Darkness that glows in the Light

I crouched for a little longer, barely blinking. My body stops shaking, as if it's not the right reaction to do.

A power like that was really straight out of a fairy tale, I've never seen anything like that, not even in my world.

He sheathed his sword wordlessly, then walked past me, checking the area like it was some Tuesday night patrol.

I couldn't move yet. It was instinct that told me, not logic.

"...What am I even compared to that?" I muttered under my breath, then swayed that thought away.

My heart was still racing, yet it was not caused by fear.

Admiration struck, then followed by the thought of reaching that kind of power one day.

He glanced over his shoulder, then

Commander Galen uttered a question.

"Are you good?"

"Yeah... I think so..." I replied, while still trying to catch my breath.

He gave a faint nod, then analyzed the area for the last time.

"No signs of monsters within the next 10-kilometer radius. We're in the clear, for now."

"We should gather up our bagged foods and waters that were blown by the wind before dawn."

He looked back and then saw me already picking up our scattered supplies in the ground. I felt useless there, so I already acted even before he says anything else about those.

"This is all I can do for now..." I whispered to myself.

After I collected everything back, we went looking for our horses.

"Yours aren't far from where you're

standing."

"Just go straight, and you'll find your horse."

Curiosity tugged at me. I wanted to ask if that kind of awareness was some sort of ability.

But I ended up not asking.

And I'm completely fine with it. I don't even like peeking at people's secrets anyway.

"I understand." I replied.

We split up and began to look for our horses.

As I continued to walk through the forest, severed branches scattered all around.

I then came across one of the two monster's lifeless bodies.

The system then appeared.

[Would you like to view this monster's information?"]

"Not now..."

"...once we've reached the place I guess." I noted mentally.

I pressed the exit button.

[Then would you like to save this monster in the archive or not?]

I saved it and continued on my way to find my horse. Not far from where I'm walking, I caught sight of my horse eating grass.

After walking toward it, I leashed the horse and began heading back.

"Commander still haven't found his horse?" I questioned myself.

I waited for a few minutes while feeding my horse with a whole apple.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting." A voice emerged from the bushes.

Commander Gale, holding his leashed horse then proceeded to say...

"One of the monsters had slashed my horse's thigh. The wound was deep, so I had to take my time treating it, and I needed to check if the blade was laced with poison as well."

"So... did your horse got poison?"

"Fortunately, it didn't..."

As I glanced at Commander Galen, my horse suddenly began licking my face—probably because I'd been patting it gently this whole time. I couldn't help but grin at the Commander through the mess.

Without saying a word, he handed me a piece of handkerchief.

"Clean yourself up as we go ahead."

"Thank you, Sir." I replied, still grinning idiotically.

While we were strapping our bags back onto the horses, one more thought slipped into my head.

So, it looks like he can use healing magic as well...

I hopped on my horse, and we started moving ahead.

A few minutes of silence happened, wind-blown softly, and leaves still falling from the trees Then a question of his broke the ice between us.

"Young Lad, were you nervous at that time?" he asked, while looking forward."

I looked down, I started feeling disappointed at me.

"Yes..."

"...yes, I was, Sir."

He didn't say a word for several seconds.

The silence stretched, and my heart

pounded faster with each passing moment. Insecurity crept in, tightening its grip.

Negativity started to tear through me from the inside out…

And then, he finally spoke.

"You did the right thing," he said.

"If you hadn't listened to me back there... at your current level,"

"You wouldn't have been able to withstand the light radiating from my sword."

"You'll get blind just by peeking in it."

"So don't be hard on yourself, you're still

young..."

"There's a lot more room for you to grow."

I slowly began to calm down. I had expected him to be harsh with me, after all, in every medieval fantasy I've ever read, High Knights were always portrayed as strict, commanding, even cold toward those around them.

I wondered if every Knight of Peace was like this.

"I am pleased Sir..." I replied in a manner fitting way.

The wind blew gently, and for a moment, the forest's atmosphere felt oddly comforting.

"From what I've seen and who I've met so far… they all seem kind at their core, some even on the outside."

"And yet, this is a world of battles, conflict, bloodshed, and mystery..." I muttered to myself.

I glanced at Commander Galen's back, or maybe it was his core I was trying to understand.

I didn't know...

