’Are... they involved in this...?’

He couldn’t help but wonder.

This went against everything he believed.

All this while, they thought Drakthar was behind the outsiders helping Stormcallers but...

What if it wasn’t Drakthar...?

What if... it was Twilight...?

For some reason, Kael froze, he couldn’t help but remember those nightmarish visions he saw before.

Drakthar, he could still go up against.

But Twilight felt different.

Twilight seemed... more dangerous.

’Father.’

That was when Imperia called out again, pulling him out of his reverie.

’We do not have time to ponder.’

The Ant explained.

’At the speed at which they are marching, it would take less than 6 hours to reach the Wall.

We need to return.

Now.’

Kael’s expression changed as the reality finally set in.

This was no longer an assassination attempt, this was no longer two sides trying to entrap the other–

This was the start of the War.

And in this crucial time, he was standing in the middle of nowhere with nearly four hundred of his side’s warriors, warriors who, at this point, should be at the Wall, preparing their defence.

He needed to leave.

But...

As Kael looked around him, as he glanced at the enemies he just forced to surrender, another question appeared in his head.

What... was he supposed to do with them...?

The Stormcallers, the Ironblood, the Shadowstalkers and the Frostvein...

There were more than a hundred of them, he didn’t have enough Null Collars to capture them all.

What if he forcefully dragged them with him?

That would waste too much time.

And even if he did drag them and made it back on time, what then?

What would he do with them then?

With the enemy troops marching right at him, he wouldn’t have nearly enough manpower to lock them down and keep an eye on them. In fact, it was more likely that they would reach by the time the War had already started.

He and his men would be forced to participate in the War.

That would give these people a choice, either they would choose to remain as his prisoners, or they would return to the side they were originally from and avenge their defeat.

The answer between those two couldn’t be more obvious.

Bringing them back without Null Collars was no different than returning with enemy reinforcements.

Even if he could convince them to join him, even he wouldn’t be able to trust them in a matter of hours, not when they had come here to take his life and had been planning it for the entire afternoon.

Kael was not foolish enough to believe them.

Then...

’Am I supposed to... kill them...?’

Kael wondered in his head, his eyes once again moved through all the warriors who stood with their hands above their heads and weapons on the ground.

They had already surrendered.

Was he... going to kill those who had surrendered...?

Kael couldn’t help but find it disgusting.

Wasn’t the very point of offering surrender to promise them life in exchange for dropping their weapons?

If he killed them now... wouldn’t he be going back on his word...?

Of course, Kael wasn’t exactly worried about the ’value’ of his word right now, he had bigger issues.

This wasn’t about his own promise or his reputation.

This was about... trust.

The Tribes standing behind him trusted him because he kept his word, but if they saw him go back on his word and attack the enemy who had already surrendered...

According to War Tactics he had learned from Marshal Flameheart back in the Drakthar Kingdom, this would never go his way.

Killing an army that had surrendered in front of your own men affects loyalty in even the most loyal of armies.

As for an ’army’ of different tribes all thrown together despite the hatred they held against each other–

As for an army as unstable as Kael’s–

This decision alone may destroy everything he had worked for.

Kael needed something else.

Another way out.

’Father...’

Igni called out.

The Dragon could already sense what his father was thinking.

He could tell what was troubling his father.

And as much as this pained him, the Dragon also knew there was only one way out of this. At least, one way that made the most logical sense. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

But–

"Everyone hold."

Kael spoke up.

All the questions and doubts in his mind no longer showed on his outward appearance, he just looked at the prisoners in front of him with a cold look on his face, then, he glanced at his own men.

"An Army is marching towards the Wall as we speak."

He told the truth.

And the instant he did, the warriors in his army froze.

What...?

An Army...?

What Army...?

These questions appeared in their heads, Kael however, did not have the time to let them wonder, so he continued–

"This army is what remains of our enemy, a total of seven hundred and thirty-eight warriors but...

Something about them is not right.

Their beasts are stronger than they should be, they are being strengthened by a vile, disgusting magic.

Six hours.

That is all we have to return and defend our walls.

It is going to be a long journey, so the quicker we leave, the faster we get there.

This leaves me no choice."

He spoke, looking back at the hunting party that was sent to kill him as he took out his sword.

"Your interests do not align with ours, so I cannot bring you back with me.

Not when you might betray me anytime.

Therefore–"

The members of the hunting party froze at those words, their faces paled because even though Kael hadn’t said anything for certain, they knew what he was going to do.

And Kael’s next words only made them surer.

"You came here to kill me, to weaken my alliance.

If you had succeeded, I would not be breathing.

So–"

Before Kael could complete his words, some of the members of the ’hunting party’ already picked up their weapons and began opening their Sanctuaries.

If they were going to die anyways–

They might as well go down with a fight.

Or at least...

That was what they thought of at the very last second.

But as they made up their minds, as they turned back to look at Kael after picking up their weapons.

Kael was no longer there.

Instead, he was standing at the opposite end.

"It is only right that you stop breathing now that you failed."

He completed his words and–

The Stormcaller Chief, the Ironblood Captain, the Shadowstalker and Frostvein Group Leaders–

Their heads fell on the snow.