Chapter 1 The fall of Astoria
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"What did you say!?"
The moment the king of Astoria heard the news, he rose from his throne and roared with rage.
"You must calm down, my king, anger brings chaos."
The knight who brought the news straightened his head and said:
"Our sorcerers say that the gates that open in the center of the city are completely covered with toxic magic. We directed our elite troops to stop the monsters coming out of the gates, but they returned with a big failure. King Reinhard of Astoria, I pay my respects to you, please help my soldiers."
Reinhard sat back on his throne and took off his crown, then brushed back his bushy black hair, which reached up to his neck, with his hand. The light that entered through the huge windows of the castle illuminated the entire throne room. He rolled his amber-colored eyes and gave orders:
"Let all the troops within the walls gather around the city center. If the monsters spread, it will be the end of Astoria, poison should not pollute our lands and waters."
The knight shouted with a hopeful and confident expression of face:
"Yes, sir!"
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Astoria's downtown was covered with huge monsters. Within hours, they had massacred most of the city's population. Thanks to the defense line created after the king's order, the monsters were prevented from leaving the city, if they attacked other cities, this would be the end of Astoria, as the king also said.
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"Come to your senses, Zephyr. You're on a battlefield right now."
Zephyr: I'm sorry, Alden.
Alden: If you distract yourself even for a moment, you can die.
Zephyr: It's only been a few hours, but they've taken over almost the entire city center, and it's getting harder and harder to breathe. Is there a guarantee that if I pay attention, I won't die?
Alden: At least you will die like a hero, not like a fool.
Zephyr: Yes, you're right.
Alden: The troops ahead of us are gradually retreating and joining us. We are one of the last lines of resistance, there is no room for mistakes.
Zephyr: I understand your seriousness, if we lose here, the monsters will harm not only you, but also your family.
Alden: Yes, what about your family?
Zephyr: I was left in front of the temple when I was little. At least that's what they say.
Alden: Did no one take you as a son?
Zephyr: Have you forgotten that people with green eyes are branded cursed?
Alden glared at the Zephyr from head to toe after those words. He was a very handsome young man with green eyes resembling emeralds, an expressionless and clean face. He had a well-built body that showed he was working hard. With his tall stature and broad shoulders, he was just one of the young men who were wasted on the battlefield.
Alden: I have a 15-year-old son. His eyes are green too, I think you're not cursed or anything.
Zephyr: Fuck you! How old are you?
Alden: 42
Zephyr: Why didin't you become a senior soldier?
Alden: I was just assigned to duties in the city. If you do not participate in the war with the army, your rank does not increase.
Zephyr: This is the first time I've heard this-
"THE MONSTERS ARE COMING HERE!!"
From far away, a soldier was running shouting with all his might.
Alden: Have you ever fought monsters before?
Zephyr: I'm sure it's the first time both of us going to fight with monsters.
Alden: How old did you say you were?
Zephyr: Seventeen
Alden: I hope you will survive.
Zephyr: My life is nothing compared to the safety of your family. Sir!
Alden: Why did you say sir as if I was a senior?
Zephyr: If you're going to die today, die as a senior of Astoria!
Alden: Let's get out of here alive and we'll spend the morning in the most beautiful bars here.
Hearing this, Zephyr drew his sword and looked at the small monsters that came out sparsely from right to left. He smiled and then said:
-That's the motivation I'm looking for.
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After hours of fighting, the number of monsters decreased greatly. The last line of resistance, whose strenght were about to run out, contained the entire force of Astoria. Since the real army was outside the walls, it would take days for them to arrive. The troops inside the kingdom had done a great job. The soldiers, who were thinking of their families, had fought with their lives.
Zephyr had received several wounds, and his wounds were gradually closing. A shaman was constantly casting spells so that the soldiers wouldn't get tired. The Zephyr looked around, but he could not see Alden, it was impossible for him to find his newly met friend among the thousands of soldiers. They had won the war. He took a deep breath and looked for a place to sit.
"WHAT'S THAT?!"
"ANOTHER GATE!"
"GET READY, THIS IS BIGGER THAN THE OTHERS!!!"
When Zehpyr heard this, he raised his sword and looked towards the gate. The gate was many times bigger than the previous ones. Within seconds, monsters strong and big enough to demolish the buildings around him emerged from inside. In the face of this size and strength, the Zephyr's body was frozen.
