Aurelius and Amaya led him through a quieter section of Starheart Fortress where the halls widened and the stonework became smoother beneath his boots.
They stopped before a large door. Amaya opened the door and stepped aside.
The room beyond was larger than Shunjiro expected. Much larger. A wide bed stood against the far wall beneath heavy blankets, the frame carved from dark polished wood. A low table rested near a cushioned chair, and a wardrobe stood along one side of the room. A thick rug covered most of the stone floor, softening the space in a way that felt almost unreal after the prison cell. There was even a private washroom through a side door, with steam faintly rising from within, hinting at heated water.
Shunjiro stared for a moment.
He was grateful.
He was also confused.
Aurelius stepped no farther than the doorway. “Food will be brought to you soon.”
Shunjiro turned back toward him. “Thank you.”
“You will need strength,” Aurelius said. “If you feel well enough in the morning, you may go down to South Star Bastion and use the training grounds. Alone, if you prefer. After being trapped in a room overnight, some people find movement useful.”
The offer caught Shunjiro’s attention. Training sounded exhausting, but the thought of moving again with the Devil’s Luck Dagger at his side, of testing his body after the storm and Jayiden’s wound and everything that had happened, stirred something familiar in him. He had spent thirty days under Malachi’s constant pressure. Rest mattered, but so did making sure he did not become dull just because the room was comfortable.
“I might do that,” Shunjiro said.
Aurelius smiled faintly. “Good.”
Amaya remained quiet beside him, her blue eyes still studying Shunjiro with the same careful suspicion she had carried since the cell. She did not seem hostile, but she also did not look convinced that kindness should come without a blade close by.
Shunjiro placed one hand lightly near the dagger at his waist, more out of habit than threat. “Am I allowed to just go there?”
“In the morning,” Aurelius said. “Ask one of the fortress attendants for directions. They will guide you to the proper route.”
That did not fully answer how much freedom he had, but Shunjiro was too tired to press the question. He nodded instead.
“Thank you,” he said again. “For the room. And the help.”
Aurelius gave a small, unreadable smile. “Rest well, Shunjiro.”
Amaya inclined her head once. “Do not wander where you are not guided.”
Shunjiro almost smiled at how direct she was. “Understood.”
Aurelius turned away first, and Amaya followed beside him. Shunjiro watched them walk down the hall for a moment, the king’s massive frame and Amaya’s white-clad figure moving beneath the pale fortress lights. Then he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
Shunjiro stood near the door for several seconds, listening. No guards waited outside, at least none that made themselves obvious. No lock clicked behind him. The room was warm, clean, and comfortable. By every obvious sign, he had been treated less like a prisoner and more like an unexpected guest.
That should have made him relax.
Instead, he let out a slow breath and looked around again.
The bed looked impossibly inviting. The blankets were thick enough to swallow him whole, and after everything he had been through, the sight alone made his body feel heavier. Still, he did not move toward it immediately. His gaze drifted across the wardrobe, the table, the washroom, the polished floor, and the soft rug beneath his boots.
Shunjiro rubbed a hand over his face and gave a tired laugh under his breath. “I really do not know how normal days work anymore.”
His fingers brushed the hilt of the Devil’s Luck Dagger, and relief moved through him again. Aurelius had returned it.
That did not mean Shunjiro trusted him.
It only meant he was not ungrateful.
Down the hall, Aurelius and Amaya continued walking in silence until they reached the next stairway. The king’s pace remained relaxed, but Amaya had known him long enough to understand that his calm rarely meant nothing was happening beneath it.
“He is hiding more than he says,” she said.
Aurelius did not look at her. “Of course he is.”
“He lied about a lot.”
Amaya’s braid shifted over her shoulder as she glanced toward him. “Yet you gave him a room.”
“He is not our enemy.”
“That does not make him harmless.”
Aurelius smiled faintly. “I did not say he was harmless.”
Amaya understood enough from that answer to stop asking. She had served him long enough to recognize the difference between mercy and curiosity. Aurelius could be generous. He could be kind. He could open his halls to a half-frozen boy who had stumbled through a military gate with blood on his clothes and secrets in his mouth.
But he rarely did anything for only one reason.
At the upper landing, Amaya stopped. “I will return to the Bastion and review the night reports.”
“Good.”
“If he trains tomorrow, I will have the grounds prepared.”
“Do not make them too prepared,” Aurelius said. “Let him think he is alone.”
Amaya’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she bowed her head. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
She turned and walked down the adjoining corridor, her white clothing disappearing around the bend while Aurelius continued upward alone.
The throne room was quieter when he returned. Many of the officials who had been present earlier had already left, and the remaining attendants stood near the edges of the grand hall, speaking in low voices beneath the constellation-like ceiling. Pale lights shimmered above like captured stars, casting soft reflections across the polished floor.
Aurelius crossed the hall without haste.
At the side of the throne rested a communication crystal set into a silver stand. It was larger than the one used by lower officials, its surface clear and faintly luminous even before activation. Thin lines had been carved around its base in the shape of a star, each point designed to conduct spiritual energy cleanly through the crystal and carry messages across impossible distances.
Aurelius placed his hand over it.
Spiritual energy flowed from his palm in a controlled pulse.
The crystal brightened.
For a few seconds, only pale light filled its center. Then the glow deepened, spreading outward in slow rings until the connection stabilized.
Aurelius waited until the crystal’s light steadied before speaking.
“This message is for King Shadis Solmere of the Kingdom of Radiance.”
His voice carried easily through the hall, smooth and formal now, stripped of the casual amusement he had shown in Shunjiro’s cell.
“A Radiance adventurer named Shunjiro has arrived within the Stellar Empire. He was found at our South Gate during a storm and is currently under our protection inside Starheart Fortress. He claims to be seeking return to Radiance.”
The crystal pulsed softly, absorbing each word.
Aurelius continued. “When conditions allow, send one of your guilds to retrieve him. The Cosmic Continent is dangerous for lone travelers, and I would prefer not to send one of Shadis Solmere’s adventurers back through the snow without a proper escort.”
The message settled into the crystal. Light gathered at its center, brightened once, then began to fade as the words were carried away.
