“Barancuuuus! Come right now!”
The shout echoed off the stone walls. Barnacus dropped the stack of papers he was carrying and sprinted toward the source. He burst into Theodor’s office, chest heaving.
“My lord, what is it?” he asked, struggling to catch his breath.
“Nerva called. That bastard Francis is attacking from the south. He’s brought his full force, even the Voiceless are with him.” Theodor slammed his fist into the table, shattering it into dust with a burst of mana.
“Call Pius and the other commanders. Activate the Sentinels, the Winged Squadron, and the full strength of my Ember Guard. We march with only the strongest this time. Leave the regular soldiers to defend the capital,” Theodor ordered, a counterattack plan already forming in his mind.
Barnacus straightened, saluted. “Yes, my liege!” Then he turned and ran toward the army barracks.
Theodor summoned his colossal golden greatsword and swung it a few times, channeling mana into the blade. A red wyvern spirit unfurled its wings behind him and let out a piercing roar.
Theodor smirked. “Yes, Pyris, my girl. We’ll feast on the blood of our enemies soon.”
The spirit roared again before vanishing back into the blade. Theodor stored the weapon and summoned his dark red armor, its helm bearing the crest of a wyvern.
Pyris, a Legendary weapon and heirloom of the first King of Fallhaven, had carved this land into a kingdom. Since then, the wyvern had become the symbol of both the realm and the Sorgaz family.
Unlike Kai’s Noxblade, Pyris was a different kind of Legendary weapon. Most were forged by merging a weapon with a monster core, binding the soul of a powerful beast to it. The rarest were those that evolved their own spirit. Such weapons had the potential to ascend to Mythic rank.
***
Meanwhile, Barnacus raced through the castle, triggering alarms that signaled the start of an invasion.
The capital of Fallhaven and its surrounding villages began evacuating toward the inner city, protected by its strongest defenses.
By the time Barnacus reached the barracks, Pius had already gathered the other commanders.
“Commanders,” Barnacus said with a nod. “Orders from the king: activate the Sentinels and Winged Squadron. The king will summon the Embers. The rest of our forces are to stay and defend the capital.”
Pius nodded. “Do we know the enemy’s strength?”
“Rond is bringing their full force,” Barnacus said grimly. “They’ve even hired the Voiceless.”
The room tensed. Most of their commanders were at the early Master level; only Pius had reached the mid-Master level. The rest of their forces were peak Knight level, except for the Embers, who were also early Masters. The Sentinels, magetech automatons, were best suited for fighting armies, not elite Master-ranked knights like the Voiceless.
“We’ll manage somehow,” Pius said, though concern crept into his voice. “Any word from Nerva? Without him, I fear we won’t win this. The king can’t do it alone.”
“Master Nerva was the one who reported the invasion,” Barnacus replied with a smile. “He’s already moving to strike them from behind.”
The mood in the room lifted instantly.
“Excellent! Let’s mobilize. No time to waste!” Pius barked.
The commanders sprang into action, readying their forces for war.
***
Back in the valley, Nerva had just finished his report and finalized the plan with Theodor.
“Theodor and Fallhaven’s elite will strike from the front. We’ll hit them from behind,” Nerva explained. “The biggest threats are the four Voiceless… and Francis himself.”
“Someone needs to stay behind to protect Lisa,” Kai said, concern in his voice.
“I have a better idea,” Scry said with a chuckle, pulling out the Arcanum. “Merge it with your inner world. Yours is more than large enough to house it now. Besides, it belongs to you anyway.”
Kai frowned. “How does that help?”
Liliya smiled, her eyes gleaming. “Silly. Once it’s merged with your inner world, you can keep living beings inside. They’ll be safe and protected. It becomes a separate realm entirely. Arcanums are truly special magetech artifacts.”
Kai hesitated. “But what if something happens to me? Wouldn’t she be in danger then?”
“Nope!” Scry said cheerfully. “Even if you die, though I hope you’re not planning on it, the Arcanum will eject itself from your inner world and hide. It has a self-defense enchantment at its core.” He spoke with the confidence of someone who had been bound to it for countless years.
“Alright… what do I do?”
“Just open your inner world and will the Arcanum inside. It’s bound to you now, so you can pull it in and out with a thought. Same goes for letting others in or out,” Scry explained.
Kai nodded, took the Arcanum, and focused. The artifact glowed, then phased into his chest, entering his core space. It passed through the silver crack and into his inner world.
Inside, it zipped across the mana lake and settled on the emerald island at its center, beside Hydragon beneath the Thunder Tree. There, it expanded into the size of a small hut.
Kai smiled. “It’s done. That was surprisingly easy.”
“Naturally,” Scry said with a grin. “Now, Lisa and three of you will go hide inside. The outside world is about to become very dangerous.” Scry pointed at Lisa and her three spirits.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Lisa pouted but nodded. The memory of the cloaked figures still haunted her. She didn’t want to relive that nightmare.
Kai gave her a reassuring smile and imagined the Arcanum drawing them in. A small portal opened, and Lisa and her spirits were gently pulled inside.
Within his inner world, within Arcanum, Kai guided them to his room. “Rest here, okay? There’s plenty of food in the kitchen storage. Harrietta’s meals are still fresh.”
Lisa’s voice trembled. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ll be okay. Just… be careful.”
Kai’s voice hardened. “Don’t worry, Lisa. Brother will make them pay for what they did to you. I promise that.”
