The battlefield was quiet.
Charred stone. Scattered debris. A breeze carried dust across the ruined training field, whispering through the craters left by claw strikes and burning blades.
Kumuna lay flat on the ground, limbs splayed and chest heaving, trying to catch his breath. His twin short swords rested nearby, scorched but intact. His whole body throbbed from exertion, but he didn’t care.
He had survived.
More than that—he had fought back.
Orwin sat nearby, leaning against a broken pillar, one arm wrapped in a makeshift bandage, the other resting across his knee. He looked worse for wear, but he kept an eye on Kumuna with a faint smile.
“You alive over there?” he asked, voice dry.
Kumuna groaned. “Barely. But yeah.”
“Good.” Orwin chuckled. “Because if you weren’t, I’d have to carry your body back, and I’m not in the mood.”
Before Kumuna could respond—
CRASH!
The heavy double doors of the training field burst open with the force of a charging beast.
“WAAAAAAIT!! DON’T KILL ME! I CAN EXPLAIN!!”
A frantic figure sprinted into the courtyard at full speed—white lab coat flapping behind them, soot stains covering their face, cracked goggles askew on their head. Their hair looked like it had lost a war with an arcane wind tunnel.
Orwin blinked once.
Kai’Zen, still standing at the edge of the field with his spear lowered, frowned.
They exchanged a long, pained glance.
Kai’Zen groaned. “It can’t be…”
Orwin exhaled heavily. “Yup…”
Both turned in unison.
Kumuna, still sprawled on the ground, raised an eyebrow. “…Okay, what’s going on?”
The disheveled figure skid to a stop before the two warlords, immediately bowing with hands flailing in apology.
“I am SO sorry! I swear on every stabilizer rune I own, this was NOT supposed to happen! The Golem was sealed, triple-locked, mana-dampened, and dream-coded to sleep for another three months minimum! I had no idea it would—”
Kai’Zen stepped forward slowly… and pinched the newcomer’s cheek.
Hard.
“ACK—OW—OWOWOW! KAI! KAI’ZEN PLEASE—!”
“You absolute hazard,” Kai’Zen muttered coldly, twisting the pinch. “You built that thing and didn’t think to double-check the resonance lock?!”
“It wasn’t the lock, it was the emotional feedback loop! I was still coding the filters! OW! THAT’S MY FACE, I NEED THAT FOR SMILING!”
Kumuna blinked, watching in pure confusion. “…What am I looking at?”
Orwin sighed, shaking his head with a small grin. “Our resident genius.”
Kai’Zen finally let go, and the figure reeled back dramatically, holding their face.
Kumuna pushed himself upright, squinting. “Wait… you two know them?”
Orwin smirked. “Unfortunately.”
The scientist stood tall again—well, as tall as their small frame allowed—and gave a quick, awkward salute. “Dr. Veyra Lyss, at your service! Magical Engineer, Arcane Mechanist, and Golem Architect of the Gilded Empire’s Research Division! I build things that sometimes explode! Not usually on purpose!”
They beamed despite the red mark now imprinted on their cheek.
Kumuna blinked slowly. “You… kind of act like siblings.”
Kai’Zen immediately rolled his eyes.
Orwin chuckled. “Heh. That’s not far off.”
He glanced at Kumuna, his expression softening slightly.
“All of us—me, Kai’Zen, the others… the Warlords—we’ve fought beside each other for so long that, yeah… we might as well be family. Not always peaceful, but we trust each other like blood.”
Veyra, still clutching their cheek, nodded rapidly. “Mmhmm! That’s true! Very true! And in some families, you show affection by maiming facial nerves! Isn’t that right, Kai? …Kai?”
Kai’Zen’s only response was a slow, threatening glance.
Veyra cleared their throat. “Ahem—anyway!”
They turned to Kumuna, expression sobering with genuine regret.
“Hero,” they said more formally, “I sincerely apologize for the Golem breach. That thing wasn’t meant to be combat-active. Its emotional inhibitors were incomplete, and… when it felt your soul igniting, it must have mistaken the signature as a threat. Old fail-safe logic. I’ll be filing a full report.”
Kumuna, still catching his breath, waved a lazy hand. “Honestly… I’ve had worse Mondays.”
Veyra blinked. “That’s disturbingly casual.”
He gave a tired grin. “You’ll get used to me.”
Orwin snorted.
Kai’Zen muttered, “Unfortunate truth.”
Veyra chuckled, then looked at Kumuna’s swords. Their eyes widened slightly.
“Oh—! Is that residual soul fire? Those aren’t enchanted weapons… that came from you. Wait—did you awaken a technique mid-combat?!”
Kumuna nodded. “I guess? Something about a… sword dance? My blades caught fire.”
Veyra’s voice pitched up. “OhohoHO! That’s advanced soulcraft manifestation! You danced your way into a specialized ignition pattern?! That’s wild! Do you know how many field studies I’ve done where no one gets a reactive trait for months?!”
Kai’Zen shot her another glare.
Veyra flinched. “Right, right—too soon. Still sorry.”
Orwin stepped forward, resting a hand on Kumuna’s shoulder. “Come on, kid. You need medical and rest. You did more than enough today.”
Kumuna stood, wobbling slightly. “I’m not arguing.”
As they began walking toward the castle gates, Veyra tagged along beside them, still rambling—though more calmly this time.
“I’ll get to work right away on a new containment protocol. Or maybe I’ll just retire from golems altogether. Take up pottery. Less explosions. Probably.”
Kai’Zen muttered, “One can only hope.”
Orwin grinned as they walked.
Behind them, the battlefield remained quiet. Scorched. Scarred.
But something had changed.
Not just in the earth… but in Kumuna.
He had survived fire and shadow.
And for the first time—
He wasn’t just training.
He was becoming.
