Kael had become a different man over the past three years.
The things he had seen, the battles he had fought, and the choices he had made had changed him irrevocably. He was no longer alone as he once was; the power he now possessed had filled the void that once burned only with a desire for revenge. In its place now stood the cold-blooded calm of a leader, the sharp edge of strategy, and the sweet tranquility of freedom. But this peace came with a price.
He had built an army, led people, and through cunning and struggle, he had become a hero. Yes, in the eyes of the people, he was a hero—but that did not bring back what he had once lost. His loss was vast and irreparable.
There was no one left who hadn't heard Kael's name. He was a hero of the people, a freedom fighter, the leader of a rebellion against an empire on the verge of collapse. Yet with every step forward, there was another loss. With every victory, his eyes held a little more sorrow. In the eyes of the people, Kael was a figure lost in darkness but reborn in light. But what if that light could fade at any moment?
The Inner Wars of Vengeance
In the end, something had to give. Kael felt it every day—his princess's disappearance and the pain of losing his family still bled like an open wound in his heart. His life seemed like it could only be completed with a journey full of victories—ending in a reckoning with the kingdom. The kingdom was the reason he lost everything—his loved ones, his family, his future. This wrong had to be made right.
To Kael, winning the war wasn't just about toppling a corrupt regime anymore—it was about vengeance for the lives torn from him. These thoughts had become a storm in his mind, growing fiercer with each passing day.
There was courage in the eyes of his warriors, but Kael also felt the weight of leading them into this cause. Being a hero in the eyes of the people meant making difficult decisions. Every moment of his resistance against injustice had come to define his true identity. He was a leader for the people, but also a man slowly changed by the devastation of war and the enemies he fought. He began to question the world he once burned in hatred—fearing that, in the end, he might still be the one who lost the most.
The Army and Preparations
Kael's army was growing stronger by the day. Each new battle attracted more people, gave them hope. His rebellion seemed like the only way to survive. Day and night, they fought—becoming larger, more powerful with every victory. But Kael's goal was not only to defeat his enemies. He was fighting a war both against the darkness within and the shadows of his past.
The army was centered entirely around Kael's presence—his will, his resolve. They had the strength to defeat the enemy. But there was a price. The army had already established a great strategic base, waiting for the wars of the future. As Kael delved deeper into the secrets of this war, he began to shape his own strategic vision. He was no longer fighting for the people alone—but also in search of his own salvation. And in his eyes, at the end of victory, the true cost of everything would be revealed.
As Day Turns to Night
Kael's days were now filled with plans, with his soldiers, and with hopes for this new world. The idea that he could reclaim what he had once lost with his own hands kept him going. Every morning, he woke up a step closer to that goal. Yet his eyes always reflected a sense of absence, chasing a missing piece lost somewhere along the way.
But that loss belonged both to his people and to his own past. Kael was not a man with a single goal. He had lost so much, but he had also left things behind. This final war, this moment he was approaching, was a chance to move toward something—to discover once more the lost fragments of his past.
And one morning, with eyes as sorrowful yet determined as a bird gazing from afar, Kael felt that the time for war had come. The army was waiting with patience for that final moment. Everything was ready for the kingdom's fall. But within him, that missing piece… had still not been found.
Chapter: Kael's Final Stand and the Collapse of Chaos
On the morning of the battle, as darkness covered the earth, Kael was making his final preparations to begin the operation. His army was ready to launch a siege that would last seven days. In the eyes of the people, the image of a hero was transforming into an ever-growing legend. Yet behind all these victories and the people's admiration, Kael was fighting another war—one within himself; the void inside him, the trauma of lost time, the pain of everything he had lost.
At the first light of dawn, his army advanced swiftly through the bushes, entering enemy territory. The enemies began emerging from the depths of the forest, positioning themselves strategically at every corner. Kael's soldiers marched forward into the chaos of battle, as if believing everything was merely a test.
But this test would soon become their worst nightmare.
The Brutality of War
Kael's forces suffered the first blow before even reaching the enemy's front lines. Arrows fired by a few hidden archers pierced the heads of soldiers, echoing in their chests as they fell. The heat of war showed that everything could change in an instant. Clashing shields, slit throats, and a battlefield darkened by death made the scene more savage with each passing second. Kael, gripping his sword tightly, led his troops, breaking enemy lines with precise strikes. Yet in his eyes lay a silent darkness—one he recognized but never spoke of: with every victory came a new catastrophe to take the enemy's place.
The fire of war consumed everything around Kael. On one side, soldiers held their ground in fortified positions; on the other, women, children, and the elderly tried to flee. This brutality did not align with the sense of justice Kael had carried for years. But there was no time to stop. As commanders fell one after another, each movement of Kael's army shook the earth with its force.
Eventually, Kael's troops pushed through enemy defenses and began advancing. But this advance was nothing short of walking into a trap. Drunk on a moment of victory, Kael was about to make a mistake as grave as the blows he had dealt to his enemies. Behind the enemy waited a massive hidden army. With each passing minute, their secret allies revealed themselves. This was all part of a plan—and Kael didn't realize it.
Falling into the Trap
Kael's army suddenly found itself face-to-face with a force far larger and stronger. But this was only the beginning of something far worse. Screams from the rear signaled the start of the end. The enemy's trap had encircled Kael's forces. As shields slipped from hands and clattered against iron armor, chaos broke out. Within minutes, most of Kael's army stood face-to-face with death.
Everything spiraled into madness. Kael fought with a few loyal men, but the tide of fate was no longer in his hands. He was being dragged into the deepest pit of hell. When an arrow struck his chest, he collapsed in agony. Though he struggled to move his arms, he kept defending himself. At that moment, amid the enemy ranks, Kael disappeared. The trap was so well laid that even he couldn't see it coming. At the darkest point of the battle, Kael's final stand had begun, alongside a few remaining comrades.
Then, things became even more horrific. An arrow pierced Kael's left arm, causing him to cry out in a voice darker than death. A following blow severed his right arm, and Kael's body was shattered. The agony merged with the grief he had carried for years—the loss of his family, his purpose, his justice. His strength was gone. He could no longer fight as he once had.
In that moment, the deepest shadow clouded Kael's mind. Everything lost its meaning. But something remained—one thing: never giving up. With one final effort, despite the loss of his arms, Kael pulled himself from the battlefield. Survival, not victory, had become his only goal. And so he fled, not just from death, but chasing after every value and memory he had lost.
Sanctuary in the Temple
Through the smoke and blood of the battlefield, Kael's last hope was a temple. A place spoken of only in whispers. Reaching it was perhaps the only true escape in his life. But as he moved closer, he could hear the enemy's steps behind him. He was nearing death with every breath, but finally, the gates of the temple stood before him.
The temple looked abandoned from the outside. But once inside, Kael felt the emergence of something ancient and dark. On the walls behind the entrance were old symbols—inscriptions in a language only Kael understood. The temple held the secrets of time, of the past, and of vengeance. Here, Kael would remain for a time, confronting the aftermath of war and loss. In the silence and solitude, he would enter a new phase of survival.