Lyra shut her eyes tightly, inhaling deeply before exhaling in a slow, controlled breath. She willed herself to stay strong, to gather the strength needed to endure the chaos that surrounded them.
Reiji stood silently beside her, waiting patiently until regained her composure.
"Thank you, Reiji," Lyra suddenly said, her voice full of emotion.
"You've calmed me when I was lost in anger and despair. Your kindness pulled me up when I was drowning in sorrow. You've done so much for us, even when we have given you nothing in return." She paused, her expression softening. "I wish I had something to offer you, but right now, we have nothing. Still… thank you."
She opened her eyes and looked ahead. "I find comfort in knowing that our kingdom did not completely fall. We have lost so much, and there will be many to mourn. We've gained nothing…"
Then, turning her gaze to Reiji, she continued, "But we survived. And I am proud of the knights who stood their ground, who held our kingdom together until you came."
Her eyes shone with unspoken gratitude.
"We stand because of you, Reiji. I will never forget that."
Reiji remained silent, his thoughts churning.
"I don't know about that, Lyra," he admitted to himself.
He forced a faint grin, whispering, "I'm glad you can say that."
But in his mind, a bitter question lingered—"What if it had been your father? Would you still say you're proud?"
Lyra's gaze dropped, her lips tightening. She inhaled sharply, then spoke, "Your expression says it all, you know… I know it's ridiculous. I know I can only say these things because it wasn't my father… or my mother… or my sibling… or my child"
Her voice wavered as she continued, her words spilling out in fragments of grief.
"But to me they were still someone. One of them—Calan—stood by the gate and greeted people with a 'good day' every morning."
"Eriol—he watched over the market stalls, keeping an eye on troublemaking teens."
"Valt… Cornelius sent him home a few days after we began our journey."
"And the eight knights who left with us to Monolithia… whom we may never see again."
She clenched her hands against her chest, her voice cracking with each name she spoke.
"They weren't my blood, but they were people I knew."
Reiji's sunken eyes fell on her—head bowed, eyes squeezed shut, hands trembling against her heart.
Reiji hugged her, and she started crying again. He whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to invalidate your emotions… I didn't mean to shatter the courage you tried to build. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."
Lyra sobbed but tried to hold herself together. "You have nothing to apologize for, Reiji. I don't blame you."
She wiped her tears and composed herself before saying, "I'm going to see Father. I just came to offer you the only thing I can—my gratitude."
Reiji stepped back and replied, "I'll do it again if I need to."
Lyra gave him a faint smile before turning to walk toward her father. Reiji followed close behind, unsure of where else to go.
As they approached the King, they saw him kneeling, cradling the fallen Queen in his arms. His expression was hollow, his eyes sunken with grief and exhaustion.
"Father…" Lyrien called softly.
King Theodorus looked up, his face lined with sorrow. His voice, heavy with loss, wavered as he spoke.
"The monster's attack began at dawn. They emerged from the shadows, their presence like a dark stain spreading across our land. Our scouts had warned us, but we had underestimated the threat."
"The warning came as I sat on my throne, and a guard burst in, his face pale with alarm. The urgency in his eyes was unmistakable – like he was telling us our kingdom was on the brink of disaster."
"I summoned our top knights – Lucas, Aetus, and Mortus – to convene an emergency council."
"They arrived swiftly, their faces set with determination. Aetus, our seasoned general, briefed me on the situation. Our defenses were in place, but the enemy was formidable– a thousand strong, with a ruthless leader at their helm."
"I grasped the gravity of our situation. Our kingdom's fate hung in the balance, and I knew the battle ahead would be fierce. But I also knew I could count on my brave knights to defend our realm."
"We planned an assassination to take out their leader, knowing that monsters greatly rely on their commander."
Then, as daylight was about to break, a guard stationed in the tower at the gates yelled out, "The enemies are approaching! The monsters are within our sight!"
The monsters advanced relentlessly, their march unyielding, as if nothing could impede their progress.
Lucas, atop the city walls, saw the monsters were close enough; he commanded a company of archers in the battlements and merlons to get ready. "Nock!" he shouted. The monsters closed in, "Draw!" he shouted again. Then, when the monsters were within reach, Lucas commanded the aiming archers, "Loose!"
The monsters were not bothered by the attack and continued to advance.
Lucas called out to Aetus and said, "Commander, the arrows are just bouncing off the monsters. It's ineffective against them!"
Aetus let out an exasperated groan and said, "Order them to fall back and form up the mages."
Lucas executed the order, and about the same number of mages quickly got into position, replacing the archers.
Lucas commanded the mages, "Target the nearest monsters with fire spells! Cast at your discretion!"
With a chorus of incantations, the mages launched a fiery assault. "Eximius flamma, Totum consumere, in mea voluntas! Fireball!" Their fire magic struck down the grombles, momentarily halting the monsters in their tracks.
A menacing monster then emerged behind the monsters' vanguard, sounding a blast on what appeared to be a warhorn. The battalion of monsters formed up in response, taking and holding their positions.
He gazed down at the kingdom, his eyes scanning its structures as if searching for any vulnerability or weakness.
Back at the kingdom, a palpable tension filled the air as Lucas addressed the gathering, "Our suspicions are confirmed: fire magic has proven effective against their rocky bodies."
Aetus roared a battle cry, declaring, "They have made a grave mistake in taking us as their enemy! We are fire incarnate! We will melt them down to nothing!"
Then, the tension in the kingdom turned to fury. The kingdom's defenders roared in response to Aetus, their voices thundering across the kingdom and echoing even to the leader of the Grombles.
