Leo stood on the guard tower of Fort Indah, waiting for the rest of the third army to reach him. He had arrived before them, the foot soldiers marching much slower. He saw the banner of Ronan on the horizon of the sunset, a black serpent. “The third army is here!” he shouted towards the gate.

“Open the gates!” a guard shouted from down below.

Leo heard the groan of men pulling the wooden lock, followed by the squeaking of the opening gate. As the gate opened, a gust of wind slammed the gate back shut, causing the bewildered men nearby to be pushed back. Leo had to keep hold of the railing on the platform he stood on to prevent himself from getting blown down. He turned to see the origin of the blast and saw a red whirlwind on the battlefield where the suicide knights faced the army of Akar. The red whirlwind stood out in the orange sky, reaching so high as if to greet the moon that would soon appear.

The tornado was the second display of the power of a master elementalist breaking their limit he had seen in his life. If the blue flame shined like a miracle, the bloody tornado glowed of wrath. All the knights in the fort turned to the twister, awed by its ferocity.

“Open the gates, idiots!” shouted General Ahri from beyond the gate.

The knights, embarrassed by their delay, rushed to follow their General’s command. General Ahri entered first, screaming out orders. “Healers! We have wounded. The rest of you reinforce the wall! Prepare for a siege or an attack. Go!” The knight by the gate waited for her to finish before asking,

“General Miras, commander?” the knight asked.

“That!” she pointed to the battlefield, where the suicide knights made their last stand. “I’m the General now. Now get to work!” she said, frustrated.

“Yes, General!” the knight saluted before rushing off as fast as he could.

Leo saw Elnor entering the gate of the inner wall, and he called out to her. “Commander Elnor!” he waved his hand so she could locate him.

Elnor turned to her squire and waved him to come down. “Are you alright?” she asked Leo immediately.

“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted.

“The message?”

“I sent it a few hours ago, as soon as I arrived.” He beamed.

Softened by his smile, Elnor patted him on the shoulder. “Nice work. Have we received a reply?”

“No, ma’am.” Her squire frowned. “Does that mean they’re not coming?”

Elnor shook her head. “They’ll come. Fort Indah is an integral part of Ronan’s defense. And we never abandon those that need help.” She smiled, providing what comfort she could give to her squire, who was doing a terrible job hiding his fear. “The birds are just late due to the wind.”

Leo smiled at the news. “Of course, ma’am.”

She unsheathed her sword, handing it to her squire, providing him with the distraction that could ease his worries. “I want this polished. Bring it to me once you’re done. My armor could also use some maintenance.”

“Right away.” He said, delicately taking the sword from her hand. He carefully brought it to the armory, admiring the blade along his way.

Elnor made her way to General Ahri’s office. She knocked on the door before entering and saluted.

“Elnor,” Ahri said. “I could use a friendly face,” fatigue in her expression. The General slumped down on her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Any updates?” Elnor asked.

Ahri sighed, “We haven’t received any pigeons, but they will come. We can expect them to be here at the latest in two days. We have just enough men to guard the fort based on the numbers provided by Miras’ scouts. But the black horn sounding early makes me think otherwise.” She took a deep breath. “We are not prepared for a prolonged siege. And preparation will be much slower due to the currently evacuating citizens. Finally, we can expect our enemies to arrive at our front doors by mid-day tomorrow.”

Elnor took a moment to process the information.

“Any insights would be appreciated,” yawned Ahri. An action she would never do in front of any other of her comrades. But Elnor knew her long enough to know what she’s like.

“How many troops do they have?”

“I’m waiting for my scouts to return.”

“How many sorcerers are here?”

“Besides you and me, we have a handful of master sorcerers. But we do still have around a few hundred. The problem is that we just lost Miras and Lipsis and are now deprived of master elementalists.

“What about visioners and healers?”

