Breath intensified. The cold air left a silence over the field — heavy breathing beneath armour as they stood in position, waiting for it to begin.
The rumble came closer and grew louder. Dark clouds rolled in with scorching thunder trailing behind them like a warning no one could unhear.
Then, as the army advanced, a glowing blackish mass summoned itself high in the sky. A trembling voice descended from it — dark, heavy, and vast, as though the sky itself had learned to speak.
"OH HUMANS. LOOK AT YOUR STATES."
The voice was slow. Deliberate. Every word landing like a stone dropped into still water.
"YOU CANNOT COMPETE WITH US. YOU ARE WEAK AND FRAGILE. FOR YOU IS ONLY MEANT DESTRUCTION AND CHAOS. YOUR TRUE PURPOSE WAS EXPOSED LONG AGO."
The blackish fire shifted — turning blue as it continued to speak, pulling the attention of every soul on that field.
"BUT BOW DOWN BEFORE ME. BEG ME FOR YOUR LIFE, AND I WILL ACCEPT YOU AS MY SLAVE. BECOME DARKNESS. A NEVER-DYING FREEDOM. OBEY THE PATH OF ENDLESS MERCY THAT I OFFER YOU — OR CHOOSE THE WRONG PATH, AND YOU WILL SEE A RIVER OF BLOOD."
Aron heard every word. But unlike the men around him, something in him did not shake. He stood there with the stillness of a man who had already seen the worst the world could offer — quiet, upright, unmoved. He looked like an ordinary soldier. But he was the one darkness had feared once before.
From further back in the formation, Lilith was among the first to witness darkness for the very first time. It felt like something pulled from ancient myths — old stories of magic whispered between generations. But this was no myth, and there was no magic left in the world today. Whatever this was, it was real, and it was here.
The king moved. He walked forward from the middle of the formation, stepping through the rows of soldiers until he reached the front. Keiss held his horse steady beside him. The king turned to face his army, and when he spoke, his voice carried across the field.
"My soldiers — what stands before you is a false lie. What you see is not power. It is a gate dressed as heaven." He paused, his eyes moving across the faces of his men. "You may die today rather than stand alive. But we have left hope in this world." He raised his hand and pointed toward the black fire burning high in the sky. "This ground beneath your feet — it was once stood upon by those who were just like us. And they fought. So will we."
Every soldier readied themselves.
High above, the black fire shifted again — this time turning green. The green light lit the entire sky, its shine piercing through the clouds like a second sun. Then, without warning, a bolt of lightning struck downward.
It hit the king.
"What—" Keiss turned.
Panic broke instantly. The king collapsed. Keiss moved toward him first, and what he saw made even him go still. There was a hole through the king's chest — directly through his heart. He had not even spoken his last words. He was simply gone.
For the first time, Keiss looked frightened. Around him, soldiers faltered — the fear spreading through the ranks like fire through dry grass.
Ling stepped forward. "He is dead. Now who leads the army?"
"I will," said Keiss. His voice steadied before the rest of him did. "We cannot withdraw. If we retreat, they will hunt down every last one of us — and everyone we came here to fight for."
Above them, the black fire turned blue once more.
"LOOK." The voice returned, carrying what seemed almost like a smile buried within it. "LOOK HOW YOUR KING DIED. HE WAS WORTHLESS AFTER ALL. YOU HUMANS CANNOT KILL US — THIS WAS DESTINED LONG AGO." A pause. "DO NOT BE SCARED. WALK TOWARD MY ARMY. TAKE THE SHADOW. AND I WILL SPARE YOU."
Keiss turned to his men. His voice was steady and hard.
"My soldiers — we may die today. But we will fight."
The dark army began its charge. Keiss raised his voice one final time.
"Push your strength. Hold your ground."
Then the sounds of horror began. Whistles tore through the air. Catapults groaned and launched — great rocks wrapped in dark fire hurling across the sky, crashing into the human side with violent force. At least fifty men were taken instantly, swallowed in smoke and flame before they could even raise their weapons.
The voice spoke once more — its final time.
"WELL. I GAVE YOU A CHOICE. IT SEEMS YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE WRONG PATH. NOW GO — AND FACE YOUR DESTRUCTION AND ANNIHILATION."
The black fire vanished. The dark clouds rumbled with thunder.
Men were dying faster than anyone could count. Keiss looked out across the chaos, frustration burning behind his eyes. He stared into the darkness ahead — then made his decision.
"CHARGE!"
Two massive armies collided. The silence of the field shattered into something ancient and deafening. It was like two enormous waves crashing into each other, neither willing to break first. The sound of metal rang out across the battlefield — soldiers throwing themselves at one another, axes swinging, swords cutting, bodies falling.
Aron moved through it all with sharp precision. He threw a soldier aside with his leg, twisted his sword and cut down two more in a single motion, dodged an axe that came from his left, then drove his blade directly through another soldier's heart. He was not panicking. He was not hesitating. He was simply fighting.
Lilith fought without mercy. Five came at once — moving like a squad, coordinated. Lilith cut through all of them instantly, barely slowing down.
---
Luxorious sat on the broken fence at the top of the cliff. Below, the field was already turning — blood and corpses spreading across the ground like a dark tide.
"We should go," said Luxorious.
"No," said Trail.
A pause.
"Not you," Trail said again, his eyes still fixed on the battlefield below. "The dragon could arrive at any moment. I need you here — and when it comes, kill it before it spits fire. Don't let it breathe. Not once."
Then Trail jumped from the cliff and hit the battlefield running.
He moved like a madman. Faster than he should have been. Sharper than anyone around him. His agility was something else entirely — weaving between soldiers, striking before they could register him, gone before they could react.
A group of dark soldiers broke from the main force and rushed toward the cliff. They spotted Luxorious sitting alone at the top. They looked up into those deep, still eyes.
They stopped.
Then they turned and ran.
Luxorious hadn't moved. Hadn't spoken. Just sat there — quiet and unreadable, like death itself had decided to rest for a moment and watch.