Joshua_Goose: The protagonist's story will continue in a few chapters, because it's necessary that you read this first before going on :3
Year 215 of the Immortal God. (A couple of days earlier)
Point of view of Kadian Helkar
From Kadian to Dominic.
It's been half a year since the coronation and betrayal of my brother Boris, and I still can't understand why you decided to stay and investigate there, Dominic.
Right now we're camping in the desert, a day away from Wesry, in Allister. We had to stop because of Irisha's condition. After investigating, everything seems to indicate that they found our trail, because the locals say many men from Clifland arrived in the neighboring cities, and to be honest, I don't think it'll take long before they find our camp.
But Dominic, here is the reason I'm writing this letter. If I survive what's coming, I will hide in the south of the Kingdom of Flok for a few decades. I'll stay there until my Legacy grows enough to take care of itself.
I'll write you another letter if all goes well in 10 years. Until then, take care of your family, I don't think Boris will stay still.
Sincerely, Kadian Helkar
Will this be our end? No, I can't allow it. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my family safe. I told myself, trying to lift my spirits.
After spending some time reflecting on the letter I wrote, I replicated Dominic's mana and passed it into a fine golden thread. It's not exact, but this will do.
Folding the letter in two, I placed it inside a special envelope, which I then sealed with mana to prevent anyone from opening it.
Alright, now I have to give it to Poly. I thought as I approached the small bird that had accompanied me these past years.
"You're as healthy as ever." I said, petting her.
"Lord Kadian, did you summon me?" said my servant Kurt from behind the cloth door of my tent. "That's right, Kurt, come in, I want to talk to you about something."
Obeying, he entered silently until he stood in front of me, then gave a slight bow as a sign of respect.
"Have a seat." I said, raising my right hand as I created a chair behind him using earth magic.
"You didn't need to trouble yourself, Lord Kadian." he said as he sat down. "It's nothing. I summoned you to tell you what I found out outside of Wesry." I said before explaining our difficult situation.
"I see… then it's very likely they'll find us." said Kurt nervously after hearing my words.
"That's right, which is why I'll ask you this one last time." I said, looking him straight in the eyes. "Are you sure you still want to accompany me on my journey?"
Kurt stayed silent for a few seconds before answering this final chance I was giving him to escape all of this.
"Lord Kadian, you should already know this. I've been with you since you were born, and I can assure you my loyalty will always be with you, even if I die."
Kurt… I thought, smiling slightly. I appreciate your loyalty, but still… to the point of putting your whole family in danger…. If we make it out of the next battle alive, I'll make sure your family is never in danger again. I promised to myself.
Kurt Rainhard had been my servant for more than 110 years, which is why he was precious to me. He was like a brother, and despite being from the Rainhard family, a family that had served the Helkars for thousands of years, I treated him as my equal.
"I'm glad to hear that." I said without hiding my happiness from his words. "And tell me, Kurt, how is your family?" I asked while securing the letter on Poly's back.
"My whole family is well, Lord Kadian. Only my daughter Zoe is worried, but it's normal for someone her age." he said in a slightly apologetic tone.
He's right, for someone like Zoe who's only 16 years old, all of this must be very hard. I commented to myself. But at least it comforts me to know that his wife Aria supports them.
Our small camp was made up of 3 tents. One was mine, where we kept all the maps and things we might need. Another was for my wife, as she was in delicate health due to her pregnancy. And the last one was for Kurt and his family.
"That's true, but putting those matters aside, we'll take turns standing guard, that way those bastards won't catch us by surprise." I said, looking at him for a moment before continuing my message for Dominic.
"I understand, Lord Kadian. In that case, I volunteer to stand guard today, so please rest." Kurt replied, standing up immediately.
"Alright… but remember that if you see or sense any suspicious movement, come inform me right away." I said before giving him a signal to leave.
Kurt, bowing, left the tent, leaving me with Poly once again. After changing clothes, I went outside with my bird to say goodbye to her.
"Poly, make sure this letter reaches Dominic." I said, looking at my bird without expecting her to understand me.
