Rose:
"I WON, you arrogant old man!
Give me all your coins!"
The old gambler shot up from his seat, face red with rage.
Stain:
"You cheated!
I'm sure of it!"
The crowd gasped —
she had actually beaten him.
Rose placed a hand on her chest triumphantly.
But Stain leaned toward the organizer, whispering something with a sly, venomous smirk.
The organizer's expression hardened.
Organizer:
"You cheated."
Rose stood abruptly.
Rose:
"What?!
Are you insane?
Where's your proof?!"
She pointed at Stain.
Rose:
"Wait—
you bribed him, didn't you?!
You filthy—!"
Stain slammed his fist on the table.
Stain:
"You insolent brat!
How dare you call me filthy?!"
Organizer:
"So you're trying to cause trouble...
and accusing me of taking bribes?"
Rose:
"So what if I am?
What are you going to do about it?"
The organizer clapped twice.
Stain grinned — a rotten, triumphant smile.
Guards appeared behind her, ropes ready.
They grabbed her arms.
Rose:
"Wait—
what are you doing?!
You bastards!!"
Stain leaned forward, eyes gleaming with sick delight.
Stain:
"Take her away.
Maybe I'll buy her later...
just to see her stripped bare."
Rose:
"What?!
You disgusting pervert!"
Organizer:
"Take her."
The guards dragged Rose toward the massive dark tent.
Rose:
"You circus clowns!!
Let me go!!"
THE MIST KNIGHT VS. DAIS — THE SHADOW BEHIND THE WAR
In Aurik...
Behind the front lines, Dais materialized out of the drifting smoke.
Before him stood the Cold Mist Knight —
cutting down Black Order soldiers one after another with silent, merciless precision.
Dais:
"Stop playing with my men, you wretch!
What are you doing here?
Doesn't Valon need you?"
The knight's armor was shattered, coated in frost.
Ghostly spirits circled him like a silent storm.
He lifted his head.
Liam:
"Need me?"
Without warning, Liam lunged.
Dais vanished, reappearing several meters away.
Dais:
"I don't know what you're trying to do, Liam...
but if you intend to ruin my plans...
I won't spare you."
Liam's voice was cold, hollow.
Liam:
"Then... try."
Dais:
"Hm?"
Liam swung his blade —
and a torrent of spirits burst forward, screaming toward Dais.
Dais blocked with his bare hand, sliding backward across the snow.
His expression twisted into irritation and threat.
Dais:
"You cursed bastard..."
Liam smiled — a quiet, unsettling smile.
Liam:
"What's wrong?"
THE MARCH TO LEONA — BEFORE THE FALL OF AURIK
In another time...
Before Prince Asser began his march,
and before Dais descended upon Aurik...
Snow fell heavily, and the wind was so bitter it felt like it was attacking the soldiers themselves.
A mage shouted through the storm:
Mage:
"General! The weather grows harsher the closer we get to Leona!"
Sylvans:
"Maintain the heat output.
Do not let the cold slow you."
Sylvans rode atop a massive wolf, her cloak whipping violently in the wind.
Behind her marched the army of Aurik — among them, Sidney.
Sylvans narrowed her eyes.
Sylvans:
"This silence...
Something is wrong."
A soldier approached.
Soldier:
"General... we are leaving Aurik's borders.
In minutes, we will enter the Kingdom of Leona."
Sylvans raised her voice:
Sylvans:
"Everyone!
Be on guard!
We do not know what awaits us!"
They crossed the border.
Villages lay abandoned.
Bodies scattered everywhere — humans and twisted, deformed creatures alike.
Sylvans dismounted.
Sylvans:
"This is horrific...
The air reeks of rot and death.
Can we truly help them?
Where is the prince?"
Sidney approached, closing a wound on her arm.
Sidney:
"The situation is worsening, General.
We must hurry.
The prince may be in danger."
Sylvans mounted her wolf again.
Sylvans:
"Lead the way."
Suddenly, her ears twitched —
a sound, faint but wrong.
A soldier screamed:
Soldier:
"General!
Look at the horizon!!"
Sylvans turned.
A horde of twisted, deformed people staggered toward them —
drooling, bleeding, some impaled with swords yet still moving.
Sidney:
"Damn it!"
She raised her weapon.
Sylvans lifted her hand.
Sidney:
"What?
What are you planning?"
Sylvans drew her bow —
charging it with a violent surge of power.
Sidney stared in disbelief.
Sidney:
"How...
