The forest was drowning in smoke. The roar of the undead dragon reverberated through the trees as its fire tore across the land, scorching everything in its path.
Elric stood trembling, her breath ragged. She had barely managed to chant her barrier spell in time. The translucent shield shattered under the dragon's blast, but it spared her and Albert from death. Still, the backlash left her body numb, and her right arm burned fiercely where the flames had slipped past her defense.
She stumbled to the ground, her bow slipping from her grasp. Pain shot through her hand, making her vision blur.
"Lady Elric!" Albert's voice cracked with alarm. He rushed forward, catching her just before she collapsed entirely. His eyes darted to her blistered arm, horror flashing across his face.
The dragon didn't even notice they had survived. With a screech that made the air quiver, it unfurled its skeletal wings and soared into the skies. The dark mana clinging to its bones left trails of corruption across the air as it moved. Its path was clear—toward the city.
Elric's pupils dilated. Her blood turned cold.
"No… it's heading to the city…" she whispered hoarsely, clutching her injured arm. She tried to reach for her bow again, but agony flared. Her hand refused to obey.
Albert tore his gaze from the sky to her. Without hesitation, he ripped his robe into strips. "Forgive me, my lady. Hold still."
He gently but firmly grabbed her wounded arm, wrapping the cloth tightly around it. Elric bit her lip, trying not to scream as his hands pressed against the burns. A quiet groan escaped her throat.
"I must find a healer for you as soon as possible," Albert muttered, his voice filled with urgency and guilt. "Please, endure this for now. I will not let your injury worsen."
Elric grit her teeth, her voice quiet but unyielding.
"No… I am fine. I can still chase it. You—" she lifted her chin despite the pain, "—you take care of your men. I need to gather enough mana to strike again."
Albert froze at her command. His jaw tightened, torn between his duty as a knight and his concern as a comrade. But in the end, he bowed his head.
"As you wish, my lady."
He rose, ignoring the blood running down his own leg, and shouted to his soldiers, "Form up! Quickly! Follow the dragon's path! We cannot allow it to reach the city!"
The men, shaken but loyal, obeyed instantly. Despite their wounds, they marched forward, chasing the shadow of the skeletal beast in the sky.
Elric staggered to her feet, her knees trembling but refusing to buckle. She clenched her fist around her bow once more. Her eyes followed the dragon's silhouette—black wings spread wide, moving closer and closer to the city with every passing second.
Her heart pounded, not only with dread for the innocent lives in danger but with something deeper, sharper. Kael. His name echoed in her chest. She feared for the people, but the thought of Kael in harm's way made her hands tremble even more than the burns did.
But then she exhaled slowly. She reminded herself: Reinhardt was with him. Reinhardt would never let anything happen to Kael. That man would sooner burn the world than allow Kael to be harmed. That thought steadied her, if only slightly.
Drawing a long breath, Elric closed her eyes. The pain in her arm gnawed at her, but she channeled her mana anyway. She was a bow-user, an archer who specialized in conserving energy and delivering precise strikes. Pain did not strip her of mana—she would make every drop count.
When she opened her eyes, fire had returned to them.
She leapt forward, weaving between broken trees and scorched earth, chasing the beast that blotted out the morning sky. Her steps were light despite her injuries, the determination in her gaze keeping her upright.
Then, as she darted through the smoke, her eyes caught something that froze her mid-leap. Figures moved through the shadows of the forest, their black robes unmistakable. Men cloaked in darkness—watching, following the dragon's flight. Their heads were lowered as if in prayer, their voices low with chants she couldn't hear.
The cult.
Her chest tightened. She crouched low on a branch, watching them pass. They hadn't noticed her, too absorbed in their pursuit. The realization chilled her blood: the dragon's revival wasn't an accident. Someone had orchestrated this.
Her hand pressed tighter against her wound. Her thoughts raced.
The dragon's return… the earthquake… the cursed aura…
And then, like a knife to her chest, Kael's face filled her mind again.
Her body stiffened, her heart pounding with dread.
Something is going to happen to him. Again.
Her bow trembled in her grip as she watched the dragon's shadow disappear into the horizon, its roar echoing over the mountains. She knew the truth deep in her heart—this wasn't just about the city. This was tied to Kael.
