It had been nearly fifty years since Cain's death and the emperor's downfall. In that time, countless things had happened to the Ducal Family of Leston. Halo's father had passed away, and he'd taken his father's place as the head of the family.
The new emperor, proclaiming that Halo had saved the empire, had granted Halo the new title of Grand Duke.
From that day onward, Halo's life had been nothing short of chaos. He'd devoted himself to stabilizing the empire in the wake of turmoil, proposing a series of laws and reforms.
Among them was one to abolish slavery. It had been, in Halo's own way, a form of penance for Cain, his friend who had never known freedom.
And of course, Halo hadn't neglected vengeance either.
Even though he'd begged Cain to live on, the latter had chosen death—by Halo's own hand, no less.
Halo thought that was just a little insolent of Cain. So he'd made Cain a hero. A knight who, though he had served a wicked master, had remained true to his vows until his dying breath—a noble figure of tragic honor.
The newly reformed Imperial Guards had found Cain's legend rather inconvenient, but Halo didn't care. He'd gilded that ungrateful friend's name, ensured that his memory lived on by continuously funding the Academy, and had his story retold through generations.
Halo had also looked after the subordinates Cain had cherished so dearly. Halo had arranged for them to leave the empire safely, so they could finally walk their own paths, freed from the shadow of the Malevolent Emperor. Halo had even discreetly placed some of his men nearby, just in case.
Years flowed like a river that never stopped. During that time, Halo had children and grandchildren.
Life had been busy, but blissful.
When Halo's youngest grandson was born, the demonic hordes began to stir once more. And because of that, he'd not been able to spend much time with his grandson.
Caron Leston, Halo's youngest grandson, was the one who had drawn Halo's eye more than any other. He was the son of Fayle, who had been cast out of Azureocean Castle for failing to awaken his mana. The senior members had expected nothing from the boy.
Even after Fayle's exile, Halo had done what he could to ensure his son's comfort. And yet... The guilt he felt for that exile had never truly left him.
While Halo was preoccupied with the growing number of demons and demonic monsters, the day of his youngest grandson's Awakening Ceremony had eventually come. The elders of the family had all assumed the boy would fail to awaken his mana. So had Halo.
But everyone was wrong.
The youngest, Caron, had already awakened his Azure Mana before coming to Azureocean Castle. And upon arrival, he'd promptly smashed his cousin Leo's face into a pulp.
Halo should have known then that something was amiss.
"Head of the house... That sword..." someone murmured.
"...Guillotine," Halo said quietly.
Caron had caused an incident at the Awakening Ceremony.
Halo stared at the dark, bluish blade in Caron's grasp and exhaled a heavy sigh.
It radiated a murderous aura so dense it could only be described as a demonic sword. It was a blade steeped in death—horrifying in every sense.
Halo had heard of it only in stories, uncertain if it truly existed. It was the ancestral blade. It was the Execution Sword, Guillotine.
Countless demons had lost their heads to that sword, their resentment condensed into its steel. And yet Caron held it without the slightest trace of fear on his face.
"Are you not afraid of that sword?" Halo asked quietly.
Caron's eyes gleamed as he replied, "No, Grandfather."
"...I see," Halo said.
He let out a slow sigh and looked down at the floor. The ancient Pledge Stone, which had stood unbroken for generations, lay shattered into pieces.
And that could mean only one thing...
The pact made in the founder's era with the Guardian Dragon, the solemn vow to eradicate all demons from this world, was now to be fulfilled.
Guillotine was the founder's sword. Which meant Caron had been chosen to carry out that oath.
A heavy feeling weighed upon Halo's chest.
From across the hall, he caught sight of Fayle, watching his son with a face full of concern.
Fayle was an intelligent man, once cast out for failing to awaken mana. He couldn't possibly understand what was unfolding before him.
Halo's other sons were no different. Judging by their bewildered glances, Halo knew that they hadn't realized what kind of sword Guillotine truly was.
"Haah..." Halo sighed deeply and fixed his gaze upon Caron.
The chosen wielder of Guillotine was said to walk willingly into the heart of the storm. If Caron had been chosen by that sword, then a tempest unlike any they had imagined was about to engulf them all.