Aurelius removed his hand.
For a moment, he stood silently beside the throne, looking at the dimming crystal with an expression no one nearby could fully read.
Then he smiled.
“Now,” he said quietly, “let us see who Radiance sends.”
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
There was a soft knock on the door.
Shunjiro had been sitting near the edge of the bed, still adjusting to the fact that he was no longer cold, wounded, or locked behind bars. The room remained almost too comfortable for him to fully trust. The thick blankets, polished furniture, private washroom, and steady warmth flowing through the walls all felt like pieces of someone else’s life. He had cleaned himself as best he could after Aurelius and Amaya left, washing the dried blood from his skin and changing into the plain clothes that had been left folded inside the wardrobe. They were simple but well-made, warm enough for the fortress and marked with no symbols that tied him to the Stellar Empire. His own clothes had been set aside, too stained and torn to wear without drawing attention.
Still, even clean, Shunjiro felt out of place.
The knock came again, gentle and careful.
Shunjiro lifted his head. “Come in.”
The door opened quietly.
A young woman stepped inside carrying a tray with both hands. She looked a little older than him, maybe by a year or two, with long silky black hair that fell smoothly over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were a striking yellow, bright enough that they stood out immediately against the soft winter clothing she wore beneath a white cloak. She carried herself politely, with a reserved calm that made her presence feel much less overwhelming than Aurelius’s or Amaya’s. Steam rose from the tray in her hands, filling the room with the smell of warm stew, fresh bread, roasted vegetables, and something lightly seasoned that made Shunjiro’s stomach tighten almost painfully.
He had not realized how hungry he was until the food entered the room.
The young woman stepped toward the table and set the tray down carefully. “Your food,” she said, her voice quiet but clear. “King Aurelius asked that it be brought while it was still warm.”
Shunjiro stood quickly, a little too quickly, and nearly bumped his knee against the table. “Thank you.”
She glanced at him with a faint smile, then stepped back enough to give him space. “You do not need to stand for me.”
“I know,” Shunjiro said, then immediately felt awkward because he very clearly had stood anyway. “Sorry. Habit, I guess.”
“It is fine.”
He looked at the food again. The stew was thick and rich, with chunks of meat and vegetables floating beneath the surface. The bread beside it had been split open and brushed with butter, still warm enough that steam rose from the center. There were also sliced fruits he did not recognize, pale and glossy, arranged beside a small cup of something dark and fragrant.
It was much better than what he expected for someone who had arrived bloody at a military gate and been locked in a cell.
The young woman gestured lightly toward the chair. “You should eat before it gets cold.”
“Right.” He pulled the chair back, then hesitated and looked at her again. “I’m Shunjiro.”
She paused as if she had not expected him to introduce himself so casually. Then she gave a small nod. “Yuuna.”
“Yuuna,” he repeated. “Nice to meet you.”
“Yuuna Namiki,” she added.
Shunjiro stopped with one hand on the chair.
For a moment, the name sat in his mind without moving. Then it clicked into place, sharp and sudden. Akira Namiki. Gilded Blades. Radiance. Long black hair, yellow-green eyes, golden armor, Kaito’s vice-captain. Shunjiro looked at Yuuna more carefully then, noticing the shape of her face, the calm posture, and the faint resemblance hiding beneath softer features.
“Namiki?” he asked. “Are you related to Akira?”
Yuuna’s expression shifted immediately.
It was not anger, exactly. More like the practiced reaction of someone who had heard that question too many times and had never found a way to enjoy it. She gave a small chuckle, though there was a slight strain beneath it.
“Yes,” she said. “She is my older sister.”
“That makes sense.” Shunjiro sat slowly, still looking at her with interest. “You look a little like her.”
Yuuna’s smile became smaller. “I get that a lot.”
The tone told him enough.
He quickly looked down at the food. “Sorry. I probably should not have said that.”
“It is alright.” Yuuna folded her hands in front of her cloak. “People usually mention her before they mention me. I am used to it.”
“That sounds annoying.”
Yuuna blinked.
Then, to his surprise, she laughed quietly. This one sounded more genuine.
“It is,” she admitted.
Shunjiro smiled a little. “Then I will try not to do that.”
Her gaze softened, as if that answer had been better than she expected. “Thank you.”
Shunjiro picked up the spoon but did not eat yet. Something about Yuuna’s presence still confused him. “What are you doing in the Stellar Empire?”
Yuuna glanced toward the closed door before answering. “My guild is here on a mission. We will return to Radiance when the storm clears.”
Shunjiro’s attention sharpened. “Your guild?”
She nodded. “Crimson Lotus.”
The spoon paused halfway between Shunjiro’s fingers and the bowl.
“Crimson Lotus?” he repeated.
Yuuna tilted her head slightly. “You have heard of us?”
“No,” Shunjiro said honestly. “But that name sounds amazing.”
Her cheeks colored faintly, and she looked away in a way that made Shunjiro realize too late that his answer had come out with more enthusiasm than he intended.
“It is only a name,” Yuuna said.
“That is not true. Some names sound strong. Crimson Lotus definitely sounds strong.”
“We are an SS-ranked guild,” she said, trying to sound casual and failing slightly because of the small blush still lingering on her face.
Shunjiro stared at her. “SS?”
“Yes.”
“You are in an SS-ranked guild?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back a little, suddenly aware that the quiet girl who had just brought him stew was probably much stronger than she appeared. “Radiance has some terrifying people.”
Yuuna’s mouth curved faintly. “That is one way to describe it.”
Shunjiro finally lowered the spoon back toward the bowl, though he still did not eat. “Wait. If your guild is going back to Radiance when the storm clears, are you the ones taking me back?”
“That is what we were told,” Yuuna said. “King Aurelius asked our leader to prepare for it.”
Shunjiro looked down at the meal, then back at her. “That was fast.”
“The king moves quickly when he wants something handled.”
There was something careful in the way she said it, but Shunjiro did not push. He had already sensed enough about Aurelius to know that nothing in the Stellar Empire happened casually, even when it looked generous.
Yuuna glanced at his untouched food. “Your stew will get cold.”
