Samhar stood behind her, firing rapid arrows—some striking true, others vanishing into the chaos of shields and shadow.
Lamees shouted over the clang of steel, trying to convince herself:
"We will not lose... not after the army marched to save Leona! I will walk my homeland again... I will visit my father's grave... and the relics of my mother!"
In the chaos, Samhar suddenly yanked Lamees aside by her collar.
A massive claymore slammed into the cobblestones exactly where she had stood.
A towering Dark Knight advanced—but Korta Assassins intercepted him, detonating explosive tags that blew the knight back.
Samhar dragged her backward. "Lamees?! What's wrong with you?! You're crying!"
Arrows flew. Fireballs roared overhead.
Lamees wiped her face, smearing soot and tears. "Nothing... I'm fine."
A mercenary ran past them, furious and bleeding. "You two! If you're injured, fall back to the inner line! Get out of the kill zone!"
Samhar nodded and pulled Lamees into the shelter of a narrow, shadowed alley. The screams echoed weirdly against the stone walls.
"Talk to me," Samhar demanded, leaning heavily against the wall, clutching his side.
Lamees slid down to the ground, burying her face in her knees.
"I bring chaos... everywhere I go. First Leona... then Uncle Vitalis died... Now Aurik."
She looked up, her eyes hollow.
"I went to Leona—and Aurik is attacked. Chaos follows me, Samhar. Just when I felt safe... I realized safety is a lie."
Samhar smiled gently, though blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Lamees..."
She looked at him, noticing the blood. "What happened?! Was it because of me?!"
Samhar shook his head, hiding the pain of the stab wound in his back.
"No... Do you want to know something?"
He exhaled, his breath shaky.
"Before you came... I was the reason my mother was imprisoned. She was going to be taken away to the Red Circus forever... all because I was reckless. Chasing gold."
Lamees blinked. "You're a terrible person."
Samhar raised a hand, annoyed. "You—! Let me finish the inspiring speech!"
He coughed and continued.
"I ran to KlenRose for help. I told the guards. I thought it was over... That I'd lost her forever. But do you know what happened?"
Lamees softened. "I saw your mother. She's fine."
"Yes!" Samhar whispered fiercely. "An entire army marched—led by the General—toward a cursed circus. They freed them all. I thought they'd never forgive me. So I never forgave myself."
He looked at her, his eyes trembling with sincerity.
"But... the guards stood behind me. The mages stood beside me. I walked beside the General.
Klen and Rose were wounded because of me—yet they still let me walk with them."
He stood up straight, wiping the blood from his lip.
"So, Lamees...? Do we defend the kingdom that burns away our mistakes? That hides our flaws? A kingdom whose army marched to save your home?"
Lamees stared at him. The despair in her eyes faded, replaced by a spark.
She stood up, dusted off her knees, and smacked his injured hand hard.
"Don't get excited and use this moment to look cool."
Samhar yelped, clutching his hand. "Ow! I'm telling the truth!"
Lamees smiled at him—a real smile this time.
"I know."
She gripped her sword. "Let's go."
The Sky Duel
They returned to the main street—
Where the sky was being torn apart.
EstelaDais in mid-air, a blur of blue lightning against violent violet shadow. She slid through the air on rails of static, dodging his beams, countering with thunderous strikes that shook the palace walls.
Samhar gaped. "Who is that sorceress?!"
Lamees narrowed her eyes. "I don't know... but she wears the Red Circus colors. I don't trust her. But right now, she's fighting him."
"The circus? Damn them!" Samhar spat.
From the front line, Jalmoud, though unable to stand, roared from the ground.
"FORWARD, SOLDIERS!!!"
The soldiers answered with a thunderous cry, inspired by their fallen General.
Lamees charged back into the fray.
Samhar drew his bow, aiming over her shoulder.
he thought, feeling the warm blood soaking his back.
·
The Burning Spires of Aurik
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
The spires of Aurik blazed like pillars of holy fire against the night sky.
The defensive spell had fully activated. The Ember Kingdom was roaring awake, its golden towers now wreathed in magical flames that turned the snow to steam before it could touch the ground.
MahandDais, their weapons locking in a shower of sparks. Behind them, figures emerged from the smoke and shadows of the city streets. They walked slowly, heavy with the weight of age and steel, wearing armor that hadn't seen the sun in decades.
The Return of the Old Guards
Mahand shoved Dais back and turned to the fallen giant.
"Jalmoud! Can you stand?!"
Jalmoud gripped his hammer. He groaned, blood pouring down his body and dripping onto the steaming cobblestones.
"Yes..." he wheezed, forcing his legs to straighten. "I can."
He looked at Mahand with a faint, bloody smile.
"So? The old men finally decided to intervene? I thought you were all busy feeding pigeons."
Mahand exhaled sharply, anger and relief warring in his eyes.
"Huh? You failed to hold the line long enough to keep us in retirement, you incompetent brat."
Jalmoud chuckled, though it turned into a cough.
"I don't want to carry the burden of protecting this kingdom alone, you know..."
Mahand turned his gaze back toward Dais.
Then—
Twelve warriors stepped forward to flank them.
They wore Golden ArmorCrimson Sashes faded to a dusty rose. Their beards were white, their faces lined with deep wrinkles, but their hands held massive golden claymores and warhammers with rock-steady grip.
Mahand straightened, his broken shield arm hanging at his side.
"Come, brothers! Let us fight one last time! For the King who never returned!"
The old knights roared, a sound like grinding stones.