“Tiga’s squire is here, the only master visioner we have. However, her ability is still not comparable to her late master’s. We have some healers and regeneration stones, not enough, but more than we could hope for under our circumstances.” Ahri closed her eyes in deep thought.

“We should halt the evacuation and speed up preparation. We could send whoever is left into the basement below the fort,” Elnor finally suggested.

Ahri opened one of her eyes, closed it, and opened both her eyes and sat up. “They might slow us down when the battle comes,” Ahri said. “Citizens panic.”

“They may.” Elnor agreed. “We could place a guard there to make them feel protected,” she added.

“And let me guess, your squire would be the one to guard them?”

Elnor nodded to Ahri.

Ahri sighed again for the hundredth time since she became General. “Tell me, besides your overprotective nature towards him, why should I assign him there?

Elnor replied without a hint of expression. “He’s young and easily afraid. He tries to hide his fear, although he does an awful job of it. We don’t need fear out there, among the knights. But seeing him in such a state may inspire the civilians to do the same.”

“Good enough,” Ahri nodded. “I’ll speak to the other commanders about your suggestion.”

“Thank you, General.”

“General,” Ahri repeated sarcastically. “Bless his soul, but I sometimes wish Miras had chosen someone else to make these difficult decisions. .” She stared out the window of the office, on the civilians evacuating and knights preparing their defenses. “It’s much easier to follow orders than to make them.”

“I disagree, Ahri,” Elnor said to her friend confidently. “I think that out of all the commanders, you’re the only one who could make the correct decision when the moment gets difficult.”

“I hope you are right,” sighed Ahri, continuing to watch the dying sun through the window.

In Nirvana, Ayu sat underneath the already night sky outside her home. Larsen, one of the healers, came out to sit beside her.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked her.

Ayu shooked her head. She took his hand, interlocking her fingers between his.

“Thinking about the boy?” he asked.

She laid her head on his shoulder, watching the stars roam. “I don’t get it. How has he not seen that the test is impossible?”

Larsen smiled, “We never know what's possible and what isn’t. Some might even call this place impossible. Yet here we are. And it brought me to you.”

Ayu closed her eyes, embracing the presence of the man that sat beside her. “Is it wrong that I still miss Fian very much?” she asked. She still thought about her late husband daily, seeing him in the small things that occurred.

Larsen leaned in closer and held her hand tighter. “No, not at all. And I’ll never hold it against you. The only thing that this shows about you is that when you love someone, you love them truly.”

They sat there together. Born far apart but brought together due to unfortunate predicaments. They watched the stars together, enjoying each other’s company.

Back in her office in Fort Indah, Elnor sat on her chair. She closed her eyes, trying to get what little sleep she could afford. A knock on her door rang in triple raps. She knew it was Leo; he always knocked in the same way. “Come in,” she said. Leo entered her office with her sword covered with a cloth.

“Sorry that it took so long,” her squire gingerly said as he handed her the blade. “The armory was full, and I had to wait in line.”

Elnor removed the cloth on the sword and brought it close to the lantern on her desk. The metal glistened and reflected the yellow light. She unbuckled her scabbard and placed the sheathed blade on the table. The boy went to the armor stand in the corner of the room with a rucksack. He thoroughly removed the armor and placed them in the bag.

“After you’re done, go get some sleep. I’ll fetch it from you tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The boy saluted. He hesitated before turning to leave. “Uhh, ma’am?”

“What is it, Leo?” she asked patiently.

“It’s about the upcoming battle. I’m not..,”

Elnor cut him off. “The General has assigned you a vital task.” It was not an important task but a safe one. “Those civilians that remain will be kept in the basement, and your assignment will be to keep them safe. Those are important people you’ll be guarding.” Those who were left behind were peasants. “Do you understand?”

Leo, processing what his superior had said, beamed. He stood straighter, “I won’t fail you.”

“I know you won’t.” She gave him a small smile.

The boy turned to leave, but Elnor stopped him. “Wait,” she called out. She pulled out a stone from one of her drawers and tossed it to the squire. He caught it clumsily with a single hand.

