[Sah’Rumeh Village — Continuation]

DONG!!!

DONG!!!

DONG!!!

The warning bells continued ringing across the village, louder, faster, and more desperate. Panic exploded everywhere, children cried, women rushed toward shelters, warriors grabbed weapons, and above the village the protective barrier shimmered faintly beneath the morning sky.

Inside the healer’s hut, the wolf soldier continued trembling as his voice broke.

"Captain...it destroyed the eastern watchtower and the western one."

Absolute silence followed because everyone inside the room understood what that meant. Ashkareth wasn’t wandering.

Ashkareth was coming here, directly here. Kael slowly released the soldier’s shoulders; his face had become grim, and then suddenly he barked. "Gather every warrior."

The soldier immediately straightened. "Y-Yes, Captain!"

"Move!"

The soldier rushed away instantly, and outside the hut the village had descended into chaos. Wolf warriors sprinted through the streets, orders echoed from every direction, and the scent of fear spread through the air.

Inside the healer’s hut Levin slowly rose to his feet. The silver egg and the golden egg both rested safely behind him. Wrapped in blankets. Protected beneath Lyresaph’s enormous silver tail.

Asha immediately stood, the tiger’s fur rose, his ears flattened, and a low growl vibrated from deep inside his chest.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Lyresaph’s blue eyes remained fixed toward the outside, alert, dangerous, and uneasy. Then quietly Levin tightened his grip around the sword.

"...What exactly is Ashkareth?"

The question escaped him almost unconsciously. Kael stopped near the doorway; the wolf captain remained silent for several moments. His eyes fixed toward the village gates, toward whatever was approaching.

Then finally he answered. "A nightmare."

Silence.

Then Kael left immediately because there was no more time. Levin stared at the empty doorway, then slowly turned toward the nest, toward his children and toward Lyresaph.

For several moments he simply stared. Then quietly he knelt, resting one hand against the silver dragon’s head.

"Protect them." His voice became soft. "I am leaving them to you."

Immediately Lyresaph growled, a deep growl of a promise and a vow. The dragon lowered his head slightly, as though accepting the responsibility.

Asha moved beside Levin, ready, and then together the man and the tiger stepped outside, and immediately everything changed.

The air itself felt wrong, heavy and oppressive. As though the world were struggling to breathe. Villagers rushed through the streets, and every single face carried the same expression.

Fear.

Levin continued walking toward the barrier, toward the village walls, and toward the screams. And then he saw it; his footsteps stopped, and even Asha froze.

Even his breathing halted because for the very first time Levin saw Ashkareth.

THUMP.

The creature’s paw struck the barrier, and the entire valley shook.

THUMP.

THUMP.

Cracks spread across the sky itself.

Levin’s eyes widened because no description could have prepared him, no rumor, no story and no warning.

Nothing.

Ashkareth stood before the barrier like the wrath of forgotten gods, a gigantic wolf.

No...not a wolf. Something pretending to be one. Its body towered over the forest, towered over the watchtowers, and towered over the walls. A mountain of darkness. Black fur covered its body.

Not ordinary black.

A darkness so deep it looked as though night itself had become flesh. The shadows around it twisted, moved and breathed.

As though darkness obeyed the beast and its eyes burned into pitch black. Two endless abysses staring back at the world, and looking into them felt wrong, like staring into death itself.

And every breath escaping its mouth created storms, every movement shook the earth, every step cracked stone, and worst of all, it wasn’t roaring. It wasn’t enraged. It wasn’t hunting.

The creature looked calm, and somehow that made it infinitely more terrifying, because if this was calm, what would happen if it became angry?

Upon the village wall, Kael stared toward the monster; his sword remained drawn, but even he knew that sword meant nothing against that.

THUMP.

Ashkareth struck the barrier again.

CRAAAAAAAACK.

A silver fracture spread across the magical shield; villagers screamed, some fell to their knees, and others prayed. Several children cried into their mothers’ arms.

Kael’s expression darkened, then he shouted, "ARCHERS!"

Hundreds of bows immediately rose. "READY!"

The warriors obeyed, hands trembling, breathing unevenly because nobody wanted to be here, nobody wanted to face that thing. Then Kael looked toward the barrier.

Toward the spreading fractures and toward the nightmare standing beyond them. And finally the wolf captain spoke the words nobody wanted to hear.

"If we do nothing..." His voice echoed across the walls; the entire village listened as Kael slowly tightened his grip around his sword.

"...the barrier will break."

Silence, a horrible silence.

Then he continued as his eyes never left Ashkareth. "And when it breaks...Sah’Rumeh dies."

No one argued because everyone knew he was telling the truth, and another strike landed.

THUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!!

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

Half the barrier shattered, the sky fractured like broken glass, and for the first time, real despair spread through the village.

Because now everyone could see it, the barrier would not survive much longer.

And Ashkareth? Ashkareth simply stared at them patiently like a predator waiting for its cage to open or like a nightmare enjoying the fear of its prey.

Levin slowly stepped forward; the desert winds moved through his hair and his hand tightened around the sword. Then quietly he raised the blade.

"We need to prepare our defenses."