And she would not let history repeat itself.
-----------------------------------------
The city walls loomed ahead, their stone towers shaking under the cries of the frightened citizens. Smoke from the burning forest in the distance drifted toward the gates, mingling with the stench of fear. People poured through the streets, clutching children and belongings as soldiers directed them toward the inner districts for evacuation.
Reinhardt arrived at the front gate astride a black horse, his golden hair hidden beneath a deep hooded robe. He had seized the disguise before setting out—no one could know the Emperor himself was here. To the citizens, he would be just another commander from Delcra, another nameless man holding the line.
Behind him rode a contingent of Delcra's finest soldiers, their armor battered from years of battle but their eyes steady. They fanned out across the gate's front, forming a defensive line between the panicked city and the sky where the shadow of death approached.
Reinhardt dismounted slowly, planting his spear into the ground with a solid thud. His emerald eyes, half-hidden by the hood, narrowed as he gazed toward the horizon.
Above the blackened treeline, a colossal silhouette emerged, its bony wings spreading wider than the city's gates themselves. With every beat, the air trembled, and with every roar, the ground quaked beneath their feet.
The soldiers around him faltered, their grips tightening on their weapons.
Reinhardt's voice cut through the air, sharp and commanding.
"Hold your ground."
The men straightened instantly.
He raised his spear, its steel head gleaming faintly under the pale light of the burning sky.
"Protect this city. Do not let that creature harm even a single soul within these walls!" His voice grew louder, carrying over the chaos of the fleeing citizens. "Kael gave his blood to protect this land. He won you your freedom and peace. Now—" his gaze swept over them like fire, "—it is your turn to protect his legacy. To protect our lord!"
The soldiers' eyes hardened at the name. Even now, years after the prophecy, Hero Kael was their true lord in heart and memory. The man who had given them back their homes, who had shattered the chains of Umbraxis, who had stood unyielding even against death itself.
Their morale surged. Shields locked, bows drawn, staffs raised high with mana coursing through them.
The beast descended with a scream that rattled the bones of all who heard it. Its skull, half-shattered yet burning with crimson light, tilted downward toward the city. The dragon's empty sockets glowed with necrotic flame, its maw opening to reveal fire gathering deep within.
Reinhardt tilted his head slightly, a faint, humorless smile tugging at his lips.
"Long time no see… beast."
He spun his spear in one smooth motion, the wind whistling as the tip gleamed. At his signal, arrows and spells streaked through the air, crashing against the dragon's wings and torso. Explosions rippled across its frame, rattling bone and shaking the corrupted mana that bound it together.
The undead beast roared, its cry so piercing that windows across the city shattered. Its massive body swooped downward, talons outstretched, wings blotting out the sun.
"Now!" Reinhardt barked, and the front line surged.
He sprinted forward, spear in hand, his movements a blur despite the heavy robe weighing him down. With a leap, he closed the distance between man and monster, his spear lancing upward in a perfect arc.
Steel clashed against corrupted bone as the tip of his weapon slashed across the dragon's foreleg. The strike sparked against its mana-coated surface, leaving a faint crack but not breaking through entirely. The beast jerked back, hissing through its hollow maw.
"Target its wings!" Reinhardt commanded, his voice like thunder. "Bring it down where it cannot fly!"
Obeying instantly, the soldiers unleashed volleys of arrows and bolts of mana at the creature's wings. Some shots pierced through the thinner joints, fragments of bone raining down. But the dragon only seemed enraged. Its massive body slammed against the air, creating a shockwave that knocked men off their feet.
Reinhardt skidded back, his eyes narrowing. His mind worked quickly, calculating. This was not the same beast he and Kael had once felled together.
Back then, it had been massive, terrifying—but alive. Now, as an undead husk, it had grown larger, its bones swollen with layers of necrotic mana. The aura swirling around it was thicker, more oppressive, like armor forged from corruption itself.
"Stronger than before…" Reinhardt muttered under his breath, twisting his spear and resetting his stance. A flicker of irritation crossed his face, quickly masked by his calm.
But his smile returned, sharper than a blade.
"That only makes this more interesting."
He lunged again, spear glowing faintly as his mana surged through it. The men behind him roared, following their Emperor's lead, never knowing who truly stood before them.
The battle for the city had begun.