Narrator
When a great guardian disappears...
The world does not change in a single day.
At first...
Everything looks the same.
The rivers continue flowing.
The forests remain standing.
The people continue living their lives.
But slowly...
Nature begins to reveal the truth.
---
After the departure of the Legendary Dragon...
Something changed inside the Death Forest.
The ancient balance that had existed for countless years...
Had weakened.
The magical beasts that once remained deep within the forest...
Started moving closer to the borders.
The monsters became more active.
Strange cries echoed through the trees.
Hunters returning from the forest spoke of unusual sightings.
Creatures that had always avoided humans...
Now watched them from the shadows.
Some even wandered dangerously close to the village roads.
The Death Forest...
Was slowly awakening.
---
The peaceful river flowing through Restart Village...
Also began to change.
The water itself remained pure.
Because the villagers continued cleansing it every single day.
But...
The corruption drifting downstream became heavier.
Darker.
As though something hidden deep within the forest...
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Was slowly beginning to stir.
The villagers noticed it.
Yet...
No one panicked.
This was not the first hardship their village had faced.
---
Far away...
Inside the magnificent Holy Kingdom...
The news reached the Royal Palace.
The ancient records had already confirmed it.
The aura of the Legendary Dragon...
Had completely vanished.
The High Priests lowered their heads.
The scholars remained silent.
Everyone understood what it meant.
The guardian who had watched over the Death Forest for two thousand years...
Was gone.
---
The Royal Court gathered immediately.
Ministers.
Generals.
Royal advisers.
All discussed the same question.
"What should we do now?"
One minister stood.
"We must send our knights immediately!"
"If the Death Forest loses its guardian..."
"The monsters will soon become a threat to the kingdom!"
Another quickly agreed.
"We should establish military camps near the forest!"
"Before it's too late."
The hall filled with worried voices.
---
But...
One person remained silent.
The King of the Holy Kingdom.
He calmly listened to every opinion.
Without interrupting anyone.
Only after the entire hall became quiet...
Did he finally speak.
---
The King slowly walked toward the palace window.
His eyes rested upon the distant horizon.
Beyond countless mountains...
Beyond endless forests...
Lay a small village.
Restart Village.
A village that had survived beside the Death Forest for generations.
A place protected by the Legendary Dragon's presence.
The King quietly spoke.
"Many of you..."
"Only see the Death Forest."
"But I see something else."
"I see the people..."
"Who have protected the balance of that forest for generations."
---
He slowly turned toward his ministers.
"Restart Village..."
"Is not an ordinary village."
"They purify the corrupted river."
"They understand the forest better than any knight."
"They have survived beside danger..."
"For longer than any kingdom has ruled these lands."
The ministers quietly lowered their heads.
The King continued.
"If we suddenly send armies..."
"We may create fear..."
"Where trust still exists."
"We may destroy..."
"The fragile balance that still remains."
---
A priest respectfully stepped forward.
"But, Your Majesty..."
"If the monsters continue increasing..."
"What then?"
The King slowly closed his eyes.
"I know."
His voice remained calm.
"But sometimes..."
"The greatest mistake a ruler can make..."
"Is believing..."
"That every problem can be solved by force."
The Royal Court fell silent.
No one argued.
No one spoke.
The King's words lingered within the hall.
Like a quiet reminder...
That wisdom...
Was sometimes greater than strength.
---
Far away...
At the edge of the Death Forest...
Restart Village continued its daily life.
The villagers had already noticed the changes.
Hunters no longer entered the forest alone.
Village guards strengthened their patrols.
Watchtowers remained occupied from sunrise until nightfall.
Every precaution was taken.
Yet...
No one abandoned their home.
Because this village had endured countless hardships before.
And together...
They believed they could endure many more.
---
Brald White quietly organized the village's defenses.
Every patrol route was carefully adjusted.
The experienced hunters were assigned to the most dangerous areas.
The younger villagers were instructed to remain close to the village.
There was no panic.
No chaos.
Only quiet preparation.
A village that had lived beside danger for generations...
Already knew how to face it.
---
Meanwhile...
Life inside the White family continued peacefully.
Lily prepared warm meals as always.
Little Tia filled the house with her cheerful laughter.
Kai visited almost every day.
Although the smiles remained...
Everyone could feel...
That something had changed.
An empty place remained upon the sacred mountain.
A place no one could ever replace.
---
Near that quiet place...
Beside the young tree growing above Liza's grave...
A familiar figure trained every single day.
V White.
His wooden sword danced through the air.
Tak!
Whoosh!
Clack!
Each strike carried greater precision.
Each step became steadier.
His body had grown stronger.
But...
His heart had changed even more.
He no longer trained to become the strongest.
He trained...
To protect.
---
Whenever exhaustion reached him...
He remembered Liza's final words.
"Power exists to protect..."
"Not to control."
Those words became the rhythm of every swing.
The reason he stood back up...
Every single day.
---
A gentle breeze passed through the mountain.
The leaves of the young tree softly swayed.
For a brief moment...
V smiled.
It almost felt...
As though someone was quietly watching over him.
As though...
Liza's presence had never truly disappeared.
---
The Narrator
The world believed...
It had lost a dragon.
The kingdoms believed...
A legend had come to an end.
But legends...
Do not disappear so easily.
They live on...
In the hearts they inspire.
In the lives they change.
And in the promises...
They leave behind.
Beneath the quiet forest...
A new story had already begun.
A story...
That even the oldest records...
Had failed to foresee.
And somewhere beyond the horizon...
Destiny...
Had already begun taking its next step.
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