How can she still do that?
Even after the Luminous Tree was destroyed?
If the tree were still alive...
what would her power be like...?"
Sylvans released the arrow —
a blazing green streak that shot across the sky toward Aurik.
The soldiers watched in awe.
Far in the distance, a volcanic inferno of fire erupted into the sky.
Soldiers:
"That's... Aurik?!"
Sidney's eyes widened.
Sidney:
"What is that...?"
The snowfall stopped.
The clouds thinned rapidly.
Sylvans smiled faintly.
Sylvans:
"Laika...
You madwoman."
One by one, the twisted creatures collapsed.
Sidney lowered her weapon.
Sidney:
"This...
This is brilliant...
You all..."
Sylvans:
"Move!
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We advance now!"
Sidney marched beside the army.
Sidney (whispering):
"Falcon...
They're strong...
They will help us.
I'm sure of it."
---
THE APPROACH TO LEONA
Hours passed.
Sidney pointed toward a mountain surrounded by trees.
Sidney:
"General...
Prince Leona's camp is there.
Right before the city walls."
Sylvans:
"Good."
She fired another arrow —
her eyes glowing green.
Her expression changed instantly.
Sylvans (shouting):
"Hurry!
He's under attack!!"
Sidney:
"What?!"
The soldiers and mages rushed forward.
Sylvans:
"Stay alert as we advance!
This could be a trap!
We've been watched since the moment we entered Leona!"
Sidney tightened her grip on her weapon.
Suddenly—
massive gates burst open.
Members of the Black Order charged out in overwhelming numbers.
Sylvans:
"Engage!!!"
Aurik's soldiers clashed with the Black Order.
Mages unleashed torrents of fire.
Sylvans rode her wolf straight toward Lucas's camp, firing rapid arrows that pierced the enemy ranks.
She leapt into the camp—
Lucas stood there, sword in hand, covered in wounds.
His guards lay dissolved on the ground.
Lucas:
"Aurik!!
I hear swords and fire!"
Sylvans:
"Your Majesty?!
Are you—"
She froze.
Her bow lowered.
Before her stood Mowj, raising his hand toward them.
THE FALL OF LEONA'S CAMP — THE BROKEN HEALER
Lucas:
"He killed all my men with a single blast!
Be careful of him!!"
I can feel him...he is like a lost child?
Sylvans spoke softly, her voice trembling with disbelief.
Sylvans:
"Mowj..."
Mowj stood motionless.
Blood streamed down his body.
His eyes flickered with a violet glow.
His skin was cold.
Tears fell from his eyes involuntarily.
Beside him stood dark knights — silent, corrupted.
Sylvans:
"Damn it!
Mowj!
Can you hear me?!"
She looked up —
through the thinning clouds she saw it:
A burning violet comet, wrapped in gray fire.
Lucas, gripping his glowing jewels and sword:
Lucas:
"What's wrong?
Be careful — he's dangerous!"
Sylvans:
"This man was supposed to help you...
to heal...
not to corrupt and kill!"
Lucas:
"What?
You mean he's the healer boy?!"
A voice answered from behind.
Fuad:
"Yes..."
Lucas cursed.
Lucas:
"He slaughtered my soldiers in an instant!
In the blink of an eye!"
Sylvans turned sharply.
Sylvans:
"Fuad?"
Fuad stepped forward —
his body wrapped in bandages, wounds covering him from head to toe.
Mowj moved slowly, raising his hand toward Sylvans.
Fuad:
"Be careful!"
Sylvans leapt high —
a tree behind her dissolved into dust the moment Mowj's energy touched it.
She landed, eyes wide.
Sylvans:
"Mowj!
Can you hear me?!"
Fuad:
"It's useless...
I've been trying for minutes.
He struck Ledra — nearly killed her when she tried to help him."
Sylvans dashed forward, Fuad following.
Around them, the corrupted guards advanced.
Lucas charged one of them in a desperate clash.
Fuad leapt toward another, screaming:
Fuad:
"Mercury!!
Hyaaa!!"
His dagger glowed —
poison dripping from its edge as he fought savagely.
Sylvans fired three rapid arrows —
each releasing a burst of green gas.
She advanced toward Mowj.
Sylvans:
"He should be down now..."
Mowj pressed his right hand to the ground.
Fuad screamed:
Fuad:
"Sylvans!
Watch out!!"
A dark explosion erupted around Mowj.
Sylvans shielded her face with her bow as the shockwave blasted outward.