He turned back to the others. “She’s safe. We can go.”
“Wait!” Nerva barked. “Zara, Lucius, both of you, inside as well.”
“Oh, hell nah!” Zara snapped. “Finally, some damn action, and you want to sideline me?”
“You’re pregnant!” Nerva shouted.
“It’s early, and I can take care of myself. Being pregnant doesn’t make me any less of a fighter!” she shot back. “I’m going, whether you like it or not.”
Nerva clenched his jaw. Xarion stepped forward.
“I’ll protect her. If it comes to it, I’ll give my life for them. Let her fight, you know how she is.”
“Damn it… fine. But you’d better watch her like a hawk,” Nerva growled. Then he turned to Lucius. “You, I don’t want to hear a word from you. Get inside!”
Lucius sighed. “Yes, Master. I understand.” He wasn’t foolish. He knew who the Voiceless were. He wouldn’t even be able to sneeze in their direction before dying.
Kai approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Keep Lisa company. Thank you.” Then he gently pulled him into the Arcanum.
Inside, Lisa lit up. “Cousin Lucius! You’re here too! Yay!”
Lucius smiled warmly and nodded. “Of course. I’ll keep you safe.”
***
“Ready?” Kai asked, turning to face the others.
“Let’s move. We don’t have time to waste; those greedy idiots are probably already deep within the territory,” Nerva growled, settling back onto his gryphon.
The rest of the group mounted up and launched into the sky. Lucius’s now riderless gryphon followed close behind.
Kai glanced at Scry. “Please enter my world for now. I don’t want to risk anything happening to you.”
Scry sighed. “Fine, but I can still help. If the right moment comes, I’ll show you what a partially recovered Scry is capable of.” He smiled, then dove into Kai’s inner world, linking his senses to Kai’s.
With a beat of their wings, Kai and Umbra soared upward, chasing after Nerva’s team.
***
They flew for what felt like an eternity, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on their hearts. After a little over an hour, smoke began to rise in the distance.
“We’re too late,” Xarion sighed. “They’ve already razed the last villages along the southern border.”
The Dracorious tribes never warred among themselves. They all honored the creations of dragons equally and couldn’t comprehend why other races would slaughter their own out of greed.
But they were no fools. Anyone who provoked them met a swift end. Such was life on Sacra.
Nerva’s face darkened as he urged his gryphon to fly faster.
As they neared the first village, the stench became unbearable, a choking mix of smoke, blood, and charred flesh. Nerva leapt from his mount, desperate to find survivors. He searched every corner, but it was futile.
Xarion and Zara tried to calm him as he collapsed to his knees, punching the ground. “Fuck them. All of them,” he whispered between blows, his silver aura swirling into mercury with each strike.
Moments later, Kai and Umbra arrived. Shock filled their eyes.
“Such cruelty,” Umbra murmured. “They didn’t spare anyone. Such a waste of life. They didn’t kill to eat or defend, just because they could.” She still couldn’t accept this way of living.
Kai remained silent, walking through the ruins. Bodies lay everywhere, young and old. Rond’s armies saw no difference.
The scene reminded him of Dawnbreaker’s memories. It seemed the Eldari weren’t the only ones who reveled in war crimes.
“This world is fucked up,” Kai muttered, his heart aching, stomach churning.
His head throbbed. The mix of memories and souls within him pushed his mind toward rage. He fought the urge to hunt, to destroy, to defile those who had ended so many lives. The longer he stayed, the more his thoughts aligned with the urges inside him, the need to punish mercilessly.
“Are you okay?” Liliya approached, reading the turmoil on his face.
“We’ll find them,” she said softly. “I don’t approve of these methods, but sadly, they’re normal here.”
“Try to suppress your feelings. If you lose control, you’ll only get yourself killed.” She knew firsthand the danger of his unrestrained rage.
“I’m hanging in there,” Kai replied. “But even without all these forces inside me, I’d still feel the same. It’s just… cruel. They gained nothing by doing this.” He stared at the broken body of an old man, clenched his fists, and his draconic claws slowly morphed and pierced his skin, blood dripping onto the scorched earth.
Liliya placed a hand on his arm. “Deep breaths, okay? It’s normal to feel this. Just stay focused. Don’t lose yourself.” She looked into his now draconic eyes. Fear lingered in her gaze, but another, stronger, much elusive emotion, smothered it. She wanted to be his anchor at this moment.
Kai inhaled sharply. “Thank you, Liliya. I’ll try.” He hugged her briefly, then walked toward Nerva and Umbra. Nerva seemed to be in even worse shape.
Liliya stood there, heart fluttering. Every touch makes my heart burn. These feelings… they’re so bothersome. She sighed and followed.
***
Seeing the concern in the others’ eyes, Nerva stood and took a deep breath. “Forgive me. I lost my cool.” He exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself.
Zara offered a warm smile. “You’ve always been emotional when it comes to injustice.”
Xarion nodded, then gestured toward the approaching Kai. “That one doesn’t look much better.”
Kai walked up towards them, his expression grim.
“Are you okay?” Nerva asked.
“I didn’t expect a scene like this,” Kai admitted. “But I’m hanging in there.”
Umbra’s voice cut through the air. “Let’s move on. This is pissing me off.”
“Right,” Nerva agreed, climbing back onto his gryphon. “If we hurry, maybe we can still save someone.”
Without another word, the group took to the skies again, racing toward the other burning villages.
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