Within the Unknown's Painted World.
Ashes like cotton fluff drifted through the sky, leaving this place with less than an hour of sunlight each day. Even so, green grass stubbornly pushed out from the cracks between the stones. As long as destruction had not come, it would continue to live.
A tall figure wearing slightly scorched armor and a short cape walked forward. Every step stirred up choking ashes, yet he felt a little nostalgic for the sensation.
The old knight pressed a hand against the armor over his chest. The bulging fragments of the painting inside seemed to lessen his physical pain by a fraction. He had once been a knight, until everything he possessed was taken from him.
The old knight was different from the Lord of Blazing Sun. He had no grand ambitions. Searching for the fragments of the painting to repair the ancient city was neither his ideal nor his responsibility. It was merely that someone had placed their hopes in him, while he himself no longer knew why he should go on living.
The ancient city's residents had always placed their hopes and trust in him, allowing the old knight to feel the responsibility of returning. For one brief moment, he felt that he had become a knight again—though it lasted only that moment.
Thinking of this, the old knight quickened his pace. As the ancient city drew closer, a touch of loneliness filled his heart. He was going to sleep eternally here.
Following the passage through the city gate, the old knight entered the ancient city. Its buildings were extraordinarily dilapidated, covered in cracks. The streets were empty, making the entire place seem bleak.
The old knight was not surprised. The ancient city was simply like this. Its people spent most of their time