Ethra looks back at Lainas "What's make you so sure of it?"

  Lainas stood by the railing, his eyes fixed on the darkening sky where the Violet Comet burned. "You think we are alone?" he asked Ethra, his voice firm. "I don't. One night, under a pitch-black sky, I saw a Crimson Star flare to life... and then vanish. That alone tells me someone out there is still fighting. A Prince, perhaps."

  He exhaled slowly, turning to the Admiral. "I'm certain Aurik won't let Leona fall alone. And I'm certain Jamih managed to convince the Prince of Aurik to act."

  Ethra blinked, the wind whipping her hair. "Aurik...?" She looked down, her voice quiet. "Why must I go there? Why don't you lead the main fleet, and I'll go rescue Valina?"

  Lainas stared at her as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "Look at yourself, Admiral. Every sailor here—Pirate or Navy—is watching you. You are the daughter of the Navy and the successor of the Sea King. It would be absurd for a 'savage' from the woods like me to lead the largest fleet in history."

  Ethra fell silent. The logic was undeniable.

  "I'm not saying Valina isn't important," Lainas continued, checking the straps on his wooden sword. "But leave that dangerous task to me. Azalor will be there... Reiz... maybe others we've never seen before. That is a mission for assassins, not admirals."

  "Fine," Ethra said softly. She looked him in the eye. "You have the mission."

  A pirate nearby called out, worried. "Admiral, are you sure about this? Splitting our forces?"

  Ethra walked toward the gangplank of her flagship, pausing before she leapt. "Yes... I will trust you, Lainas of the Luminous Tree."

  A tired, ragged voice rose from a stretcher behind her. Qaws. "You won't regret it..."

  Ethra turned and smiled faintly at the assassin. "You're truly insane, you know that? I saw you flying through the sky—you and that reckless brute."

  Velins, wrapping fresh bandages around his torso, frowned. "Reckless brute? I prefer 'indestructible genius'."

  Ethra laughed under her breath. It was a genuine sound. "Falcon saw something in you misfits that I couldn't... and now I understand." She leapt back to her ship, her coat billowing.

  Lainas raised his voice, addressing the captains of the gathered ships. "HEAD FOR LEONA! Admiral Ethra commands the Main Fleet! I will take a volunteer crew on the Razor toward the target location!"

  Ethra nodded from her deck. "Let the waves guide you, Lainas. You'll reach it that way. Let the wind carry the ship."

  "Understood." Lainas jumped onto the smaller, faster pirate vessel.

  Qaws, unable to move his legs yet, called out from the main ship. "Lainas! Are you sure? Do you want me to drag myself over there?"

  Lainas laughed. "Absolutely not! You look like a chewed-up toy. Recover, assassin. We need you for the next war." Qaws smirked, lying back. "Good luck... just don't die." "I won't," Lainas replied. "I'm not reckless like you."

  THUD. Velins landed on the deck beside him, the wood splintering slightly under his weight.

  Lainas sighed, not even looking at him. "I didn't invite you..." "No room for debate," Velins said, crossing his arms. "I'm helping. You need a shield." Lainas groaned. "Fine... just don't break the ship."

  Lainas turned to his remaining Luminous Tree warriors on the main fleet. "Men of the Luminous Tree! Assassins! Until we meet again—protect the girl with everything you have! Head toward Valia first! Resupply, get medicine, and bring it to Leona!"

  Sowsan waved from the deck of the main ship, standing beside Ethra. "See you, Uncle! Safe journey!"

  Ethra watched her, astonished. "She calls him Uncle? She trusts him... as if she's known him for years..."

  Lainas waved back with a feral grin. "Watch your Uncle crush them all!" Sawsan laughed, the sound bright against the gloomy sea. "I look forward to it!"

  The ropes were cast off. The massive fleet turned east toward Leona. Lainas's single ship turned north, toward the deep ocean where Valina had vanished.

  Lainas glanced up at the mast of his ship. It still bore the flag of the Green Comet—the symbol of Mowj. Then he looked at the sky. The Violet Comet burned above them, mocking the flag.

  Clouds gathered once more. The temperature dropped. Snow began to fall over the ocean, hissing as it hit the black waves. Lainas whispered, his hand resting on his sword. "The snow is back... We've entered enemy waters. Prepare yourselves."

  Suddenly, a horrifying volcanic beam erupted from beyond the horizon, shooting into the sky as the clouds began to thin and the cold started to fade away.

  everyone was looking at the skies

  Ethra couldn't be?

  Lainas smiles while drifting away" jamih? did you managed to convince them? I see Aurik signature?"

  Velins astonished "what is that?... this is high level spell ? who can have this level of magic ?"

  Lainas gazing at him "probably if I'm not mistaken... it should be the mage guild.."

  Velins looks so interested gazing at Lainas leaning his face on him

  Lainas "ahm...what's up with you? this is your first time showing passion... I think you fit army academy not a mage guild"

  Velins "why?"

  Lainas "you're throwing punches everywhere "

  Velins "ah...I'm interested in magic... I wish someone teaches me..."

  Lainas "well beside the mage guild in Aruik you can go also on the Green comet battalion in Lajira you are going to love it I'm pretty sure.."

  Velins "looking forward to it"

  Lainas "having seen you before you didn't tell me?"

  Velins "from a place far beyond that is not accessible right now.. or forever..."

  Laians " hmmm I'm sorry to bring back memories but what is it?"

