The cheers were deafening, and Gabriel stood at the heart of it all, surrounded by familiar faces—people he had grown up with, laughed with, and called family.
The air carried the sweet scent of roasted meat and spiced wine, mingling with the faint traces of smoke from torches that illuminated the night.
Children darted between legs, their shrill laughter blending with the raucous voices of the gathered townsfolk.
There was so much merriment. At least more than he had ever seen in his life, and it was all for him—their war hero.
A banner hung above the orphanage gates, his name crudely painted in purple.
"Welcome Home, Gabriel!" The letters were uneven, clearly the work of excited children.
Gabriel let out a quiet chuckle at the thought. He could recognize little Mara's handiwork anywhere.
The thought of her and the others putting in so much effort just to make him happy felt like a stake to the heart.
They saw a hero, but they couldn't be further from the truth.
"To Gabriel, our hero!" A striking young woman cheered as she raised her glass high. Gabriel returned the gesture, albeit with less enthusiasm.
After a while, the cheers softened as the townsmen huddled up to discuss politics "Did you see the return fleet? I'm telling you we barely lost a man."
The children meanwhile had gathered around Gabriel, bombarding him with questions.
"Big bro, tell 'em about the time you and the prince were stuck behind enemy lines!"
"Or when the eldritch witch ambushed your troop!"
"Big bro, is Prince Icarus really that amazing?"
The flood of questions threatened to drown him, but before he could even attempt an answer, the young woman from earlier appeared behind him. "Now, now, big bro needs some time to rest. He has a trip to the capital tomorrow."
The kids paused for a while, their already shimmering eyes turning to literal stars.
"Ohhh Big bro how many tall buildings are in the capital."
"Are you going to meet a general?!"
"That's enough interrogating for one day, bath time's been pushed back an hour, so off you go."
As the children groaned and shuffled inside, she turned to Gabriel. "So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"
Gabriel wasn't even surprised by her question. If anyone could tell he wasn't in a good mood it was going to be Pearl– His younger sister.
"It's the orphanage's deed," he admitted.
"Yeah? What about it?"
"I can't risk us getting thrown out…"
"We've been threatened before, Gabe. But we've never actually had to leave. The professor always finds a way."
"I'm not sure how much longer he can keep doing that. That's why we need this."
She sighed. "I still say you trust the professor. That badge of valor was something you earned with so much strife. Cashing it out for this shabby old–
"I'm not doing all this because of the damned building–"
"Exactly! You know, sometimes you are actually allowed to think of yourself first..."
They stayed like that for a while silently watching their little celebration come to an end. The music was slow and the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy could be seen enjoying each other's warmth with a slow dance.
Pearl wore a pleasant smile as she watched them dance. But her eyes held something more, something he couldn't decipher.
After a while, she spoke again. "But if this is something you believe you have to do..." She leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Then at least be sure of what you're giving up in exchange… It's getting late Gabe, go get some rest."
With that, she walked away. After a while Gabriel said to himself.
"I already know what I'm giving up… tainted valour."
***
The capital city Veinne was breathtaking at dawn. The first light bounced off its towering structures, making the gold-plated buildings shimmer with such brilliance it was almost blinding.
The city never truly slept, and by the time the sun rose, the streets were already bustling with movement.
Gabriel had seen Veinne countless times during his military training and deployments, yet its majesty never failed to amaze him.
He had left Pogswood in the earliest hours, and the contrast between the outskirts and the capital was stark. Here, men in gold and red armor patrolled the streets, while civilians donning extravagant robes moved around with purpose.
Something was off, though. It was subtle, but Gabriel's senses had always been... extra sensitive.
The closer he got to the government district, the louder his instincts rattled. It wasn't long before the unease seemed to permeate the air. There was this unusual tension, tensed faces, more and more guards than usual, hurried steps, hushed conversations. Then came the sirens, and after that...
"Gods be damned," the driver muttered, his wide eyes locked on the side of the road ahead. He was so distracted that he rear-ended the car in front of him. But Gabriel had already stepped out, his focus elsewhere.
A massive centipede lay dead beside a skyscraper.
Strangely, the gathered citizens weren't looking at the monstrous corpse but at the figure hovering above it. The man had his back turned with his vermilion cape billowing in the wind.