“A regeneration stone,” he awed, bringing the valuable artifact close to his face.

“A precaution. I assume you’ll know how to use it.”

Leo nodded, “Thank you, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome. Now, leave me. I need my sleep.” She waved him away.

The boy left, eager to finish his assignment. Elnor tied her messy auburn hair into a ponytail. Ahri had blessed her with the task of planning the preparations that would begin in a few hours. It would be a long night.

A few hours later, before the light of dawn appeared, the commanders of the fort finished their briefing and made their way into the large courtyard. They had listened and unanimously agreed to Elnor’s plans. All the knights were summoned to the larger outer courtyard, gathered to receive their orders—those who were working ceased their tasks and rushed to line up. The nine commanders, including the recently promoted Yenel, Tiga’s squire, stood facing the knights. General Ahri stood in front, walking back and forth across the front ranks. She moved between the knights of the third army, making as much eye contact as possible.

Ahri did not say anything. She was never good at motivational speaking. Her piercing gaze was enough, letting the individual commanders give their grandiose speech later. “Elementalists of the flames, follow Commander Nada! Elementalists of water, follow Commander Rion! Elementalists of the earth, follow Commander Elnor! Elementalists of air, follow Commander Irun! Visioners follow Commander Yenel! Non-sorcerers who have not received their orders, Commander Brian, Dante, and Ryuji! Augmenters, you’re with me! Disperse!” her voice boomed. As much as Ahri doubted herself, to her men, she was their General.

Elnor waited for the elementalists to gather to her. She handed each of them a piece of paper detailing their instructions. “Once you have read your orders go immediately! We don’t have time to waste.” The elementalists read their instructions without any further questions and turned to make their way towards their tasks.

Elnor’s men finished their work a few hours after dawn. They made their way back to the barracks immediately to get what little rest they could before the enemy arrive.

Leo carried a torch, escorting one hundred civilians underground. It was quiet. The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of their footsteps. He tried to put on an easy smile, in a poor attempt to hide his nervousness. They were all terrified of what fate awaits them from the oncoming siege. A child's cry rang, and tiny footsteps could be heard running around the narrow hallway, causing some civilians to jolt as their feet were stepped on.

Leo saw the tiny girl and chased after her. He scooped her up on one arm. She was a reflection of how he felt, devastating fear. He needed to be brave.

“Safia?” a woman’s voice can be heard calling out from the civilians.

Leo comforted the child, cradling her lightly until her cries turned into sniffles. “There, there.” He heard the call for Safia again. “Is your name Safia?” he asked the girl likely. The girl nodded, still wiping her tears on her sleeves. “She’s with me,” he raised his voice. He continued to walk, the torch on one arm and Safia on the other.

“My name is Leo. Nice to meet you, Safia.”

“I’m scared,” Safia whispered into his ear.

He continued to walk for a while.

“You want to know a secret?” he asked.

“Mhm,” Safia sounded like she was beginning to fall asleep.

“I’m scared too.” He confessed.

“I know. Even I can tell.”

Leo blushed in the dark corridor, embarrassed by the echoes of the little girl’s voice. She was playing with the tiny pendant around his neck.

“What’s this?” the child asked, moving the pendant between her fingers.

“Oh this,” he looked down at the tiny hand. “I have a sister like you back home, and she made it for me when I joined the Knights of Ronan.”

“What does it say?”Safia yawned. “I can’t read.”

“You can’t read?” Leo was slightly surprised. “Nevermind.” He shook his head a little. “It means courage so that I would always be brave. She has one too, and as long as we both have it, we will always see each other again.”

“It’s pretty,” the little girl’s eyes shined with the orange light of the torch.

“Hey, I have an idea. Could you take it off for me?”

Safia obliged, lifting it off the man’s head and placed the pendant on her hand. “Here you go.”