But just having someone like him walking beside me… brought comfort. Even if I wasn't used to it, I appreciated it.

"Are there really people who manage to survive… through emotion, compassion, and goodness alone?"

"Were the people of my world ever like that too?"

I didn't answered it, It is very hard.

The sun had begun to dip just below the trees.

It was already dusk, and I doubted we'd make it to our destination if we kept going through the night...

"Gather up our supplies."

"We're going to stay here until sunrise."

"Understood."

We dismounted from our horses and began unloading all the supplies we carried.

"Are there really no monsters at the area?"

"There won't be," he replied. "Knights patrol this region at night. Where we're camped, it's within their route."

Presumably, we were safe.

Although there was this feeling of lust for battle surging within me at the moment.

I should've trained, anything to make use of the time. But I knew I wasn't in the condition for that. My body needed rest, whether I liked it or not.

He then ordered me to cut fifteen tree branches, said it would be enough for tonight's cooking and to last us until morning.

After I followed his order, he then told me to close my eyes.

I knew what was coming. But deep down, I desperately wanted to see it.

We then sat down at our chosen place; he didn't sheath his sword back.

He pulled out a perfectly cut rock, its interior glowed faintly, like polished glass catching sunlight. It almost looked like a mirror. I could only guess he carved it with the same sword skill he used earlier.

If so… the danger of that skill went beyond just fighting monsters.

That's when I started to truly wonder...

Was he really only ranked fourth among the Knights of Peace?

I looked over at Commander Galen, who sat quietly across the campfire, sharpening his blade.

"May I ask you a question, Commander Galen?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Are you in good terms with the other Knights of Peace?"

I asked this because some of the novels I've read so far, told that ranking makes one person envy the other, which can lead to betrayal something like that, in order to take a certain place in the ranks.

"This was a very personal question, I do not hope for him to answer that..." I uttered worriedly in my mind.

"Yes, I am in good terms with them." he replied as he continued to sharpen his sword.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that!"

"Looks like not all the things' novels portray exist in this world after all." I figured.

I pulled out my water from my sack, and just as I was about to take a drink, the system suddenly appeared.

"Hmm?" I looked at it with one eye opened with my head tilted upward.

[The Target 'Galen Armadilo' is lying.]

The system displayed this, followed by showing an elevated heart rate, indicating the signs of a liar.

"What is this?"

As he makes our food.

I asked myself... "Were you always like this Commander Galen?" holding a normal expression while drinking my water.

"I wonder what his relationship with the other Knights of Peace is." I silently noted in my head, then followed by another one, but as a form of question.

"Now that I found out he lied..."

"... just where will he take me?"

[Your affinity with this Target has decreased to 9 < 17/50]

It seemed like the system had calculated our relationship throughout the day. We'd made solid progress in just one day, but this one moment had caused a setback. I have a poor sense of trust, and despite my efforts, I couldn't help but worry.

The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, and I could feel anxiety slowly creeping in, tightening around me like a strangling grip.

Just as I thought everything was about to fall apart and I was on the verge of considering fleeing from him while he slept, he called out to me, breaking the heavy barrier of negativity that had surrounded me.

"Food's ready." Commander Galen uttered while looking at me, with eyes sharp yet not enough to cause pain.

"Are you okay? You look quite pale."

"I-I'm alright... just thinking about what happened back there where monsters attacked us." I tried to hide my heavy feelings under the expression of a soft and gentle smile.

He held his glance at me and told me...

"I said don't go hard on yourself with it."

"This former comrade of mine, can help you get strong."

"Make yourself comfortable and drink your soup while it's still warm," he said.

Floating in the cloudy broth were round, unblinking eyes, a few vegetables I recognized, like carrots and one I absolutely didn't.

Just a shallow, hand-carved wooden bowl.

So, we had to sip straight from it.

Right as the thought of poison started creeping into my mind, I said nothing,

and took a sip anyway.

"Calm down Young Lad, are you okay?"

words that I couldn't hear at that moment, I swallowed it down my throat, though I felt the hotness burning inside of me...

Warm, rich and almost nostalgic.

It reminded me of a specific soup from South Korea, though I couldn't place the name. The memory was there, just out of reach, foggy, like a dream I'd half-forgotten.

"Hey..." Commander Galen uttered in what it sounds like the tone depressed down.

