Kharad-Val — One Week After the Battle
The great halls of the Dwarven Kingdom no longer celebrated. Hammers rang again, guards returned to their posts, and life resumed its old rhythm. But something was different. There was a new hope in the dwarves' eyes, a sense that the Titans were not invincible.
Lirin sat on the steps leading to the king's hall, watching Freila play with the dwarf children in the lower square. The child laughed, ran, fell, then rose again. She was innocent in a way that ached the heart.
Milerni approached and sat beside her.
Milerni: "You've adapted to life here quickly."
Lirin: "Freila loves this place. That's enough for me."
Milerni: "And you? Do you love it?"
Lirin looked around. At the massive stone walls, at the ancient carved runes, at the forge smoke rising in the distance.
Lirin: "I've lived in more beautiful places. But I've never felt safe in any of them."
Milerni: "That's not love. That's gratitude."
Lirin: "It's enough for me."
Milerni fell silent for a moment. She was looking at the distant horizon, as if seeing something others could not.
Lirin: "What are you thinking about?"
Milerni (quietly): "About Voide. About what remains of it."
Lirin: "Will you ever return?"
Milerni: "I don't know. Nothing waits for me there. My parents are dead. My brothers are dead. The Knights of the Black Sun... scattered after the massacre."
Lirin looked at her. For the first time, she saw Milerni weak. Not arrogant, not sarcastic, just... lonely.
Lirin: "Then why do you stay with us?"
Milerni: "Because I don't want what happened to my people to happen to others."
Silence.
Milerni (suddenly): "I'll stay here. Help guard the mountain passes. That's better than returning to nothing."
Lirin: "Will King Borin agree?"
Milerni: "He has no choice. The dwarves can't guard the mountains alone."
Lirin smiled. A small, genuine smile.
Lirin: "I'm glad you're here."
Milerni looked at her. For a moment, she seemed about to say something. But she didn't.
Instead, she looked at Freila, still playing below.
Milerni (quietly): "You're lucky. You've found something to protect."
Lirin: "And I will never leave it."
---
Kharad-Val — The Forge — Afternoon
Drukk Bronzefinger was still working on the sword. The blade from the First Rift was almost complete. Its gleam was cold, blue, as if carrying a part of Kinrith's silence that had died.
The Black Knight stood before the anvil, looking at the sword.
Drukk: "Tomorrow it will be ready. But I'll tell you something."
The Black Knight: "Speak."
Drukk: "This sword is not for any human. It is for those who have lost something precious. Only one who knows true regret can wield it."
The knight looked at Drukk. His black helmet stared at him.
Drukk: "You will wield it. But its price is heavy. Every strike... takes something from you. A memory. A feeling. One day, you may use it so much that you forget why you started fighting."
The Black Knight: "I know."
Drukk: "And you still want to wield it?"
The Black Knight: "I have no choice."
Drukk: "Everyone has a choice. You chose this path."
The knight fell silent. Then he turned and left.
Drukk (to himself): "Damn you, knight. Damn your foolish courage."
He returned to striking the sword.
---
Kharad-Val — Freila's Room — Night
Freila was asleep when Lirin entered. She sat by the bed, looking at the child's small, relaxed face in sleep.
She gently touched her hair.
Lirin (whispering): "Freila..."
No reply. Only quiet breathing.
Lirin: "I need to tell you something. But you're too young to understand."
She paused.
Lirin: "Kalygran is still there. He will return. And when he returns, I will fight him. Not because I'm brave. But because I don't want him to see you."
She sighed.
Lirin: "You are the reason I remain, little one. The only reason."
She leaned down, kissed Freila's forehead. Then sat on the chair and closed her eyes.
---
Kharad-Val — Mountain Peak — Midnight
The Black Knight stood alone on the peak, looking at the northern horizon. The winds were cold, carrying the scent of distant snow.
He heard footsteps behind him. He didn't turn.
Lirin: "Don't you ever sleep?"
The Black Knight: "Rarely."
She stood beside him.
Lirin: "What do you see out there?"
The Black Knight: "Nothing."
Lirin: "You're not looking at nothing. You're searching for something."
Silence.
Lirin: "Kalygran?"
The Black Knight: "Everything."
She looked at him.
Lirin: "Do you think he will attack soon?"
The Black Knight: "No. He's waiting."
Lirin: "For what?"
The Black Knight: "For us to prepare. He wants to see us prepare. He wants to see our plans, our movements, our weaknesses. Then he will strike."
Lirin: "How do we stop him?"
The Black Knight: "We don't. We keep preparing, but we don't reveal everything. We give him what he wants to see, and hide what he must not see."
Lirin: "You speak like a general."
The Black Knight: "I was a soldier. Long ago."
Lirin fell silent. His words carried something heavy.
Lirin: "Are you afraid of him?"
He didn't answer immediately.
The Black Knight: "No. But I don't underestimate him."
Lirin: "And me? Do you underestimate me?"
He looked at her. His black helmet stared at her for seconds.
The Black Knight: "You fought Kinrith alone and won. I don't underestimate anyone who does that."
Lirin: "But Kalygran is stronger than Kinrith."
The Black Knight: "Yes."
Lirin: "And I am still the weakest Titan."
The Black Knight: "But you are not alone this time."