“Now you wear it,” he whispered. The girl in his arms looked at him in surprise. Leo nodded, urging her to put it on. “There, perfect,” he said. “Now, as long as you have it, you’ll always be brave.”

“What about you? Don’t you need to be brave too?”

“I’m a Knight of Ronan. I am always brave even when I’m afraid.” He stood straight. Safia giggled. “Tell you what. I’ll get an exact copy made for you after this is over.”

“Really?” the girl asked, awed at the necklace she wore.

“Of course.”

He saw a woman making her way to the front, ‘must be Safia’s mother,’ Leo thought. He handed the already sleeping child to the woman, who thanked him. He noticed the woman was wearing simple articles of clothing with a sigil showing open hands, not the elegant dresses that a highborn would adorn—a lowborn, like him. The difference was Safia was an orphan, he now realized.

They reached the main bunker. It was large, and Leo had prepared it, getting it cleaned and stocked with foods and other basic needs. He left the civilians to settle and took his post in front of the door. He could hear the faint shouts of bustling knights bouncing off the narrow corridor walls. A chill ran down his spine. The battle would soon be there.

Above, a knight on the watchtower shouted. “They’re here!” The warning bells were rung, and knights head to their stations. A loud boom roared as the elementalists of Akar sent a boulder that smashed the Fort’s wall. Another strike fell, and another, until the Fort’s wall was showered with boulders.

Commander Yenel observed the incoming barrage from the highest point of the fort. The army of Akar, spreading themselves on the top of the hill. There were so many of them. The scouts had returned before the Commander’s briefing and reported the enemy’s numbers. It was much more frightening seeing that number of troops in person than on paper. “Hold on, Elnor,” she thought. The enemy was charging with full force; there would be no siege today. Yenel waited for the avalanche of men to stream in further over the open field.

Elnor waited in the dark, breathing heavily. The two earth elementalists with her stayed quiet while trying to keep the horses calm. The thunder of hooves could be heard, but she still waited for Yenel’s signal.

“Now!” Elnor heard Yenel’s voice yell in her head.

“Now!” she shouted to two of the men she had brought with her. They had hollowed out a large circular pit in the empty field outside the fort. They left pillars to support it. And now, they were going to destroy it. The two elementalists transmuted tenaga forcing the pillars to crumble. At the same time, Elnor prepared the horses. The soil above began to fall, and they hopped onto the horses. One of the elementalists created an opening, while the other made a ramp. They exited onto the surface and shut the doorway behind them.

They galloped back towards the fort, pushing the already fast horses to their limits. Elnor stood on her horse and balanced herself. The horses were connected with a rope, the two men leading hers. She unsheathed Peacebringer, a massive two-handed blade made of fabidium steel. With the transmutation of tenaga, she deflected arrows, boulders, and crossbow bolts fired their way. A stray fireball shot in front of them, hitting one of the elementalists. Their horses jerked up and fell. She picked up the injured elementalist with one hand and ordered the other, “Move the ground! We’re close!”

The already exhausted sorcerer swung his arm back and forth in a walking motion, causing a small circular platform to rise underneath them. The ground underneath them moved, waves of soil pushing them forward. Elnor deflected incoming barrages with one hand, the other carrying the injured man. She jumped upwards, dispersing an incoming fireball. They reached the gates, already opened with some men waiting to help them. They rushed to her. An elementalist took over, moving the platform, replacing the already exhausted one. Only once they were safely inside the gates was she able to check on her men. They were both alive, the one in her arms severely burned while the other bled out of her nose. Only after Elnor had made sure they were brought to the healers did she look out onto the battlefield. There was a massive crater in the center of the green. Horses and men were impaled on the spikes they had planted. The screams and wails of horses and men could be heard. The charge had stopped to wait for their elementalist to check for other traps. The Knights of Ronan had bought some time.

Underneath the fort, Leo forced himself to stand still as he heard the battle occurring above. He was not going to shake, not in front of others.

