# Chapter 4: Paths of Destiny
The ancient passages beneath Magnolia Castle wound like a maze through the darkness. Stanley led the way, carrying Princess Lucy while his free hand traced the wall markings only the Shadow Knights knew to follow. Behind him, Shin carried Prince Rin, both knights moving with the silent grace that had earned their order its name.
"It's dark," Lucy whispered, clinging tighter to her stuffed rabbit.
"Darkness is our friend tonight, princess," Stanley replied softly. "It keeps us hidden from those who would do us harm."
Above them, they could hear the muffled sounds of combat. The castle was under attack, but the thick stone walls of the passage dampened the noise to little more than distant thunder.
Rin, still clutching his father's ring, spoke up. "Will Father be alright?"
Shin and Stanley exchanged a glance in the darkness. Before either could answer, a new sound reached them – footsteps approaching from a connecting tunnel.
"Down!" Stanley hissed, dropping into a defensive crouch while keeping Lucy protected.
A figure emerged from the darkness, and both knights relaxed slightly as they recognized Rose's signature movement pattern. But their relief turned to concern when they saw she carried an unconscious boy, his skin eerily pale in the dim light of the passage's magical markers.
"Rose," Shin breathed. "What happened?"
"No time to explain fully," Rose replied, her voice tight with urgency. "The demons have breached the castle's main defenses. Ming's betrayal was more complete than we imagined – he disabled the holy barriers protecting the city."
Stanley's jaw tightened. "The barriers are down? Then nowhere in Vasmos is safe."
"Exactly," Rose nodded. "But I have a way out." She shifted Ronin in her arms, revealing the teleportation stone around his neck. "His mother's last gift. It's our best chance now."
Lucy peered at the unconscious boy curiously. "Who is he?"
"His name is Ronin," Rose answered gently. "And like you, his life changed forever tonight."
A distant explosion rocked the passages, sending dust falling from the ceiling. Stanley made a quick decision.
"The forest safehouse first," he ordered. "We need to be away from the castle's magical interference for any teleportation to work safely."
They moved swiftly through the passages, emerging finally into the cool night air at a hidden exit near the city's edge. The forest loomed before them, offering cover, while behind them, Magnolia burned.
At the safehouse, Rose laid Ronin down carefully while Stanley and Shin tried to comfort the royal children. The teleportation stone gleamed with an inner light, responding to some unseen power.
"Everyone close," Rose commanded. "The stone's magic has a limited range."
As they huddled together, Ronin suddenly stirred, his eyes fluttering open for a moment. In the magical light of the stone, Rose saw something that made her breath catch – his eyes flickered between their natural color and a deep, burning red.
"The demon blood," she whispered. "It's changing him."
"What did you say?" Stanley asked sharply.
But Rose had already crushed the stone. Light exploded around them, enveloping their small group in a cocoon of pure magical energy. The world twisted, stretched, and then...
They were standing on a beach, waves crashing against the shore under a pre-dawn sky. In the distance, lights twinkled from a city nestled against the coastline.
"Finslia," Shin breathed, recognizing the holy barriers that shimmered like aurora borealis in the sky above the city. "We made it."
Lucy had fallen asleep in Stanley's arms, her rabbit clutched tight. Rin stood on shaky legs, still holding his father's ring. And Ronin, still unconscious, had grown slightly less pale, as if the holy barriers themselves were helping to stabilize the war between human and demon blood in his veins.
"What now?" Shin asked, looking to Stanley.
The Shadow Knights' leader gazed at the city, his expression determined. "Now we protect them. We train them. And we prepare them for what's to come."
Rose looked down at Ronin, seeing the complex swirl of energies within him. "They'll need more than protection," she said softly. "They'll need guidance. Understanding. And most of all, they'll need each other."
As the sun began to rise over Finslia, four children bound by tragedy and two knights sworn to protect them stood on the shore of their new home. Behind them lay the ruins of their past; before them, a future none could predict.
But for now, they were safe. For now, they could rest. And tomorrow... tomorrow they would begin to forge their path toward destiny.
[Continues in Chapter 5: The Price of Growth]