But Halo wondered why it was Caron.
Whoosh.
A brilliant aura emanated from the boy before him. And within it, Halo sensed something far darker.
What do you hate so deeply, Caron? Halo thought.
Caron embraced Guillotine's murderous will without hesitation. No ten-year-old should have been capable of radiating such killing intent.
That look in Caron's eyes was full of hatred and fire. That felt strangely familiar.
Cain...? Halo thought.
For just a moment, he thought he saw Cain's eyes reflected in his grandson's. That same madness, that same defiance. To think that he would see Cain in his own grandson filled his mind with too many thoughts. The future of their house, of the empire, of the entire continent—it already felt suffocating to imagine.
Halo wondered if it could be tied to the resurgence of demons and demonic monsters across the land. He needed to confirm the situation in the North Sea himself.
Turning slightly, Halo said in a grave tone, "The Awakening Ceremony is over."
A new hero had been born from a place no one had expected. It was the Child of the Vow.
Caron would one day command the continent. Perhaps he would rise even higher than Halo ever had.
Halo declared solemnly, "Caron Leston has been chosen by the Founder's Sword, the Execution Sword, Guillotine. As the head of the house, I hereby declare him worthy to inherit the Ocean Dominance Arts."
At those words, the faces of Halo's eldest and second sons stiffened. Both had coveted succession, but both had failed to prove themselves. Their guarded expressions told Halo all he needed to know. But their resentment was their burden to bear.
Halo continued, his voice heavy with authority, "Caron Leston, son of Fayle Leston and grandson of Halo Leston, now stands as a proud member of Azureocean Castle. Let all here be witnesses. Blood of the Leston line, remember this moment."
With that, Halo turned away. The look Caron had still lingered in his mind. It felt familiar.
"Myabe I should've watched over him more often," he muttered.
Beside me, the Third Elder spoke quietly, "Head of the house, the one chosen by Guillotine... does that mean—"
"That the fate of this world may soon twist," Halo interrupted. "Caron will become the eye of the storm."
There was much to think about. He could already feel the storm coming.
"First Elder, I'm going to say something just in case," he said to the First Elder.
"Yes, my lord?" the First Elder asked.
"I do not want the senior members to be interested in Caron. The house must change. If we do not adapt, we will not survive the storm that approaches," Halo declared.
The First Elder gave a silent nod in response.
Halo took a deep breath and stepped forward.
***
Ever since the Awakening Ceremony, Caron's growth in Azureocean Castle had been nothing short of astonishing.
From the moment he first stepped into the Imperial Palace and crossed blades with the Queen of the Succubi, to the Southern Great Forest incident and beyond—wherever Caron went, a storm followed.
Every mess Caron caused became the Ducal Family of Leston's problem to clean up.
Before anyone realized it, Caron had become the most important figure in the Ducal Family of Leston. And what made Caron even more remarkable was that he didn't only grow stronger himself—he lifted up his cousins along with him.
People had already begun to call them the Golden Generation.
Without anyone instructing him, Caron had started gathering influence on his own. He'd even succeeded in mending the broken ties between elves and humans—something that had seemed impossible for decades. His every move had the precision and resolve of a man preparing for war. Though he charged ahead without restraint, he somehow drew countless allies to his side.
The only thing Halo did was to watch his grandson from one step behind.
Time flowed like a river, and eventually, Caron reached the rank of 8-Star. It was then that the time came for him to create his signature technique.
After the incident with the resurrected Malevolent Emperor had been settled, Caron went to Halo and said that he would return to Azureocean Castle to forge his signature technique.
So Halo let him go. It was safer that way. If Caron stayed in the capital, he was bound to cause some kind of disaster.
While Caron trained in Azureocean Castle, Halo remained in the capital to deal with the aftermath. The city was steeped in unease after the Malevolent Emperor's resurrection, and order had to be restored.
Only once the chaos began to settle did Halo find time to visit Azureocean Castle again to review pending matters. But the moment he sat down in his study...
Kwaaang!
A deafening explosion thundered from outside the window.
When Halo turned his head toward the sound, his old friend and butler, Heinrich, let out a dry, weary chuckle.