Above, Yenel thanked the gods for their luck. The army of Akar took longer than they had initially thought to check for traps. The situation was not good, but it was better. And they had prepared for the worst.

The boulders never stopped and continued to be delivered even when Akar’s army did not advance. It took a while for General Ahri, who had been observing the battle with Yenel, to understand why. “Reinforce that wall now!” Ahri yelled. It was too late, she failed to realize in time. The wall on the left side of the fort collapsed, sending large stones flying inwards.

“Augmenters guard that space! Elnor, send as many earth elementalists as you can spare to repair that breach!” ordered the General.

Elnor heard Yenel’s voice, relaying their General’s orders. Elnor ordered as many of her earth elementalist as she could spare, to make their way. The others would have to lift beyond their weight in this battle.

As soon as the breach was created, the main army of Akar charged again under cover of their elementalists. The sky was darkening, and there was no sign of the battle stopping. It was just the beginning.

Elnor was in the dark again, waiting for Yenel’s signal.

The main army of Akar was approaching, their cavalries charging first, aiming for the opening. They never planned for a breach. Ahri cursed herself, it was her duty to keep an eye out for these things, and she had utterly failed. The plan would still work, just not as effective. The enemy’s front lines were now a hundred yards away. “Elnor,” Ahri said to Yenel.

“Elnor,” Elnor heard in her head.

“Now!” Elnor ordered her men, rushing to move above. The men underground with her transmuted their tenaga and immediately left. A second large pit that encircled the fort’s perimeter dropped, causing the incoming cavalry to fall.

“Rion,” General Ahri said.

The water elementalist above poured oil into the pit, making it slippery and difficult to climb out. Some of the unfortunates souls below drowned as they breathed in the black liquid.

“Nada.”

The flame elementalist fired into the pit, causing the oil to light up into flames. The screaming of burning knights of Akar blessed Ahri’s ears.

“Ryuji.”

Archers and crossbowmen fired into anyone trying to escape the pit, causing them to fall back and inhale the deadly fumes. The fort was surrounded by an outer wall of orange flames that shined brightly in the starless black night.

“Brian and Dante, left breach.”

The two revolving squadrons of men moved towards the breach helping the augmenters there to slaughter the knights cut off from their allies.

Ahri looked beyond the wall of fire. It would take time for their adversary to extinguish the flames, and they could still retreat into the inner wall. None of them had checked if a pigeon had arrived. She just prayed that the reinforcements would arrive before they were all peacefully dead.

The pounding of boulders continued, now erratic rather than targeted. Elnor had gathered with the other commanders in General Ahri’s office.

“We haven’t received any reply from the capital. And with the furnace currently protecting us, we shouldn’t expect any.”

“What do we do?” Commander Ryuji asked.

“We hold commander, we hold. Reinforcements are coming. We just need to give them enough time. Reports?” Ahri asked.

“Our losses are single digits; the healers managed to save most of them. But they are overworked, and most of our elementalists are exhausted.” Said Commander Yenel. “The breach has been closed, but it’s still a weakness. We have plenty of supplies.”

“Your orders, General?” asked Commander Nada.

Ahri closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Any suggestions?” she asked the commanders. None replied. “Very well. We stick to the original plan. You will need to be flexible though, who knows what our enemies have planned for us. Yenel will relay for me just as before.”

After the briefing, Elnor made her way to the basement to check on Leo. Her squire was sitting down and tried to stand up. He instead saluted to her sitting down due to the little girl sleeping on his lap. “I see you made a friend,” she said.

The boy quietly giggled and whispered, “you should’ve told me I’m terrible at hiding my fear.”

Elnor chuckled, “I thought you knew.”

Her squire continued to brush the sleeping child’s hair. “Thank you,” he thanked her. “For making me your squire. I know I’m not like the other recruits. I’m easily afraid, but you still gave me a chance.”

Elnor sat beside him, closing her eyes and breathing in the warm air.