"I'm sure that with this trace of Dominic's mana you'll be able to find him." I continued, before tying the golden thread to one of her legs.
Imbuing my mana into her body, I gave her the command to leave and follow the mana trace from the thread.
"I hope we meet again someday." I said with sadness as I watched my little bird ascend into the sky, until she finally disappeared into the clouds.
Shit! This whole situation is Boris's fault. I thought, clenching my fists in anger. I swear, the next time I see him… I'll kill him.
After cursing for a few minutes, I calmed down and decided to check on my wife instead.
Irisha, my wife, was miraculously pregnant, which is why our future child became a priority above many things.
Looks like fighting will be inevitable…. I thought as I walked toward my wife's tent.
Point of view of Kurt Rainhard
Lord Kadian, an admirable person, ambitious in power and knowledge, but at the same time a bit naive and inexperienced. He thought that the men Boris sent wouldn't find us, that we could easily cross to the Central continent, but he was wrong.
"Sh*t!" I cursed after confirming the dozens of men approaching in the distance.
It's worse than we thought. I thought quickly as I set aside my frustration and anger, and rushed back to the camp.
It had barely been a day and a half since Lord Kadian returned from Wesry. Why the hell did they find us so quickly!? I thought as I ran at full speed.
Despite how early it was, I found Lord Kadian training a few meters from his tent. As I approached him, he turned to see me, and after seeing my face, he ordered us to go into his tent before I said a word.
"How much time do we have?" He asked immediately once we entered the tent. "There are two groups, the first made up of several scouts and mercenaries, they'll arrive in about an hour and a half. And the second group an hour after that."
Lord Kadian didn't bother to hide his frustration upon realizing the battle had become a reality.
"And tell me. How many are there and what ranks do they have?" He said with a tone of concern.
"I could sense 122 men, 100 of Advanced Rank, 17 of Expert Rank, 2 of Legend Rank and… and in the second group, 3 of Semi-God rank." "Damn it!!" Shouted Lord Kadian angrily upon hearing the last part.
"Talk with your family Kurt, we'll meet in half an hour." He said before signaling me with his hand to leave.
"As you command, Lord Kadian." I responded immediately before leaving his tent.
Once outside, I let out a soft sigh from the many thoughts of frustration, anger, and worry flooding my mind.
Why!? Why did they have to find us today of all days!? Why is everything going wrong!! I demanded to the air as my wife's words echoed in my head. Why did they have to come just hours before Lady Irisha's delivery…?
After several seconds of rage, I managed to regain my composure. The best… the best thing is to accept it and tell my wife, I just hope she takes it well.
As I approached our tent, I could hear some yelling from my daughter, which stopped once I entered the tent. "-e owe them nothing! If we keep go—"
When we exchanged glances, she went to one side, trying to hide her obvious anger. This girl doesn't help me….
"We need to talk." I said, looking at my wife, who was still disheveled from how early it was.
"What's wrong Kurt? Is something wrong?" She asked with concern upon seeing my mood.
"That's right Aria, Boris's men finally found us." "See! I told you that if we stayed with them, they'd find us!!" Shouted Zoe at the top of her lungs upon hearing my words.
"Zoe!" Shouted Aria before pulling our daughter by the arm. "I won't allow more defiance, you don't know how much we owe Lord Kadian and his family."
"But even so… if we stay with them. We'll die!" She protested, before breaking free from my wife's grip forcefully, creating a brief silence in the tent.
"Daughter, I won't let that happen, I'll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't." I said sincerely.
She looked at me for a few seconds before leaving the tent, angry and silent.
I know she's only 16, but even so, she's quite stubborn sometimes. I thought angrily to myself.
Aria, after a long sigh, began fixing her hair while thinking about what to say.
"Kurt, how many are there?" She said after a minute of silence. "122, most of them Advanced Rank, two of Legend Rank, and… and three of Semi-God Rank."
Irisha, understanding the danger approaching us, just looked at me for a second before continuing to fix herself. "... I see."
Worried about her opinion, I gathered enough courage to ask her more directly. "Love, what do you think?" "That it'll be hard." She answered immediately.