He hung like that in the air as if deep in thought.
"With just a punch?..."
"He wasn't even wearing armor."
"How does he stay up there like that?"
"I swear, he's a god—"
Murmurs swirled all around Gabriel. It wasn't long before most began to call out to him almost like collective hypnosis.
"Icarus... Prince Icarus."
Gabriel's belly churned.
The prince meanwhile turned at the mention of his name, revealing his handsomely sculpted face, framed by dark blond hair. The chanting grew louder as he descended, civilians reaching out to touch the hem of his cape or the shine of his red boots.
Gabriel watched him with furrowed brows as he hovered above the swarm of civilians.
Then the crowd saw her, the woman Icarus held in his arms. The excitement died soon after, and the crowd slowly parted.
Gabriel recognized her. The minister of defense– Minister Amadala. She had once been part of the inner war council. Her unyielding ethos was one of the major reasons why the war had ended.
There was a temporary barrier put up by the security officers, with Icarus and the lady he held at its center. The paramedics swarmed in after her, but it was already too late. She had already been killed by the eldritch beast.
Attacks like these weren't unheard of, but for a creature to appear this deep into the capital... was deeply unsettling.
The Prince's involvement was even more disturbing.
But the masses couldn't be more glad that Icarus had been there. His presence alone dulled the fear in his people's hearts, so there wasn't much panic.
Gabriel lingered at the scene for a while, watching the prince Icarus as he discussed with the security officers.
A flurry of emotions welling in his chest when suddenly, Icarus's gaze shot towards him.
Gabriel was already gone. Shrouded deep in a canopy of civilian bodies.
Gabriel caught another cab before long. But even after leaving the scene, he couldn't help but wonder: An attack this close to the government district could mean war. Or perhaps just an excursion out of the dome to inspect for anomalies— maybe a reminder of Icarus's strength to keep their enemies in check.
Either way, it was a dangerous precedent, one he wanted no part of.
Gabriel arrived at the Sovereign Hall before long.
The massive building loomed over him. 'The empire's administrative heart'. The sheer size of it was staggering, spanning over an acre in width alone. Glass and thin gold filaments made up most of its structure, reflecting the light like a beacon of authority.
Gabriel forced himself to remain unimpressed as he stepped inside. He was clad in one of his red formal uniforms with his badge of valor dangling just below his heart.
The sight of it left him with a bitter after-taste, but there wasn't much he could do about that.
He had a meeting with the Minister of Internal Affairs—a man who had done everything in his power to keep this meeting from happening, even scheduling it at an absurdly early hour, knowing how far Pogswood was from the capital. Unfortunately for him, Gabriel was the timely kind.
He still had Gabriel wait a little while before sending for him.
"Sir."
Gabriel said with a salute which the minister acknowledged with a barely audible grumble before sliding a stack of documents across his desk.
"Listen, kid. That old shack of yours was sitting on a railway system. And due to the influence of its previous owners, the government had decided against tearing it down, choosing instead to build around it for whatever reason. Hence, its increased value."
"So?"
Gabriel urged.
"The current owners simply don't see how a badge of honor can compensate for the land's current value."
The minister said matter-of-factly.
"Don't see how... it's a farm in the middle of nowhere how much value could it possibly have!"
Gabriel roared.
The minister simply gestured to the documents on the table, and with reluctance Gabriel reached for them.
After a while Gabriel clenched his jaw. "So, it was never going to be ours."
"Never." the minister said with a smirk. "I'd suggest you stop wasting your time. If the owners have been good to you all these years, I advise you just keep paying the lease and go find something worth your badge of honor."
Frustration boiled in Gabriel as he stormed out of the man's office.
"80 million V's. How the hell is a farm in the middle of nowhere worth so much. This isn't a price, it's a wall."
Gabriel mumbled as he stomped. He had barely made it down the hall when he felt the hair behind his neck stand on end.
The air thickened as Gabriel's breath hitched—the world around him fading to red.
Beads of cold sweat trickled off his skin as his instincts screamed at his feet to run for dear life. But from what?
Then he saw him.
Above the hall, staring right at him with a subtle grin. The Prince Icarus.
"Oh Fuck."