“Oh. Right.” Shunjiro picked up the spoon again, then stopped for the third time. “Sorry. It feels rude eating while you are just standing there.”
“It is alright,” Yuuna said. “I will be excusing myself soon.”
“You do not have to leave.”
The words came out naturally, without much thought behind them.
Yuuna looked at him.
Shunjiro realized she was staring because that probably sounded more personal than he meant it. “I mean, if you are not busy. You brought the food, and I do not know anyone here except the Great King who questioned me in a cell, so talking to someone from Radiance is kind of nice.”
Yuuna’s expression softened again, and the blush returned lightly to her cheeks. “You speak very directly.”
“Is that bad?”
“It is unusual.”
“I hear that a lot.”
“I can believe that.”
Shunjiro smiled and finally took a bite of the stew.
The warmth hit him almost immediately. It spread through his mouth and down his throat, rich and savory, with enough seasoning to make him close his eyes for a brief second. After snow, blood, prison, and panic, the taste felt almost unreal.
Yuuna watched him with quiet amusement. “Good?”
Shunjiro swallowed. “Very good.”
“I did not cook it.”
“I was not going to assume you did.”
“Good. Because I did not.”
“You sound like you are warning me.”
“I am being honest.”
“That makes me more suspicious.”
Yuuna blinked, then laughed again, covering part of her mouth with one hand as if the sound had escaped before she could stop it. She seemed reserved by nature, but around him the carefulness kept loosening little by little. Shunjiro noticed, though he did not fully understand why. He only knew that the room felt warmer with her in it.
As he ate, he glanced at her again.
Something about her face tugged at his memory.
Yuuna noticed immediately.
Her smile faded into sudden embarrassment. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Shunjiro blinked. “Like what?”
“So intensely.”
“I am?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” He quickly looked down at his bowl. “Sorry. I did not mean it like that.”
“Like what?”
“I was trying to remember where I had seen you before.”
Yuuna looked away, cheeks darkening further. “That is not usually what people mean when they stare at someone.”
Shunjiro paused, spoon halfway to his mouth. “Oh.”
The realization struck him a second later.
“Oh,” he said again, more quietly. “Sorry.”
Yuuna crossed her arms beneath her white cloak, clearly trying to appear composed despite the blush. “It is fine.”
“No, really. I was not trying to make you uncomfortable.”
“I said it is fine.”
Shunjiro nodded, then studied the stew as though it had suddenly become very important. “For what it is worth, I really was trying to remember.”
Yuuna glanced back at him. “And did you?”
“I think so.” He looked up again, more carefully this time. “The day I became an adventurer, my friends and I walked past you and a few other people in Radiance. I remember seeing you talking with Emi and another guy.”
Yuuna’s eyes widened slightly. “You remember that?”
“Kind of. It was a busy day, but Emi stood out because I met her earlier.”
“Emi Tsuda,” Yuuna said. “She is part of Crimson Lotus.”
Shunjiro leaned forward slightly, interest sharpening. “She was in the entrance exams with me.”
Yuuna nodded. “Yes, she barely became an adventurer.”
“And the guy?”
“Satoshi,” Yuuna said. “Our guild leader.”
“Satoshi,” Shunjiro repeated. “Leader of Crimson Lotus.”
“Yes.”
“That sounds like someone I should probably know.”
Yuuna tilted her head slightly. “You do not?”
“I became an adventurer recently. I am still learning names.”
“Recently?” Her surprise was clear, though she tried to hide it. “How recently?”
“Not that long ago.”
“That is not specific.”
“I am avoiding making myself sound inexperienced.”
“That means very recently.”
Shunjiro pointed his spoon at her. “You are good at this.”
“At what?”
“Making me answer things without asking directly.”
Yuuna’s smile returned, softer this time. “Maybe you are simply easy to read.”
“That is concerning. I have been trying to get better at not being easy to read.”
“You are failing.”
He sighed. “That is also concerning.”
Yuuna laughed again, and this time the sound stayed in the room a little longer. It was quiet, but it changed her entire face when she let it happen. She looked less guarded, less careful, less like someone trying to carry the weight of an older sister’s reputation everywhere she went.
Shunjiro tore a piece of bread and held it toward her without thinking. “Want some?”
Yuuna stared at the bread as if he had just offered her something far more dangerous.
Then she looked at him. “That food is for you.”
“I know.”
“You were half-frozen and probably have not eaten properly.”
“That is true.”
“Then eat it.”
“It is a lot.”
“It is supposed to be a lot.”
“You sure?”
Her cheeks colored again. “Yes, Shunjiro. I am sure.”
He lowered the bread slowly. “You say my name like you are scolding me.”
“I might be.”
“That is fair.”
He ate the bread, and Yuuna watched him with a small expression that sat somewhere between amusement and disbelief. The conversation continued after that, easier than before. She told him a little about Crimson Lotus without revealing their mission, carefully dancing around the details whenever he asked too directly. He noticed the evasion but did not press. In return, he talked about becoming an adventurer in Radiance, leaving out the parts that would drag in the Shadow Realm, Tsubasa, Jayiden, or his last name. He mentioned the Grand Library, the entrance exams, and how strange it had felt standing in Radiance for the first time with no idea how quickly everything would change.
Yuuna listened more than she spoke, but when she did speak, her words came with quiet thought behind them. She asked about his friends, and Shunjiro found himself smiling despite everything. He spoke of Yoshinori’s seriousness, Tetsuo’s blunt confidence, Aiko’s sharp tongue, Ryuji’s calm reliability, and Itsuki’s kindness before the ache in his chest made him slow down. Yuuna noticed but did not force him to explain. That, more than anything, made him feel comfortable around her.
“You care about them a lot,” she said.
Shunjiro looked down at the stew. “Yeah.”
“You are trying to get back to them.”
“That is the plan.”
“And after that?”
He gave a tired smile. “I have not gotten that far.”
Yuuna studied him for a moment, then looked toward the door with a thoughtful expression. “You know, if you are going to be stuck here until the storm clears, you might as well see more than this room.”
Shunjiro lifted an eyebrow. “King Aurelius said I could train in the morning.”