"Young Master Caron is currently devising his signature technique, my lord," Heinrich said.
"...Has this been happening often?" Halo asked.
"At least dozens of times a day," Heinrich replied calmly. "Some of the facilities in Oceanwolf Island have been damaged, so we've summoned repairmen. It will take considerable time, so for now... We've chosen to let it be."
"Why?" Halo asked.
Heinrich smiled faintly and explained, "Because even if we fix them, the young master will just destroy them again. It's better to wait until his creation is complete."
He poured tea into Halo's empty cup, and a faint clink echoed in the quiet room.
"I also refrained from telling him you were visiting," Heinrich added. "I thought your presence might disturb his focus."
"Well done," Halo said, taking a sip.
"Would you like to see him, my lord?" Heinrich asked.
It was Caron's signature technique, after all.
Halo had been curious about what kind of technique the one hailed as the greatest talent of the Ducal Family of Leston had created. A signature technique usually reflected a person's nature.
He wondered what kind of technique the unruly child had devised, and so with that thought, he set the papers down for a moment and rose from his seat.
"A short visit won't hurt," Halo said. He wanted to see what kind of technique could cause explosions loud enough to shake the castle.
As Halo stood, Heinrich swiftly opened the door and said, "This way, my lord."
Together, Halo and Heinrich made their way toward Oceanwolf Island , the headquarters of the Oceanwolf Knight Order, where countless trainee knights trained and grew.
"But tell me," Halo asked as they walked, "Why is he practicing there instead of in the training chamber?"
"Ah, I failed to mention, my lord. The training chamber was... well, completely obliterated. It's under reconstruction," Heinrich explained.
"Of course it is," Halo muttered.
"Thankfully," Heinrich continued with a grin, "the repair costs were paid by Young Master Caron himself."
"Well, he's probably the richest one in the family now. Hmph. If he has that much money, you'd think he'd spoil his grandfather a little," Halo muttered.
Grumbling, he followed Heinrich into the training grounds.
Kwaaaang!
Another explosion roared, followed by a shockwave so strong it rattled the air.
Halo waved his hand lightly, dispersing the force with a ripple of mana, and scanned the area.
Dozens of trainee knights stood outside, having been evacuated, watching helplessly.
When they spotted Halo, they immediately bowed low.
"Greetings, my lord!"
"Greetings, my lord!"
Halo nodded curtly and said, "The main courtyard's training ground is open. Use that for now. Heinrich—see them there."
"Yes, my lord," Heinrich answered, then bowed and led the trainees away.
Kwaaaang!
It was another explosion.
Left alone, Halo quietly stepped deeper into the Oceanwolf Island—toward the central training hall.
The scene was chaotic. The ground was gouged and cracked, buildings crumbled, and scorch marks covered the walls.
At the centre of the devastation stood Caron, bare-chested, sword in hand, his body glistening with sweat.
He hadn't noticed Halo because the latter had deliberately hidden his presence.
From the tip of Caron's blade rippled a deep, blue light—like the color of the ocean at midnight. The light spread outward, painting the air with breathtaking brilliance.
It was a horrifying sword—and yet impossibly beautiful.
There was also a moon. A dark blue moon shimmered into being above the training ground.
"Ah..." A sigh escaped Halo's lips.
He'd seen that moon before. Someone had once conjured that moon of haunting beauty. And Halo knew exactly whose it had been.
"Cain?" Halo whispered.
It was Cain's moon. Caron was recreating it perfectly.
Halo wondered how it was possible. In that instant, fragmented memories and clues surged through his mind.
Caron's mastery of the Imperial Sword Form, and his strange obsession with the old Imperial Guards. Little details Halo had ignored were all fitting together like the pieces of a puzzle.
And then, the conclusion hit Halo.
"...Ha," a quiet, disbelieving laugh escaped him. Because he knew how impossible that thought was.
"There's no way," he muttered.
The absurd idea that Caron could somehow be Cain—reincarnated.
And yet, from that moment on... Halo could no longer dismiss the doubt.
He stood there, saying nothing, his presence cloaked, watching the moon his grandson had drawn—the moon of the man he once called friend.