"Crap," Hajin muttered under his breath, watching Helen walk down the dune toward them with a pissed-off expression on her face.

The Captain stood there, his four shards slowly fading around his wrist as he cleared his throat.

"I can explain," the Captain said, looking away to avoid her eyes.

"You can explain?" she stopped in front of them, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

He stepped back a little to stay out of the splash zone, thinking she looked ready to kill.

"We have wounded knights back at the camp," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "and you two are out here playing games in the middle of the night."

"It wasn’t a game," the Captain muttered, looking like a scolded child despite his massive build.

"I do not care what it was," she snapped, turning her glare to Hajin, "you are a rookie, but what is your excuse, Captain?"

The Captain didn’t answer, just staring at the sand. He looked embarrassed, which was a huge shift from the suicidal guilt he had been carrying earlier.

"Go back to the camp," she ordered, "both of you."

Hajin wasted no time, turning around and walking away before she could change her mind, the Captain following close behind.

"She is scary," Hajin muttered, shaking his head once they were out of her earshot.

The Captain let out a small huff, "she is. You should see her when she is training the recruits."

Behind them, Helen watched the two walk off, seeing how they were talking, and she could not help but smile a bit.

This was the first time she has seen the Captain talk to someone like that. He had spent the last ten years pushing everyone away, so seeing him hold a normal conversation was a welcome change.

The next morning, the camp stirred to life with the pale orange light of dawn spreading across the desert sky.

Hajin woke to the smell of something cooking over the fire and the low murmur of voices, the ache in his muscles reminding him of last night’s fight.

He sat up and found the Captain standing by the supply cart, talking to Helen in a calm, measured tone. There was no weight on his shoulders or distant look in his eyes.

He was just talking, like a normal person, and the difference was stark enough that Hajin had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing it right.

The Captain noticed him awake and nodded once, a simple acknowledgment that carried none of the tension from the day before, "eat quick. We march in ten."

Hajin grabbed a piece of bread from the fire and chewed on it while he packed his things, watching the Captain move through the camp with a lighter step than he had seen since they left the capital. The knights noticed it too, throwing each other confused glances but saying nothing.

As they formed up to march, the Captain walked past the column and stopped next to Hajin.

"go to the front of the line," he said, "you are walking with me and Helen today."

Hajin raised an eyebrow, "I am?"

"You are," the Captain said, already walking ahead, "move it."

He stood there for a second, watching the Captain walk toward the front of the column.

Behind him, the remaining knights were muttering to each other, their faces filled with confusion. None of them understood why their captain was suddenly acting friendly toward a rookie.

Juna and Loccy walked up to his side, both of them looking equally lost.

"What did you do to him last night?" Juna asked, her ears twitching in suspicion.

"Nothing," he said, adjusting the strap of his sword.

Loccy tilted her head, her long ears drooping slightly, "he seems... different."

"He is just in a better mood," he replied, giving her head a quick pat before walking forward.

Vella drifted right next to his ear, her voice a quiet tease, "you went out into the dark dunes with a grown man," she whispered, "should I be jealous?"

"Shut up," he muttered, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

He swiped his hand to turn the stream back on, a panel appearing in his vision. The chat instantly exploded with complaints from the viewers, who were all completely confused by the sudden change in the Captain’s behavior.

Because he had turned off the stream last night before they even ate, the viewers had missed the entire evening.

[ CringeSlayer91 ] why is the stream back online now? what did we miss?

[ ShadowMage44 ] bro turned off the stream before dinner last night, why is the captain suddenly so friendly?

[ NewViewer_02 ] did they fight or did they make up? i’m so confused

[ Ashley (mod) ] you really need to stop turning off the stream when things get interesting, we were left in the dark the whole night.

He sighed, closing the window to ignore their spam. He walked to the front of the line, taking his place beside the Captain and Helen.

Helen glanced at him, her expression neutral as she started the march.

"Let’s move," the Captain called out, the group beginning their trek toward the core.

As they walked side by side through the deep sand, Helen looked over at him.

"You know," she said, her voice quiet enough that the Captain ahead couldn’t hear, "I really didn’t like you when we first met."

He raised an eyebrow, "I noticed."

"I wanted to beat your ass up the first time I laid eyes on you," she continued, her tone completely serious.

He blinked, feeling a sudden wave of confusion and nervousness. He wasn’t sure why she had developed such an intense grudge from a single look.

"Why?" he asked.

"You looked like one of those arrogant noble kids who think they are above the rules," she explained, her gaze shifting to the Captain’s back. "But you helped him last night, so I am thankful."

He didn’t know what to say, just offering a small nod. The stream panel flashed in his vision as the chat reacted to the strange interaction, the viewers looking completely lost.

[ NewViewer_02 ] i have no idea what is going on anymore, why is everyone acting so weird today, just what happened last night.

They continued their march in silence, the heat of the midday sun beating down on their armor.

An hour later, the endless sand dunes slowly gave way to cracked stone tiles. Ruined stone walls and collapsed pillars began to emerge from the sand, looking like the remains of a destroyed village.

"Stay alert," the Captain warned, slowing his pace as they entered the ruins.

The air here felt heavy, carrying the faint smell of sulfur. Hajin stopped, his hand going to his sword hilt as the system warned of high mana density.

One of the younger knights stepped slightly ahead of the column, scanning a nearby doorway, when a sudden red rune flared under the knight’s foot.

Before he could even blink, the knight’s body exploded in a burst of red light, sending stone and blood flying.