Just at that moment the soldiers began to shout with joy.
"That's him, he's one of the strongest soldiers in Astoria!"
"Master of fire magic!"
The fire wizard who raised his huge sword was almost 2 meters tall. The people knew him as the "Phlegethon" or by other words "Son of Volcano". He aimed at the feet of the first giant who came out, despite his huge sword, he was dancing with it. He made an excellent attack with fire and swordsmanship. Zehpyr, who saw this attack, said desperately, "We screwed up."
The monster had stepped on one of Astoria's strongest soldiers and slaughtered him. Zephyr understood at that moment what it meant to "die like a fool". The last line of resistance, which had been fighting bravely for hours, broke up in an instant and everyone started running to take their family away. Seeing this, Zehpyr could not move, he was shocked.
In an instant Alden had him by the arm.
Alden: Come with me! We can run away together.
Zephyr: What?
Alden: Do you want to die here like an idiot? I still have a drink promise for you! I don't want you to die here.
Zephyr: Just go. Save your family, a man is a soldier, there are still those who want to fight.
Hearing this, Alden roared with rage and drew his sword.
Alden: You know what? Fuck it! I will die today as a senior.
Zephyr: You need to save your family.
Alden: You remind me of my son. He would have wanted me to fight to the last moment rather than run away.
Upon this word, Alden began to run towards the monsters with all his strength and was crushed by a giant in seconds. Seeing the Zephyr, the monster tore up the ground and started running towards him. He knocked a building over with his arm and left the Zephyr under the debris.
Zephyr, who was trapped under the building, realized that his sword broke and stuck in his stomach. He tried to stop the bleeding with his hand, but he had no strength left to push the glass or stop the bleeding. A very faint light was getting under the wreckage and it was hitting him in the eyes. He opened his mouth one last time before his eyes involuntarily closed and said with sarcasm.
"Thank you god for giving me a life that's full of shit."
With his eyes closing, he gradually lost his breath and lost himself.
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King Reinhard had already received the news that they had lost. No troops within the kingdom agreed to fight. The soldiers were trying to leave the city and Astoria quickly. Not knowing what to do, the king looked towards his brother and took the sword that rested on the throne.
With the energy rising from his body, his sword began to burn with a blue flame. They had to resist until the army arrived. If no one would fight for his kingdom, he would fight for his kingdom. At least that's what he promised his people. When the knights around him saw this movement, they drew their swords with the king. This movement spread throughout the castle and everyone started to pick up a sword. His brother said to the king, "What are you going to do?"
The king looked at his sword, and said in a calm tone of voice:
"I will show my people why I am king."
Reinhard instructed his knight with his hand for the preparation of the horse-drawn carriage. The king's brother Lucian looked at his older brother, he did not believe that he was really strong.
Lucian: It would be the right decision for you to stop here. You're not strong enough.
Reinhard: The Lonian age.
Lucian: What do you mean?
Reinhard: The Lonian war has mysteries that only the royal bloodline knows.
Lucian began to think. The Lonian age was a magical mess that took place hundreds of years ago and damaged the world. According to what he heard from his father, after the Lonian age, all mankind was forbidden to explore those times, and everything was hidden.
Reinhard: They are attacking us with poisonous spells. The city center has already been poisoned. There will be no problem if I do the same.
When Lucian heard this, he drew his sword.
Lucian: No, I know what the poisonous spells cause. You shouldn't be doing this. I can't lose my brother, any more than a king.
Reinhard slowly tore off a part of the velvet suit he was wearing and showed his chest from the left shoulder. Quietly, he said, "It's too late for me."
The moment Lucian saw the decay that started from his big brother's shoulder and began to spread to his entire body, he put down his sword and covered his mouth with his hand.
Reinhard: You will be a powerful king.
He learned that 4 more different passage doors were opened when he left the castle with his knights. In total, 8 doors were opened. From this point on, he began to lose faith even in poisonous spells. He took a deep breath and prepared for a final resistance.
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"Ugh.."
"Am I alive?"
"Where am I?"
Zephyr gradually began to remember what happened under the wreckage. When he came to, a stench like carrion surrounded him. He slowly reached his hand towards his stomach and checked the sword. The sword had been out and the wound had healed.
