Chapter 5: The Land of Machines Episode 29: The Secrets Behind Honor

Part (1/4): A Hero's Burden, A Princess's Heartbeat

After the nearly inescapable ceremony of promotions, the people of Draft parted like a tide, forming a path that stretched from the stage all the way to the maglev station. Zekhtau and Castro remained on the platform, waving as the team passed, their eyes gleaming with an unreadable expression.

As they walked through the crowd, cheers of celebration filled the air.

Yue, grinning ear to ear, soaked in the attention as if she were a rising star, happily dragging Mirelle along with her. Though Mirelle wasn't nearly as enthusiastic, she allowed herself to be pulled along without protest.

Draco, leading the group, maintained his cool and confident façade, doing his best to look composed under the weight of hundreds of eyes.

Elina walked beside Osiris, gracefully waving to the crowd, though the slight redness in her ears betrayed her flustered state. Meanwhile, Osiris, ever the observer, was studying Draco's mannerisms with great concentration, attempting to mimic his every movement.

At the very back, Akira walked in quiet contemplation, flanked by Keela.

Keela waved naturally, exuding the effortless grace of a born royal, while Akira simply half-heartedly raised his hand in acknowledgment, his mind visibly weighed down by unspoken thoughts.

Noticing his silence, Keela leaned in and whispered, "You got the highest rank out of all of us… Why don't you seem happy? Something on your mind? I'm here if you need to talk."

Her sincerity eased the tension in Akira's chest. He glanced around at the sea of people surrounding them before replying, "Thanks… but it's a little too crowded right now. I'll tell you once we're inside."

He offered a small, reassuring smile, yet the worry in his gaze was still unmistakable.

Keela nodded, accepting his response, but the concern in her heart only grew. For some reason, seeing Akira like this—burdened, distant, lost in thought—made something stir deep inside her. She found herself wanting to take some of that weight off his shoulders, wanting to do something—anything—to help.

It was a realization that sent a sudden warmth rushing to her face.

Her steps slowed, hesitating as the strange new feeling took root in her chest.

Akira, noticing her lagging behind, turned to check on her, lowering his voice. "You okay? You look a little pale… Is the crowd making you dizzy?"

Keela blinked, her heart pounding so loudly she could barely hear anything else. Avoiding his gaze, she clenched the hem of her sleeve, unsure of how to respond. "Mhm…"

Akira extended his hand toward her.

"If it's alright, Princess… want me to guide you through?"

Keela's breath caught in her throat.

His hand, open before her, seemed so simple—yet her world had somehow narrowed down to just that one moment.

Her fingers trembled slightly as they hovered over his palm. A battle waged in her mind. It's just helping me walk. That's all.

So why did it feel like the entire world had just stopped moving?

She inhaled slowly, gripping her sleeve a little tighter… then, softly, tentatively, she let the tips of her fingers touch his.

Akira's grip was gentle yet firm, steady as he led her forward.

But for Keela—the bustling city, the cheering crowds, the world itself—had faded into silence.

All she could hear was the deafening pounding of her own heartbeat.

Part (2/4): The Puzzle Left Behind

As the team accepted gifts from the townspeople, the kitchen staff—particularly enthusiastic in their generosity—handed over an absurd amount of supplies.

"I'll take care of the rations!" Yue volunteered eagerly, stuffing them into her storage.

Mirelle smirked. "You just want to sneak some snacks, don't you?"

Yue gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. "How could you say that, Mirelle?! I am deeply wounded!"

Her exaggerated performance earned a few chuckles from the group, though no one really believed her innocence.

As they arrived at the maglev station, both Mirelle and Yue immediately noticed something unusual—Akira was holding Keela's hand as they walked toward the train.

Mirelle's eyebrow twitched.

Without hesitation, she nudged Yue.

The moment Yue spotted it, she moved in like a seasoned battlefield tactician, smoothly inserting herself between them.

Akira barely had time to react before Yue seized his arm, pulling him away with the subtlety of a thunderstorm. Their hands slipped apart.

Keela blinked, caught off guard.

Mirelle folded her arms, watching the scene with silent satisfaction.

"I turn my back for one second, and Keela's already gaining points?" she mused. "Absolutely unacceptable."

At last, they boarded the train, and the maglev lurched into motion, pulling away from Draft. The cheers of the townspeople faded into the distance, their waving silhouettes growing smaller until they vanished entirely.

The atmosphere inside the cabin was lighthearted and energetic. The team eagerly discussed the ceremony, their new unexpected ranks, and the sheer insanity of receiving battalions of cyborg soldiers.

