The warhorses thundered through the suffocating darkness of the Onis Forest until the jagged silhouette of the "White Stone Fortress" loomed ahead. Once a glorious stronghold of the past, these ancient ruins were now the final sanctuary for the villagers of Nephia. Faint torchlight flickered atop the stone walls, casting a grim glow upon the pale faces and terror-stricken eyes of the refugees who had arrived before them.

  The moment his horse came to a halt, Lyki leapt from the back of Oscar’s mount. A small figure lunged at him with the speed of a projectile, nearly knocking the young man off his feet.

  "Brother Lyki! Sob... I thought you... I thought they’d gotten you..." Lyna wailed, burying her face against her brother's waist. Her tiny hands gripped his dust-caked, blood-stained tunic with such ferocity, as if fearing that if she let go even for a second, her brother would vanish into the mist once more. Behind them stood Rin, her anxious eyes trembling with a wave of relief she could not conceal.

  "I told you your brother is too stubborn to die," Reef cut in, joining them and clapping Lyki lightly on the shoulder. "But look at you, Lyki... you look like a mess. Like you just crawled out of a wormhole."

  "I’m still breathing... that’s more than enough," Lyki replied, gently stroking his sister’s hair to soothe her. He tried to steady his own ragged breathing. "Thank you, Reef, for bringing my sister here safely."

  "No need for thanks. If I had a sister, I’d have done the same," Reef replied with a nod of brotherly understanding.

  Titania watched the children's reunion from a distance. The commander's fierce gaze softened slightly, the sight of their bond offering a brief respite to her strained spirit. Yet, the peace was fleeting.

  "Look there!!" a soldier atop the gatehouse bellowed in alarm.

  Titania vaulted onto the stone battlements instantly. Her sharp eyes pierced the gloom, spotting a long line of torches snaking through the western forest like a great serpent of fire.

  "Those are people from the neighboring villages! The Gonis... and there are those from Chinis too!" a soldier holding a brazier shouted with newfound hope. "They must have heard about the Orcs and rushed here to help us fight, Commander!"

  Titania remained eerily still, her eyes fixed on the procession moving with agonizing slowness and a total lack of order. "No..." she whispered. "Look at their speed. They are just like us—refugees being hunted."

  "You mean... the Orcs on the mountain were just a scouting party?" the soldier gasped, trembling as he realized the true scale of the threat.

  Titania gripped the soldier’s shoulder to snap him back to reality. "This is going to be a bloodbath. Open the gates!!" she commanded. "Oscar! Send men to escort the convoy! Station guards along the path to guide them in, and deploy scouts to watch the perimeter until everyone is safely inside. And most importantly... tell them to extinguish those torches! I won't have the Orcs using their light to track us!"

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "Understood!" Oscar barked, leading a squad of soldiers to carry out the orders.

  "As for the rest of you, douse every flame on the walls!" Titania turned to her remaining troops. "Get the people inside, and warn them—no one is to light a single flame, under any circumstances!"

  "Who goes there?" an old man in his fifties called out as a rider approached the front of the line.

  "It’s me, Master Garrett. It’s Oscar," the young soldier replied. "I apologize for the lack of a formal welcome, but we’re out of time. Tell your people to put out their lights and follow the path where my men are stationed. They will guide you through the darkness. Commander Titania is waiting inside. I must go!"

  He spurred his horse toward the rest of the line, shouting, "Who’s in command here?"

  "I am," a voice, sweet yet commanding, echoed through the crowd. "Elara, daughter of Silas. My father and some of his men stayed behind to buy us time. Please, have mercy and let us find shelter in that fortress."

  "Don't worry about that. Follow this path; my men will guide you," Oscar replied swiftly. "And put out your torches immediately. We can’t let those Orcs pick up our trail."

  Elara nodded, and soon, the flickering lights of the refugee convoy began to die out, one by one.

  Amidst the stifling darkness, Oscar circled back on his horse for a final check. His eyes were tight with tension as he realized the sheer number of people was far greater than anticipated.

  "Oscar! Report!" Titania’s voice thundered from the battlements, which were now as dark as the surrounding forest.

  "The people from Gonis and Chinis are nearly all in, Commander! But I have grim news..." Oscar pulled his reins, glancing toward Elara as she led her people through the gates. "Master Garrett says the Orcs following them aren't just a raiding party. It’s a bloodthirsty vanguard. And more... Elara says her father might not be able to hold them off for long."

  Titania gritted her teeth until her jaw ached. "Understood. The moment the last soul clears the threshold, seal the fortress shut!"

  Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Lyki held Lyna close, trying to share his warmth as the refugees whispered in terror.

  "Brother Lyki... will Father and Brother Lycan come to help us?" the girl’s voice wavered. "Does Father know we aren't home? Will he be able to find us here?"

  Lyki went silent for a moment, his heart heavy at the thought of his father and brother. What would they do in a situation like this? And what about Mother? He didn't know how to tell her about the desperate reality they faced, but he had to be strong.

  "Of course... Come here," he said with a reassuring smile. "Do you remember when you were little? We both snuck out to play and got lost deep in the forest."

  "I remember," Lyna murmured. "I was so scared I couldn't stop crying."

  "Yes... you wailed louder than a newborn babe. In the end, Father and Lycan found us. Father gave me quite a scolding, didn't he? Hahaha."

  "Yes... and Mother too," Lyna’s tears began to fall again at the warm memory of their old home. "I miss her so much."

  Lyki gently stroked his sister’s head. "I miss her too. Don't worry. This time, Father and Lycan will find us again, for sure."

  "Okay..." Lyna wiped her eyes, a faint smile returning to her face.

  "You too, Rin," Lyki turned to the other girl, who sat hugging her knees in silence. "You still have me, Lyna, and Commander Titania."

  "And me!" Reef added, thumping his chest lightly. Lyki nodded in thanks to his friend for helping to shift the grim mood toward a flicker of hope.

  But then... Rin’s demeanor changed abruptly. Her nose twitched rapidly, her eyes widening more than Lyki had ever seen.

  "Brother Lyki... I smell something," Rin whispered, her voice trembling.

  "Maybe it’s just me," Lyki tried to joke, lifting his arm to sniff himself. "I haven't had a bath after fighting all day."

  "No!..." Rin shook her head violently, her eyes filled with absolute dread. "That scent... it isn't human!"

  "From where?" Reef asked, his hand instinctively gripping his sword hilt.

  Rin raised a shaking finger, pointing toward the massive gates where the final group of refugees was trickling in through the gloom.

  "Over there!"