He looked at me with surprise while holding his soup.

Commander Galen's eyes widened, his expression shifting curiosity, maybe concern... or was it awe? I couldn't quite tell.

A sudden question broke free from within me, cutting through the quiet like a whisper in a storm.

"Are you… crying?"

In Commander Galen's perspective.

"I didn't plan to ask that. It just slipped out, too gentle, too human for a moment like this." He uttered silently to himself.

He opened my eyes, no, I opened them and finally felt the tears slipping down my cheeks.

I looked at Commander Galen... and from the look in his eyes, I knew it struck him deep.

"Are these..."

"...tears?" I questioned myself.

Panic gripped me. I looked around, eyes darting, heart pounding, whispering the same question over and over.

"Why am I crying?"

I got up and when I was about to look back at Commander Galen, he spoke.

"Sit down Lad, can we have a talk?"

I couldn't bring myself to look directly at him and it took me a few seconds to quietly sit back down.

The wind blew gently, carrying with it the rustle of leaves as they danced through the air. The fire crackled softly, its warmth slowly fading as it burned low.

Then, in the stillness, he asked me.

"Do you miss someone?" in a worried tone, Commander Galen asked.

"It wasn't someone… or maybe it was?"

I couldn't quite grasp an answer, so I simply replied...

"No, Sir…"

"It just reminded me of a dish I used to eat back then."

I let out a soft laugh, eyes still swollen from the tears I didn't expect to fall. Then, quietly, I returned to my soup, finishing it with slow sips.

Commander Galen watched me for a moment, then spoke.

"I see, well this was a recipe from a friend actually."

"She is one of the Knights of Peace, still active today." He said those things while looking down, as if he was reminiscing about it, silently.

He confessed something that had me whole of myself again, my feelings began to align positively, my mind began to calm down as well.

"What I said back there, when you asked me if 'I am in good terms with my comrades'..."

"In truth I am not Young Lad."

I slowly sipped my soup, sitting upright in a way that wouldn't disturb him as he spoke.

Every movement was quiet, deliberate, my attention fully on his words, even as the warmth of the broth lingered in my mouth.

"It was three years ago. We four of us from the Knights of Peace were tasked with finding a relic that would strengthen the Cathedral of Peace's magic."

"It was a ruined temple in the west, about two weeks of travel from here by horse. The temple itself was in disrepair, its pillars teetering on the brink of collapse. Traps were scattered throughout, but we managed to avoid triggering them thanks to one of us—a man with an extraordinary awareness. He could sense when and where danger might strike, almost like a form of future sight. As we descended stair upon stairs, the walls, even at the lowest depths, were tangled with roots growing from the rock, as if they were holding the temple together. The ground itself had crumbled, and a dark magical aura grew stronger with each step we took.

Finally, we reached a room, only three more to go before we reached the very bottom, where trees and life still flourished.

We explored further and found treasure after treasure, much of which we looted for our families.

Then, one of our comrades suggested we rest for a while in a room filled with riches. We all agreed, and he started a fire to ward off the chill that lingered in the air."

"The comrade who has extraordinary awareness asked me if I'm scared."

Shifted to said comrade's perspective.

"Hey man, are you cool? You look pale. Are you scared?" He questioned while grinning at me ridiculously.

"No, I am not." I answered confidently.

"Really? From what I'm feeling, it looks like you're about to pee your pants~" he teased with a smug grin, his voice clearly trying to get under my skin.

With eyes closed, furrowing my brows as my face twitched with irritation

"I told you, am not," I snapped, trying not to raise my voice too much."

"Just because it's your specialty doesn't mean you actually know the truth."

"Then my other comrade, my companion, Spoke."

"She was a woman who, despite being over thirty, still looked as youthful and healthy as the first time I laid eyes on her. Her long, white hair cascaded around her shoulders, and she wore a magically enhanced armor designed to amplify her mana"

"You two! Stop arguing about it!" she shouted, echoing throughout the temple's depths.

"We aren't arguing chill down~ Right man?"

"I thought he was asking me, but it was our other comrade, just sitting at the edge of the room at my left, sharpening his sword."

"He just continued sharpening it, not even sparing a glare at us."

"All three of us men were also wearing an armored that amplified our mana, but what differs from my companion..."

"Was that it buffed our 'Path'. As you already knew by now, I think..."

