A crow flapped its Stygian wings, soaring through the cloudless sky. It's beady eyes gazed at the soldiers below, piercing through their anxious souls. It was incredibly hot, the sun melting the skin off the soldiers each moment.
Jonas glared at the other army, whilst being elegantly mounted on his horse. He stroked his beard, his eyes squinted from the heat, his throat dry.
They stood on the vast area of dry and barren land, as sand jumped up and floated in the air at every step. If they were quiet enough, they could hear the very song of the desert, the militant swishing of the sandy wind, combined with the orchestra of insects happily singing along.
They say with age comes wisdom, having experienced the struggles of life. Those who have aged, have more knowledge of this game of life, hence they are well versed in playing it. Jonas, a 40 year-old man, had been through several failures in acquiring the crown, but now having learned from past missteps, he gained vast knowledge on success.
The other army were neatly lined up, and miles away from theirs. Their lord stayed fixated on one spot, his eyes glaring at Jonas, like a predator looking at him like a prey.
However, they weren't humans, their flesh had been ripped off, only leaving their chalk white Skeleton. Their gripped vast, lengthy silver swords, surrounded by a mysterious grey energy, which were luminated under the sun's golden rays
Practically dead, but yet alive. They were sleepwalkers
Their lord was the only human, his face expressionless, his heart calm. His long, beautiful blond hair dropped below his waist whilst his blue eyes held a depth of knowledge. He was neatly dressed in a velvet attire, his clothes blanketed by chains and on his shirt was a logo a white scaled 3 headed Dagon.
He was from the Vanna House , indicated by his striking appearance.
Jonas wore charcoal black clothes, his short hair resembled a trimmed garden. On the right side of his chest, was a logo of a black mamba, signifying the Dawnfire house.
Jonas took deep breaths, before diverging his gaze onto his right hand man.
" Tell me Maximus, what is the status of the other lords" demanded Jonas kindly
The man beside him had a lean figure, spiky, short black hair and hazel eyes. His narrow eyebrows squeezed together, his lips parched from the heat.
He carried two, long metallic black spears which were roped to his back, whilst Jonas himself had a vast, cerulean blade sheathed to his waist, the sharpness enough to make someone bleed upon inspection.
" Certainly my liege. From the reports, Lord Titus has been found dead in Pandora, his body disassembled."
" Unfortunate, another ally is down. What about Lord Odell and Lord Arun?"
" It seems Lord Odell is off the map, whilst Lord Arun is still active, however with a small army by his side. His demise will be certain soon enough"
"That bastard Odell, I knew he would run away! It's just us then" affirmed Jonas, his breathing getting heavier, as he perspired rapidly.
He looked at his army, their body trembling as they shaked in their chain armor, their mind foggy with distress.
" I wonder if the heavens are on my side" pondered Jonas, looking at his army, then onto the sky with his palms together.
The plan was simple, Jonas had organized his army such that archers were standing at the back, whilst swordsmen at the front. Upon the initiation of war, the archers will fire their bows onto the enemies, until the other army reached halfway from them. Then Jonas and the swordsman would charge at the army like bulls.
However, considering his situation, the odds were vastly against him. It was as if ants were trying to lift a mountain, an impossible task.
His army was mostly 3rd grade awakeners, most of them having an affinity with starlight, always so arrogant, so foolish!
He himself was a 5th grade awakener, with an affinity with arcanum. But he was nowhere near the level of the other lord that gazed at him, his pupils following Jonas's movements, getting ready to pounce.
Death was certain, and many would think retreating would be a viable option. Although Jonas's mind was heavy with distress, his heart beating rapidly, this thought never once crossed his mind.
Where was the honor if he retreated? If he retreats now, future pupils will only see him as a coward. They would tell tales of him,
" That Jonas, the fool that fled the battle. Don't become like him!"
To Jonas, this was more distressing than the battle, more distressing than death itself. He would rather die a warrior in battle, than a coward.
He slowly tread through the army, his eyes surveying his soldiers. Their body's shook immensely, their heads fixated towards the ground.
One of the soldiers shook more than the rest as he stared at his shiny sword gripped in his hands. Tears streamed down his face, down his plush, white cheeks, as quiet whimpers escaped from his lips.
Jonas heaved a deep sigh upon seeing this soldier, his face full of disappointment and dissatisfaction. Commanding his horse, Jonas gently walked towards the young man.
" Dear boy, look at me and me only. Don't be nervous now, only a few men are given this great opportunity to prove themselves. Don't be frightened, be brave and bring honor to your family and your fallen comrades!" Shouted Jonas, his face tense and he softly patted the young man on his shoulders.
Upon hearing this, the boy's heart started to calm down, as he took deep, gentle breaths of the clean air. His mind was still foggy, but he now remembered his purpose to fight, to die in battle.
Jonas gently smiled at the young man and upon observing his reaction, he immediately knew what must be done. He quickly tread to the centre of the crowd, raising his fists in the air.
All the other soldiers glanced at him, still trembling greatly, awaiting his order.
Deep Silence fell upon the crowd, as Jonas Inhaled vastly.
"Comrades, today is the day we die. Yes, we will die and we need to accept it. But, we will die as warriors in battle! As heroes who fought for freedom! We will die being the voice of the voiceless, for those who cannot fight!" Yelled Jonas with all his might, his face red as ruby.
The soldier's hearts were slowly transitioning from fear to determination as they attentively listened to Jonas's speech.
" Do not be afraid, my comrades. O my brothers, know that death comes to all, know that it is a part of life, and know that it is better to die here, than to die later with regret! So pick up your swords brave ones, fight with your head held high! Fight for honor!"
The crowd screamed furiously, like animals, letting out war cries. The rapid beating of their hearts vanished, cleansed by the water of ambition.
They started praising Jonas, as Maximus smiled at the crowd, his face blushing red.
" What an opportunity to be alongside such a brave, courageous man." Though Maximus.
" My lord you are truly great, let the gods bless you, all glory to you my king!" Asserted Maximus, with devotion is his heart.
" Maximus, keep your head up, we must now walk towards the front. Be prepared to lead." Answered Jonas
Jonas and Maximus slowly started to walk back on their horse, their heart getting faster and faster, trying to escape from their chests.
Once arriving at the front of the crowd, they found the other lord in the same exact position, staring at them, not blinking once.
" Is he a monster?" asked Maximus.
" Yes, and we must be careful, now lend me the conch, we must signal the start of the war."
Just as Maximus handed Jonas the conch, so did a sleepwalker to the other lord.
Jonas was now breathing heavily, but he knew what his next actions must be. He strongly gripped the spiked crust of the conch, which ticked his pale skin. He inhaled rigorously, and blew into the conch, letting out all the air from his lungs, signalling the start of the war.
At the same time, the other lord blew his conch. The sleepwalkers started yelling war cries that sounded like tortured animals as they held their swords high in the air.
In an instance, an army of the dead charged towards Jonas, led by the blonde king.