Some contact: The author is a bit lazy. Hope u understand:)
The scene took place in an unknown land.
Four hundred elite soldiers of the Kingdom's army stood in perfect formation, accompanied by eight mages from the Tower of Ashneer. Before them lay the ruins of an ancient city.
Once, it had been a proud city of the Marlyan Empire — the center of economic trade across the realms. It had been ruled by one of the last dragon riders.
People once called it the Golden Crown City.
Now, like many places lost to history, it had become a cursed and abandoned ruin. Tragedy echoed.
Dark clouds covered the sun, dimming the light. A cold breeze passed through the soldiers' capes.
At the front of the army stood two companion knights: Ser Plenton and Ser Hunk — the finest knights of the Kingdom of the Forsaken.
Moments later, a man with a left eye scar, King Vortigan, stepped out of his command tent, clad in full armor.
Ser Plenton: "The air feels perfect for dying today, Your Grace," he chuckled.
Ser Hunk looked toward the ruined city before speaking and asked, "Are you truly sure this is worth it?"
King Vortigan placed his helmet on his head and said, "This is my destiny. If you are unwilling to fight, you may leave before it is too late."
No one moved.
Vortigan has always been a great commander in terms of combat and skills. He is not charismatic but has great leadership. But one night, he decided to kill the King with a few counselors and hunt the royal family and claim himself a king. It turned out that long ago the King got a little bit horny with one pretty maid and got her pregnant. The baby and the mother got exiled from the land after a priestess claimed they would bring a bad omen to the realm. Long story short, the baby was Vortigan, and now he tries to prove that he is the rightful king by killing the Corpse King. He killed all those who opposed him.
All eyes turned toward the dark forest ahead. Dense fog wrapped around the ancient trees.
Then—
The sound came.
Running. Getting louder and louder.
Hundreds of feet crashing through the forest.
From the darkness emerged a horde of twisted creatures — monsters born from the darkest emotions of mankind.
They had the heads of humans but the bodies of wolves.
They charged toward the army.
King Vortigan stepped forward and raised his left hand.
The army instantly prepared for a ranged assault.
When the creatures reached the perfect distance, the king lowered his arm.
The mages unleashed their magic.
Flames shot into the sky.
The infantry pointed their long spears toward the creatures. Ser Plenton pulled out his two swords, and Ser Hunk readied his flail weapon (Ser Hunk is a big man with a weight of 230 pounds).
Battle evoked. They led their assault. Ser Hunk swung his flail, and two monsters that came straight to him flew back — dead! Another came (swing), dead!
They pushed through them, marching toward the ruined City. Inside the ruined City lay the Corpse King waiting for them.
Meanwhile, in Brimwood Hollow, it was just another ordinary day in the village.
The men had gone uphill to mine minerals, while the women walked down the slope to fetch fresh water.
Brimwood Hollow was a small hidden village built on top of a hill, surrounded by the towering Vale of Verdir and mountains.
The mountains were rich in rare minerals and Vein Stone, a mineral commonly used to create fuel for weapon mechanisms. The village men worked in the mines every day, while the women climbed down to the plateau each morning to gather water in wooden baskets.
Kaen and Sang had been left behind to watch over the children since they were the eldest of them.
But it was obvious that the children did not like them, and they were still not accepted by the folks.
Their parents often spoke ill of the two boys, calling them dangerous. But not all children agreed. Some really liked them.
"Brother Kaen, have you seen a monster before? My mother said there are a lot of monsters outside the village," asked a kid curiously, to which Kaen replied, "Well! I have seen Goblin and wyvern but… umm I have never seen a monster before as well."
There were nine children in total — four boys and five girls. The village itself had only forty-nine people, divided among eight families. They had five elders who were council members and seventeen strong men. While most were miners, some were hunters as well.
Kaen and Sang sat quietly on the grass, watching the children play a strange game Sang had never seen before. Moru sat beside them.
Inside the Elder Hall, the largest house in the village, the elders were discussing the future of the village — and the fate of the two strange boys.
First Elder: "Well! We should allow them to stay as long as they behave well and bring no harm. When the time comes, we will send them away."
Second Elder: "We cannot treat this so lightly, Elder Jheo. The land beyond our village is filled with terrible dangers. We survive only thanks to the Crystal Orb our ancestors left behind. If what Elder Melyra says is true — that the yellow-haired boy is the prince they are searching for — then we must exile them quickly."
Third Elder: "I do not believe that is the wisest decision, Elder Wane. None of us know what the future holds. If we act only for our own survival, then we are no better than the monsters outside."
The hall fell silent.
Finally, Elder Melyra spoke, exhaling a slow curl of smoke.
Elder Melyra: "Elder Smith speaks the truth. Yes… we too are afraid. But those boys have done nothing wrong. It is this cruel world that forged their fate. Let us grant them time — and pray that the Old Deity watches over us all."
Meanwhile, deep inside the cave where the men were digging, Elder Hogan continued to work in the mine. Even in his old age, he had not retired like most others. The folks begged him to stop and promised that they would look after him, yet he refused and worked anyway. No one really knew his motive.
Maybe his hard work had finally paid off. This time, he had discovered something rare — a crystal glowing with a faint green light.
A relic. And it's a big one.