In a vast chamber, a woman of striking beauty paced back and forth near an elegant desk cluttered with open scrolls, many others scattered across the floor. She was Fiora Windham, Queen of Averford, her face tense with worry. She suddenly stopped by the window of her chamber, watching the raindrops streak against the glass. Her stunning blue eyes were filled with uncertainty as she held a scroll sealed with an unusual insignia, it was from the Kingdom of Aledis.
The queen moved away from the window and sat at her disordered desk, picking up a letter opener to break the seal and read the parchment. Just as she was about to open it, a young woman with black hair and blue eyes entered the room. Princess Sonia Windham, Fiora's daughter.
"Mother, is everything alright?" Sonia asked. Fiora smiled faintly as Sonia approached the desk.
"Good afternoon, my dear," Fiora said, rising from her seat to give her daughter a long, warm hug, which Sonia gladly returned.
"Aledis has sent a response to my request. Would you like to read it for me?" Fiora asked as she returned to her chair.
"It would be my pleasure, Mother," Sonia replied with a smile, taking the parchment. With a swift motion, she retrieved a small dagger hidden beneath her left sleeve and used it to slice through the royal seal of Aledis. Fiora, surprised, raised an eyebrow at the unexpected display.
"Since when do you hide weapons in your gowns?" Fiora questioned. Sonia looked at her mother for a moment before flashing a playful smile.
"Well, according to my training, I must always be prepared," Sonia replied mischievously.
"That's true, my dear, though I'd rather see you with a bow," the queen remarked.
"I've improved a lot with it, Mother," Sonia assured her.
"Good. Now, could you read the message for me?" Fiora reiterated.
"Of course, my apologies," Sonia replied, quickly unfolding the parchment and beginning to read.
SCROLL FROM ALEDIS
"Greetings and my best wishes to you and your people. I have carefully considered your requests and reached a decision. Along with this letter, you will find a second sheet containing symbols for your teleportation runes. What we are about to do is risky, but it is the only way to achieve what you seek. Inscribe these runes onto your rune stone and travel tomorrow afternoon. We will all be waiting. As for the military cooperation you requested, it has been approved. We shall discuss it further upon your arrival. Until then, long live the Queen of Averford.
King Mustaffa
Sonia picked up the second sheet, which contained the symbols for the arcane gateway. "I suppose this is a favorable outcome," she said, handing the sheet to her mother.
"Are you meeting someone, Mother?" Sonia asked, noticing how Fiora's expression turned serious as she fell into deep thought.
"This is a risky gamble, but if I succeed, our sentinels will be able to study the energy radiating from the Eighth Gate up close," the sovereign of Averford declared.
Meanwhile, in the forests of Threnafell.
As the wounded and recruits hurried back to the Kingdom of Averford, Alistar, Montecristo, and the Legionnaires pressed deeper into Threnafell with minimal visibility. Montecristo and his men marched with their swords drawn, prepared for any movement.
"Stay on guard. They could be surrounding us at any moment!" Montecristo warned.
The group slowed their pace, meticulously scanning every shadow, tree, and bush within their sight. However, the dense fog made visibility nearly impossible. Alistar tried to get his bearings, hoping to reach the hunters' outpost within the forest.
"Alistar, do you know where we are headed?" Montecristo asked, noticing the unease in Alistar's expression.
"I'm trying to find the way," Alistar responded.
"You don't know where we are, do you?" Montecristo pressed, watching as Alistar frantically scanned his surroundings, desperate for any landmark or clue—but the fog was far too thick.
"Damn it! I can't see beyond my own nose!" Alistar cursed.
Montecristo then proposed something completely reckless.
"There's only one thing we can do," he said, making Alistar snap his head toward him.
"I'm listening," Alistar said hesitantly.
"Rotes Schicksal," Montecristo declared.
Alistar's face paled. "Have you lost your mind?" he shouted.
"It's our only option. If there are any survivors, they will see the signal and respond. That way, we'll know where to go," Montecristo explained.
"And just like that, the Scarlets will also know where we are and come straight for us!" Alistar protested, visibly distressed.
"Averford will see it too. We'll use Diamond Formation to repel any attack," Montecristo countered.
Despite his doubts, Alistar knew that without a plan, they would remain lost in the fog forever. He clenched his fists and reluctantly agreed. "Fine. Let's do it," he said through gritted teeth.
Montecristo immediately ordered his men into Diamond Formation, and the hunters, already familiar with the tactic, took their positions.
"Prepare the Rotes Schicksal spell!" Montecristo commanded.
The Legionnaires raised their swords to the sky, channeling their magic into the steel.
"ROTES SCHICKSAL!!" they roared in unison.
Their blades glowed crimson, launching scarlet beams of energy into the sky. The beams converged, forming a massive 30-meter-wide red spiral, cutting through the fog and illuminating the surroundings.
"Let's hope they see the signal and respond!" Montecristo said.
"I just hope those bastards don't show up instead," Alistar growled.
His words had barely left his mouth when a powerful, bone-chilling roar echoed from within the trees, sending a shiver through the entire group.
"You just had to say it," Montecristo muttered before swiftly issuing his next command. "Cast Falscher Wille on your horses! They must obey only their riders during battle!"
