Day 15 After Eralthar | Northern Forest Border – Watcher's Peak
The sun hadn't yet touched the forest canopies. But Valerian was already on the move. Oath in hand, war in his eyes.
That morning, Helvar had handed him a scroll. "This was found last night in the pocket of a stolen corpse," he said. A bloodstained document bearing Vornath's sigil… And on it, a name: "Kael Dravorn."
Valerian froze. Kael… his childhood friend. One of Eralthar's defense commanders.
His eyes scanned the writing: "A direct link inside King Theon's court has been secured. Access through me alone. Northern corridor will be opened at the eleventh hour."
It was Kael's handwriting. Unmistakable.Valerian now knew his first betrayal. And his first target.
When he left Helvar's cabin, his resolve was like a blade in the wind. The forest was no longer a stranger to him. As he followed the trail to Watcher's Peak, he came upon fresh horse tracks— Heavy, fresh. Heading west. Toward Draveth Pass.
Valerian moved quickly to cut them off. Peering over a ridge, he spotted three armored men setting camp. At the center, cloaked in black… The figure was hard to see, but the posture—familiar.
Valerian drew Oath. Threw a stone. The men flinched.Before stepping into the clearing, he looked to the sky one last time. "This is my first battlefield," he whispered. "And I won't lose it."As he emerged from the brush, the man in the center unsheathed his blade. He removed his helmet.
Valerian's breath caught.
"Kael…"Kael smirked. "Wasn't expecting you to be alive."
"Nor your betrayal."
"Betrayal?" Kael stepped closer. "You think I'd protect a dying kingdom, built on a child's fantasy of rule? I chose the future.
"Valerian stepped forward.
"And I chose justice for the past."
Blades clashed. Kael struck first. Valerian dodged back. But he spun swiftly. Brought Oath down hard. Kael deflected. Valerian dropped low, sweeping his leg. Kael stumbled.
"New sword?" Kael grunted. "Sharp, but young."Valerian didn't blink. "I'm young. But I temper myself every day."
With a shout, Kael lunged. Valerian waited. At the last moment, he stepped aside. Oath found the gap in Kael's armor. A clean strike. Deep, not fatal.
Kael fell to one knee.
"You going to kill me?"
Valerian pulled the blade back. "No. You'll live. So that every drop of blood spilled in the war you started… reminds you where it all began."
Valerian turned his back. Kael collapsed. The other soldiers had fled. But this first strike was enough.
The heir of Eralthar had returned. And from now on… He would speak in blood.
Day 16 After Eralthar | Draveth Border – Vornath Command Post / Abandoned Mining Village: Loryan
By the time Kael's horse reached the Draveth pass, the sun was beginning to set. His armor was drenched in blood. The Vornath guards barely recognized him.
"Commander Kael! What happened to you?!"
Kael staggered off the saddle. His breath wheezed through his wounded chest. With trembling lips, he managed only one sentence:
"Valerian… is alive."
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers to the west, Valerian arrived at a desolate mining village called Loryan. It once belonged to Eralthar. After the king's death, its resources were looted, and its people scattered. Only a few brave souls remained.
As Valerian moved through the dark alleys between crumbling shacks, a pair of weary eyes watched him from behind rotted planks. An old man stepped forward.
"You… Are you Thaeron's boy?"
Valerian paused. His gaze unwavering, his voice cold:
"I was Thaeron's son. Now… I'm the voice of ash."
The man gestured him inside. In the dim room were a handful of others—a young girl, an old woman, a farmer, a former soldier. All wore the same look: a blend of doubt and fading hope.
Valerian unstrapped the sword from his back and placed it on the ground.
"I don't ask for your loyalty," he said. "I offer no hope. But I have a proposal: Follow me… and one day, we will tear down that crown together."
Silence filled the room. Then, the old soldier stood. Placed his hand over his heart. And swore:"If you fall, fall with us. If you rise… rise with us."
That night, Valerian accepted his first oath. For the first time, he ceased to be just a name. He began to become an idea.Back at the Draveth command post, Vornath officers hovered over their maps, discussing new strategies.
"If anyone survived in Eralthar, they're a threat," said Commander Yurein.
Kael pressed his hands against the table.
"He didn't just survive… he's growing stronger. That man… will become an emperor."