The wind at the pass was cold. Caspar Pass in the Elder Mountains—the lowest of only three traversable passes that divided the border between the Kingdom of Vernard and Miltia—had no paved stones at its entrance. Only bare rock and earth formed the steep slope. Sophia gritted her teeth and pressed forward, one step after another. Her back burned with heat. Cross Rain's body temperature seeped through the fabric. It wasn't a normal warmth. She could tell something was wrong. But she couldn't put him down. (You took three arrows and still ran.) Sophia's pale violet hair scattered in the wind. The thin scratches across her face came from branches yesterday when she'd sprinted through the forest. She hadn't stopped then either. Carrying Rain on her back, she'd gripped the rocks and pulled herself upward. "[gentle]Let me take a turn" Alru came alongside her. His golden hair swayed in the morning light. His aquamarine eyes looked gently at Sophia's face. "[serious]...Just a little longer" Alru said nothing. He simply positioned himself at Sophia's left side and placed his hand on the rock. Casually, he pointed with his finger to a foothold. Sophia understood his intent and stepped on the indicated stone. It was stable. (That's just like you.) But the ache in her chest came from a different reason. Rain on her back spoke in a hoarse voice. "...Sophia" Just her name. His consciousness was fragmenting. And yet he still called her name. That voice kept Sophia's feet moving forward. She didn't answer. If she did, she felt she would cry. Alru was looking at Sophia's profile. She was aware of it. She understood what he felt. Last night, in the dark forest, when Alru had said "I love you," all she could return was "I'm sorry." She remembered that. But now, there was only one direction to face. ────── When they reached the midpoint of the pass, a sound came from behind—rocks shifting. "[serious]Someone's there" Alru lowered his voice. Sophia stopped and turned around. A figure emerged from behind the rocks, leading a horse. Sophia's entire body went rigid. Silver-white long hair hung loosely in the wind. Odd eyes—deep blue on the right, silver on the left—unmistakable. His luxurious coat was caked with mud, and a fresh wound marked his right cheek. No guards. No Iron Crown Brigade. He was alone. The Crown Prince. Vernard Lionel. The man who had issued her execution order stood here, solitary. "[cold]...Sophia" His voice trembled. Not with anger. Not with composure. It was a broken voice, tangled with fear and anguish. Sophia had never heard this man speak like this before. "[serious]Don't trust him...it's a trap" Rain forced the words out from her back. Alru quickly stepped in front of Sophia, his hand moving to the short blade at his waist. But Lionel didn't draw his sword. "[sad]Please. Come back, Sophia. If you keep running—I—" His words stopped. Something he couldn't say. His throat was blocked. Sophia looked at Lionel's face. At court, he was always composed, intellectual, more dignified than anyone. Now, in his eyes, she saw fear clearly. (Could he...make a face like that?) Lionel took a step forward. In that instant. From below the pass, multiple horn blasts sounded, overlapping. Boom, boom, boom—low and continuous. The sound of hooves thundered up the slope. "Secure the Crown Prince! His Highness is confused! Restrain him!" It was the voice of Gard's subordinate. Lionel's face went pale. Ashen. He bit his lip and whispered low. "[cold]Gard..." Secure. Secure the Crown Prince. Sophia's mind processed it instantly. Secure meant—arrest. Gard's unit hadn't come to protect the Crown Prince. They were coming to suppress him. That meant—Gard wasn't acting on the Crown Prince's orders. Someone else's orders. Then arrows flew. Whish. "[scared]!" An arrow grazed Lionel's left arm. His coat tore. Red seeped through. Lionel clutched his arm and staggered. "[cold]...Gard isn't on my side—that man—" His words were cut off by the sound of a second arrow. ────── Rain couldn't move. Lionel was wounded. The sound of hooves climbing the slope grew closer. Sophia's eyes swept across all their faces for just a moment. Rain. Alru. Lionel. Then her gaze stopped on the spare short blade sheathed at Rain's waist. Slowly, her hand reached out. Rain's eyes opened slightly, and his fingers grasped Sophia's wrist. There was no strength in the grip. He was thin as bone and skin. And yet his fingers trembled as they touched her hand. Sophia gently pulled her hand free. Their fingers touched for one second. She moved toward the narrowest part of the pass, where the cliff edge was. The path was only wide enough for a single horse. Left was the cliff. Right was the rock wall. There was no