Virat: Abandoned by Destiny

Narrator

"Some words are louder than a sword strike..."

"Because a sword can wound the body..."

"But a single truth can change an entire life."

The room was still.

The warm fire inside the fireplace continued to burn quietly.

Crackle...

Crackle...

The orange flames danced across the wooden walls.

The peaceful atmosphere of the White family's home remained unchanged.

At least...

To anyone looking from outside.

Inside...

Everyone was focused on their own small moments.

Lily gently helped T finish the last few bites of her dinner.

"Come on."

"Just one more."

T looked at the spoon with tired eyes.

"Mom..."

"I'm already full."

Lily smiled.

"You said the same thing before eating three pieces of bread."

T immediately looked away.

"...That was different."

V quietly watched the exchange.

A small smile appeared on his face.

No matter how much the world changed...

No matter how powerful people became...

Some moments remained simple.

A family dinner.

A warm home.

A place where people could forget everything else.

But one person in the room...

Couldn't relax.

Brald White.

His eyes remained fixed on Alistair.

Because he knew.

A man like Alistair...

Never spoke without a reason.

Alistair calmly sat beside the table.

His expression remained unchanged.

He looked like someone simply enjoying dinner.

But Brald knew better.

Behind that calm face...

There were years of experience.

Years of battles.

Years of watching people.

The fire continued burning.

The shadows of the flames moved across the room.

Then...

Alistair slowly placed his cup down.

Clink.

The sound was quiet.

Yet...

Everyone seemed to notice it.

Alistair looked toward Brald.

For a moment...

Neither man spoke.

Then...

He leaned slightly closer.

His voice became low.

Almost a whisper.

"Brald..."

"The danger you fear..."

"...is not outside the village."

The words entered Brald's ears.

But he didn't understand them immediately.

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His expression remained still.

Then...

Alistair continued.

"It has already..."

"...entered through the door."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Even the sound of the fire seemed to disappear.

Brald stared at him.

His eyes slowly widened.

"What...?"

The spoon in his hand loosened.

His fingers stopped moving.

And then...

CLINK!

The spoon fell onto the wooden floor.

Everyone turned toward him.

Lily immediately became concerned.

"Brald?"

"What happened?"

But he didn't answer.

His eyes remained locked on Alistair.

V noticed.

And for the first time...

He saw something he had never seen before.

Fear.

Not the fear of an enemy.

Not the fear of losing a battle.

Not the fear of death.

But...

The fear of a father.

A father who realized...

Something might threaten the people he loved.

V's expression became serious.

Father...

Why does he look like that?

The same man who had stood against monsters.

The same man who had protected the village for years.

The same man who never showed weakness...

Was now silent.

Alistair calmly looked away.

As if he had not said anything extraordinary.

But his eyes remained serious.

Brald slowly bent down.

He picked up the fallen spoon.

His hand moved normally.

Almost perfectly.

But...

There was a slight tremble.

Only a small one.

Yet V noticed.

The room slowly returned to normal.

Lily continued helping T.

But the warmth from before...

Was no longer the same.

Something had changed.

Something invisible.

Something only a few people could feel.

The dinner eventually ended.

Plates were collected.

The fire continued burning.

One by one...

Everyone returned to their rooms.

But Brald...

Could not sleep.

Later that night...

Restart Village was covered in darkness.

The peaceful sounds of the village had disappeared.

Only the gentle wind remained.

The moonlight entered through the window.

Outside...

The ancient banyan tree moved softly.

Whoosh...

Whoosh...

Inside the room...

Brald stood beside the window.

His arms were crossed.

His expression was heavy.

Behind him...

Alistair stood silently.

Waiting.

For several minutes...

Neither of them spoke.

Because both understood.

The conversation they were about to have...

Was not an ordinary one.

Finally...

Brald broke the silence.

"What did you see?"

Alistair looked toward the moon.

"I didn't see anything."

Brald frowned.

"Then why warn me?"

Alistair remained calm.

"Because sometimes..."

"...you don't need to see the fire."

A pause.

"You only need to notice..."

"...that the smoke has already arrived."

Brald's eyes narrowed.

The meaning behind those words was clear.

Something had already begun.

Something hidden.

Something dangerous.

Brald stood silently beside the window.

The moonlight reflected in his eyes.

Outside...