Huh? What the hell does that mean? Does she agree or not? I thought, unsure if she was worried or angry, since her face showed no emotion at all.
"You're right." I said after setting aside a few unnecessary thoughts.
"Lord Kadian is stronger than an average Semi-God rank, and I could barely stand against one, but still, they're three…." I said with a bit of frustration at the end.
"Don't worry darling, I know I won't be much help, but this time I want to fight alongside you all." She said gently, before showing a smile in an attempt to calm me down.
"What!?" Despite her tender efforts, she couldn't keep me from getting more nervous than I already was.
"What the hell are you saying!?" I said, raising my voice unintentionally. "Just like you heard Kurt, and before you say anything, I'm aware I'm the weakest among you, but I still know I'll be of help." She said, looking me in the eyes.
"You're not going, I won't allow it Aria, you could get hurt—" "Kurt, they'll need all the help they can get, and you know it." She said, cutting me off.
Damn it! What do I do? I don't want to put her in danger, but she's right….
"Alright, you'll come with us, but you'll follow every order we give. Understood?" I said, looking into her eyes. "Yes love!" She replied cheerfully before giving me a tight hug and then a kiss.
Still thoughtful about my decision, we began to prepare for the upcoming battle.
…
"May we come in Lord Kadian?" I asked from outside the tent. "Come in, I'm just finishing the strategy." Replied Lord Kadian in a calmer voice.
"Understood." As we entered, we saw Lady Irisha lying on her bed beside one of the tent's walls. She looks better than last time, seems like Aria is doing a good job.
On the other side of the tent was Lord Kadian reviewing a map while facing away from us.
"Ahiseo Kurt, Ahiseo Aria" Lady Irisha greeted us warmly upon seeing us enter. "Ahiseo Lady Irisha. Are you feeling better?" I asked, moving to the center of the tent with my wife.
"Yes, I'm more stable today than in previous days." She answered with a smile. "Kurt." Said Lord Kadian, cutting off our exchange.
"Are you sure about involving your wife in this?" "Yes Lord Kadian, I spoke with her and we decided to fight together for the sake of the Helkar family." I replied with determination.
He looked at us with curiosity and, after examining us for a second, turned his gaze back to the map. "I respect your determination, so let's begin planning the massacre of those scum." He continued with a slight smile on his face.
°°°
The plan against the first group was simple but effective. Aria would cast a powerful spell that would force the enemies to spread out, attempting to reduce their numbers in the process. Lord Kadian would go to the front to exterminate as many people as possible, while I would stay in the middle to protect my wife from those who would try to go after her.
"But my Lord, there's something I don't understand. Will we have enough time to finish them before the Semi-God ranks arrive?" I asked, doubtful of Lord Kadian's plan.
"No, that's why our job is to take down the strongest of the first group, to leave Aria to finish off the rest." He said, looking at my wife. "While the two of us will fight the three Semi-God ranks here." He said, pointing to a part of the map.
"Alright…" I nodded, another doubt in my mind upon hearing his words. "Then, for the second group, the strategy will be as follows. Kurt, in the middle of the battle, you'll take one of them to a distant place, so that I can fight the other two alone."
Damn it! I feared he'd ask me something like that. "It will be necessary if we want to win, because if we both fight them together, I won't be able to protect you properly, and if you die, I will die too." He said, looking me in the eyes.
"But my Lord, me fighting one of them alone would be…" I said nervously at the mere thought of fighting such an enemy.
"Don't worry, Kurt, I'm not asking you to win the fight, I'm just asking you to hold out until I finish killing the other two and come to support you." He said, placing his hand on my shoulder.
"Alright, Lord Kadian, I will hold off one of them until you finish your fight." I said after a couple of seconds in silence.
"Good, then, by the time that happens, Aria will already be done, so, assuming I'm very tired or maybe injured, she'll support us from a distance."
What? He wants Aria to join that fight? I thought, worried. If she comes, she'll be in great dange— "Don't worry about me, Kurt, seriously, I've improved a lot since the last time you saw me fight, it won't be a problem for me to come support you." She said upon seeing my face full of doubt.