“It's weird,” her squire said. “I’m afraid, yet when I see Safia,” he looked at the child, “I know I would protect her with my life, do anything for her.” He brushed the child’s hair delicately.

“That means you’re brave. A true Knight of Ronan.” Said Elnor.

The boy chuckled and smiled to himself. “I have thought about it. And I don’t think I’m cut out for this.” He patted his blade. “After all of this, I’m going home. I’m going to open an orphanage, so children like Safia here would always have a home.”

“That’s a noble goal,” Elnor commented.

“Thank you,” her squire smiled at her.

“I need to go know,” she got up. “I’ll see you soon.” Her squire waved at her before continuing to brush the girl’s hair.

The flames were already extinguished, and the army of Akar was preparing to charge again. The sky was still dark, the sun still a few hours away. Commander Ryuji had ordered his men to fire burning bolts and arrows around the fort’s perimeter to provide vision. Ahri stood on the central tower with Yenel eyeing the battle to come.

The army of Akar brought siege engines, high movable towers. It was slow, but they had the best engineers who designed them to be as sturdy as possible. The towers moved in like giants approaching their prey. The showers of boulders had stopped.

“I want augmenters on the walls and other sorcerers to move down!” Ahri yelled at Yenel. “Dante and Brian’s troops are to spread themselves. Tell Ryuji to move his men behind theirs.”

The Commanders barked to their men, following their General’s orders.

Ahri waited for the siege engines to get closer before giving her the next signal.

“Rion.”

The water elementalist began pouring more oil into the pit full of burned carcasses.

“Nada.”

Fire elementalists fired flames, relighting the burning wall. The siege towers moved forward with wheels large enough to bypass the pit, unfazed by the fire. The metal trap door on the top of the towers dropped and smashed into the walls. The knight’s of Akar rushed in to be met by the augmenters that waited for them. More came onto the walls, but the augmenters still held.

“Elnor.”

“Now!” she ordered her earth elementalist. The sorcerers below swung their arms, transmuting tenaga, manipulating the ground beneath the siege engines to push them backward.

The knights on the fort were now cut off from their allies. Outnumbered and caught in enemy ground, they were slaughtered. The siege engines continued forward again. Some enemy knights were eager to aid their comrades and jumped before the towers’ bridge smashed into the walls. Elnor’s men pushed it again, some hunched on the ground in exhaustion. They barely managed to push the engines back. Battles could be heard above as the augmenters fought.

Commander Dante and Brian’s men fought on the ground, protecting the sorcerers who were battling from range. They killed enemy knights and helped allies that fell off the wall.

The siege engines move forward again, this time aided by Akar’s earth elementalist.

“We can’t hold this!” Elnor yelled to Yenel in her mind. She protected the exhausted retreating sorcerers from stray attacks while waiting for a reply. Not long after, she heard Yenel’s voice.

“Tell your men to retreat into the inner gate and go help the augmenters above form an ordered retreat.”

“Retreat!” Elnor ordered her sorcerers to join Dante and Brian’s who had begun to move backward. She rushed up to join the augmenters above. She stood in the front, holding the line as they backed up. They made their way down, where flame sorcerers and archers fired at the incoming enemy knights, creating a gap.

General Ahri waited for the final archer to enter the inner gates before giving her signal.

“Get away from the wall!” she shouted loud enough for her knights to hear.

“Get away from the wall!” All the commanders repeated.

The Knights of Ronan locked the inner gate and ran as far away from the inner walls.

“Rion!” Ahri yelled again.

Water elementalists blasted water towards the flames on the outer wall. Ahri watched the enormous wave of water, but they looked like a splash compared to the massive flames. The water met the burning oil, and a large explosion occurred, blasting the siege towers apart. The whole field was covered with dust, obscuring the light that the early sun brought. The knights nearest to the inner walls were rattled, but besides ringing ears, they were uninjured.