better tactical position. "[surprised]Sophia, what are you—" Alru's voice rose. Sophia didn't turn around. She gripped the blade's hilt with both hands. Her fingers were shaking. But her feet didn't retreat an inch. "[serious]I'm not running. At the scaffold, at the river, in the village, in the forest—I've always let someone pull me along. This time, I'm standing in front" Her voice came out louder than she expected. There was a brief silence. "[gentle]...I understand" Alru came to her side. He held two short blades in reverse grip. His face was smiling slightly. It was a bittersweet smile, but he was facing forward. Lionel knelt silently beside Rain without a word. He took a stance to support Rain's body. He answered with action before words. ────── The first two knights pushed forward. Swords drawn, they advanced down the narrow pass. Alru moved. Instead of blocking the sword—he drove his short blade into the knight's elbow. A sharp crack. The joint dislocated. The knight's sword fell. His second blade struck the next knight's inner knee with precision. One leg buckled, and the knight collapsed. Not the movements of a mere traveler. Sophia caught a glimpse of Alru. (Who are you, really?) But there was no time to ask now. A third knight lunged toward Sophia. Sophia had no combat training. She knew that better than anyone. Even if she tried to block with the short blade, it would be knocked away in an instant. So she didn't block. Her eyes traced the rock wall. She remembered the fragmented words Rain had spoken earlier. "...The rock face...on the right side...is brittle...if you collapse it...the path will be blocked" A fissure. She traced the crack with her eyes, remembering how Rain had read the terrain in the forest and chosen alternate routes. There. A deep vertical fissure in the rock wall. Sophia reversed her grip on the short blade and drove it into the deepest part of the fissure. Once. Twice. Her knuckles throbbed with pain. A third time. The rock scraped. The third knight was now only steps away. Sophia raised her foot and kicked the center of the fissure with all her strength. One kick. Two kicks. CRACK——!! The rock face shattered. The fissure spread. The stone above shifted. BOOM BOOM BOOM——!! Boulders cascaded down the pass, dust billowing. The knight's cry as he retreated. The path was blocked. In the swirling dust, Sophia faced the cliff and slowly exhaled. Her hands were shaking. Her knees were shaking. But she wanted to laugh. "[serious]We can go! Now!" Alru's voice cut through. All four moved. Lionel supported Rain. Alru pulled Sophia's arm, and they climbed higher, higher up the pass. All four crossed the summit of Caspar Pass together. ────── The moment they emerged on the far side, Sophia dropped to her knees. The wind changed. Not the dry wind of Vernard, but a softer, warmer wind from Miltia touched her cheek. Her right hand, which had gripped the short blade, throbbed with pain. When she looked at her palm, it was red and swollen. She took Rain from Lionel's support. She offered her shoulder to steady him. For the first time, she saw Rain's face clearly up close—flushed with high fever, breathing ragged. His eyelashes were long. She thought of such things in this moment. Rain looked at Sophia. His barely-open red eyes moved, searching for her, and found her. "[gentle]...I'm glad" Just that. One word. Sophia couldn't find words to return. "Thank you" wasn't enough. "I'm glad" wasn't enough. Nothing felt sufficient. So instead of words, she squeezed Rain's hand tightly with both of hers. Hot. Abnormally hot. But he was here. Definitely here. Alru stood a distance away, looking back toward the pass. He scratched his cheek once and looked up at the sky. It was blue. A sky beyond the reach of Vernard's pursuers. His expression was bittersweet, but he was smiling. A bittersweet smile, facing forward. Lionel stood at the summit of the pass, watching Sophia's back. His mouth opened slightly. Then closed. There was so much he should say. But he couldn't say it now. He had no position to say it. He understood that, so he stood in silence. His odd eyes remained fixed on Sophia's figure, unmoving. A strange quiet spread between the four of them. It was broken by a sound from below the pass. The sound of striking the collapsed rock face. Scraping. The rhythmic sound of metal against stone. Gard wasn't giving up yet. Rain's hand moved slightly in Sophia's grip. Hot. The heat showed no sign of diminishing. They had crossed the pass. But crossing was all they'd done. The road to Miltia still lay ahead. Rain's life still hung by a thread. Sophia held Rain's hand and looked toward the slope beyond, into Miltia. There was only one way forward.