All except for Akira.

He sat in complete silence, staring at nothing in particular, eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. He looked like he was piecing together a puzzle with missing pieces.

Keela noticed, glancing at him with concern.

Mirelle also noticed, but instead of looking worried, she just sat there with her arms crossed, still mildly annoyed.

The train's rhythmic hum filled the space between their voices—until Yue, who had been watching Akira closely, finally spoke up.

Her voice was different this time—a rare, serious tone that immediately silenced the conversation.

"Big brother… something's wrong, isn't it?"

The shift in her demeanor made everyone pause. Yue was always the heart of the group, the lively, carefree one—so for her to sound like this, the matter had to be serious.

Every pair of eyes turned to Akira.

He exhaled slowly, gaze flickering over his friends before he finally let the words spill out like a tide breaking free.

"When we stepped off that stage… I saw Zekhtau and Castro bump fists. Like old friends—grinning, completely smug about something."

He let that sink in before continuing, voice steady but weighted with unease.

"That's when it hit me. There's a lot about Draft that doesn't add up. Things we never got answers for."

Draco, always the first to jump on a mystery, leaned forward. "Like what? Lay it on me. I'm not getting fooled again like with Lunar."

His words, meant as a joke, did little to lighten the atmosphere.

Akira looked up at his team, the shadow of something unsettling flickering behind his eyes.

Then, slowly, he asked the question that had been gnawing at him from the very start.

"…Why did Castro send Elina to find us in the first place?"

Silence.

The only sound was the train's wheels gliding over the tracks.

Everyone's minds began to retrace their steps.

Akira locked eyes with Elina, then spoke carefully. "If everything that happened in Draft was just coincidence… then we're probably the luckiest people alive."

His gaze darkened.

"…But what if it wasn't?"

Part (3/4): The Unraveling Mystery

Elina frowned, her voice measured as she answered, "Castro ordered me directly… but he never gave me a reason, and I never asked."

She pressed her lips together. "I trusted him… or maybe I used to."

Akira nodded, though her response did little to dispel his suspicions. "Then why did he use O Xiao Lin as the template for Osiris? If he wanted to bring her back, wouldn't it have been easier to seek help from a healer or a medical expert? Why go through all the trouble of creating an AI replica… especially after losing something precious to AI in the first place?"

Osiris hesitated before replying, "I don't know. Maybe he just… couldn't let go. Maybe he wanted to bring her back with his own hands."

Akira nodded again—another answer that didn't quite satisfy his doubts. "And during our battle… why did he only send one spear-type automaton and one Prism Photon Laser? He had an army at his disposal."

Draco, who had been listening quietly, suddenly sat up. "Wait a minute… that's true! If he had sent everything at once, we'd be dead! Why hold back?"

A tense silence settled over the group. Akira pressed on. "And what about the Mini-Nuclear Tanks he gave Mirelle? He never used them against us. If they were so dangerous, why hand them over so easily?"

Mirelle, arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I've been wondering about that too. Feels way too convenient."

Akira continued his relentless questioning. "And then there's the duel with Zekhtau. Right after the fight, Deputy Li took his core… and the very next day, Castro and Li rushed to the cyborg district without explaining anything. Doesn't that seem a bit… off?"

Elina countered, "Isn't it normal for a leader to go where he pleases? Does he have to report everything to us?"

Akira shook his head. "No, it's not about whether he should tell us. It's about why they had to leave so urgently. And what's even weirder—when he came back, he was in his human form, not the centaur form we nearly killed. Plus, they somehow upgraded Osiris and built a new body for Karl overnight. It's almost like… everything had already been prepared in advance."

Osiris nodded, her mechanical eyes narrowing. "I don't know either. When I regained consciousness, we were already near the base. Castro and Zekhtau just said they repaired me and upgraded my systems. That's it."

Akira's voice dropped as he spoke his next theory. "What if… the centaur form we fought wasn't even real?"

Everyone froze.

Draco's face turned pale. "You're saying… it was just another puppet? Like those spear and laser bow automatons?"

"If that's the case," Akira continued, his tone grave, "then the fact that it was able to leave the city and fight us in a remote area makes sense. Guardians aren't supposed to move that far from their domain. But if that wasn't the real Zekhtau, then the location was deliberate. He chose to fight us somewhere isolated—where no one else could see."

Draco's fists clenched. "If they have more of those things running around, Arcadia's doomed."

A heavy silence filled the cabin. No one had an answer.

