Rowena Lomius, the strongest mage among the Eldoans, stood over a map of the battlefield, her sharp eyes scanning for any sign of an advantage. She had been tirelessly strategizing for days, her mind focused on the growing tension between the Eldoans and Beastfolk. The tent was dimly lit, and the silence allowed her thoughts to swirl in deep concentration.
Suddenly, the flap of the tent burst open, and Rowena's focus was interrupted. Her piercing gaze shifted to the figure who stumbled in, clutching his side, blood dripping from a deep gash. It was Kon, one of her trusted scouts. His face was pale, his armor shattered, and his breathing ragged. Rowena could immediately sense the severity of his injuries.
"Ma'am... there's a monster... a monster killing us Eldoans.." Kon managed to rasp out between painful breaths.
Rowena's heart skipped a beat. "What?" she exclaimed, her voice sharp with disbelief. But in the pit of her stomach, a familiar dread began to rise. The word monster triggered memories she had tried to kill that—memories of him.
She narrowed her eyes. "That monster..." she whispered, her anger rising. She had fought that monster before. Though she had forced him to retreat, he had escaped, leaving destruction behind. She hadn't forgotten the damage he caused. And now, he had returned.
Rowena stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Kon's shoulder. "Where is he?" she demanded, her voice filled with urgency.
Kon coughed, wincing in pain. "The battlefield... where the Beastfolk and Eldoans were fighting. He... he stopped the battle. Killed... everyone. Eldoans, Beastfolk, he didn't care. I-I was the only one who survived. Barely."
Rowena's fists clenched. The thought of Athos wreaking havoc, indiscriminately slaughtering both sides, enraged her. His dark power was unlike anything the Eldoans had ever encountered. He was more than just a threat to the Eldoans—he was a calamity, a walking disaster that left only death in his wake.
Kon's words echoed in her mind. He killed everyone... She could feel her blood boiling, her magic flaring up uncontrollably for a moment before she regained her composure. "You've done well to survive, Kon," she said, her voice softening slightly. "But rest now. We have no time to waste."
Turning away from him, she swiftly grabbed her staff, her resolve hardening. She knew that if Athos had returned, the entire war could spiral into a catastrophe. Rowena couldn't allow that to happen. She had faced him once, and she would do it again—this time, she would not allow him to escape.
"We're not letting him destroy us," Rowena muttered to herself as she stepped out of the tent, her mind already formulating a plan. "This time, I'll put an end to him, once and for all."
.................
The battlefield was a mess of blood, broken bodies, and chaos, but amidst the carnage, a lone warrior from the Pig Clan struggled to stand. His body was covered in deep gashes, blood soaking his fur, but he refused to go down. The beastfolk's innate ability allowed him to harden his skin to near-impenetrable levels, a power that had saved him from the worst of the massacre. His breathing was ragged, but his eyes still burned with defiance.
Athos, standing tall amidst the destruction, turned his eerie, glowing eyes toward the Pig beastfolk. His distorted face twisted into a wide, menacing grin. "Oh? You're still alive?" Athos's voice oozed with dark amusement. "And you have such an interesting power! How... unfortunate."
The beastfolk growled through clenched teeth, his stance unyielding despite his injuries. "Monster..."
Athos chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Look who's talking," he sneered. "But it's a shame—I can't seem to absorb your abilities." He tilted his head in mock curiosity. "Must be the gods' doing, blocking me from taking what's yours."
Without warning, Athos lunged forward, his long, grotesque limbs stretching unnaturally fast toward the Pig beastfolk. The beastfolk hardened his skin in response, his entire body gleaming like solid stone as he braced for the attack.
With a feral roar, the beastfolk swung a mighty fist at Athos, aiming to crush him with all the strength he had left. The force behind his blow shattered the ground beneath him, dust and debris flying everywhere. But Athos moved with terrifying speed, dodging the strike with ease. His body twisted unnaturally in the air, like a shadow slipping through the cracks.