"But even if you say that, if you go… all this will be very dangerous for you!" I said, letting my final words come out louder than I wanted. "I'm sorry, Kurt and Aria, because of me, you'll have to go through all of this..." Said Lady Irisha, looking down, ashamed of the whole situation.
Sh*t! I cursed inside upon seeing how her expression changed to one of sadness.
"It's not your fault, Lady Irisha, our family is here to serve you under any circumstance, even if it leads to our death." My wife responded with a smile.
"Yes, I know… thank you both very much for all your help." She said, returning the smile to my wife.
— COUGH—
Lord Kadian coughed, bringing us back to the conversation. "If there's nothing else to clarify, we leave in 10 minutes. By the way, it would be good if you spoke with your daughter." Said Lord Kadian, rolling up and storing the map.
He's right, it's best to talk to her, after all, we might not see her again. I thought, being realistic in this difficult situation.
After a final bow, I left the tent with my wife. "Love, I want to talk to her first." I said outside the tent. "I understand, in that case I'll check if we're missing anything." Said Aria as she returned to our tent.
After looking for Zoe for a minute, I found her sitting near the Helkar Family's dragons. Seeing her from afar, I noticed she was sad and thoughtful, moving the sand side to side with her finger while staring down at the ground.
"Are you okay, daughter?" I said being a few meters away from her. Upon hearing my voice, she turned for an instant before returning to her previous position.
"You know I'm not." She responded in a very dull voice. "Listen, daughter, I know you don't like the idea of being hunted, but you have to understand tha—"
"If we were only being hunted and no one got hurt, everything would be fine!" She said quickly as tears started to flood her face. "But… but now Mom and you could die."
Zoe… I thought as I looked at her face full of helplessness. She, realizing I wouldn't say anything, looked to the side to wipe her tears while calming her breath.
"Father," She said firmly after a while. "I want to go with yo—" "No." I replied immediately, cutting off any chance she had of finishing that sentence.
"I know I won't be of muc—" "No." "But Father! I wan—" "No!"
The idea of my daughter being in a near-suicidal mission was something I absolutely wouldn't allow to happen.
Damn it! I can't let her go… I thought, searching for an excuse.
"Listen, daughter." I said, kneeling down. "Promise me that no matter what happens, you won't follow us. Today will be Lady Irisha's labor and if we don't make it back in time from the battle, you'll have to help her with the delivery."
"But Dad…" "If you want to help us in some way, do what I ask, you'll see that everything will turn out fine." I said, giving her a warm hug.
"...I understand." She replied with disappointment and frustration in her voice.
It bothers me a little to lie to her, but it's for the best. Although what I told her may actually come true, and if it does, there won't be a problem either way. After all, Aria educated her for a situation like Lady Irisha's.
"Daughter," I said, caressing her head. "You don't have to be anxious about your mother's and my wellbeing, I swear on my life that I will do everything I can so that we both make it out alive from that battle."
Zoe, upon hearing my words, turned her face to look at me again. "Do you really mean it?" She asked hopefully.
"That's right, my beloved daughter, and on top of that I promise you that in five years, everything will be as it was before." I replied with a smile on my face. "Alright Dad, if that's the case, good luck out there!"
Her expression is starting to change, that makes me happy. I thought, feeling calmer. But even so, from her tone of voice and expression, it was clear she still had doubts.
As we parted, I started to feel Aria approaching, bringing my thoughts back to the battle.
"Here comes your mother, so please talk to her as well." I said before Zoe nodded with a smile.
Then, I smiled at my wife to let her know everything had gone well with our daughter, helping her relax. I'd better go to Lord Kadian to see if I can help him with anything.
After a few minutes, we both went out ready, and when I went to call my wife, I found her giving a kiss on the forehead to our daughter.
Upon seeing me, she spoke a bit more with Zoe and both quickly came to meet me.
"Good luck!" Zoe finally shouted to say goodbye as the three of us moved further and further away from the camp.
I hope this was the best decision I could've made. I thought nervously, as I felt our enemies in the distance.