High above, Estela paused mid-spell, hovering on a cloud of static.
"Who are they...?" she whispered, astonished by the sheer pressure radiating from the elderly men.
Guards, Korta assassins, and mercenaries stared in disbelief. The legends of the nursery rhymes had just walked onto the battlefield.
A young guard whispered, trembling:
"Are those... the Old Royal Guards of King Caesar? I thought they were dead!"
LameesSamhar watched from the alley mouth, stunned.
Lamees gripped her sword. "Who are they, Samhar?"
Samhar leaned against the wall, clutching his bleeding back.
"They're the Iron Wall. My father told me stories..."
He watched the golden line form.
"They protected the castle in King Caesar's absence—before he disappeared. They kept guarding the empty throne until they were forced to retire... They even refused to return when Prince Asser asked them to. They said they only serve the True King."
Lamees nodded slowly, watching the old men brace against the dark magic of Dais.
"So that's who they are... They came for the people, not the Prince."
Mahand raised his flaming sword.
"ATTACK!!"
Jalmoud, bleeding but unbroken, shouted the tactical command.
"FORM THE WAVE FORMATION! BREAK THEM!"
"HA!!"
The soldiers of Aurik screamed in unison.
The Old Guard charged first, acting as the spearhead. The younger guards filled the gaps.
Lamees gritted her teeth. "Let's go, Samhar!"
She charged forward.
Samhar took a deep breath, ignored the screaming pain in his spine, and followed her, drawing an arrow.
Dais watched the golden tide rushing toward him.
He sighed, spinning his dark spear.
"So many moths... flying into the fire."
The Seal of Death
MahandJalmoudDais in a brutal, violent dance of death.
Mahand lunged with crushing force, his flaming blade colliding with Dais's dark spear.
A fiery shockwave erupted across the battlefield, melting the snow instantly.
Jalmoud swung his heavy warhammer, aiming to crush Dais while he was distracted.
Dais blocked it effortlessly with one hand, leaping back with supernatural grace. He pointed his spear tip at Mahand.
"Seal of Death."
A massive beam of concentrated darkness erupted from the spear, streaking toward the Golden Knight.
Mahand raised his cracked shield.
The impact hurled him backward. He skidded across the snow, his golden boots digging deep furrows into the earth to stop his momentum.
Jalmoud roared, charging in to cover his mentor. He locked weapons with Dais.
Dais gripped Jalmoud's massive hammer shaft with one hand.
"You're far too weak for a General..."
Jalmoud grit his teeth. "Damn you!"
Dais drew back his spear to impale Jalmoud through the chest—
But Mahand appeared in a blur of gold, slamming his ancient shield into Dais’s ribs, forcing the villain back.
Dais regained his balance instantly. He lunged at Mahand.
Mahand met him with his sword.
Jalmoud struck the ground with his hammer, creating an earthquake to off-balance Dais.
Dais leapt upward, high above the chaos. He unleashed a wave of shadow from the sky.
" Seal of The Dark Rain."
The Aurik mages cast a massive fire barrier, barely absorbing the blast.
But Dais descended like a falling star. He crashed through the barrier, driving his spear through a mage’s chest before the man could scream.
Blood splattered across the white snow.
Mahand rushed in, screaming, exchanging rapid, furious blows with the monster to keep him away from the rest of the mages.
Across the battlefield, Dark Gates opened in the air. More Dark Knights poured from the shadow portals, clashing with the exhausted guards.
Samhar fired rapid arrows, his fingers bleeding. He struck enemy mages one after another, aiming for the eyes.
"Lamees! Watch your left!"
Lamees fought a towering Dark Knight. She ducked a swing, but the Knight was fast.
He seized her by the neck with a massive gauntleted hand, lifting her into the air. Her feet kicked helplessly.
Samhar panicked, his heart stopping.
"Damn it!! Put her down, you bastard!!"
Lamees struggled to breathe, her face turning purple. She slashed at the arm, but her sword couldn't cut the plate.
Samhar fired multiple arrows—
They bounced off the Knight's heavy armor, useless.
Desperate, Samhar reached into his quiver and pulled out a Crimson-Feathered Arrow.
"Work... please work!"
He drew the string. A burst of magical fire ignited from the arrowhead, illuminating his terrified face.
The flaming shot struck the Dark Knight’s helmet slit.
Fire filled the helm. The Knight snarled in pain, dropping Lamees into the snow to claw at his burning face.
He turned toward Samhar, his eyes glowing with murderous rage through the flames.
Samhar stumbled back, out of arrows. "Oh no..."
The Knight swung his massive sword down to cleave the boy in two.
Samhar shut his eyes, bracing for death.
The sound of metal on metal rang out like a bell.
Samhar opened his eyes.
Two of the Old Royal Guards stood before him.
One had absorbed the massive sword blow with a colossal golden hammer. He didn't even buckle.
The other stepped forward, slashing the Dark Knight back with a golden blade, decapitating the enemy in one fluid motion.
The Old Knight with the hammer looked back, his beard white and braided.
"Are you alright, boy?"
Samhar trembled, staring at the wall of gold protecting him.
"I... I'm fine."
The Old Knight grinned.
"Good. Then stand on your feet! The battle isn't over!"
Samhar rose quickly, scanning the snow.
Lamees stood shakily, massaging her bruised throat, breathing hard.
Samhar rushed to her. "Are you alright?! Lamees?!"
Lamees coughed, nodding. "Yes...! Good shot, idiot."
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