Golden light washed across Vel’farra’s skyline as Raian stepped out from the Council Hall.

  For a moment, he paused. He turned back once.

  Six banners of the ruling Houses fluttered above the stone towers, their colors shifting in the evening wind. Umbrafel. Clawscar. Regallin. Kindroot. Noctelure. Sein’ei.

  The last one—faded, worn, but still flying. Raian watched it for a brief heartbeat. Then he turned away and continued down the capital street.

  The city had returned to motion. Merchants called out to customers, carts rolled across stone roads, and the scent of food drifted through the late-afternoon air.

  As Raian passed through the crowd, he slowed. Then stopped. A small market stall stood at the edge of the street.

  The smell reached him first—rich, savory smoke. Chicken feet skewers crackled over a small charcoal grill.

  “Welcome—” The old tom behind the stall looked up from the fire. His words halted when he recognized who stood before him.

  Raian raised a hand slightly. “Sorry if my presence—”

  “I don’t care.” The old merchant had already looked back down at the grill, his paw fanning the skewers lazily.

  “Even if your clan has fallen,” he muttered, “you’re still the heir of one of the founding Houses of this kingdom.”

  He wiped his paws with a cloth, then lifted a paper bag from the stall.

  Without ceremony, he slid several skewers inside and held the bag out.

  Raian looked at it for a moment. Then accepted it, lowering his head respectfully.

  “Thank you.”

  The old merchant gave a small, almost invisible smile.

  “Be proud, Lord Raian.” He poked the fire with a stick. “Even if your father is gone… his blood still runs thick within you.”

  Something inside Raian shifted. A feeling he had not heard spoken aloud in years.

  He placed a silver coin onto the wooden counter and bowed once more.

  Then he turned. The bag of warm skewers swayed lightly at his side as he left the market behind.

  Step by step, the city stone gave way to dirt roads. And the dirt road slowly returned to the jungle. Toward home.

  Sunlight no longer reached the forest floor as easily. The deeper Raian walked, the more the canopy thickened above him, swallowing the gold of evening into shifting patches of shadow.

  His thoughts drifted.

  What should I tell them… he wondered quietly.

  Then—

  “Just tell them.” The whisper seemed to come from somewhere nearby.

  Raian stopped. His ears twitched. His eyes moved slowly through the trees, searching the undergrowth and branches around him.

  Nothing. No scent. No presence. No movement. Only the forest breathing.

  He closed his eyes for a moment. And the memory surfaced. A younger Raian. Smaller. Sitting beside a warm fire.

  His father’s voice. “Just tell them,” Enzan had said, a gentle smile beneath the tired strength of his eyes. “Tell them what you truly feel, Rai.”

  The memory felt vivid—almost alive.

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  “Because… we only have each other.”

  The image faded. Raian opened his eyes again. The forest returned.

  “Father…” he murmured. His gaze lifted toward the thick green canopy above. “Then why didn’t you tell me… where you went?”

  The question dissolved into the quiet. No answer came.

  Raian lowered his head slightly. And continued walking. Soon, the small wooden house appeared at the edge of the clearing.

  In the yard, Mika sat crouched low, hugging her knees while idly flicking small pebbles across the dirt. Her ears twitched. She lifted her head.

  A figure emerged from the trees. A familiar cloak. A steady stride. Unmistakable.

  Her brother.

  Mika’s eyes widened. “Mom! Brother is back!”

  She shot to her feet and sprinted across the yard. Raian lifted the small market bag in his paw as she rushed toward him.

  “That silly girl… you couldn’t even wait to see what I brought—”

  Huft! His words cut short as Mika slammed into him, wrapping both arms tightly around his waist.

  From behind her, the wooden door burst open. Ariani ran out into the yard.

  “Son!” She reached them and pulled Raian into her arms as well, drawing both children into a single embrace.

  Their fur brushed together. Warm. Real.

  For a moment, the world outside the clearing seemed to disappear.

  Raian felt the warmth of them both against him. And he smiled.

  Softly. “Mother…” His left arm tightened gently around Ariani’s back.

  “Sis…” His right hand settled across Mika’s shoulders.

  “I’m home.”

  Together, they stepped inside the house.

  The warmth of the small wooden home wrapped around them immediately. The scent of cooked food lingered in the air, and the dinner table was already set. They took their seats.

  A cup of warm milk waited for Raian. He picked it up and drank slowly, the heat spreading through his chest. Then he drew a long breath. And began to tell them everything.

  The past week.

  At first, Ariani and Mika listened with bright curiosity—leaning forward, hanging onto every word as Raian described the Maw Pits.

  But as the story continued, their expressions changed. Their shoulders tensed when he spoke of the wounds he had suffered.

  Mika’s ears flattened slightly. Ariani’s paw tightened around the edge of the table.

  Then came the Council. When Raian described the trial, their mouths fell open—only to be quickly covered by their paws in disbelief.

  And then—

  Poke! Raian felt his right cheek being shoved sharply.

  “Hey, you stupid big brother,” Mika said, repeatedly poking his cheek. “I never asked you to do all of that.”

  “But—” She pulled her hand back suddenly. Her head lowered.

  Her slender body turned slightly away, paws rubbing together awkwardly. “…Thanks,” she murmured, eyes fixed on the wooden floor.

  Ariani watched her daughter quietly before speaking. “At least… you came home safely today.” Her eyes moved slowly over Raian—from head to shoulders, the rest of his body hidden behind the table. “…without new wounds.”

  “Yeah,” Raian said softly.

  He looked at the two of them. His small family. Then he thought quietly to himself—

  This is what I fight for.

  And together, they ate dinner.

  Inside Umbrafel Tower, the chamber of shadows remained dim and cold. Maeril sat upon her throne.

  Before her, Veyr and Nesk knelt in silence. The air itself felt heavy—whether from the stone walls, the darkness, or the presence of the one who ruled the room.

  Tap. Tap. Tap. Maeril’s finger tapped lightly against the armrest of her seat.

  “That boy…” she said at last. Both Veyr and Nesk lowered their heads even further. “…was interesting.”

  Her tapping stopped. Silence spread slowly across the chamber.

  Then—“Proceed further with Plan B.”

  Her voice was calm. Controlled.

  “The plan continues to move according to design.”

  “Yes, Master,” Veyr and Nesk answered in unison.

  Maeril rose slightly in her seat and turned her gaze toward the tall window behind her. Beyond the glass, the sky above Vel’farra was slowly surrendering to night. The last light faded from the horizon.

  “Now the chaos will come faster than I expected…” Her golden eyes narrowed faintly.

  “Let us see if you can guard this fallen kingdom…” A single fang appeared as a thin smile formed.

  “…Regallin.”

  Silence swallowed the chamber.

  Outside, darkness settled over Vel’farra.

  And somewhere deep in the jungle, roots stirred.

  That was the epilogue of Arc 1. Thank you for reading Oraterra: The Sein’ei Vow from the beginning until now.

  For Chapter 19, which will begin Arc 2, I’ll release it after revising the rough draft of this book. It may take about 2–3 days, depending on how busy I am working in the fields.(As I mentioned in my bio, I'm a farmer who also runs a fish farm, haha.)

  Please feel free to leave a review or comment after reading the story.Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my work.