"I think someone is still blessing."
"How am I going to get out of here?"
When he tried to push the rubble around him, he realized that his energy was completely renewed, as if he had never been tired. While he was trying to get out slowly, he did not leave his sword because he did not know what he would encounter the moment he came out. As he lifted the stones from his chest, he began to relax and refresh himself. After struggling for minutes, he got out from under the wreckage.
"What is it?"
"No, that can't be."
Astoria had been destroyed to the ground. The castle, visible from all parts of the city, was just a ruin.
"Have we lost?"
As Zephyr looked around, he was amazed. How could the monsters have done so much damage before it had even been a day? He came to himself quickly and reviewed the situation.
"There is no body at all. There's no equipment around. What's going on?"
He knew he had to be careful, he had survived by chance.
"How did I survive if there was no one around?"
Looking at his stomach, he noticed that his sword, which he had not left for even a moment, was diffirent. Although the sword was broken, it was much heavier and stable than before, and the shape and structure of the sword were also different. Zephyr realized that what he had in his hand was not his own sword, because there was no other equipment around him, he had no weapon other than the broken sword in his hand. He didn't want to throw it. While examining the sword, the emerald found on it attracted his attention.
"A talismanic sword? I don't know why, how or what happened, but..."
"Astoria has been destroyed."
When the Zephyr was about to move towards the military garrison, he saw 3 people heading towards him. He started to run towards them with hope, but as he saw those coming towards him, he slowed down and paused. There are creatures that resemble humans in front of it. They didn't look like monsters, but they definitely weren't human.
Zephyr pointed the broken sword in his hand and shouted "Don't come any closer!"
The human-like creatures approaching him began to talk among themselves in such a way that the Zephyr could also hear.
-His sword is broken.
-Don't be afraid.
-It's been a long time since I've seen a human.
-Who knows for what purpose he entered here!
Hearing this, Zephyr's body froze. What do you mean, it's been a long time since I've seen a human? Zephyr involuntarily began to tremble, afraid of what was coming towards him. However, he knew that he could not escape, there were creatures more imposing than humans in front of him. Gripped his sword tightly and sprang into action.
The tallest of the creatures jumped forward in response to the Zephyr's coming towards him and attacked with its claws. Since Zephyr's legs were targeted, he jumped up and swung his sword towards the creature's neck. He was surprised by his own agility and cold-bloodedness. Was he capable of such things?
The creature, whose neck was scratched from length to length, retreated 3 steps and then said, "Don't be fooled that the sword in his hand is broken. It looks like a pretty powerful talisman. My neck is burning." The creature waited for a while for its neck to regenerate, but there was no noticeable improvement in its skin. When the creature's friends saw this, they thought that the person in front of them was an experienced and powerful spy.
-Why are you here? We made a deal that humans wouldn't leave east of Astoria. Why are you breaking the rules?
When Zephyr heard this, he said to himself, "There are people in the East!"
The angry creatures realized that the person in front of them would not speak, and they went on the attack, even though Zephyr did not even know about anything. The creature in front looked like a lizard, and it had been thrown forward with its claws and aimed at the head. As soon as he saw this, Zephyr, who raised his sword to his neck as a shield, realized that he would not survive the attack. So he bent his knees and survived with from the claws, since the sword was still close to his own neck, he was able to stab it into the creature's stomach just like that.
The remaining creature stood small and defenseless, unlike the other two. Although he was thrown forward very quickly at first, he fell to the ground out of fear. The creature whose belly was split open said, "Have mercy on him." Zephyr was most surprised by this, aside from all the events. A monster was asking for mercy. Did these bastards who destroyed Astoria ask for mercy? He ignored the creature's words and split the chest of the creature that had fallen to the ground in one move. The creature whose chest was split vomited blood and died.
Zephyr looked around, but he could not see the creature he had scratched his neck, it had run away.
As he defeated the two monsters with tremendous strength, he looked at the sword in his hand and said, "Incredible." He didn't want to question too much because there was no answer he could give to this situation. He thought about the cities east of Astoria and worked one by one. He remembered that the nearest city was 2 hours away from the center and drew a route in his head to set off.
Before taking action, he looked towards the castle one last time and said, "It's as if I've been unconscious for years."
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1.End of the episode The fall of Astoriao