“I was not talking about morning.”
That made him pause.
Yuuna’s smile became faintly mischievous, though it still carried her usual quietness. “I could show you around.”
“Around where?”
“The fortress. Maybe part of the Bastion if the patrols are not too annoying. If we are careful, perhaps even a view toward the civilian districts.”
Shunjiro set his spoon down slowly. “That sounds like something we are not supposed to do.”
“It is not allowed without escort.”
“You are saying that like it makes it better.”
“I am an escort.”
“Are you officially an escort?”
“No.”
“Then it sounds worse.”
Yuuna’s eyes brightened with amusement. “You are very cautious for someone who wandered to the military gate covered in blood.”
“That was not on purpose.”
“Then tonight can be on purpose.”
Shunjiro leaned back, looking toward the closed door. The idea was tempting in a way that made him immediately suspicious of himself. He had been dragged from one unknown place to another for days, and now someone from Radiance was offering to show him the inside of the Stellar Empire. Part of him wanted to say yes immediately. Another part remembered Amaya’s warning.
Do not wander where you are not guided.
“I can hide myself if I need to,” Shunjiro thought, then stopped before the words reached his mouth.
He could shut down his spiritual energy. Malachi had trained that into him. If something went wrong, he might be able to avoid detection long enough to get back. But Yuuna was another matter. He did not know her power, did not know how she moved, and did not know how well she understood the fortress’s patrols.
He looked at her carefully. “This sounds dangerous.”
Yuuna’s smile softened. “A little.”
“That is not reassuring.”
“I know this place better than you think.”
“You have been here before?”
“Enough.”
“And if we get caught?”
“Then I will apologize very politely.”
“That is your plan?”
“It usually works.”
“I do not believe that.”
Yuuna stepped closer to the table, lowering her voice slightly as if sharing a secret. “Do not worry about me.”
Shunjiro looked at her, then toward the door again.
He should say no. He knew that. He should eat, rest, wait for morning, train only if allowed, and avoid causing trouble in a foreign empire ruled by one of the Great Kings. That was the sensible choice.
But sensible choices had not exactly protected him lately.
Besides, if he was going to be trapped inside the Stellar Empire until the storm cleared, learning more about where he was did not sound like the worst idea. Especially if Yuuna truly knew how to move through the fortress.
He looked back at her. “You are sure?”
Yuuna’s yellow eyes met his, and the reserved girl who had entered with a tray of food gave him a small, confident smile.
“I am sure.”
Shunjiro let out a slow breath, then picked up one last piece of bread and ate it quickly.
“Fine,” he said. “But if this goes badly, I am blaming you.”
Yuuna moved toward the door, her smile widening just enough to make him wonder if agreeing had been a terrible idea.
“That is fair.”
Shunjiro stood, fastening the Devil’s Luck Dagger at his waist. The room suddenly felt less like a safe place to rest and more like the beginning of another problem he had willingly stepped into.
Yuuna opened the door a crack and looked down the hall.
Then she glanced back at him.
“Ready?”
Shunjiro was not.
He followed her anyway.
Yuuna led Shunjiro into the hallway with the confidence of someone who had already decided they would not be caught.
That alone made him nervous.
The corridor outside his guest room was quiet. Yuuna stepped lightly, her white cloak shifting behind her as she glanced once down the hall, then motioned for him to follow.
Shunjiro closed the door behind him as quietly as he could and kept pace beside her. “You look like you have done this before.”
Yuuna did not look back at him. “Maybe I am just naturally good at looking suspicious.”
“That is not as reassuring as you think.”
A small smile touched her face. “You worry a lot.”
“I was in a prison cell a few hours ago.”
“That is a fair point.”
“I also got told not to wander where I was not guided.”
Yuuna turned her head slightly, yellow eyes bright with amusement. “You are being guided.”
“By someone who admitted this was not official.”
“I never admitted that.”
“You avoided confirming it.”
“That is different.”
Shunjiro stared at her for a second, then let out a quiet breath through his nose. “You are dangerous.”
Yuuna’s smile widened just enough to make him realize she liked hearing that more than she should have. “Only a little.”
They moved farther from the guest rooms, leaving behind the calmer section of the fortress and entering a narrower passage where the lights were dimmer and the walls less decorated. Yuuna knew exactly where to go. She took turns without hesitation, avoided two wider halls before Shunjiro even heard anyone nearby, and led him down a side stairway that curved through the stone like a hidden artery inside the fortress. She never ran, never looked panicked, and never seemed uncertain. If anything, she looked more comfortable now than she had while standing in his room with a tray of food.
Shunjiro noticed that.
“You really do know this place.”
“I told you I did.”
“You said ‘enough.’ That is not the same thing.”
“Enough was accurate.”
“You talk like you learned from nobles.”
Yuuna glanced at him. “And you talk like you learned from people who interrupt nobles.”
“I probably would.”
“I can tell.”
They reached a landing that opened into an elevated interior walkway, and Shunjiro slowed despite himself.
The fortress opened around them.
The walkway stretched across a wide inner space carved through the heart of Starheart Fortress. Far below, knights moved along polished stone floors in quiet formations, their white-and-blue uniforms appearing almost ghostlike from this height. Above, archways climbed higher than some buildings in Radiance, connected by bridges, balconies, and narrow staircases that wound through the fortress in layered paths.
Yuuna stopped beside him. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
Shunjiro leaned slightly over the railing, careful not to make himself too obvious. “Radiance Castle is beautiful. This is…”
“Bigger?”
“Stricter.”
Yuuna gave a quiet laugh. “That is a good word for it.”
“It feels like the entire building is watching me.”
“It probably is.”
Shunjiro looked at her quickly.
She smiled as if she had said nothing alarming. “Come on.”
They crossed the walkway and slipped into another passage before the knights below could glance upward. Yuuna kept them away from royal corridors, explaining very little but clearly avoiding the parts of the fortress where the walls grew more ornate and the number of posted guards increased. When Shunjiro glanced toward one particularly grand staircase, Yuuna caught his sleeve and pulled him gently in the opposite direction.
“Not that way.”
“What is that way?”
