The Hero Who Lost Everything

During their first conversation, Xu Xi once asked Servia this:

"Servia, have you ever thought about the future?"

At that time, the Hero remained silent for a long while before finally giving a resolute answer.

She would stay.

Even if her parents were gone, even if Clawphire faded into history, she would protect the people of this land until her last breath.

The reason was simple—because they needed a Hero.

And the Hero could not ignore those people.

Every word of gratitude, every interaction, pushed the false Hero forward, easing the guilt of having ended her parents' lives.

But now.

The Hero was no longer a Hero.

Not even a false one.

Because no one needed her anymore.

Fear, tears, cowering, fleeing.

Every village in Clawphire's territory fled to distant lands, seeking refuge in larger towns, convinced that Clawphire was no longer safe.

The Hero had lost those she was meant to protect.

She was no longer needed.

She became an empty shell.

Under Xu Xi's gaze, the girl stood silently, facing the deserted village, unmoving for a long, long time.

Lifeless. Motionless.

As if something intangible had been pulled from her skeletal body, leaving only pale bones behind.

"Lord Sorcerer..."

Finally, the hollowed-out creature spoke.

She forced a smile, not wanting Xu Xi to worry. "Everyone... left safely..."

"That's good. No one was hurt."

Servia tried to smile, tried to express joy, but her lips wouldn't obey. Her emerald eyes were duller than ever before.

The world reflected in those eyes was gray.

"Servia," Xu Xi asked, "Are you happy?"

"...Yes. I'm happy."

"Everyone is safe. They left Clawphire without trouble."

"I'm truly happy, Lord Sorcerer."

Meeting the dim glow of those green jewels, Xu Xi reached out and mended the girl's undead body.

A spell activated, sealing the wound in her chest.

"Servia."

His voice was gentle, not exposing her fragile lie. "You did well."

...

[A thousand years is enough to erase everything.]

[To erase the history of the Clawphire family, to erase all traces of this land. The only thing keeping Servia alive was her oath to protect the people and the expectations of her parents.]

[The girl who ended her parents' lives was atoning in this way.]

[She feared loneliness.]

[She feared being forgotten.]

[She feared being unneeded.]

[She feared fading into oblivion, feared failing, feared the honor of Clawphire ending with her.]

[You ask Servia again what she plans to do now.]

[This time, the girl cannot answer with conviction—because the people who needed the false Hero have left this land.]

[The Undead Tide has ended. Clawphire's territory has returned to silence.]

[Servia climbs the hill alone, crouching beside her parents' gravestones, lingering in solitude, her back pressed against the cold stone.]

[Servia is lost.]

[She no longer understands the meaning of her existence.]

People have two opposing sides.

Strength and fragility.

Servia had always been strong—surviving alone in a world a thousand years removed, bearing the weight of Clawphire's legacy, protecting people who were no longer hers to protect.

But she was also deeply fragile.

Longing for connection, craving recognition, afraid of the dark and the sound of thunder.

Servia lied to Xu Xi.

A betrayal of the knightly virtue of [Honesty].

She wasn't happy at all.

She was heartbroken. Lost. Grieving.

"Father... Mother... What should I do now...?" The undead girl crouched on the hilltop, hugging her knees, finding only the slightest comfort in the gravestones pressed against her shoulders.

The emerald of the Clawphire family was pure and uncomplicated.

But that didn't mean she was foolish.

Long ago, Servia had realized she could never return to the happiness of her past.

Her parents were gone.

They would never come back.

The Glory Medal of Clawphire had vanished forever into the annals of history.

Even the people of the land no longer remembered the name Clawphire.

The so-called protection, the so-called perseverance, had always been nothing more than the "Hero's" wishful thinking.

"I can't do it..."

"I just can't..."

Hollow echoes reverberated within the armor.

The Hero Servia remained trapped in the past, her spirit lingering in distant memories, refusing to acknowledge the changes of the world.

She believed—

That sitting by her parents' graves would let her feel their presence, just as it once had.

She believed—

That protecting the people of her land would restore the glory of the Clawphire family, just as it once had.

But as she gazed upon the desolate territory, her so-called resolve shattered into pieces.

The Hero had lost her courage.

Lost and afraid, she dared not face the terrifying reality, seeking only the meager comfort of leaning against her parents' tombstone.

"...Thank you, Lord Wizard."

Xu Xi often came to visit Servia.

The world was bleak.

A mournful wind howled.

He never offered her empty words of lofty comfort. Instead, he stayed by her side with quiet warmth, teaching the girl ways to grow stronger.

Servia was always polite.

She thanked Xu Xi every time.

But her emerald eyes remained dull, clouded with despair.

Clawphire, ravaged by the undead, lay in eerie silence—especially after the villagers had departed, leaving only Xu Xi and Servia behind.

Days passed, uncounted.

Servia's spirit remained sunken.

She leaned against the tombstone, vacant and lifeless.

Then, Xu Xi stirred. Rising to his feet, he gazed at the darkened sun. "Servia, I'm leaving."

His eyes lowered to the lost undead girl, and he extended his hand. "Will you come with me?"

The invitation was clear.

For the first time in so long, the expressionless face of the undead girl flickered with something human. "But... I..."

Servia, the so-called Hero, was not ready.

She feared the future.

She wanted to stay in the familiar past—

Leaning against her parents' grave, walking the lands of Clawphire, touching the door of her childhood home.

Servia couldn't bear to leave Clawphire.

She couldn't bring herself to do it.

Timidly, she lowered her head, avoiding Xu Xi's gaze, retreating further into herself.

But then—

The man in the wizard's robes knelt down, meeting the false Hero's eyes. "Servia, do you know?"

"Stepping into darkness is easy. But facing the light again is hard."

"The shift between light and dark stings the eyes."

"To reclaim the light takes more courage than enduring the dark."

"And I believe—Servia has that courage. Because Servia is a true Hero."