Threads of Resolve

The early morning sun barely touched the stone steps of the Kaelith Manor, nestled within the military quarter of Doon City. The house was built like a fortress—tall gray walls, minimal ornamentation, and crimson banners bearing the family crest: a hawk diving through storm clouds. It was not a place for comfort. It was a place for warriors.

Inside, Jade Kaelith stood in his training yard, shirtless, his fists bruised and raw. The air carried the scent of sweat and steel. His breathing was harsh, rhythm broken.

He had been awake since before dawn, striking the wooden dummies with his one hand until splinters stuck in his knuckles.

The moment in the forest would not leave him. Amber's body crumpling. Rudra coughing blood. His own sword arm shattered before he could do anything.

He had failed.

Not again.

He turned when footsteps echoed behind him.

His father, Captain-General Varan Kaelith, One of the strongest man in the doon city even he doesn't know how strong is,Varan walked in wearing his crisp navy tunic and boots that clicked against the stone. His silver-streaked hair was tied back, his beard short and sharp.

He was a mountain in human form.

"You're up early," Varan said.

Jade didn't stop punching.

Varan watched for a moment. "You've been... different since the attack."

Jade exhaled slowly. Then said the words that had burned inside him for days.

"I want to transfer."

Varan blinked. "Transfer?"

Jade looked him in the eye. "To the Red Legion Academy. Under Divine General Yansar. I want to train where real warriors are forged."

A pause.

Then Varan's expression changed.

First surprise. Then pride.

"You finally understand," he said. "I offered you this two years ago. You refused. Said you wanted to stay with your friends."

"I thought strength would come in time," Jade said. His voice was calm, but fire flickered beneath. "I thought I had enough time. I was wrong."

Varan stepped forward and put a hand on his son's shoulder. For once, it wasn't stern—it was strong and steady.

"You carry our bloodline with honor, Jade. I'll have your paperwork ready by sunset. If you're committing to this path, you will train harder than ever before. No more comfort. No more excuses."

Jade nodded.

As the sun rose behind them, its light painted a long shadow between father and son.

A boy was vanishing. A warrior was taking his place.

---

Across the city, in the serene upper gardens of the Marwood Estate, the scent of honeyed flowers wafted through the windows of a delicate white manor. Its walls were adorned with painted vines and the floors glistened with imported marble. The estate was elegant—new money, newly risen.

Amber Marwood sat on the edge of her bed, hair loose over her shoulders, eyes vacant.

The silken sheets around her were twisted from a restless night. Her room—floral, warm, and sunlit—felt like a lie.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw blood.

Rudra's body—broken. Jade's arm—twisted unnaturally. Their faces—contorted in pain.

And all because of her.

She was the target. Her name had drawn those assassins.

The knock on her door was soft.

"Amber? May I come in?"

Her father, Earl Corlan Marwood, stood in the doorway, dressed in a finely tailored waistcoat, his graying hair combed neatly, worry clouding his eyes. A merchant turned noble, he was always careful, always calculating—except when it came to his daughter.

"Yes, Father."

He stepped in and sat beside her. "You haven't left your room in two days. Your tutors are asking—"

"I don't care about tutors."

He was silent.

"I should've been stronger," she whispered. "If not for that healer... Rudra and Jade would still be in beds. Or worse."

"Amber," he said softly. "You can't blame yourself for their choices. They fought because they care for you. That's not your burden."

She looked up. Her eyes were red but defiant.

"But it's my responsibility to make sure they never have to again."

He watched her closely.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

Amber stood, her voice shaking only slightly. "I want to become a healer. A real one. I want to protect the people I care about—not with weapons, but with knowledge and skill. If that healer hadn't arrived when she did... Rudra, Jade, me—we'd all still be suffering. I want to be that kind of strength."

Corlan didn't respond at first. He simply looked at her.

Then he nodded, slowly but firmly. "If that is your decision, then I support it."

Amber blinked. "You do?"

He stood as well and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Amber, I did not climb from coin-counting to nobility by doubting those I love.

You'll begin your studies here. I'll hire a personal tutor—one of the best, best in the whole doon province . When you reach Level One, you can choose to continue at the academy. After that..."

He smiled slightly.

"I'll fund your journey to the Imperial City. I have contacts, trade routes, and enough wealth to send you there. I'll make sure you have everything you need to learn from the best."

Amber's eyes shimmered, but this time not from pain.

"Thank you, Father."

"No thanks needed. Just determination. And a promise that you'll rise on your own terms."

She nodded, fiercely.

And in that moment, a decision forged in trauma began to transform into purpose.

He reached out and cupped her chin gently.

"Amber, I rose from trade caravans to an Earldom because I never let anyone else define my worth. You want to heal? Heal. What I lack in bloodline, I make up for in gold—and I'll spend every last coin if it means you're safe and proud."

Tears shimmered in her eyes.

She embraced him.

In that sunlit chamber, two hearts beat with new resolve.

Outside, the breeze whispered through the roses.

And across the city, far away in his own room, Rudra opened his eyes.

He didn't know it yet.

But he wasn't the only one who had changed.