A dim moon breaks through the clouds over a small fortified castle on a hill. The walls ride high, and only vague, shining silhouettes are visible. Silhouettes of soldiers, clad in iron armor, bows at the ready. Among them is a man with a small yellow scar on his left cheek. He raises his sword, pointing it away from the castle.
"Loose!"
A wall of arrows flies through the night sky, aimed directly at legions of marching soldiers. Wave after wave flew through the sky, but they knew it was all in vain. They couldn't stop what was coming; they knew they couldn't win. Despite the flying arrows, the enemy was now at the gate, and it was only a matter of time before they broke through.
"Commander Hisstion! His Majesty requires your presence in the royal chamber!"
A lean soldier, bearing the mark of a commander, walks forward. He nods.
"Commander Hisstion, I can take over the archers; you go to the king!"
The soldier bearing the mark of a commander takes over, and Hisstion runs through the small brick city before reaching the castle and royal chamber. On the way, hundreds of shivering soldiers stood waiting, with swords sheathed by their sides. Hisstion nodded to the guards at the castle as they let him in.
Before him stood the king, covered in golden and silver armor, standing near the throne.
"Your Majesty, you asked for me?"
Hisstion made a small bow as the king nodded.
"It's time to execute the plan, Hisstion. Save our people."
"Yes, sir."
Hisstion ran towards a trapdoor hidden behind the throne and went down it. Inside was a small battalion of soldiers, 3 women, a few children, and a long, dark brick hallway.
"Hisstion, thank the gods you're here!"
One of the women went forward and hugged him. The other women and children began to speak up.
"Calm down, we'll get you all out of here."
Hisstion nodded to another guard, who handed him a lit torch. As Hisstion began forward, the others followed quickly.
As they went through the tunnel, they could hear the shouting of soldiers above them. They could hear the screams as they fell. One of the children hugged their mother's leg as they walked. One aggravated soldier in the back couldn't take it.
"Dammit, shouldn't we be up there, helping them?"
Another, next to him, scowled.
"You know we're the only ones that are going to survive this. Fighting up there is suicide."
The aggravated soldier lowered his voice, clearly displeased.
"I would rather die for my nation, fighting those Imperial dogs than running away like a coward."
One soldier who was walking by Hisstion soon added to their conversation:
"Quiet, both of you. You're acting more cowardly than the children for the gods' sakes."
That same soldier took off his helmet, revealing his short black hair. Hisstion turned to that soldier.
"Captain Leimon, we've reached the exit."
Hisstion turned away from Leimon and pointed forward. A small golden hue was visible with a ladder going upwards. Leimon, the soldier next to him, went forward and up the ladder. He looked down a moment later.
"It's clear, let's go."
They all went up, with Hisstion going last. As Hisstion looked out, he could see the castle in the distant horizon, and a sunbaked morning eyeing itself over the distant hills.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and the single tree close to the trapdoor began to rumble. Hisstion looks into the trapdoor.
"They've found the tunnel. The Queen is on her way."
One of the women begins to cry, and the soldiers shiver.
Hisstion turns to Leimon.
"Captain Leimon, I entrust the shard to you. Take it to my wife and newborn in Tenor village. Keep it safe, and guard it with your life."
Hisstion reaches into his armor and takes a small necklace-like piece of apparel. At the end of it is a glowing yellow gemstone, about 2 inches in length, with a pointed end. He hands it to Captain Leimon. The moment it leaves Hisstion's hands, the glow on Hisstion's scar fades away.
"Go, Leimon. Take the women and children there. Keep them safe."
Leimon is shocked. He then hastily puts the shard over his neck and tucks it into his armor.
"I wish you the best of luck, Hisstion."
The two share a brief one-armed hug, before Leimon and the others disappear into the horizon soon after.
Hisstion takes multiple steps away from the trapdoor. He kneels to the ground and crosses his hands together.
"Oh, Rotix, forgive my actions."
He then grabs his sword, a branded Katana, and unsheaths it. He didn't draw his blade because he wanted to fight; he drew his blade because he was the only thing separating the hell that was soon to emerge from the trapdoor, and one of the most powerful objects in the entire realm.