Sylvans:
"Damn it!"
Fuad:
"That's what happened to Ledra!
She collapsed instantly!
Be careful!"
Sylvans stared at Mowj, guilt tightening her chest.
Sylvans:
"This is my fault..."
She rushed forward.
Fuad:
"Wait!!"
Sylvans fired a volley of arrows —
they exploded into a cloud of green smoke around Mowj.
She seized the moment —
lunged —
and wrapped him in enchanted ropes.
Suddenly—
A deep, booming laugh echoed across the battlefield.
Sylvans froze.
She turned toward the sound.
Fuad's face went pale.
Fuad:
"It's him."
AURIK IN CHAOS — THE SKY OF FIRE AND THE TRUTH OF BLOOD
Amid the battles and chaos consuming Aurik...
Laika continued her spell, floating in the crimson chamber, her body trembling from the strain.
Elsewhere, inside the Mage Guild, two teams worked desperately:
? One team maintained the spell that allowed Aurik's towers to fire scorching beams at the invaders —
but at the cost of an elder mage collapsing unconscious each time the spell activated.
? The second team worked under Ghami's supervision to activate the Flaming Walls enchantment.
Inside the palace, Viola watched the chaos unfold as reports arrived:
? Razaan had fallen.
? Jalmoud was down.
? Mahand was fighting a hopeless battle.
? Guards, mercenaries, and mages were collapsing everywhere.
Yet despite the despair, the defenders stood firmer than ever.
A full line of Royal Guards formed behind the palace,
with the strongest mages surrounding the palace and the Mage Guild.
Laika whispered through clenched teeth:
Laika:
"This is my fault...
If only I had told the prince the truth...
I'm such a fool..."
The clouds above Aurik thinned under her spell, revealing the burning dark comet streaking across the black sky, drowning the faint stars.
---
THE ANCIENT LIBRARY — KASRA'S DISCOVERY
Beneath the Mage Guild, inside the forgotten old library...
Kasra opened the ancient book, coughing as dust filled the air.
Her face and clothes were covered in grime.
She froze.
Kasra:
"What...?
This handwriting...
It's my brother's.
Did Asser... come here?"
She flipped through the pages.
Kasra:
"He was translating grandmother's writings...
Her strange language...
Her symbols..."
She read Asser's attempts —
sometimes correct, sometimes wrong —
his notes scattered with frustration.
Tears welled in her eyes.
Kasra:
"So you came here behind my back...
and never told me..."
Suddenly—
Ghami:
"Your Majesty! Are you alright?!"
Kasra:
"I'm fine!
What about the wall enchantment?!"
Ghami:
"We've prepared it — we're ready to activate it now!"
Kasra:
"Good!
Do it quickly!"
Ghami:
"At once!"
Kasra returned to the book.
Kasra:
"So you were trying to uncover the secret of our blood...
You foolish boy...
Trying to carry everything alone...
Without telling us..."
She reached the final page —
the ink was still fresh.
Kasra:
"Huh?
This looks new..."
She read.
---
ASSER'S CONFESSION
Prince Asser:
"I am a fool...
I ruined everything.
Sarah is in a coma because of my negligence...
I almost lost Kasra when the Black Order tried to kidnap her...
I'm a stupid, weak failure...
I'm a disappointment, father..."
Tears fell onto the page.
Kasra wiped her face.
Kasra:
"What...?
Am I crying again...?"
She continued reading.
Prince Asser:
"the Luminous Tree, was destroyed while I'm sleeping, father...
I was weak...
I let them deceive me...
Mother...
I failed you too..."
Kasra slammed her fist on the table.
Kasra:
"Why would you say that about yourself?!
That's cruel!"
She read on.
Prince Asser:
"Today I'm going to Leona.
I declared war on the Black Order —
the same people who tried to kidnap Kasra...
and put Sarah in a coma.
I lied to them, saying I want to save Leona...
but I'm going there...
only to save the one person who can wake Sarah."
Kasra's tears fell freely.
Kasra:
"You idiot..."
She turned the page.
Prince Asser:
"I'm scared.
I don't know what will happen.
I'm planning not to return...
because I deserve it.
I failed Aurik —
after father led it to greatness.
Everyone hates me.
They pretend to respect me only because I'm the prince of embers..."
Kasra screamed, voice breaking:
Kasra:
"Asser!!
Why didn't you tell me, you idiot?!
Why do you always carry everything alone?!
I'm here!
You promised you'd take care of yourself!
