome. He’d braced himself night after night, yet—

“…How could you return like this?”

The reality of facing her was far more painful than he could’ve prepared for.

Before him was his daughter, once a person, now something no longer human. His fists clenched.

It was as though an icy spike had driven into his heart.

What a cruel thing life could be.

What had he survived to see, if this was the result?

“I missed you… so much.”

His voice, tinged with sorrow, wavered.

Though on the verge of breaking, he forced his eyes open, knowing he still had a duty to fulfill—one he could not pass onto anyone else.

*Aaah… aah…*

Eileen moaned pitifully, as though she no longer wanted to live.

He wanted to end her suffering.

*Shing—*

Kyle drew his sword, his daughter’s writhing tentacles reflecting off the blade’s cold surface.

After a moment of silence, he raised the sword toward her, ready to end her misery.

“Rest now…”

Poor child.

Her life had been an undeserved sentence of torment, and he, her father, would see her suffering to an end.

“Forgive your unworthy father.”

The sword gleamed ominously as he prepared to carry out the dreadful task.

But just as the gruesome moment approached—

“Stop.”

Someone grasped his arm, halting him.

He turned to see the serpent behind him, wearing a soft smile.

“Why are you in such a rush to send her off when you’ve finally found her?”

“…Commander.”

Kyle, stifling his sobs, answered.

“She only has suffering left. I want her to find peace.”

“I wish for the same.”

“Then… please, let me do it.”

His tear-filled eyes met the serpent’s, sadness pooling in his crimson gaze.

“I want to do this myself.”

The serpent sighed lightly, as if Kyle had misunderstood.

“It seems you’ve taken my words the wrong way.”

“What…?”

“I am a man who keeps promises. I wouldn’t call this an ending to a promise, would I?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Just watch.”

The serpent gently pushed Kyle back, then raised his hand to the enormous tentacled mass.

Darkness swirled around them, shadows converging into a sharp glow at the tip of his fingers.

The serpent murmured an incantation.

“Shatter.”

*Crash—!*

The sound of breaking glass echoed as black cracks formed around the monstrous form, encircling it in a tight web.

For a moment, the air was filled with fragments scattering in all directions.

The serpent opened his eyes and snapped his fingers.

“Rewind.”

*Snap!*

As the light returned, the creature vanished completely.

And where it had once been, a young girl lay on the ground.

“Commander? What did you… ah?”

Kyle, bewildered, looked around, noticing the absence of the monster.

And there, in its place, was his daughter, just as he remembered her.

“….”

Her delicate features, her shoulder-length red hair, her closed eyes—everything as it had been.

Kyle stared, wondering if it was an illusion.

The serpent, with a quiet smile, spoke to him.

“I have kept my promise.”

Eileen lay there without a single wound.

Kyle knelt down, his hand trembling as he checked her pulse.

She was alive.

He felt her warmth beneath his fingers, the undeniable proof that he was not dreaming.

The father pulled his daughter into his arms.

“Eileen…!”

The serpent smiled faintly.

“She’s alive… She’s really alive… Thank the heavens.”

“She’s only sleeping from exhaustion. She’ll awaken in good health after a day’s rest.”

“Oh…!”

It was a miracle.

A world that had shattered was finally whole again.

With tears in his eyes, Kyle bowed his head.

“Oh… Commander…”

He gripped his sword and planted it firmly in the ground, kneeling with one knee bent and his hands resting reverently upon the blade's hilt.

It was a posture of absolute loyalty, the gesture of a knight pledging allegiance to his master.

And with a voice choked by emotion, the hero muttered, “My god…”

His words were filled with a reverence that radiated warmth and gratitude. The other members around him, having witnessed the miracle, followed his lead, each bending one knee in respect, acknowledging the awe-inspiring moment they had just witnessed.

Kyle brought his hands together, murmuring his vows as though offering a prayer to the one who had restored what he thought was lost forever.

"May all things be as you will."

The words passed as a soft chant, one that felt like a hymn slipping into the quiet air of the hall.

"May all things be as you will."

Even as the prayers of those around him echoed, the god in question simply stood there, a faint smile on his lips, observing the scene without a word.

The boy’s thoughts were simple.

*It’s good to see a happy ending.*

A humble sentiment, a wish for others’ happiness, which showed just how softhearted he truly was.

---

**Meanwhile**

Irene watched the scene from afar, overwhelmed by the miracle she had just witnessed for the second time. But then her attention was drawn to something that shifted her focus back to reality.

The serpent was coughing, his shoulders shaking slightly as he tried to suppress it.

“…cough…”

The quiet sound echoed through the hall, and she saw him cover his mouth with his hand. Scarlet drops marked his white gloves.

“…Huh?”

Unconsciously, Irene let out a surprised gasp. She hadn’t expected this.

Yet the serpent merely wiped his mouth calmly, as though he’d been through this before.

No one else seemed to notice; each of the other members was kneeling, eyes closed in silent prayer.

Irene was the only one who saw it.

*Snap!*

The serpent gave a slight snap of his fingers, and the bloodstains vanished. Glancing around briefly, he flashed her a quick smile.

“Shh.”

He pressed a finger to his lips, a silent request for her to keep it secret.

Irene simply stood there, unable to respond, her wide eyes fixed on him as he stood, composed and serene, his narrow eyes betraying no sign of discomfort.