"My Path is 'Luminosity'."

"I will…"

"…tell you about it next time." His voice was uneasy, as if speaking now would bring him to the brink of a breakdown. I could see it in his eyes, he was carrying something incredibly heavy, something he wasn't ready to share yet.

"When we had finally rested well, we continued to explore more doors. One of my comrades, specifically that one who's sharpening his sword...senses something strong from the door just in front of us."

"That should be the door where the relic is, but... I never expected a relic radiating such aura."

"Prepare yourselves for battle." he ordered.

"'You don't need to tell us that!' Said my comrade who has the extraordinary awareness."

"I'm always right back you guys!"

As Commander Galen was about to continue his story, he suddenly paused. For a full minute, silence hung in the air. I could see the subtle tension in his posture, nervous, anxious, but outwardly, he showed no signs of it.

It was clear, though, that he wasn't in the best condition, emotionally or physically.

"One of my comrades then slowly opened the door as he also peeked in, he didn't saw any enemies, but the strong aura of magic is still there."

"He assumed it was just the relic. He'd never seen or read about one radiating such magical power. My other comrade agreed, and told me to pack up the relic so we could finally head home."

"Then..." A sudden pause came from Commander Galen.

He looked worse than before, his hands gripping tightly and shaking. Sweat beaded on his forehead, despite the wind blowing directly at us.

The system then appeared in front of me...

My eyes widened and I feel pressure from head to toe, it feels like it's crushing me.

[The target's heart rate is rapidly increasing.]

[The target is reliving a past trauma, emotions intensifying.]

[The target's heart rate continues to rise, and his emotional state is spiraling, his tension palpable.]

[Visible signs of distress are emerging

clenched fists, rapid breaths, and a noticeable tightening of his posture.]

I looked back at Commander Galen, ready to stop him from telling more, but he...

He proceeded to tell more anyway.

"Then, when I turned around, I saw my companion, trembling. She stood frozen, like she'd just seen something beyond terrifying. But… she wasn't looking at us.

Her wide, horrified eyes were fixed behind her, locked onto something we couldn't yet see. Not a muscle in her body moved. And the shaking… it started to get worse, more violent, like her fear was overtaking her completely."

"I rushed at her and held her shoulders."

"Are you okay?! What's wrong-"

"I looked in front and saw a shadowy figure of what appeared to be a knight, No- It wasn't a knight. It was a late friend of mine, who died in battlefield, without being recognized I held a graze for that friend, alone."

"I then snapped out of it and when I did, that shadowy figure held its ground in front of us, my companion is violently shaking."

"I held her shoulders tightly and screamed at my comrades at the back to get in here, I looked back and saw them..."

"They were all shaking, terrified. Maybe that shadowy figure… maybe it was trying to expose our greatest traumas.

It was still standing there. Just watching. Just being."

"I could feel something inside me slipping—my patience, my control—something. I drew out my sword, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest..."

"SNAP OUT IT ALREADY YOU MORONS!!!"

"Just as I was about to launch my first strike, a strange weight slammed down on me, like a mountain had fallen onto my shoulders.

"It was me."

"The heaviness came from within; from a feeling I was trying so hard to deny.

Fear? Guilt? I don't know.

But it was growing fast, spreading through me like wildfire."

"Everything felt hopeless for a second... until my two comrades finally broke free of whatever was binding them. Without hesitation, they charged at the shadowy figure, their blades slicing through the thick tension in the air."

"YOU BASTARD! WHY DID YOU SHOW ME THAT!!"

"You don't know anything what happened to her, how dare you mimic, distort and toy with my memories! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

"With his obsidian crafted mace enhanced with magic that increases its durability, attack power and destructive capabilities by 200+. He couldn't land a single hit, the entity is moving swiftly and fast, as if it's precisely calculating his every attack!"

"GAHHH?? WHY CAN'T I LAND A HIT! DAMN IT ALLL!"

"HEY YOU GUYS! JUMP IN THAT NEXT FLOOR NOW!"

"My other comrade standing in front of us, tasked with supporting me and my companions back while the other fought that thing."

"WHY? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO??"

"Then he raised his mace—his arms trembling but determined—and unleashed one of his skills. Earthen magic, raw and immense, surged around the weapon, coating it in a jagged glow. He slammed it down with everything he had."