Then, the monster's leader ordered the monsters to charge again, but the outcome was identical to before. Fireballs rained down on his marching monsters every time, but he persisted in this tactic.
For hours, he repeatedly sent his forces into the fray, but ultimately only succeeded in decimating his own army.
He then concocted a plan and called for two giant Grombles to come forward.
The kingdom's morale was at an all-time high, with the defenders feeling proud and almost celebratory.
But their joy was short-lived. A sudden, loud stone-breaking noise echoed through the kingdom, causing confusion.
Aetus, spotting a monster flung mid-air, drew his great sword and prepared for battle. "Ignis, mea virtus est! Pyrogenic Aura! Charge!" he incanted, as a fiery aura enveloped him and his sword, radiating intense heat waves.
He quickly ran up the walls and, with a leap, charged into the fray, striking down the monster that had landed on the kingdom's walls.
But more monsters followed, landing one after another.
Aetus gazed out at the enemy and saw two towering Grombles holding smaller Grombles, which they hurled into the air.
"Clever monsters," he muttered. Then, he bellowed, "Warriors of Bellatoria, to battle!"
Aetus quickly restored order in the kingdom, his commanding voice cutting through the chaos.
Lucas, roused by his commander's call, summoned his own magic: "Lux mea omnes proteget! Light's Embrace!" The spell enveloped the kingdom's soldiers, bolstering their defenses with a radiant glow.
Mildly exhausted by the effort, Lucas stumbled backward, falling into position behind the army. "I must protect Their Highnesses," he declared, his devotion clear in his weary eyes.
"Mages! Fire at the ones that are already inside!" Aetus called out.
The Grombles continued to fall until they finally had the opportunity to lower the drawbridge.
When the bridge was lowered, the kingdom was overrun by the horde of Grombles, with the soldiers and mages of Bellatoria vastly outnumbered.
As the battle raged on, the screams of the defenders filled the air.
Aetus fought valiantly, taking down monsters one by one as he slowly made his way towards the King and Queen.
"Mortus, I hope you're faring well in your own mission against the monster's general," he muttered to himself.
Then, a menacing monster entered the fray. "Ragor is here!" he announced, his voice booming across the battlefield.
Aetus felt the arrival of the leader by the gate. He readied himself, declaring, "Never mind, Mortus. I'll handle this one myself."
Empowered by his Pyrogenic Aura, Aetus leaped towards the direction of the southern gate.
Right when he saw Ragor, he unleashed a swift and fierce assault, leaping towards him.
"Raaaah!" Aetus screamed, charging at Ragor with a powerful downward slash, slicing through the air in a deadly arc.
Ragor, caught off guard by Aetus' swift attack, instinctively raised his right arm, shielding himself from the blow.
The force of the attack severed his arm completely. His eyes widened in shock. "GRAAAAH" Ragor wailed.
With his left hand, Ragor tried to grab Aetus.
Aetus jumped backward, then asked, "Did you fight against a small warrior with black, long hair tied in a ponytail? Where is he?"
Aetus noticed Ragor holding his severed hand, reconnecting it with an unnatural ease.
Aetus didn't waste any time and swung his greatsword in a horizontal slash, attempting to attack Ragor's head.
Ragor jumped backward, barely evading Aetus' sword.
Ragor responded nothing to Aetus' question, instead muttering to himself, "You lowlife human, I'll make you pay."
Ragor swiftly jumped forward towards Aetus, catching him by surprise.
Aetus stepped backward while raising his sword to defend against Ragor.
Ragor's hand met Aetus' sword, but instead of being deflected, Ragor's powerful strike overpowered Aetus, sending him flying backward in a reverse flight.
Following his initial attack, Ragor charged back up with another attempt to strike Aetus.
This time Aetus didn't attempt to block. Instead, he met it with a swift slashing strike, aiming to strike back at Ragor.
Aetus' slash aimed at Ragor's hand, but Ragor shifted to catch Aetus' sword, defending himself from a powerful counterattack.
Ragor gripped the blade, wrapping his hands around it after catching Aetus' sword in between his palms.
His intention was to attempt to shatter Aetus' sword with his crushing grip.
Aetus quickly cast a spell, "Exi flamma, consumere in mea voluntas! Flame surge!"
Aetus' sword erupted in a blaze of fire, flames bursting forth from the hilt to the tip.
Ragor, undeterred, let go of the sword and attempted to grip Aetus instead.
Aetus quickly leaped backward, landing deftly on the ground. "This guy!!"
Ragor chased after him as he stepped away, but he didn't reach Aetus.
"You run like an animal!" Ragor growled.
Their chase brought them close to the central square, where the King, Queen Ann, and Lucas were defending themselves against the Grombles.
Aetus was then caught off guard by a Gromble who screamed at him from behind, rendering him stunned.
Ragor took the chance, but Aetus anticipated the incoming attack and protected his head with his sword. However, Ragor was aware of Aetus' intention and delivered a powerful blow to the gut, sending him stumbling backward.
Aetus caught up blood and grasped for air after the heavy blow. But Ragor was not done; he, as always, followed up with another attack, and this time, he aimed for a fatal blow.
Aetus looked ahead, tracking Ragor's movement, but he knew he didn't have the capacity to block or dodge the attack. He fell to one knee and drew the last of his breath to raise his sword in a desperate attempt to block the attack.
He muttered, "I hope it's enough…"
Then, the strike happened, but it didn't land. A swirling vortex of water erupted around Aetus, protecting him from the attack.
As the vortex dissipated, Aetus saw a slim figure standing in front of him, attempting to cast a Recovery spell on his battered body.