Chapter 12
The soft glow of moonlight bathed their carriage, reflecting off the polished wooden surfaces and dusty wheels, while the shadows of the night stretched silently across the ground. Without Rayyan Bartos accompanying them, the group continued their journey as planned, with the same arrangement of guards and unchanging pace. Eventually, they passed through the great gates of Valcreat, towering gates adorned with ancient carvings and heavy iron doors, as the cool night breeze brushed against their faces and the horses' hooves echoed along the stone path beneath the starlit sky.
"Darling… are you tired?" Damnern spoke softly, as if afraid of startling their child.
Elina shook her head slightly. "Just a little tired. It's been a long day."
"Sorry… for making you and the children go through all that," Damnern replied again.
Elina smiled gently. "That's your responsibility. And now… Willowess needs you."
"So Papa doesn't fight bad people anymore?" Eldern interjected.
Damnern paused for a moment before answering. "If Papa has to… Papa will."
Elyra, who had been sitting quietly until then, stared blankly out the carriage window, as if her mind had drifted far away from the world around her. Unconsciously, her lips moved slowly, and a single word slipped out—
"Colosseum…"
Hearing this, Elina immediately said,
"Papa, when he was 18, was also a Colosseum champion," she told Elyra while glancing at Damnern.
Damnern raised an eyebrow. "Back then," he said, coughing lightly. "Now Papa's better at handling paperwork."
"That's not impressive," Eldern complained.
Elina gently pinched Eldern's cheek. "Don't say that. Your Papa works hard to protect many people."
Elyra merely observed in silence.
Their group finally entered the Valdwess Forest, where the path grew narrower and the moonlight was increasingly obscured by the dense canopy overhead. The surrounding atmosphere became eerily quiet, interrupted only by the rustling of leaves, the distant calls of nocturnal creatures, and the soft echo of hooves, signaling that they had truly left the open lands behind and ventured into the depths of the forest under the cover of night.
For a moment, Elyra drifted—her mind slipping inward, heavy and distant as if the world beyond the carriage had softened into something unreal. The rhythm of the wheels, the faint creak of wood, even Elina's presence beside her all blurred into a dull hum.
Then it happened.
A sudden shift in the air—sharp, violent, unmistakable.
Before anyone could even register what was wrong, Elina moved.
It was not hesitation. Not thought. It was instinct so precise it felt almost inhuman. Elina's arm shot across Elyra's small frame, pulling her away from the carriage window in a single, fluid motion. In the same breath, she turned her body, shielding the child completely as she drew Elyra into her chest.
The world snapped into clarity too late.
A whistle cut through the air where Elyra's head had been only a heartbeat ago.
An arrow.
It tore through the space she had just occupied and grazed past Elina so closely that Elyra felt the shift of wind against her skin and the sudden tightening of Elina's muscles as she absorbed the near impact.
For a split second, everything froze.
Elyra was pressed against Elina's body, her small hands instinctively clutching fabric that now felt too real, too fragile. Her eyes, wide and unfocused, caught movement through the narrow gap beneath Elina's protective arm.
There.
Damnern.
He stood at the edge of the chaos, his hand already closing around the arrow mid-flight—having intercepted it mere inches before it could pierce Elina's back. The metal tip trembled slightly in his grip, still vibrating from the force it had carried.
But Elyra didn't process relief.
Not yet.
Her gaze locked onto the weapon in his hand, and something inside her stuttered.
Because she had not sensed it.
Not even a flicker.
In this tiny, powerless body—this body of a two-year-old—she had been completely blind. No instinct, no awareness, no ability to react. Nothing.
And that realization hit harder than the arrow ever could have.
Her mind, once sharp and accustomed to anticipating danger, fractured under the weight of helplessness. Her chest tightened with a frustration so deep it bordered on panic. She hated it. Hated the fact that she had been completely useless while someone she cared about had nearly died right in front of her.
Why… why couldn't I sense it?
If Damnern had not been there…
Mama would have—
The thought cut off violently, unfinished but understood.
Elyra's small fingers trembled against Elina's clothing.
A quiet sob escaped her, muffled against Elina's chest. She hated it. Hated feeling like a burden. Hated knowing that the people she loved had to risk their lives just to keep her breathing.
Elina gently stroked her hair, completely unaware of the storm raging inside the small child she held.
"I've got you, sweetheart," Elina whispered softly, her voice steady and warm as she held her close. "You're safe now… nothing is going to hurt you."
Yet safety was the last thing Elyra felt. The danger outside frightened her less than the helplessness growing inside her chest.
She could only stare at the arrow in Damnern's hand, rage and despair twisting silently in a mind that could do nothing but witness what it could not prevent.
Yet Elyra could still feel it—the overwhelming presence radiating from Damnern, stronger than anything she had sensed before. It pressed against her like an invisible weight, leaving her body tense and almost frozen in place.
It was familiar in the worst way. Like Ferwel Noxes' presence—suffocating, oppressive, the kind of force that didn't need to move or strike to make someone feel powerless, as if sheer strength alone could crush the will to resist.
"We're under attack!" one of the guards shouted.
"Form up! Protect the Count at all costs!" another guard bellowed.
Clang! Clang!
Outside, the clanging of swords colliding could be heard, clearly signaling an attack, the surroundings instantly filled with tension and chaos invisible from inside the carriage.
Eldern, visibly panicking, was immediately pulled into Elina's embrace as well.
"It's okay, Eldern… you're safe now. Mama's here with you," Elina said softly as she pulled him into a tight, protective hug.
"Sorry… just wait a moment, okay?" Damnern said with a faint smile, though the aura emanating from him suggested otherwise.
He stepped forward slowly and opened the carriage door with calm, deliberate movements. But as soon as the door opened, his body seemed to vanish from sight.
The sounds outside grew louder, but from within the carriage Elyra could only imagine what was happening beyond the wooden walls.
"Keep attacking! Break through their lines!" the raiders roared, their voices thundering like a war drum as they surged forward in a frenzied wave, weapons raised high under the blood-red sky.
Ten royal guards stood resolute in front of the grand, heavily armored carriage, forming a battered defensive line. Their shields were cracked, their bodies exhausted, but their eyes burned with unbreakable determination.
But chaos erupted from above. A sharp whistle sliced through the air—then an arrow struck a guard in the shoulder, driving him backward with a strangled cry. He hit the ground hard, blood quickly pooling beneath him.
The remaining nine guards tightened their formation, shields locked together, desperately trying to hold back the savage tide of raiders crashing against them.
Then, without warning, death arrived like a phantom.
"H-Huh?! What the—?!" A raider at the front froze mid-swing as his comrade's head suddenly flew off his shoulders in a fountain of crimson. The severed head rolled across the dirt, eyes still wide in shock.
End of Chapter 12