The sky had no birds that morning.
Only clouds.
Heavy, gray, hanging low — as if the heavens themselves were holding their breath for what was to come.
Then—
The horn of war was blown.
A single, thunderous blast.
It echoed across the valley, through stone walls and trembling hearts.
It was the sound of history tearing open.
The battlefield roared to life.
On one side: Airillesta, kingdom of border and resolve.
Knights, mages, priests — standing shoulder to shoulder in shining formation.
Steel and mana gleamed beneath rising light.
On the other: the horde.
Monsters surged like a flood.
Cyclops with jagged teeth.
Orcs with crude axes.
Goblin packs shrieking, foaming, crawling over each other to reach flesh.
Ten thousand beasts screaming in one voice.
---
> "Alein," my father said, turning his head slightly from horseback.
I looked up at him, my lance ready, heart thunderous.
> "Stay close."
> "Always," I replied.
The King of Airillesta raised his greatsword to the sky.
> "For the blood we share."
> "For the land we swore."
> "For the future that breathes behind us—CHARGE!!"
---
The ground shook as hooves thundered forward.
The royal cavalry led the spearpoint — Father at its tip, me behind him, surrounded by knights who had once called me useless, now riding beside me with fire in their eyes.
> Boom.
Boom.
BOOM.
Mana exploded across the field. Spells flew like comets. Arrows hailed from the sky.
Then—impact.
The frontlines clashed with the fury of a thousand storms.
And in the middle of it—
My father.
King Lunstein swung his massive greatsword with a single arc, cleaving through ten goblins like they were nothing but weeds in his path.
Steel and bone split.
A cyclops roared, lunging—
Father's blade caught it mid-breath, tearing through skull and spine like divine judgment.
He did not slow.
---
> He was fire. Thunder. The wall that would not fall.
And I—
I followed.
> "Alein!" one knight cried as I dashed forward.
I leapt off my horse, rolling into a sliding charge, my lance glowing with my suppressed strength.
A line of orcs raised their shields—
> "Too late."
> "RAAHH!"
With one mighty swing, I swept through their line — shields cracking, monsters flung back, bones broken under force.
A goblin lunged from my blind spot—
My sword unsheathed in a blink.
Steel met skull.
It dropped.
---
The music of the battlefield was chaos.
Clashing metal. Exploding spells. Screams.
But underneath it all…
That horn still echoed in my head.
And the words Seraphina whispered still burned in my heart.
> "Come back to me."
---
I won't die here.
Not before I finish what I started.
Not before I rewrite this fate.
---
The battlefield was no longer ground—
It was mud and blood.
The grass had vanished. Buried under shattered blades, torn armor, and the weight of hundreds fallen.
And still… the monsters kept coming.
---
> We killed them…
I slashed through three goblins in one motion, my arm burning from strain.
> But they kept coming.
An orc roared and crashed into our shield line — I pierced its heart with my sword, but two more followed behind it.
For every monster we felled, five more took its place.
---
The Falling Chivalry
To my left, a knight screamed as he was dragged off his horse by a pair of ogres.
To my right, two mages were crushed under the club of a cyclops before they could finish their next incantation.
> "HOLD THE LINE!" someone shouted—
but the line was already breaking.
---
Even my father, who swung his greatsword like a hurricane of iron, was slowing.
Not from fear.
Not from wounds.
From exhaustion.
---
> "Too many," a priest muttered behind me, backing away.
> "The earth itself groans…" said another, eyes wide.
I looked around.
The knights of Airillesta, the pride of the border kingdom, the noble blades of chivalry—
One by one, they were falling.
Some trampled.
Some pierced.
Some swallowed by shadows too fast to name.
They fought until their last breath.
But bravery couldn't hold back a tide ten thousand strong.
---
I found myself panting.
My sword was heavy. My shoulders ached.
I could feel my body healing slowly—barely fast enough to keep up with the damage.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
---
> "FATHER!" I yelled, seeing him strike down an ogre and nearly get flanked.
I rushed forward, blade ready—only to be slammed back by a club to the ribs.
CRACK.
I hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
> Healing… kick in… faster!
My vision blurred. Monsters swarmed.
I forced myself up, trembling.
Not yet.
Not yet.
---
The Sound of Despair
The horn of war no longer echoed.
Now the battlefield was filled with a different sound:
The cracking of shields.
The cries of the dying.
The hiss of arrows slicing through prayer.
And worst of all—
The sound of hope fading.
---
Still, I stood again.
Still, I raised my sword.
Because if I fell now…
There would be no one left to stop what was coming.
---
Blood.
Steel.
Fire.
My blade was red. My armor dented. My legs trembled beneath me.
But I was still standing.
Even after the goblin stabbed through my side—
Even after the orc's club shattered my shoulder—
Even after the cyclops kicked me into the dirt like broken furniture—
> I stood.
My lungs burned.
My vision wavered.
Every breath felt like dragging air through a collapsing lung.
But I would not fall.
---
The King Still Swings
Just ahead, I saw him—
My father, King Lunstein.
He stood atop a rising hill of monster corpses, greatsword dragging behind him, armor cracked and soaked in black blood. His face was grim, eyes wild with fury and fire.
> He's still fighting.
With each swing, monsters scattered.
But his knees buckled slightly now…
His sword slower, heavier.
> Even he… is near his limit.
---
The Edge of Collapse
All around us—
The knights of Airillesta were collapsing.
Some kneeled, bleeding and breathless.
Others lay flat, too exhausted to even scream anymore.
Even the mages' spells had grown dim and weak, flickering like dying candles.
We had given everything.
And it still wasn't enough.
They just kept coming.
Endless waves.
Endless howls.
> So this is how it ends…?
I gritted my teeth.
Raised my sword with a trembling arm.
Then—
It happened.
---
The Roar Fades
Without warning—
The monsters stopped.
All of them.
Orcs. Goblins. Cyclops. Beasts.
Every single creature froze.
No more screaming.
No more weapons raised.
Just silence.
They stood in place… staring.
Their chests heaving. Eyes wild.
But not moving.
Not even breathing heavily.
---
> "Wh-What…?" a knight whispered.
> "Why… why aren't they attacking?"
---
Then, slowly—
One by one—
The monsters began to step back.
They retreated from the battlefield.
No panic.
No fear.
Like soldiers receiving silent orders.
They turned…
Walked toward the cursed forest—
And disappeared into its shadows.
Like smoke swallowed by fog.
Within minutes…
The battlefield was empty.
Only corpses and blood remained.
---
The Aftermath
I collapsed to one knee, panting.
My father lowered his sword, breathing hard as he scanned the treeline.
No cheer.
No relief.
Only questions.
---
> Why did they stop?
> Who made them stop?
> And what is hiding inside that forest… waiting for something?
Chapter 7 end