Caelen's POV
The morning was quiet after the storm.
Clouds still hung low over the land, and the ground was damp beneath our boots. I walked ahead of Elowen, the road stretching out like a scar across the empty fields.
We were heading to the village of Drelmar. A small place. Isolated. Forgotten.
But people lived there. And people… meant potential.
I needed allies. Not just soldiers—believers.
And I needed to earn them.
Elowen broke the silence.
"You're quiet today."
I shrugged. "Thinking."
"About?"
"The first vow," I said.
She raised an eyebrow.
"You're finally starting that?"
I nodded. "If I can't protect one village, I don't deserve a kingdom."
We arrived by midday.
Drelmar was a cluster of crumbling stone houses and wooden huts built near a dried-out river. Its people looked half-starved, their faces worn and eyes hollow.
As we approached, a few backed away, whispering.
They saw my sword. My cloak. My clean boots.
To them, I was a noble. A stranger. Maybe even a threat.
A grizzled man stepped forward, a hoe still in his hand like a weapon.
"What do you want?"
I didn't smile. I didn't bow.
"I'm here to offer protection," I said. "And help."
He snorted.
"We've had lords promise that before. Then they take our food and leave us with less."
"I'm not a lord," I said. "I'm just a man. But I have strength. And I can share it."
He looked at Elowen. Her armor. Her sharp eyes.
"…Who are you really?"
I looked him straight in the eye.
"My name is Caelen. I come from the dead capital. I was cast out. Left with nothing. But I've started rebuilding."
I paused, then added:
"I came to make a vow."
That night, I sat in the center of the village beside a low fire. The villagers had gathered around, watching me with suspicious eyes.
I held my hand over the flame.
"My vow is simple," I said. "I will protect Drelmar from threats. In return, I ask for nothing… except your trust."
Some murmured. One woman scoffed.
"And how will you do that, stranger? We've been raided three times this month. The Band of Crows comes tomorrow."
"I know," I said calmly.
They fell silent.
Elowen stepped beside me, arms crossed.
"We've seen their scouts. They're coming at dawn."
I stood.
"Let them come."
Dawn broke like a blade through the sky.
I stood at the village gate, wearing light armor and gripping the Blade of Origin.
Elowen stood on the rooftop of a hut, bow ready.
The villagers hid behind their walls, peeking out through cracks.
Then we saw them.
A dozen riders, their armor patched and black. Their leader wore a wolf pelt and laughed as he approached.
"Move aside, stranger," he called. "We're here for tribute."
"No."
He blinked. "What?"
"No more fear. No more tribute."
He laughed again.
"Kill him."
They rushed me.
The world slowed.
My system flared to life.
[Combat Mode Activated][Mana Flow — Stabilized][Unlimited Mana Detected: Enhancing Core Abilities]
I focused mana into my legs and launched forward.
My blade met the first bandit's sword and shattered it like glass.
He fell with a scream.
The second didn't even get close. Elowen's arrow pierced his eye before he could blink.
Five minutes. That's all it took.
When it ended, the Band of Crows lay broken.
The wolf-pelt leader groaned beneath my boot.
I looked him in the eye.
"Leave."
He spat blood. "Who… are you?"
I leaned down.
"Caelen of the Barren Land."
Then I whispered:
"The First Emperor."
Afterward, the villagers emerged, silent and stunned.
The grizzled man from before approached me slowly.
"You kept your word."
"I meant every word of it."
He looked me over, and slowly… knelt.
Then others followed.
Not from fear.
From respect.
That night, Elowen stood beside me as the villagers brought food and water to us.
"You made your first vow," she said. "And kept it."
I nodded. "The first of many."
She tilted her head.
"You're changing."
"No," I said softly. "I'm returning. To who I was meant to be."
Far away, in the floating cities of Skylen, the continent of the Semi-Angels…
A princess with wings like polished crystal watched the horizon.
"Caelen has made his first move," she whispered.
Her advisor bowed.
"Shall we intervene?"
She shook her head.
"Not yet. Let him rise. The game is long… and the heavens always play last."