“Places where we would stop having fun.”
“That is another terrible answer.”
“You ask too many questions.”
Shunjiro closed his mouth.
After several more turns, they reached a long corridor lined with narrow windows. Snow battered the glass from outside, but between each gust, Shunjiro could see pieces of the empire beyond the fortress. The view was broken and incomplete at first, only flashes of stone walls, dim lights, and roads cutting through the storm. Then they reached the end of the corridor, where a wider window overlooked the eastern side of the city.
Shunjiro stopped again.
This time Yuuna let him.
Beyond the glass, the Stellar Empire stretched outward in a shape unlike any kingdom he had ever seen. From this height, even with snow dragging a veil across the distance, he could make out the great arms of the Stella Wall extending from Starheart Fortress toward the outer circle of the kingdom. The wall did not form a simple ring around the center. It sliced through the city in massive stone lines, dividing the empire into sections and giving the whole place the shape of a four-point star. Farther beyond, the Outer Wall curved around everything, enclosing the star within a protective circle of stone.
Lights glowed throughout the districts between the points, softened by the falling snow. Roads ran in long, clean lines, some faintly visible beneath the warmth that kept them passable. Snow gathered along roofs, walls, and edges, but the main avenues remained open, glowing slightly where heat rose through them.
“That is Lunelle,” Yuuna said, pointing toward the eastern section. “Veyra is west, Asterin is north, and South Star Bastion is behind us. The fortress sits in the center of all of it.”
Shunjiro followed her gestures carefully. “The walls connect back to the fortress.”
“They do. That is why people call it the heart of the star.”
“Starheart Fortress.”
Yuuna nodded. “Exactly.”
He studied the view longer, trying to fix the layout in his mind. After stumbling through a blizzard and arriving at the wrong gate, seeing the empire from above made the place feel less impossible. It was still overwhelming, but now it had shape. Structure. Direction.
“Radiance is nothing like this,” he said.
“I know. Radiance feels more open.”
“You have been there a lot?”
“I live there when my guild is not traveling.”
“Right. Crimson Lotus.”
“You sound like you still think the name is amazing.”
“I do.”
Yuuna tried not to smile and failed. “It is a normal guild name.”
“It is not. My guild is called Illumina.”
“That is pretty.”
“Pretty is not the same as amazing.”
“I think it is better than Crimson Lotus.”
Shunjiro looked at her. “You are just saying that.”
“I am not.”
“You are definitely saying that.”
Yuuna leaned closer slightly, the teasing in her eyes becoming clearer. “Maybe I like pretty things more than amazing things.”
Shunjiro blinked, unsure why the sentence made him feel like he had missed a step in the conversation. “That seems reasonable.”
Yuuna stared at him for a moment, then looked away with a quiet laugh. “You really do make this difficult.”
“Make what difficult?”
“Nothing.”
He frowned but let it go.
They continued downward through the fortress, and the deeper they went, the more Shunjiro understood how careful Yuuna was being. She avoided patrols before they appeared, paused at corners without needing to be told, and once pulled him into a narrow alcove just before a pair of knights passed by in the adjoining hall. Their boots echoed against the floor, measured and steady, and Shunjiro felt Yuuna’s hand close around his wrist to keep him still.
The knights stopped nearby.
Shunjiro’s pulse jumped.
One of them spoke in a low voice. “Did someone pass through here?”
The second guard hummed thoughtfully. “Could have been an attendant.”
Shunjiro’s body reacted before his mind fully caught up.
His spiritual energy shut down.
It vanished from him so completely that even his own body felt strangely hollow for a moment, as though he had stepped outside of himself and left nothing behind for the world to sense. Malachi’s training came back with startling clarity. Quiet breathing. Quiet footsteps. Quiet soul. Shunjiro stood perfectly still, letting the absence settle over him while Yuuna remained close enough that he could feel the edge of her cloak brush his arm.
The guards waited a moment longer.
Then their footsteps moved away.
Yuuna did not speak until the sound had faded completely. When she finally released his wrist, her fingers lingered for half a second longer than necessary.
“That was close,” she whispered.
Shunjiro let his energy return carefully, slow enough that it would not flare. “You said you knew what you were doing.”
“I do.”
“That was your plan?”
“It worked.”
“I think you and I have different definitions of a plan.”
Yuuna looked up at him, still standing close in the alcove. “You were quiet.”
“I was trying not to get caught.”
“You are good at that.”
“Fear is useful.”
Her eyes moved over his face for a moment, curious, as if she had noticed something but had not decided whether to ask. Then she stepped back and returned to the hall. “Come on. We are almost out of the fortress.”
“Out of the fortress sounds worse than being in the fortress.”
“Do you want to see the kingdom or not?”
“I do.”
“Then stop complaining.”
“I am not complaining. I am documenting concerns.”
“That is complaining with extra steps.”
Shunjiro opened his mouth to argue, then realized he had no answer. Yuuna looked far too pleased by that.
They eventually passed through a lower gatehouse connected to one of the civilian routes. Yuuna handled the timing so smoothly that Shunjiro barely understood how they avoided the posted guards. They waited until a small group of attendants moved through with supplies, slipped along the side passage while attention shifted, and emerged into the covered walkway beyond the fortress walls without anyone calling after them. It was not perfect stealth so much as moving like they belonged exactly where they were.
Outside, the cold returned.
It was not the killing cold of the open storm beyond the empire, but it still struck Shunjiro immediately. Snow drifted through the air in light streams now, the worst of the blizzard softened by the walls and height of the fortress. The road beneath his boots was mostly clear, warmth rising through the stone enough to keep thick ice from forming. Snow gathered along the edges in white banks, clinging to rooftops and balconies, but the main path remained walkable.
Yuuna pulled her cloak tighter around herself and glanced at him. “Still want to explore?”
Shunjiro looked out over the district ahead.
Lunelle spread before them in soft blue light. Homes and shops connected along long streets, built from pale stone and dark wood with sloped roofs designed to carry snow. Lanterns hung beneath awnings, their glow reflected in the wet stone of the heated roads. Even late at night, the district did not feel dead. A few people moved between buildings, bundled in winter clothing, some carrying baskets or covered crates while others walked in quiet conversation beneath the snow. There were no slums, no abandoned corners, no broken alleys where people had been forgotten. Everything looked maintained, cared for, and warm against the endless winter.