Restart Village slept peacefully.

The same village he had protected for so many years.

The same village where every child could laugh without fear.

The same village where his family lived.

Yet tonight...

For the first time in a long while...

Brald felt uncertain.

Alistair remained standing behind him.

Calm.

Silent.

Patient.

Because he knew...

Brald needed time to accept what was happening.

Finally...

Brald spoke.

"Lazim..."

"Do you think he knows about Liza?"

The moment that name left his mouth...

The room became heavier.

Liza.

The Legendary Dragon.

The protector of Restart Village.

The existence that had kept countless dangers away from this land.

Even after her death...

Her name still carried weight.

Alistair didn't answer immediately.

His eyes remained fixed on the moon.

That silence...

Was enough.

Brald slowly tightened his fist.

"...So you think he does."

Alistair finally spoke.

"I think..."

"Anyone who has begun moving toward this village..."

"Has a reason."

Brald lowered his gaze.

The memories returned.

The mysterious contract.

The sudden offer.

The promise of protection.

The financial support.

Everything sounded generous.

Too generous.

"Protection..."

Brald whispered.

"A strange word."

Alistair looked toward him.

"Why?"

Brald gave a cold smile.

"Because..."

"Someone who truly wishes to protect you..."

"Doesn't first ask you to hand them control."

The candle flame beside the window trembled.

A cold breeze entered the room.

Alistair nodded.

"Exactly."

"That contract was not an offer."

"It was an entrance."

Brald's expression became serious.

"An entrance..."

"To what?"

Alistair looked toward the direction of the Death Forest.

"The place everyone wants..."

"But no one understands."

Silence.

The Death Forest.

The place where Liza's grave rested.

The place where countless legends were born.

And the place where greed had already begun reaching its roots.

Brald slowly closed his eyes.

"...How far do you think this goes?"

Alistair answered quietly.

"Far enough..."

"That the person behind it..."

"...doesn't need to come here himself."

Brald's eyes opened.

A chill passed through his heart.

Someone powerful enough...

To move pieces without appearing.

Someone who could use ministers.

Soldiers.

Politics.

All from the shadows.

Meanwhile...

In another room of the White household...

V was lying on his bed.

But sleep never came.

His eyes remained open.

Staring at the ceiling.

His mind was filled with questions.

Lazim.

The contract.

Alistair's words.

His father's expression.

Everything connected somehow.

V slowly turned his head.

Beside him...

T was sleeping peacefully.

Her small hands held onto the blanket.

Completely unaware of the worries surrounding her.

Seeing her peaceful expression...

V's serious face softened.

A small smile appeared.

He whispered quietly.

"I won't let anything happen to you..."

"Never."

Those words were not a promise to the world.

Not a declaration of power.

Not the words of a hero.

They were simply...

The words of an older brother.

Outside...

The ancient banyan tree stood silently.

Its branches moved gently with the wind.

The same tree that had watched over generations of villagers.

The same tree that had witnessed countless smiles.

And now...

It silently watched the beginning of another storm.

Back inside...

Brald finally turned away from the window.

He looked at Alistair.

"Tomorrow..."

"I will speak with the villagers."

Alistair shook his head.

"No."

Brald frowned.

"Why?"

"Because fear spreads faster than truth."

Alistair calmly explained.

"If you tell them there is danger..."

"They will search for enemies."

"They will begin suspecting each other."

"And that..."

"Will be exactly what the enemy wants."

Brald remained silent.

Because he knew.

Alistair was right.

"Then what should I do?"

Alistair looked toward him.

"Wait."

Brald's eyes narrowed.

"Wait?"

"Yes."

"Watch."

"Listen."

"Understand."

A pause.

"Sometimes..."

"The person who hides the blade..."

"Will reveal it themselves."

The words remained inside Brald's mind.

That night...

Two men stood beneath the same moon.

One carried the responsibility of a village.

The other carried the memories of countless years.

Both understood one thing.

The coming battle...

Would not begin with swords.

It would begin with choices.

Narrator

"A village can be destroyed by an enemy's army..."

"But sometimes..."

"It can be weakened by a single whisper."

"That night..."

"Brald learned that the greatest dangers do not always arrive with weapons in their hands."

"Sometimes..."

"They arrive with a smile..."

"A contract..."

"And a promise of peace."

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