Once the dust settled, Ahri was greeted with a horrifyingly marvelous sight. Blood, organs, and limbs of their enemies decorated the outer courtyard. Those who survived were mortally wounded. Even beside the severe burns on their body, they struggled to breathe due to their scorched lungs.

Just as they thought they would have a chance of respite, the ground beneath began to shake. Ahri, knowing what was about to happen, yanked Yenel into her arms. “Abandon the castle!” she shouted. Hearing her order, the knights in the tower rushed out, some jumping out towards the inner courtyard. Ahri transmuted tenaga, reinforcing her body in mid-air, just as the building uprooted itself from the ground. She landed in a roll, covering Yenel.

Craters opened in the inner courtyard. The knights of Akar rushed out like ants when their nests were set on fire. The enemy sorcerers had been building tunnels underneath them, using the sound of the artillery barrage and battle to cover the noise.

“No,” Elnor whispered, realizing what could happen. She ran. “Elnor, I need you here!” she heard her General calling out. Elnor ignored her.

Leo snapped alert when he heard a loud explosion. He heard rumblings and unsheathed his blade. A blast on the left side at the end of the corridor sent debris flying. He tried to steady the sword in his shaky hands. A knight wearing the sigil of Akar stepped through, followed by a few more.

The knights seeing Leo, raised their swords.

“Surrender, boy. We don’t have to do this.” The knight who entered first said.

Leo’s hands shook harder as he failed to control them. He heard the cries of the terrified civilians behind him. He turned to see Safia, who was quivering with the woman who had searched for her. He met her frightened eyes and nodded. He looked back towards the enemy knights, his hands now more steady. His eyes blazed with determination.

“So be it,” the same knight said.

Leo rushed towards the knights, only to be slammed into the sidewall as the earth pulled him. The knights ignored his pinned form, making their way into the civilians. Leo heard their screams and struggled with all his might. He managed to get his sword arm free and used the blade to cut the dirt that formed cuffs around his wrists and ankles. His blade drew blood, but he did not feel the pain. He rushed and slid back in front of the knights, slicing one of their calves.

He readied his sword, his back towards the huddled civilians. He heard the footsteps of more incoming knights, but this time he did not shake.

“Stupid boy,” the knight that he had wounded fired her crossbow. She had stumbled, the injured leg unable to support her leg, and missed her shot. He dove, trying to catch the bolt on his armor. The bolt wooshed past his ear and heard it enter flesh. He turned back to see that it had struck the woman who was cradling Safia. The woman had protected the girl with her body, the bolt piercing her back.

“Elaine, that’s a civilian!” one of the enemy knights shouted.

“Shit,” the knight with the crossbow said.

Leo moved to check on Safia. The bolt had still managed to pierce her tiny body; blood gurgled in her mouth. Leo cut the end of the bolt and slowly pushed it through. Safia screamed, and it made his blood boil. He needed to do this quickly. Once the wound was through, he placed his regeneration stone on the wound. The damage began to heal, albeit slowly. “You!” he caught the attention of a nearby man. “Make sure the stone stays in place.”

Leo was angry. Eager to kill. These were civilians under his protection, and he would die to protect them. More knights gathered in the corridors as he prepared to fight. He felt different this time, like the blood in his body had been drained. He felt strange energy entered his body, strengthening his limbs. He charged.

Above, Ahri and the remaining knights fought on. They were losing ground, the enemies pouring out constantly.

“Suicide knights!” A voice shouted from behind her. “Die living!”

“Bury me alive,” several of her knights yelled in return.

“Follow me!” It was Commander Dante. Ahri watched as he and a handful of other sorcerers spread themselves out, each aiming for different craters. A fire elementalist sacrificed himself, pouring fire straight down as they jumped. Another water sorcerer dried themselves to a corpse as they froze entire tunnels, their body breaking as they hit the ground. The newly-promoted suicide knights did their duty; they died living.