“It is beautiful,” Shunjiro said before he could stop himself.
Yuuna looked at him rather than the district. “You say things like that easily.”
“Should I not?”
“No. It is nice.”
The way she said it made his face warm slightly, though he blamed the heated road.
They walked into Lunelle together.
For the next few hours, Yuuna showed him the empire the way someone showed a secret they were not supposed to share but wanted someone else to understand. She did not explain everything at once. Instead, she let him see, then added pieces when he asked. She pointed out how the roads were designed to carry troops if needed, wide enough for formations despite passing through civilian areas. She showed him a plaza where a frozen fountain stood at the center, its water still beneath a layer of ice while the stone around it remained warm enough for people to gather. She showed him the inner gates set into the Stella Wall, guarded even at night, where soldiers could move from South Star Bastion into Veyra or Lunelle if the city was ever attacked.
Shunjiro absorbed as much as he could, piecing together the star-shaped kingdom one view at a time.
Everywhere they went, the military’s presence was visible but not oppressive. Knights passed through streets in pairs, and civilians greeted them warmly. A baker stepping outside to sweep snow from his entrance raised a hand to a patrol. A child walking beside his mother pointed excitedly at the stars on a knight’s chest. The soldiers were watched with admiration, not fear.
That surprised Shunjiro most.
“In Radiance, people respect knights,” he said as they crossed a quiet plaza, “but guilds are everywhere too. Adventurers do so much that the city feels split between the two.”
“There are no adventurers here,” Yuuna said.
“None?”
“Not officially. If someone wants to become an adventurer, they leave and join a program somewhere else. The king allows it, but the empire itself uses knights for everything.”
“Dungeons too?”
“Knight squads.”
“Monster requests?”
“Knight squads.”
“Escort missions?”
“Usually knights, unless outsiders are involved.”
Shunjiro glanced at her. “Like now.”
“Like now.”
He thought about that while they continued walking. “That must make the knights feel closer to the people.”
“They are. Most families have someone who served, is serving, or trained at some point. The military is part of life here, not something separate from it.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It can be. It can also be heavy.”
He looked at her.
Yuuna’s gaze remained ahead. “When everyone praises strength, it becomes easy to wonder what people see when they look at you.”
Shunjiro almost asked what she meant, but her expression had gone thoughtful, so he let the question wait.
The more they walked, the easier it became to talk to her.
At some point, Shunjiro realized Yuuna had moved closer. Not enough to make it obvious at first, but enough that their shoulders occasionally brushed when the street narrowed. When he glanced at her, she looked away as if studying the shops. When he looked forward again, she smiled to herself.
“You are doing that again,” he said.
“Doing what?”
“Smiling like you know something I do not.”
“That happens often.”
“That is rude.”
“It is honest.”
“You are much less reserved than when you came into my room.”
Yuuna’s smile softened. “Maybe you are easy to talk to.”
Shunjiro looked ahead, surprised by how much he liked hearing that. “You are too.”
For once, Yuuna did not answer immediately.
They left Lunelle through a quieter route and returned closer to the fortress, taking an exterior staircase built along the inner side of the Stella Wall. From there, Yuuna showed him South Star Bastion from afar. The military district stretched southward beneath the fortress, sharper and more severe than the civilian sections. Training yards lay open under the snow, their heated stone surfaces dark against the white banks gathered at their edges. Barracks stood in disciplined rows. Weapon halls, stables, command buildings, and patrol roads formed a pattern so clean that it looked drawn by a strategist rather than built by ordinary hands.
Even at night, there was movement.
Knights trained in small groups under lights, their spears and sabers flashing through the falling snow. Others ran formations across the yards, breath misting in the air while officers watched from raised platforms. The sight stirred something inside Shunjiro, the same pull he had felt when Aurelius offered him the chance to train in the morning.
Yuuna noticed. “You want to go down there.”
“Kind of.”
“You said you were C-rank?”
“Officially.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That answer again.”
“It is still true.”
“You do not move like a C-rank.”
“You have not seen me move.”
“I saw you in the hallway.”
Shunjiro looked at her. “That barely counts.”
“It counted enough.”
He did not know how to answer that, so he focused on the training grounds below. For a moment, he imagined standing there with the Devil’s Luck Dagger in hand, golden sand circling his feet, testing how much of Malachi’s training remained sharp after everything that had happened.
Then he imagined the knights watching.
Maybe Aurelius watching.
That thought made his excitement cool slightly.
Yuuna leaned against the stone railing beside him. “You are thinking too much.”
“I have a lot to think about.”
“I can tell.”
“You say that like it is a flaw.”
“No,” she said quietly. “I think it is interesting.”
Shunjiro glanced at her, but she was already looking down at the Bastion again.
By the time three hours had passed, the storm had softened into steady snowfall. Yuuna led him back toward Starheart Fortress through a side route that climbed along the inner stonework and eventually opened onto a small balcony hidden behind a narrow archway. It was not part of the royal wing, at least not from what Shunjiro could tell. It felt forgotten, or maybe simply unused at this hour, a quiet overlook tucked against the fortress’s side where warm stone met cold night air.
Yuuna stepped out first.
Shunjiro followed and stopped beside her.
From the balcony, the Stellar Empire spread beneath them in broken, glittering pieces. The Stella Wall stretched outward in four directions, its arms dividing the city into the star shape he had begun to understand. The lights of Lunelle glowed to the east. Veyra shimmered faintly to the west. Asterin was barely visible through the snowfall to the north, while South Star Bastion remained sharp and disciplined below. Heated roads cut through the snow like dark veins, connecting homes, plazas, gates, and military routes beneath the watching height of Starheart Fortress.
Yuuna rested her hands lightly against the railing. Snow drifted into her black hair and melted slowly against the strands. “When I was younger, I used to think places like this made people feel small.”
Shunjiro leaned beside her. “Do they?”
“Sometimes.” She looked out over the empire. “Sometimes they make everything else feel small instead.”