"The entire floor shattered beneath him."

"Me and my remaining comrade barely managed to scramble up to the next level in time. We called out for him, but the dust—thick with pulverized stone—swallowed everything from sight."

"And then we realized something worse."

"The force of the blow didn't just destroy that floor—it ripped through every level beneath it... all the way down to the bottom."

"We froze. It looked like he was gone. Dead. Buried under his own attack."

"But all of a sudden..."

'RUN! GET OUT OF THIS TEMPLE NOW!'

"I carried my companion in my arms and ran as fast as we could till, we reached the top floor. My other comrade, behind, to support us told me to not think of anything else besides running away."

Everything inside the temple began to collapse. The roots that once held the structure together were now ripping through the walls, fully exposed and breaking apart. Rooms fell away, one after another, vanishing into the darkness."

"The stairs we ran on cracked beneath our feet, stone crumbling, debris chasing us like a wave."

"It was as if, Death is chasing after us."

"Then my other comrade sensed that thing, whatever it was, closing in on us fast."

"We'd known each other for years… and in that one moment, I gambled on what he was about to do."

"All I can do at that moment was to carry, protect my companion and run until we get out of the temple."

"He said something...something I couldn't quite catch over the thunder of crumbling stone."

"I kept running, faster than I ever had. And then… I saw it."

"Light."

"My companion was unconscious, limp in my arms. But just as I neared the exit, the stairs beneath me gave way."

"For a second, everything inside me froze."

"But I didn't stop. I leapt with everything I had left."

"And somehow… I made it."

"Out of the temple. With my companion. With the relic. And with…"

"We got out, just the two of us."

"I didn't wait for my other comrade to make it out. I just started walking… back to the Cathedral."

"When I finally got back in the Cathedral, I got to the most professional healer to treat my companion.

They had her confined for a month or two, and I had been greeted by constant nightmares about that event for two consecutive months."

"I couldn't look at the relic when I was about to give it to the Cardinal, I simply... gave it, because that's what we are ordered to do."

"The very next morning, I was informed that my comrade had finally awakened from her slumber. I rushed to the nearest Flourish Bloom and picked the nicest flower I could find. I didn't even have time to dress properly Still, none of that mattered. I just wanted to see her."

"When I arrived at the hospital and checked in, I saw her sitting silently by the window. Her long, white hair danced gently in the breeze."

"I called out her name, there was no answer."

"I called again. Then again."

"No response."

"I took a few steps closer. Finally, she turned her head slowly toward me."

"Her hearing was fine. Her eyes, still as radiant as ever, glistening like emerald."

"She hadn't changed physically at all... but something in her felt distant.

As if a part of her had stayed behind, in that place we barely escaped."

"How do you feel? I smiled at her, I was full of happy that she is okay...

or so I thought."

"Our eyes met, we looked each other normally as ever, but what she says

completely shattered me more than I could ever experience."

"Do I know you?"

"Those words were choking me hard, I barely lived through after saying them, I was already dying, but her words drove me into something worse more than death."

"Then years passed, she regained her healing magic skills, stronger than before, but I remained silent, protecting her from the past."

"Commander Galen..." I muttered, worriedly...

Commander Galen closed his eyes, slowly calming himself—both mentally and physically.

As if in sync with his breath, the fire in front of us quietly faded out.

He told me not to worry about it, that he'd take care of the fire later.

"Get some rest," he said.

I didn't want to press him any further or ask about what had just happened. I simply nodded and did as he asked.

I laid down beneath a tree, the ground cool beneath me, and he sat just nearby—close enough that I could still feel a faint sense of safety.

"His story, we won't end up like that, Yunji-Nim..."

"I hope, he'll get at least, have the courage to tell her companion everything, hiding it is just constantly killing him, up until now."

I fell asleep without even realizing it—right after leaning my back against the tree.

Shifted to Commander Galen's Point of view.

He looked at me with gentle eyes, and I could tell that if I asked more, he wouldn't answer. His back rested against the tree, his head tilted back, eyes gazing upward at the sky.

Stars sparkled, other planets visible, glittering with an almost ethereal beauty.

He pressed his hand to his chest, and with a voice thick with suffering, he spoke softly:

"Will there really be a relic that can help you regain our happy memories? My companion..."