Just as Ahri was about to yell the adage of the suicide knights herself, she heard Yenel’s voice called out behind her. “They’re here!”

Above visioners wearing the sigil of Ronan flew into the field, sending daggers into their enemies. Friendly sorcerers rushed in from outside the inner walls, coming to the rescue of their comrades.

“General Ahri,” a visioner landed near her and saluted. “I’m Commander Raja. We came as fast as we could when we saw the red pigeon.” Another visioner landed beside them.

“It’s a good thing you did.” Breathed Ahri. She paused her thoughts for a moment, thanking Elnor’s squire for marking their message as a dire emergency. She paused again. “Both of you follow me, now!” That boy was no coward. There were no red pigeons in Fort Indah.

Leo charged, gripping his sword tightly, the deep cut on his palm threatening to reopen. He stabbed towards the earth elementalist, and they were both surprised when the blade pierced the armor. Leo kicked the remaining knights, flinging them back to the narrow corridor. He pushed, the blade still inside the sorcerer, causing the other knights to fall into the hall.

He swung his sword upwards, slicing the elementalist's upper body into halves. Another knight rushed him, and he slashed them at the knee, their legs disappearing underneath them to tumble on the floor. An eight feet tall augmenter attacked, swinging their giant war hammer. Leo ducked, but a kick sent his body crashing into the ceiling. He fell, facing upwards. The war hammer slammed down and struck the center of his chest, caving it in. His armor dented, crushing his ribs. He gasped for air, but none would enter. His chest felt heavy.

“Leo!” Elnor screamed from the end of the hallway as she saw the hammer crushing her squire. The remaining knights turned to her. She was covered in blood, having butchered her way through the corridors. A deep gash ran sidewards near her left eye.

The enemy knights saw her change. It was not physical, but it caused a chill to run down their spine.

She attacked, showing the power of a raging master augmenter at the unprepared knights. She pushed the head of the first knight into an empty sconce, the metallic bar penetrating her victim’s head. She kicked, drilling a hole into the body of another instead of flinging it away. She fought, saving her blade only for the last—the augmenter who killed Leo. Not a single of them managed to wound her.

The augmenter swung, and Elnor swung Peacebringer. Their weapons met, and instead of slicing the giant war hammer, the hammer shattered. Peacebringer continued, cutting the head of the tall augmenter off their neck.

She rushed to Leo, who was writhing in pain. “I did it,” he said, barely a whisper. “I faced my fear. I was brave.” His near-empty eyes reflected the glow of the soft light.

“Where’s your regeneration stone?” She panicked, searching his body. She checked herself if she had any extra, but she had none.

“Safia,” Leo answered. “Wait,” he gripped her hand. “She needs it.” Elnor tried to pull away to fetch the stone. “Please,” he begged. “I don’t want to be alone when I go,” he gurgled, tears running down his eyes.

She stayed. She was keeping her tears from pouring and failing miserably. She waited with her squire, accompanying him till he went.

“Protect... Safia. She has nowhere else to.. go.” he asked.

She gripped the boy's hand, “Safia will be protected. You were brave.” The boy nodded in thanks weakly.

Elnor sat there with her squire until the light in his eyes finally disappeared, her heart breaking alongside it. Ahri turned to the final corridor to find Elnor crying, holding the boy in her arms.

The General turned towards the two visioners that accompanied her, “Escort the civilians. Commander Elnor is exhausted after fighting that many knights.” Ahri tried to do what she could, fabricating a story that Elnor defied orders to protect the civilians underneath. The two visioners nodded and made their way to where the civilians were kept, ignoring Elnor.

Elnor continued to shed her tears, cradling the brave boy until she could shed no more.

In the star-filled night above Nirvana, Nevan stood awake. He had failed again. Nearing his breaking point, he punched the stone on the base of a nearby mountain. He screamed, letting out his frustration, as he beat the stones again and again. The skin on his fist bled, and the bone underneath fractured. He kept punching - not stopping until the morning light came.