He waited.
Yuuna’s voice softened. “Akira would love this view.”
The name changed the air between them.
Shunjiro looked toward her carefully. “You and Akira are close?”
Yuuna let out a quiet breath that might have been a laugh if it had carried more humor. “Yes. No. It depends on the day.”
“That sounds complicated.”
“It is.” Her fingers tightened slightly on the railing. “I love her. I do. She took care of me when we were younger. She is strong, responsible, respected, beautiful, composed, and impossibly good at almost everything she does.”
Shunjiro heard the ache beneath the praise.
Yuuna continued staring outward. “And when people look at me, they see her first.”
He said nothing.
“They ask if I am Akira’s sister before they ask who I am. They tell me I look like her, fight like her, speak like her, or that I should be proud to follow her example. Even when they mean well, it feels like I am standing behind someone else’s shadow.” She paused, then added more quietly, “Sometimes I hate feeling jealous of her because she never asked for that either.”
The words settled between them, soft but heavy.
Shunjiro looked down at the distant lights of the empire. He knew that feeling. He knew it better than he wanted to admit. Maybe that was why the words escaped him before caution could stop them.
“My older brother is Takeshi Tenzai.”
Yuuna went completely still.
The snowfall drifted quietly around them.
Then she turned to him, eyes wide. “Takeshi Tenzai?”
Shunjiro’s stomach dropped.
He should not have said it. He knew that immediately. The name was too large to leave his mouth so casually, too dangerous to place into the open air when he had spent so long hiding his last name from everyone who did not already know it. Malachi had learned it, but that had been different. That had come after days of training, trust, and quiet moments beside a fire. Yuuna had known him for a few hours.
And yet, somehow, he had said it.
Shunjiro looked away. “I should not have told you that.”
Yuuna’s shock softened, though it did not disappear. “Your brother is an EX rank.”
“Yes.”
“The Takeshi Tenzai.”
“Yes.”
She stared at him a moment longer, then lowered her voice. “Does anyone know?”
“Some people. Not many.” Shunjiro’s hand tightened around the railing. “I usually keep my last name hidden.”
“Because people would treat you differently.”
“That, and because it would make me a target.” He forced a small smile, but it did not last. “Being related to someone like him is not exactly safe.”
Yuuna turned fully toward him now, the teasing from earlier gone. “I will not tell anyone.”
He looked at her.
“I mean it,” she said. “I promise.”
The tension in his chest loosened a little. “Thank you.”
Shunjiro stared at the empire below, but his thoughts were no longer there. They had gone somewhere older. Somewhere warmer and farther away. To memories of a brother who had once seemed larger than the world itself, and to the emptiness left behind when that brother disappeared from his life.
“I have not seen him in five years,” Shunjiro said.
Yuuna listened quietly.
“He was always incredible. Everyone knew it. Even before he became what he is now, people looked at him like he was meant for something. Stronger, braver, better. The kind of person stories get built around.” Shunjiro swallowed. “And I was just his little brother.”
“That does not sound like nothing.”
“It feels like it when the person beside you is Takeshi.” He rubbed the side of his thumb along the railing, watching snow melt near his hand. “People think being connected to someone strong makes you feel strong too. It does not. Sometimes it just makes you feel smaller. Like everything you do will be measured against someone you can never reach.”
Yuuna’s expression changed with understanding.
Shunjiro kept going because stopping suddenly felt harder than speaking.
“I used to wonder if people would ever say my name without thinking of his. If I became strong, would it be because I earned it, or because I was Takeshi’s brother? If I failed, would it embarrass him? If someone came after me, would it be because of me or because hurting me would hurt him?” He let out a quiet breath. “That is part of why I became an adventurer without using my last name. I wanted something that belonged to me.”
Yuuna looked down. “I understand that.”
“I thought you might.”
“I hate that I do.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
The silence between them no longer felt awkward. It felt shared.
Yuuna leaned her shoulder lightly against the railing, close enough that their sleeves almost touched. “Do you still want to reach him?”
Shunjiro looked toward the distant lights of South Star Bastion. “Yes. But not the way I used to.”
“What changed?”
“I do not want to stand behind him anymore.” His voice was quiet, but the words came with a certainty that surprised even him. “I want to stand beside him one day. Not because I am his brother. Because I became someone strong enough to be there.”
Yuuna watched him for a long moment.
The look in her eyes was different now. Softer than before. Warmer. The teasing had faded into something much more dangerous because Shunjiro understood this less than he understood any of her jokes.
“You really mean that,” she said.
“I do.”
“That is unfair.”
Shunjiro blinked. “What is?”
“You say things like that and then look confused when someone likes talking to you.”
His face warmed. “I was not trying to—”
“I know.”
Yuuna turned toward him fully.
The snowfall moved between them in slow, quiet strands, catching briefly in her black hair and along the edge of her white cloak. Her yellow eyes held his, and for the first time that night, Shunjiro realized how close she was standing. Close enough that he could see the faint color in her cheeks from the cold, or maybe from something else. Close enough that the world beyond the balcony seemed to fall away behind her.
“Yuuna?”
She did not answer.
She only looked at him for one breath longer.
Then she leaned forward and kissed him.
Shunjiro froze as her lips met his, soft and sudden, while the snow continued falling around them.
When their lips parted, the cold rushed back in between them.
Shunjiro remained frozen for a moment, staring at Yuuna while the snow drifted quietly around the balcony. His mind struggled to catch up with what had just happened. One second they had been talking about siblings, shadows, and names too heavy to carry openly. The next, Yuuna had kissed him, soft and sudden, with no warning except the look in her eyes right before she leaned in.
Yuuna stayed close at first, her face still only inches from his. The confidence that had carried her through the fortress, through patrols, through streets she was not supposed to wander with him, had not fully left her. But there was something fragile beneath it now. Her yellow eyes searched his face, waiting for a reaction she clearly hoped would come easier than it did.
Shunjiro swallowed.
“Why did you do that?”
Yuuna blinked, and the faint color in her cheeks deepened. “Isn’t it obvious?”
He did not answer.
