Three cheers for the Hero of Elaria! The crowd roared, voices echoing through the marble streets of the capital as golden banners fluttered in the wind. Flower petals rained from above, and children danced with wooden swords, imitating the man they all adored — Kurozume Raizen, the kingdom's savior.
Raizen stood on the palace balcony, dressed not in armor, but in the ceremonial robe of the royal protector. His expression remained composed, stoic even, but inside… there was warmth. Not joy — he had never been one to smile freely — but peace. For once, the war was over.
Monsters had retreated beyond the cursed northern lands. The darkness that plagued Elaria for a century had finally been purged, thanks to him.
He turned to his side, where Queen Emiko Tsukihana stood — her silver hair glistening under the sun, eyes soft with admiration. She stepped closer and placed a hand gently on his arm.
"You did it," she whispered. "You brought peace."
Raizen didn't speak. He didn't need to. His gaze drifted to the crowd once more. Somewhere in that sea of joy, his closest friend — Takeshi Arakida — was watching. The tactician, the war-mind, the man who fought beside him for ten years. The one who Raizen trusted more than his own blood.
Peace… finally.
And yet, a strange chill ran down his spine.
---
That night, the silence of the palace was broken by the sound of armored boots. Raizen was meditating within the Temple of Flame, a sacred space reserved only for heroes.
The doors burst open.
"Lord Raizen. By the order of the crown, you are to be arrested."
He opened his eyes slowly.
"…What?"
The knights didn't respond. They advanced, weapons drawn.
"You stand accused of treason against the crown, conspiracy to seize the throne, and practicing forbidden magic."
Raizen didn't move. "Where is Emiko?"
The captain hesitated. "She signed the order herself."
Raizen's fingers curled slightly.
Treason? Seize the throne? Forbidden magic?
He had done nothing but serve. Bleed. Kill. Save. All for them.
"Take him," the captain barked.
---
Chains. Cold stone. Dim light.
Raizen sat within the dungeon below the palace — the same palace he had defended from invading armies. His hands were shackled, his blade taken, his name slandered across the kingdom.
Three days passed. No food. No light. Only silence… and the whisper of betrayal crawling under his skin.
On the fourth day, the door opened.
It was her.
Queen Emiko.
She walked in slowly, wearing a midnight-blue gown, her crown resting delicately upon her silver hair.
"Emiko," Raizen spoke her name like it still mattered. "Why?"
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she knelt before him, brushing a lock of hair from his face.
"You were too powerful," she said softly. "Too loved."
Her voice didn't shake. Her eyes didn't weep.
"You would've become a god. And gods… are threats to kingdoms."
Raizen stared into her eyes.
So cold.
So beautiful.
So merciless.
"You lied," he said. "Every smile… every promise…"
"Yes," she admitted. "I did. And you were so easy to fool, Raizen."
He felt something inside him break.
But she wasn't done.
"Takeshi will ascend as king. The people need someone they can follow — someone mortal. Not a cursed blade waiting to awaken."
His heart stopped.
Takeshi.
His brother-in-arms.
His friend.
The tactician who stood behind him in every battle… now standing above him in betrayal.
"You both planned this."
She leaned in closer.
"We built this kingdom on your legend. But legends… fade."
She stood and turned to leave.
"You'll be executed tomorrow at dawn. Cleanly, painlessly — for your past services. Goodbye, Raizen."
And just like that, she walked out.
---
Dawn. The courtyard. Thousands watched.
Rain began to fall.
Raizen stood in chains, eyes dead, body beaten, soul… hollow.
The people who once cheered his name now watched in silence.
Betrayal was a cruel artist. It painted truth with lies, love with poison.
Takeshi stood on the steps of the royal dais, dressed in royal crimson, the crown already placed upon his head. His expression was unreadable.
No one spoke.
No one cried.
The executioner raised the blade.
And Raizen closed his eyes.
> "I once died for this kingdom…" he whispered.
The blade fell.
> "…now I'll bury it."
---
Darkness. But not death.
Time passed. Years. Centuries. The world forgot him.
But in the shadows, beneath the earth, a heartbeat remained.
He awoke in a ruined cathedral, buried under stone and ash. His body — still intact. His chains — shattered. And in his hand…
A blade.
Shinketsu.
Its hilt pulsed with red veins, as if alive.
A voice echoed in his mind.
> "Feed me… and I shall feed you power."
Raizen stood, broken but breathing.
The world outside had changed. Elaria was now a continent ruled by five kingdoms — each led by the descendants of the betrayers.
He stepped forward into the twilight, his eyes burning with crimson light.
---
The hero was dead.
What remained… was the curse.