She looked at him. At the man who had stood by her for months, who had taught her, who had believed in her.
Lirin (quietly): "Thank you... for everything."
He didn't reply. But he didn't move away either.
They stood together on the peak, looking into the darkness, waiting for what would come.
---
Kharad-Val — Dawn of the Next Day — Castle Gate
The air was cold, the fog thick. King Borin stood at the main gate, his face more serious than usual. Beside him stood Milerni, her golden eyes gleaming with worry.
Lirin descended the steps quickly, leaving Freila asleep in her room. The Black Knight had preceded her, standing in the shadows as always.
King Borin (in a low voice): "A messenger arrived moments ago. From the Kingdom of the Scaled Sands."
Lirin: "The Kingdom of the Scaled Sands? Where is that?"
Milerni: "South. On the edge of the Great Desert. The kingdom of the great lizards. One of the oldest realms in the world."
Lirin: "Lizards?"
Milerni: "Not ordinary lizards. They are an ancient race, their skin hard as stone, their eyes see in darkness as if it were day. They were the first to fight the Titans thousands of years ago."
King Borin: "The message says they are under attack. An army of shadows besieges their capital."
The Black Knight: "Who sent them?"
King Borin: "They don't know. The army appeared suddenly three days ago. No visible leader. But they kill anyone who approaches the walls."
Lirin: "Why should we go?"
King Borin: "Because my soldiers need days to prepare. And you can reach them in hours."
Lirin looked at Milerni.
Milerni: "The wind passages. I can carry you. But the journey is dangerous. The winds in the south are different... violent."
Lirin: "I'll go."
She looked at the Black Knight.
The Black Knight: "I will too."
Milerni: "And who will protect Freila?"
Silence.
Lirin turned toward the castle, where Freila slept. She closed her eyes for a moment.
Lirin (quietly): "She will stay here. With King Borin. In the deep halls."
King Borin: "I will care for her as if she were my own granddaughter."
Lirin looked at him. In his single eye she saw sincerity she had not expected.
Lirin: "Thank you."
King Borin: "Return quickly. Don't make us wait long."
---
The Sky — Above Kharad-Val
Milerni transformed into her great bird form. Her black wings flapped slowly, the cold wind striking her face.
Lirin climbed onto her back, followed by the Black Knight.
No one spoke. They only looked down at the Dwarven Kingdom shrinking beneath them, at King Borin still standing at the gate, raising his hand in farewell.
Lirin closed her eyes for a moment.
Lirin (to herself): I will return. I promise you, Freila.
Milerni (her voice in their minds): "Hold tight. We're going through the clouds."
She beat her wings hard. They rose quickly, piercing the grey layer of clouds.
Suddenly, they saw the sun. Bright, golden, warm.
The Black Knight (suddenly): "The Kingdom of the Scaled Sands... is not like others."
Lirin: "What do you mean?"
The Black Knight: "Their buildings are of clay and sandstone. Their streets are narrow as labyrinths. They are stubborn. They do not surrender easily. Their skin defies swords, and their hearts defy fear."
Lirin: "Have you visited them before?"
The Black Knight: "Long ago."
Silence.
Lirin: "Why is this army attacking them?"
The Black Knight: "Because they stand alone. All other kingdoms have fallen or surrendered. They are the only ones who said 'no' to the Titans."
Lirin looked at him.
Lirin: "Reminds me of someone I know."
He didn't reply. But beneath his black helmet, he turned his head slightly toward her.
Then he looked ahead, to the southern horizon where the clouds were turning orange.
---
Kingdom of the Scaled Sands — City of the Sun — Hours Later
The descent was harsh.
The winds were hot, dry, carrying fine sand that stuck to hair and clothes. The city was visible from afar—its walls of massive sandstone, its towers high, its banners still raised despite the attack.
But smoke rose from several places. Screams could be heard even from the sky.
Milerni landed on a sand dune far from the eastern gate.
The Black Knight descended first. He looked at the city, at the smoke, at the shadow army besieging the walls—black, translucent creatures moving slowly, as if swimming through the air.
On the walls, the great lizard guards stood firm. Their scales gleamed under the sun, ranging in color from gold to brown to grey. Their vertical eyes stared intently at the shadows.
The Black Knight spoke into Lirin's mind through telepathy:
The Black Knight (telepathically): "These are not the work of Kalygran. Nor Sarin's."
Lirin (telepathically): "How do you know?"
The Black Knight (telepathically): "This army... is different. Its scent is different. The scent of blood. Old blood. Coagulated blood."
Milerni: "What is this smell coming from the shadow knights? It's strong, but it resembles a type of blood?"
The Black Knight: "Filmira. The Crimson Scar."
Lirin stiffened. Filmira. The Titan who spat his own blood. The beauty that vomited its blood.
Lirin (voice changed): "Filmira... why is he attacking the lizards?"
The Black Knight: "I don't know. But this is not a random attack. This is... a message."
Milerni: "A message? To whom?"
The Black Knight: "To us."
He looked at Lirin.
The Black Knight: "I will go to the main gate. Draw their attention."
Lirin: "And I will enter from the rear. Find the leader. Kill him."
Milerni: "And I will cover you from the air. I'll tell you if I see anything."
The team split up.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...