"Falscher Wille!!" the Legionnaires invoked. Their warhorses stood firm, unfazed by the looming battle.
A heavy tension filled the air—growls, heavy footsteps, the snapping of branches. Then, Zen spotted them. Glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness, watching them intently.
"They're surrounding us!!" Zen shouted.
"Stay alert! Watch the rear!!" Montecristo ordered.
"Ready yourselves!!" Alistar yelled, sensing the inevitable attack.
From the depths of the trees, a towering, three-meter-tall scarlet dragon charged at them with terrifying speed, breaking through their ranks and shattering the Diamond Formation. Before they could retaliate, more Scarlets emerged, unleashing blue fire breath upon them. It seemed like the end for Montecristo, Alistar, and their company, but they were trapped inside a high-level shield that managed to contain the fire of the Scarlets. Everyone wondered who had cast it, only to be shocked when they realized the spell belonged to Zen.
"Excellent, boy!!" Montecristo exclaimed.
"You can praise me later! Regain formation—I can't hold this for long!!" Zen shouted desperately.
"Steel Legion!!" Montecristo commanded, and the legionnaires prepared themselves.
"Rote Doltch!!" Montecristo roared. The Scarlets halted their fire attack, giving the Legionnaires the opening for a counteroffensive.
Zen dropped the shield, and the Legionnaires cast Rote Doltch. Their swords turned crimson once more, slashing through the air with red arcs that sliced through the Scarlets' necks, turning the battlefield into a massacre within seconds. Black blood splattered everywhere, but the Scarlets kept coming.
"Break formation—Swarm!!" Montecristo ordered. The Legionnaires abandoned their diamond formation, throwing themselves into a chaotic melee.
The strength of the Averford Legionnaires lay in their physical prowess. They were incredibly agile and unnervingly fast. Their moonlight steel swords physically reflected mystical spells, so deeply connected to their wielders that they didn't always need to recite the incantations—merely thinking of the spell while swinging the blade was enough to manifest its power. The Legionnaires proved why they were feared across all kingdoms, slaughtering the Scarlets in monstrous fashion. The battle was vicious and relentless. Using their capes as shields against the dragon fire, they decapitated or cleaved the beasts in half with a single strike of their swords.
Alistar and his hunters were no less formidable. They, too, were incredibly strong. Yet the Scarlet assault did not slow; on the contrary, their numbers kept growing, and slowly but surely, the Legionnaires were beginning to be overwhelmed. They were being slaughtered, burned alive, and devoured…
Two Scarlets grabbed a Legionnaire, ripping him apart and feasting on his remains. Seeing this, Montecristo regrouped his surviving soldiers and cast an emergency healing spell.
"VERGÄNGLICHE HEILUNG!!" Montecristo bellowed.
A circular healing field, spanning about twelve meters, formed around them, mending the wounds of the remaining Legionnaires. But fear still gripped them—especially after witnessing so many of their comrades meet such a gruesome fate.
"We're dead!!" Alistar cried out.
"As long as I draw breath, the Steel Legion will fight!" Montecristo shouted.
The Scarlets began preparing their blue fire breath.
Suddenly, numerous daggers embedded themselves into the Scarlets' necks before exploding, obliterating their heads. The blasts were powerful, shaking the battlefield. Montecristo and his men were stunned, their eyes searching for the hero behind the attack.
"Incredible!!" Alistar shouted, immediately recognizing the attack—it was one of his elite hunters.
"What just happened?!" Montecristo asked.
"Arata Gozen!!" Alistar cried excitedly.
Emerging from the chaos, the hunter Arata Gozen appeared, accompanied by his recruits—Lon, Blumiere, and Amber—all covered in scarlet blood from their battles.
"I'm so glad to see you, my friend!!" Alistar exclaimed, but Arata remained tense, still on high alert.
"We have to get out of here—NOW!!" Arata shouted desperately.
"Arata, what happened to the others?!" Montecristo asked.
"Dead. Grislett's group was massacred!!" Arata responded, shifting anxiously on his horse. Montecristo paled at the words.
"A young girl went in to find her brother, and we came to help her!!" Alistar explained. But Arata, visibly agitated, shouted furiously.
"Consider her dead!! You were seconds away from being incinerated, there are no survivors, nothing left! We need to leave NOW!!"
Without hesitation, Arata commanded his team to withdraw from Threnafell. But Alistar tried to stop him.
"Wait—tell me, what happened to Elle and her group?!" Alistar demanded.
"They're all dead!!" Arata reiterated.
A heavy silence fell over them, broken only by Montecristo's voice.
"I have failed…" Montecristo murmured, his gaze hollow, lost.
"What are you saying?! We can't leave that girl behind—she could still be alive!!" Alistar argued.
But Montecristo gave the order to retrieve the wounded and initiate an immediate retreat alongside Arata. Alistar, powerless, had no choice but to obey.
"We need to get the hell out of here before more of them show up!!" Arata urged.
Meanwhile, deeper within Threnafell, Claire rode her horse at full speed, desperately trying to escape the three Scarlets pursuing her, their blue fire breath scorching the ground behind her. She gritted her teeth, her body trembling with effort as the earth scorched behind her—death, now just a breath away.
TO BE CONTINUED…