Immediately Kael turned, his expression darkened. "Malika, go back inside."

Levin froze, then slowly looked toward him. "...What?"

Kael stepped between him and the battlefield as his voice remained firm and cold. "This is not your matter to concern, return to the hut."

Levin stared, then stared harder because for one moment he genuinely wondered whether the wolf captain had lost his mind. And then another impact struck.

THUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!

CRAAAAAAACK!!!

More fractures spread across the barrier; children screamed, yet Kael remained focused entirely on Levin, and that somehow irritated him even more.

"Captain." Levin’s voice became colder. "Have you completely lost your senses?"

Kael didn’t move. "Please go back."

Levin blinked, then suddenly laughed, a short disbelieving laugh as his blue gaze narrowed. "Go back? Is this truly the time for that conversation? This is the time we fight the beast together and keep the entire village safe----"

Kael cut him off as his gaze hardened. "I told you before, do not become a burden to us."

Silence, an absolute silence. Several nearby wolf warriors immediately froze because nobody had expected him to say that, and Levin’s fingers tightened around the sword, dangerously.

Then quietly he asked, "Do you think I intend to save you?"

Kael blinked. "...What?"

Levin pointed toward the village, toward the healer’s hut, and toward the eggs hidden inside, and for the first time, the villagers saw something dangerous inside those blue eyes.

Not fear but a determination. The determination of a father.

"I am not fighting for this village. I am not fighting for your empire. I am not even fighting for you; I have no intention to do that."

The winds howled.

Levin’s hand slowly moved toward his sword tightly and then toward the hut. "My children have not even hatched; they have not seen the sky; they have not met their father."

His voice lowered.

"And as their father...who delivered them," the sword slowly rose. "...I will protect them."

A terrible silence. Then finally Levin looked directly at Ashkareth, at the nightmare standing beyond the barrier.

"No matter what stands before me."

The wolf warriors froze. Kael just stared, and for several moments he simply stared. Then slowly something changed inside him.

Because suddenly he understood. This wasn’t a refuge, this wasn’t a stranger, and this wasn’t merely the missing consort of Zahryssar.

This was a father, and fathers became terrifying when protecting their children.

Then finally Kael stepped aside. "...Alright."

The single word surprised everyone, even Levin, and then another impact struck.

THUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!!

CRAAAAAAAACK!!!!

The barrier groaned, the village shook, and Levin immediately turned toward the battlefield. His mind was already moving, thinking and calculating, because strength alone would not defeat that monster.

Not here, not now. Then suddenly his eyes narrowed.

The barrier.

Ashkareth, the attacks, and the direction at everything. Then quietly he asked:

"Captain."

Kael immediately looked at him. "What?"

Levin pointed toward the mountain far away. "Has that mountain ever been attacked?"

Kael frowned, then looked toward the beast and then at the mountain. "...No."

Levin’s eyes sharpened. "There are no houses?"

"No."

"Not even a single life?"

"No."

"The livestock?"

"No."

Silence, and then suddenly Levin’s eyes became sharp and cold. The same cold eyes that once terrified politicians inside Zahryssar.

Kael immediately noticed, and somehow he became nervous. "What are you thinking?"

Levin’s eyes never left the beast, not even for a moment, and then quietly he spoke. "We need to distract it."

Silence.

Kael frowned. Levin continued. "It keeps attacking the barrier. It keeps provoking us, but it has not entered yet, which means it wants something."

The wind howled across the battlefield. Kael slowly looked toward Ashkareth, then back toward Levin.

"If it wants something..." Kael’s voice lowered. "...then we can make it chase something else."

Levin nodded. "Exactly and that mountain."

Kael followed his finger to the Empty Cliffs, a place with no villagers, no homes, no children, only rock and endless valleys.

Levin’s grip tightened around his sword. "We lead it there."

Kael stared toward the monster. Toward the creature capable of destroying entire battalions and toward the nightmare that terrified an empire.

Then, surprisingly, he nodded. "We can do that."

The nearby warriors immediately looked horrified. One of them stepped forward.

"Captain!" His voice cracked. "That thing destroyed entire fortresses, and you want us to lure it?"

Kael slowly turned.

The wolf captain’s eyes became sharp. "We either lure it away...or watch Sah’Rumeh die."

No one answered because no one could. The truth had already been spoken. Levin looked toward the village and toward the silver and golden eggs hidden inside, and for one brief moment his expression softened.

Only for a moment, then it vanished, replaced by determination because no matter what happened, he would not allow his children to die before seeing the world.

Then suddenly—

THUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!

Ashkareth slammed into the barrier again.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!

Another section shattered.

The villagers screamed; panic spread, and there was no more time. Kael slowly drew his sword completely; steel reflected the morning sunlight. One by one the wolf warriors followed.

SHING.

SHING.

SHING.

Dozens of blades emerged, then Levin raised his own sword, standing beside them, and somehow that made him more dangerous than all of those titles combined when he is the father.

The mountain winds roared across the battlefield. Ashkareth stared back, the barrier cracked, the warriors prepared and for the first time the village of Sah’ Rumeh prepared to fight the nightmare that had haunted an entire empire.

And just like that the battle began.