The last sentence of the King's letter echoed in my head.

"As your king, I command you: if you are truly loyal, carry out my orders even in death."

Tonight, I received a letter from the King. Until I broke the seal, I expected it to be just another mission. But when I opened it, it took my breath away.

"Tomorrow, at dusk, you and your men will be reborn as guardians of the Royal Relic. This will be the most honorable duty given to the Guard, for true loyalty does not end with death."

The King's handwriting on the parchment weighed heavily on me. His message was clear: my men and I were to become ghosts and guard the royal relic forever. My heart raced, and I found it difficult to breathe.

I had lived as his loyal sword, giving everything for him and his orders. I was ready to die for him at any moment.

But to be stripped of all sense of life and freedom, to be left only as a soul, to guard a relic for all eternity? I would have preferred to die, but that was a fate I could not choose.

What weighed me down further was that I had to tell this to my men. My hands trembled as I stared at the letter. If I tore it up, if I sent my men fleeing... No, I can't. I would be a criminal, hunted by the Royal Army for the rest of my life.

One by one, the faces of my men came to mind, and my heart sank. They had traveled the battlefields with the King, deprived of seeing their families, but filled with pride as members of the Royal Guard.

For a long time, I froze in place, my head hung low. It was time to make a decision: as Captain of the Guard, I must tell my men of the cruel fate that awaits us. If I must bear the inevitable fate, at least I must do so without shame. With a final resolve, I slowly raised my head.