"Is that all you've got?" Athos taunted, his claws slashing through the air as he counterattacked. His sharp, elongated fingers raked across the beastfolk's hardened skin, sparks flying from the impact. Though the beastfolk's ability protected him, each hit sent tremors through his body, the sheer force behind Athos's strikes pushing him back.
The Pig beastfolk grunted in pain but refused to fall. With a defiant roar, he charged at Athos, his body glowing brighter as he pushed his hardening ability to its limit. He swung his fists wildly, each punch carrying the weight of a boulder. One punch connected, sending Athos skidding backward.
"Not bad," Athos muttered, wiping black ichor from his mouth where the punch had landed. "But it won't be enough."
Before the beastfolk could react, Athos's body morphed. His legs extended into long, shadowy tendrils, wrapping around the beastfolk's legs, binding him in place. The beastfolk struggled, but the dark energy sapped his strength, slowly weakening him.
Athos's eyes gleamed with sadistic pleasure. "You should have stayed down." he hissed, his claws glowing with dark energy as he brought them down, aiming for the beastfolk's chest. The hardened skin cracked under the impact, and a sharp cry of pain escaped the beastfolk's lips.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Ash Minse worked quietly, weaving his dark magic around two fallen Beastfolk. His hands moved with eerie precision, threads of dark energy connecting to the corpses of the fallen warriors. Slowly, the bodies began to twitch and rise, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light.
Ash grinned as the once-proud Beastfolk warriors were now reduced to skeletal minions under his control. "Rise, my servants.." he whispered, watching with satisfaction as the skeletons stood at attention, awaiting his command.
Back with Athos, the Pig beastfolk was weakening, his hardened skin beginning to crack under the relentless assault. Athos cackled in delight as he tore into his opponent, piece by piece. "You fought well... but now it's over."
With one final, devastating blow, Athos pierced through the beastfolk's chest, the hardened skin shattering like glass. The Pig beastfolk let out a final, agonized roar before collapsing to the ground, his body lifeless.
Athos stood over the fallen warrior, his form looming and grotesque. He let out a satisfied sigh, licking his bloodstained claws. "Such a waste of power."
Ash Minse approached, his skeletal minions following behind him in eerie silence. "The battlefield is ours, my lord." Ash said, his voice filled with dark glee.
Athos glanced at the rising skeletons, his twisted grin widening. "Indeed. Let's move on. Time to find Rowena Lomius!!"
Together, they strode through the battlefield, leaving only death and decay in their wake.
.............
A tense silence filled the air as Aro glared at Colerio, his hands trembling with barely contained fury. The two stood facing each other, the weight of their past and current conflicts hanging heavily between them.
Colerio, as always, remained calm, his expression nonchalant as he casually leaned against a nearby tree. His demeanor seemed almost too relaxed for the situation, as if Aro's accusations didn't faze him in the slightest.
Aro's voice rose, his anger bubbling to the surface. "You bastard! You saved a beastfolk, and now you stand there like it's nothing? You don't even care, do you?"
Colerio's gaze shifted toward Aro, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "What are you so upset about?" he said, his voice calm but carrying a sharp edge. "Those beastfolk you speak of—are our students. Why shouldn't I save them?"
"They're not our students!" Aro spat, his tone laced with venom. "They pretended to be Eldoans, infiltrating our ranks. They're traitors! They should've been killed! They're still our enemies, Colerio. They're beastfolk."
Colerio sighed, shaking his head slightly, as if Aro's anger was a minor inconvenience to him. "You're prejudiced, Aro," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "I understand why. The war between the Eldoans and the beastfolk is still ongoing, but you have to realize—they were students under my protection. I couldn't just let them die."
Aro clenched his fists, his injuries still not completely healed, his knuckles turning white as he struggled to control his rage. "Your compassion will get us all killed," he growled through gritted teeth. "You're too soft! You put us all at risk for the sake of... of them."
Darkin Vlen, who had been silently observing the exchange, felt the weight of Aro's words more deeply than anyone. He was half-beastfolk, half-Eldoan—a child of two worlds, belonging to neither. Throughout his life, he had been subjected to the same prejudice that Aro now spewed. His hand instinctively went to the hilt of his blade, but he didn't draw it. Not yet.