Just then, the trapdoor exploded open, and dust began to billow out of it. Amidst the grime, a figure began to reveal itself from inside.
"I'd have expected nothing less from you, Commander. Abandoning your people, how typical of you…"
In a flash, a woman clashed her sword against his, and the dust around them swooped in that direction. Hisstion slid back, away from the woman, tearing up the dirt as she walked forward. Hisstion rolled his shoulder.
"You look as horrible as ever, Queen Shem."
She began to laugh at his comment, her hazel eyes showing a maniacal flare, and her short, flowing black hair swishing in the wind.
"Likewise, Hisstion."
Hisstion raised his sword and closed his eyes for a short moment, knowing that his life was soon to be taken from him. The scar on his cheek began to glow a golden-red color.
"Well, color me surprised, Hisstion. I wasn't expecting you to break your oath so easily, and we've hardly gotten to the good part yet."
Red Lightning struck through the air around Hisstion as he exploded forward in a quick flash.
The steel shrieks as the Queen blocks and shifts her weight around the attack. She spins her body around, forcing her jewel-covered sword against Hisstion's neck.
The red lightning flies upwards as Hisstion brings himself down, away from the blade, and thrusts his leg upwards towards the Queen's neck. She twists around, laughing as she kicks him with the back of her leg away from her.
The blood pools in his mouth and spills on the grass, shifting below in the intense winds.
"You're weaker without your ace in the deck, Hisstion."
"You only got one good hit in, Shem."
He wipes the blood away from his mouth, standing up slowly. He closes his eyes for a moment, whispering something to himself.
When he opens his eyes, the Queen's blade is inches from his neck, and he shoots his sword up and blocks the attack quickly. The momentum brings him around clockwise. Sensing an opportunity, Hisstion drops down to the ground.
He brings his blade down with him and thrusts it towards the Queen's stomach. She dances over the attack, and suddenly, half of the world goes dark as a world of pain shoots through Hisstion's face.
Hisstion twists his body around and instinctively grabs his eye. He brings his hand down and watches the blood seep between his fingers. His heart rate increases.
The Queen, a few dozen feet away, lifts her blade up and shows Hisstion his missing eye stuck to the end of it, the blood still clinging to the shining metal.
"You're slower, weaker, and now you've lost yourself a perfectly good eye. When are you going to give up? This battle is lost, Hisstion."
"Why don't you just end it, then? If you're so sure, come at me already."
The Queen starts to walk in his direction.
"You used to pose an actual threat, Hisstion. Now you're nothing but a game to me."
The Queen whirls forward, but drops and slides to the ground. Hisstion crouches down and swings his blade. Sparks fly as her blade meets his. She pushes up with her arm and swings her blade around Hisstion's neck, cutting a thin circle around it.
The sweat stings in the newly formed wound as Hisstion turns to face the Queen, but she's gone; suddenly, a spark of pain fractures through his left side as her blade drives through his neck from his left. The loss of his left eye caused him to have never seen her coming. He recognized this as his final moment.
The Queen laughed as the pain seemed to fade away.
Far, far away…
The sun set gently over Tenor village. The birds curled soundly into their nests, and the wheat in the fields rustled gently. The wood and brick housing stood firm as Leimon and the others approached the rolling hills surrounding the quaint town.
Tenor had been one of the few surviving towns in the nation of Vrebathia. It wasn't strategically important, nor did it significantly contribute to the nation's overall well-being. Leimon removed his helmet and walked into the village.
Those residing in the village looked both confused and hopeful. Confused as to what Vrebathian soldiers were doing in a small, unimportant rural town, and not in the last bastion of the Vrebathian army. And they hoped that perhaps they had won the battle, and they were coming to relay the good news.
Though the expressions of the soldiers told them all otherwise, they knew what they felt was false hope.
Leimon walked along the dirt paths carved from the years of walking peasants, towards a familiar house. He and Hisstion had once called Tenor village their home. They often played war games together in the fields as children. Hisstion was the more charismatic one. He was always the hero.
He approached the house and knocked on the door. A woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a short, dull scar on her left cheek opened the door, her face giving an expression of worry. Leimon brings his helmet to his chest.
"Hello, Mrs. Hisstion. May we come in?"