Akira exhaled before moving to his next point. "And why did a full-blown civil war suddenly turn into an official duel? That makes no sense. If they had the forces to crush us outright, why bother with formalities? Why not just wipe us out in one go?"

Keela, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "Wait… You're telling me that the city was at war, but it ended in a duel?"

Yue nodded. "Yeah! At first, we were fighting for our lives—dodging lasers, running from mechs, nearly dying. Then, the moment we took down the laser bow automaton, we got a message saying they wanted a duel instead."

Keela frowned. "That's… not how civil wars work. Wars are fought over ideals, over what people believe in. You can't just flip a switch and make it about personal duels."

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

Akira's voice darkened. "It's not just that. He also gave us equipment that prevented permanent casualties. But… when Karl was destroyed, when Uncle Pong self-destructed, when Eve got impaled—those were real injuries. They suffered actual damage."

Yue's face paled. "But when we got hit… we just blacked out."

Mirelle's lips parted as she pieced it together. "Even when we should have died… we didn't."

Akira nodded grimly. "Exactly. Even though that laser sword could cut through the sky and the earth itself—"

Draco swallowed hard, recalling the way Zekhtau's laser blade had split the battlefield in half.

"—when it hit us, we only lost consciousness. Almost like… he was holding back."

The weight of Akira's words settled over them like a storm cloud. For the first time, they realized just how much of their supposed battle had been controlled from the very beginning.

And the worst part?

They had no idea why.

Part (4/4): The Unseen Puppeteer

Keela jolted upright. "Wait a minute—laser beams? That was definitely the same light that tore through my airship! And when I tried to escape, I got hit again. So this was… Zekhtau's doing?"

Akira winced. He had expected this realization to come sooner or later. There was no way to hide it forever. He bowed his head slightly. "Yes, Princess. You were caught in the crossfire… because of us. We're truly sorry."

Seeing Akira bow in apology, the rest of the team followed suit. But Keela quickly waved them off. "No, no, this wasn't your fault. He was the one who fired that shot, not you. And you didn't mean for me to be there. If anything… because of that… it led me to meet all of you." She hesitated before adding in a lower voice, "You could even call it… fate."

Her words were soft, but the way she glanced at Akira, her cheeks tinged slightly pink, did not go unnoticed. The others chuckled in relief that she wasn't angry—but Mirelle's arms remained crossed, her expression unimpressed, especially at Keela's flustered tone.

Akira, however, wasn't finished. His voice turned serious. "But… what if everything that happened—every 'coincidence'—was planned from the start? If we assume that Zekhtau and Castro orchestrated everything, it would explain why we were practically handed the ranks of the Guardians."

Elina's eyes darkened. "You realize you're accusing both the leader of the Guardians and the Protector of Draft of manipulation, right? Do you have any idea how serious that is?"

Akira's tone remained calm. "Elina. Think about what I'm saying. Why didn't Castro just send his own people to retrieve Osiris? Why did we have to be the ones to do it?"

He paused before delivering the next revelation. "And then there's Lunar Cipher. Zekhtau was the one who led him to us. Which means… he might've been a piece on the chessboard this entire time. If that's true, even Cain Moonshard—ranked second in the Rebellion—was played like a puppet.

The name Cain Moonshard made Elina's blood run cold. Someone as cunning and elusive as him wasn't easily deceived. If even he had unknowingly danced to their tune… then what did that mean for her own faith in her superiors?

Draco let out an exasperated groan. "So let me get this straight. Even Cain got tricked? Oh, come on! How many layers of deception are we dealing with here? My head's about to explode!"

The weight of that realization was crushing. Every piece of unexplained behavior, every unanswered question… they all pointed to one unsettling conclusion.

Akira exhaled, trying to ease the tension. "At the very least, this did work out in our favor. Whatever their grand scheme is, we gained ranks, resources, and public recognition. We're in a better position to help people than ever before."

That thought brought momentary relief—until Draco muttered, "Yeah, but… we're lucky they're on our side. What if someone as powerful as them was our enemy? How the hell would we fight that?"

No one had an answer.

Then Keela stiffened. "Wait… if Skyperion's political crisis has someone like Zekhtau pulling the strings from the shadows… wouldn't that mean the entire kingdom is about to go up in flames?"

The room fell silent.

The weight of their next mission settled over them.

This was no longer just about eradicating Chaos.

This wasn't just about discovering runes.

This wasn't just about escorting a princess home.

This was about unmasking the mastermind behind a continent-wide civil war.

And in the skybound nation of Skyperion—the real game of war was about to begin.

Next: Chapter 6 — The Land of the Winds