Darkin glanced at Colerio, the man who had saved him from a similar fate. If it hadn't been for Colerio's unwavering leadership, Darkin would have perished long ago, a nameless casualty of the bitter conflict between their peoples. Colerio had seen beyond his mixed blood and welcomed him into the Raven Squad, giving him a purpose, a family.
But Aro's contempt reminded Darkin of the hostility he still faced. The others might see him as a hero now, but there were always those like Aro—those who couldn't look past his beastfolk heritage, who saw him as nothing more than a mongrel. Darkin's grip tightened on his sword, his eyes darkening with old, familiar pain.
Aro's gaze flickered to Darkin, his lip curling with disdain. "And then there's you," he sneered. "A half-breed. I suppose you're happy your 'leader' has such a soft spot for your kind."
Before Darkin could respond, Colerio stepped forward, placing himself between Aro and his teammate. "That's enough, Aro," Colerio said, his voice carrying an authority that silenced the surrounding tension. "We're here to fight a much greater enemy than each other. Whatever grievances you have, set them aside."
Aro scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're a fool, Colerio. You'll regret this. You'll regret trusting them."
Petra Haws, who had been observing the conflict, finally stepped in, her voice calm but commanding. "We have more pressing matters to attend to. Ash is out there slaughtering our people, and you're standing here bickering. We need to work together, or none of us will survive."
Aro glared at Petra, but her words seemed to cut through his anger. He turned on his heel, walking a few paces away, still seething but unwilling to continue the argument.
Darkin relaxed his grip on his sword, though the tension in his body remained. Colerio glanced at him, offering a small, reassuring nod.
As the group got ready for their next move, Aro stood to the side, still angry but keeping quiet. They knew a fight against Ash was coming, and they couldn't afford to be divided. The real enemy, the true monster, was still out there, waiting for the right moment to attack.
Suddenly, a voice broke the tension. "Um..."
Everyone turned toward the source—it was Roki Bilzton, a mage student. He stepped forward and said, "I have something to tell the teachers."
Colerio narrowed his eyes. "What is it, Roki?"
"When we fought Ash Minse... there was something familiar about him." Roki glanced at his comrades: Bax Wood, Lory Lawen, and Lucy Greay, all fellow mage students. He also looked at Rika and Brando, the knight students who had fought beside them.
"Familiar? In what way?" Aro asked, his curiosity piqued.
Roki's voice lowered. "He was... similar to that monster—the one that nearly killed us."
A murmur spread through the crowd as the Raven Squad exchanged wary glances.
"What do you mean, Roki?" Aro pressed, his voice tense.
Darius Borne, one of the Raven Squad members, spoke up. "You're saying this Ash Minse... you fought similar like him?"
Roki nodded solemnly.
Bax Wood scowled, his voice harsh. "That bastard was far stronger. He had claws—looked like an octopus, but his body was still Eldoan-like."
Aro stiffened. "Who...?"
Rika, her face pale and eyes brimming with tears, whispered, "That thing... it killed my comrade."
The room fell silent, thick with disbelief and tension.
Roki exhaled. "He called himself... Athos."
Colerio's eyes widened. "Athos? You mean like Aurathos—the first calamity the ancient heroes defeated?"
Roki adjusted his glasses, his voice cold. "Yes. He called himself Aurathos the Second."
"Aurathos the Second? You mean Aurathos the first calamity..." Petra,her voice barely above a whisper.
Lerona shuddered. "If it's like Aurathos...What kind of monster could that be?"
Elara Moon, from the Raven Squad, crossed her arms. "If he was that powerful... how did you all survive?"
Roki's expression grew grim. "We were saved by one of the students... No, not a current student. A former one."
Aro's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What do you mean by that, Roki?"
Colerio's face hardened as a realization dawned on him. "Are you saying... it was Chalu?"
A heavy silence fell over the group as Roki's words echoed in the air. Aro's face contorted with disbelief, his fury rising at the mention of Chalu.
To be continue