Who said we don't love you?!
Who said your people hate you?!
Why didn't you tell me so I could prove you wrong?!"
Gami rushed down with royal guards and mages.
Gami:
"Your Majesty?!
Are you hurt?!
Is someone here?!"
Guards searched the library, mages lighting the room with flames.
Kasra wiped her tears.
Kasra:
"No...
I'm fine..."
She turned to the last line.
Prince Asser:
"I discovered that the power of the Crimson Flame
comes from the love people have for me.
The more they depend on me, the stronger I become.
If they don't...
I'm useless.
And I am useless."
Kasra stood, wiping her face.
Kasra:
"No...
If what you wrote is true, brother...
then I will prove you wrong."
She closed the book and marched forward.
Gami:
"Your Majesty?!
Where are you going?!"
Kasra:
"Upstairs.
Prepare my attire."
A royal guard stepped forward.
Royal Guard:
"Your Majesty...
surely you're not planning to go outside—"
Kasra cut him off, her face cold and determined.
Kasra:
"Move."
She walked past them.
Kasra:
"Asser...
I will prove you wrong."
·
THE MARCH OF JAMIH — THE SHADOW OF THE WHITE FOX
On another front...
Jamih marched forward at a relentless pace,
with Jaber, the Korta assassins, and Kras following behind him.
Kras struggled to keep up, panting heavily.
Kras:
"Jamih... slow down...
You're walking too fast...
We've been marching for an entire day...
We need to rest..."
Jamih didn't answer.
He only turned his head slightly —
giving Kras a cold, terrifying stare.
Kras immediately raised his hands, sweating.
Kras:
"Ah— I mean...
Sorry...
Yes, yes, we should hurry..."
The snow had stopped falling.
Jaber looked toward Aurik — now a distant glow behind them as they crossed the barren, frozen desert.
Suddenly—
a volcanic beam of fire erupted from the horizon.
Jaber, armored and armed, stiffened.
Jaber:
"That signal...
Laika has begun.
We must hurry, Jamih."
Jamih answered quietly.
Jamih:
"I know."
Kras and the assassins looked up —
the clouds were thinning, revealing the violet comet, wrapped in gray flames.
Kras (whispering):
"This is... horrifying..."
Jamih shot him another cold look.
Kras flinched.
Kras:
"This place!
It's awful!
Dry, dead, cursed!
Haha..."
Jaber glanced at Kras, then smiled to himself.
Jaber (thinking):
"I've never seen Jamih this angry...
Not in all my battles against him.
What changed him?
What is the secret of that child?
He's important for saving Princess Sarah...
But it seems Jamih cares about him...
far more than that."
Jamih carried two massive weapons:
? His usual ancient greatsword
? And another blade wrapped entirely in white cloth
Jaber wiped his own weapon and sighed.
Jaber:
"This is going to be rough..."
Jamih:
"Don't forget—"
Jaber (interrupting):
"I know, I know..."
But Jaber kept watching Jamih's hand.
It was trembling.
Jamih —
the commander of the assassins —
was trembling.
Jaber raised an eyebrow.
---
THE BORDER OF LEONA
They finally reached the lands of Leona.
The sight was horrific.
Villages abandoned.
Forests buried in snow.
Silence everywhere.
Jaber inhaled sharply.
Jaber:
"What... is this?"
Kras stopped, staring.
Kras:
"What?
It's just snowy forests.
Or do your merchant eyes see gold everywhere?"
Jaber:
"Huh?
That's harsh!
I'm a refined merchant!"
Kras shrugged.
Kras:
"Doesn't matter."
The assassins snickered behind them.
Jaber rolled his eyes.
Jaber:
"Leona's lands are extremely fertile, if you didn't know.
This is the land of the White Fox..."
Kras blinked.
Kras:
"White Fox?
What's that?
A rare animal?
Maybe we can hunt it—"
Jaber:
"You'd die.
And Prince Asser wouldn't be pleased."
Kras froze.
Kras:
"What?!"
Jaber:
"The White Fox is the title of Leona's king."
Kras's jaw dropped.
Kras:
"WHAT?!"
The assassins gasped.
Jamih glanced back with one eye.
Jaber continued:
Jaber:
"He's clever.
Cunning.
King Caesar admired him greatly —
they were close friends."
Jaber:
"The royal guards always said King Caesar broke every protocol whenever he sat with King Ramah."
Kras swallowed hard.
Kras:
"So...
the Ember King...
and the White Fox..."
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