For several seconds, he only looked at her. Not because he wanted to make the silence painful, but because he genuinely did not know what to say. The kiss had not been unpleasant. That almost made it worse. Yuuna was beautiful, kind, clever, and far easier to talk to than he had expected. In only a few hours, she had taken a terrifying night inside an unfamiliar empire and made part of it feel almost normal.
But it did not mean enough to erase the person already standing somewhere deep in his heart.
Yuuna’s expression faltered under his silence. She stepped back slightly, though not far enough to fully pull away from the moment. “I like you,” she said quietly.
Shunjiro’s chest tightened. “Yuuna…”
“I know we just met,” she said before he could finish. “I know that sounds sudden.”
“It is sudden.”
“There is nothing wrong with that.”
He looked down at the balcony floor for a moment, watching a thin layer of snow melt against the warmed stone near his boots. He could feel the right answer and the easy answer separating inside him, and he hated that the right one was going to hurt her.
Yuuna’s hands tightened around the edge of her cloak. “Is there something wrong with me?”
His head lifted immediately. “No.”
The answer came too fast and too firmly for her to doubt. Yuuna froze, startled by the force behind it.
“There is nothing wrong with you,” Shunjiro said. “You are very beautiful.”
Yuuna’s face turned red almost instantly, and she looked away despite herself. The compliment landed exactly where her insecurity had been, softening it for one brief second before the rest of his words arrived.
“But there is someone else,” he continued, his voice quieter now. “And I cannot just throw that away for a girl I barely met.”
Yuuna stepped back.
Shunjiro saw the hurt cross her face before she managed to hide it, and guilt immediately twisted through him. He had not meant to sound cruel. He had only meant to be honest. Yet honesty, he was learning, could cut just as cleanly as a lie when spoken without care.
Yuuna lowered her eyes. “You are too blunt.”
“I know,” he said, and the apology was already in his voice. “I am sorry.”
She gave a small laugh, but it came out uneven, caught between embarrassment and sadness. “That sounds just like you.”
Shunjiro looked at her helplessly. “I did not mean to make it worse.”
“I know.”
“I just…” He rubbed the back of his neck, struggling to explain without saying too much. “I cannot make a decision like that so quickly. I cannot pretend I know what I feel after a few hours, and I cannot act like there is no one waiting in my mind when there is. That would not be fair to you.”
Yuuna looked at him then.
The embarrassment was still there, but beneath it was understanding. Painful understanding. She had heard what he did not say. Whoever this unnamed person was, they mattered. Maybe Shunjiro had not fully sorted out what that meant himself, but Yuuna could see enough in his eyes to know she had stepped into a place already occupied by someone else.
Snow continued falling beyond the balcony, soft and endless, while the lights of the Stellar Empire glowed beneath them. The city still looked beautiful from this height, but the warmth from before had changed. The view no longer felt like a secret they were sharing. It felt like something watching them stand on opposite sides of a mistake neither of them had meant to make.
Yuuna pulled her cloak tighter around herself. “I should apologize.”
Shunjiro shook his head. “You do not have to.”
“I kissed you without asking.”
“I am not angry.”
“That does not mean I should have done it.”
He hesitated, then nodded slightly because arguing with that would only make the moment more tangled. “Okay. Thank you for apologizing.”
Yuuna’s mouth twitched faintly, though it did not become a smile. “You really are strange.”
“I hear that a lot.”
“I believe it.”
The small attempt at humor faded almost as quickly as it came.
Shunjiro looked toward the archway leading back inside the fortress. He did not want to leave her standing there hurt, but staying felt like it would only press harder on the wound he had just opened. If he kept talking, he might explain too much. If he said the wrong thing again, he might hurt her more.
“I think I should go back to my room for the night,” he said.
Yuuna’s eyes lowered. “Right.”
“I am sorry,” he said again.
“You already said that.”
“I know. I still am.”
She nodded once, but did not look at him.
Shunjiro took a step toward the archway, then stopped. Leaving without saying anything else felt wrong after everything she had shown him tonight. He turned back toward her, his expression softer.
“Thank you for showing me around.”
Yuuna glanced up.
“I mean it,” he said. “Tonight was strange, and probably dangerous, and I am still not completely sure we were allowed to do half of it. But I am glad you showed me the empire.”
Her fingers tightened around her cloak again.
Shunjiro took a slow breath. “I hope we can still be friends.”
Yuuna’s lips parted slightly, but no answer came.
For a moment, it looked like she wanted to say something. Maybe yes. Maybe not yet. Maybe that friendship hurt too much when her feelings were still sitting raw between them. Whatever the answer was, she could not bring herself to give it.
Shunjiro understood enough not to force her.
He gave her one last quiet nod, then turned and walked back through the archway.
Yuuna remained on the balcony.
She listened to his footsteps fade into the fortress behind her, each one quieter than the last, until the sound disappeared completely. Only then did she let her shoulders sink. The snow continued falling around her, catching in her long black hair and melting against the white fabric of her cloak.
Below, the Stellar Empire glowed in the storm.
Yuuna stared out across it alone.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
High above the sleeping empire, the throne room of Starheart Fortress stood in silence.
The officials had gone. The attendants had withdrawn. Even the guards who usually remained near the far doors had been dismissed, leaving the vast hall empty beneath its constellation-covered ceiling. Pale lights shimmered overhead like frozen stars, casting faint reflections across the polished stone floor while the storm continued moving beyond the fortress walls.
King Aurelius stood alone near one of the high windows, hands folded behind his back as he looked out over the Stellar Empire.
From this height, the kingdom spread beneath him in quiet fragments of light and snow. The Stella Wall stretched outward from the fortress in four great arms, dividing the city into its star-shaped districts. Heated roads glowed faintly through the snowfall, and distant towers stood watch along the points of the empire. Everything below looked peaceful. Ordered. Protected.
Aurelius’s gaze remained fixed on the city for several moments.
Then his smile returned.
Small.
Slow.
Unreadable.
“Shunjiro Tenzai, huh?”
The name lingered in the empty throne room.
Aurelius lowered his head slightly, as if savoring the weight of what he had just learned.
Then he laughed.