  Velins looking at his hand glowing in lavender "Vontean"

  Lainas rise eyebrow "Vontean? you serious?"

  Velins " is it familiar?! "

  Lainas " Well..."

  Miles away, aboard the flagship, Admiral Ethra sat alone in the captain's quarters. She stared at the navigational map spread before her. The room was warm, but it felt freezing. Every chair around the heavy oak table was empty. Falcon. Yamen. Sidney. Mehran. The giants who used to fill this room with laughter and smoke were gone. Now, only she remained.

  She looked out the porthole toward the distant ship of the Luminous Tree, where Majd lay receiving treatment. Ethra exhaled slowly, her breath fogging the glass. She lowered her gaze to the heavy object on the table—her father's runic weapon. It was cold to the touch. The gems were dull. "Father... why didn't you listen to me?" she whispered to the silence. "I only wanted to sail with you... just once. But... your weapon is with me now. That's enough."

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Her voice trembled, a crack in the Admiral's armor. "You were a fool, a brute, a criminal... yet you always protected your possessions fiercely. Even the ones that weren't yours to keep." She stared at the weapon, her fingers tightening around its grip until her knuckles turned white. "I will protect them better."

  Aboard the ship bearing the Green Comet flag, the mood was grim. Healers worked tirelessly over Majd, chanting rapid spells, grinding pungent herbs, and forcing glowing pastes down the boy's throat to counteract the Void corruption.

  Qaws could barely stand. He leaned heavily against a crate, his vision blurring. Blood still dripped sluggishly from his mouth, refusing to clot. "Damn it... something's wrong..." he muttered, wiping his chin. "I feel... heavy."

  One of the assassins supported him by the arm. "Commander? Do you feel what I feel?" Qaws blinked, trying to focus. "What?"

  "That strange sensation... a weakness deep in the marrow," the assassin whispered, looking up at the sky. "It's coming from the corrupted comet. As if... it's draining us."

  Qaws followed his gaze to the Violet Comet. He felt it too—a sickening pull, like a leech attached to his soul. The source of their power, Mowj, was now a parasite. "Damn..." Qaws cursed under his breath. "what did they done to him?"

  He staggered toward the medical cot. Majd trembled violently, sweat pouring down his face as the healers worked to purge the black veins from his neck. Qaws asked, his voice strained and thin. "Is he stable?"

  The head healer nodded, wiping sweat from her brow. "Yes. His condition is under control for now. But we cannot sustain this treatment at sea. We need to reach Valia to restock our herbs."

  Qaws sighed in relief, though his knees buckled. "Good... Get us to Valia." He looked toward the north, where Lainas's ship was disappearing into the mist. "I just hope the Tree-Man will be alright... because if he fails, we're all dead."

  Snow fell gently, dusting the golden armor of the man and the dark cloak of the woman walking beside him. Rose walked with her head down, her gaze drifting toward Klen, then away again. "I've been thinking... a lot lately," she murmured.

  Klen's armor clinked with every heavy step. He turned his helmet toward her. "What is it, Lady Rose? Are you fatigued? Do you require the Red Knight to carry you on his noble shoulders?"

  Rose flushed, startled. "No! You fool! That's not what I meant!" She turned her eyes toward the snow, the glowing walls of Aurik fading into the mist behind them. "I meant... I had planned to live a quiet life. To never return to the battlefield after what happened in my village... I wanted to disappear."

  Klen glanced at her, his voice dropping an octave. "That is a dangerous confession, Lady Rose."

  Rose blinked. "What do you mean?"

  Klen struck a pose, hand on his chest. "The Code of the Red Knight contradicts such pessimism! We must drive out the invaders and reclaim our homeland! Living quietly while evil roams? That is not part of the Code!"

  They walked further, leaving the outskirts of Aurik behind, entering the Valley of Wonders. Here, the strange geography showed—golden sand lay buried beneath a thin, unnatural layer of white snow.

  Rose sighed. "I know what you mean... But we are human, Klen."

  "Yes! And humans must resist!" Klen shouted, startling a desert fox. "I have never once thought of resting or living in peace while the enemy breathes!"

  Rose shook her head. "You're insane... That's not normal. Everyone needs rest. You know that, right?"

  Klen stopped. He looked at the horizon. "I do rest, Lady Rose." He turned to her, and for a moment, the theatrics vanished. "I can breathe freely... when I see children playing safely in the streets. That is how I rest. In a noble, magnificent way. Until then... there is no sleep."

  Rose stared at him. She sighed deeply, the weariness leaving her breath. "You really are an idiot."

  "That is the only way I can rest!" Klen boomed, back to normal. "Unlike you! Don't forget the Prince you keep staring at with those starry-eyed, twisted glances!"

  Rose turned beet red. "Shut up! I do not stare like that!!"

  "He is doing what you cannot—restoring the glory of Aurik! Its ancient, golden, noble, and honorable legacy!" Klen declared.

  Rose softened. "You're right... I owe Aurik everything. What I meant, Klen... is that we've walked into our own hell. I don't think we'll meet them as weak or ordinary enemies."

  Klen gripped his sword hilt and shouted: "Of course! But do not worry! The Red Knight—noble, honorable, magnificent—will crush them! And kill them in a way worthy of his honor!"

  Rose scanned the horizon—and stopped dead. "Klen..."

  Klen halted, following her gaze. "Yes... that explains the smell."

  In the distance, nestled between two dunes, stood a sprawling encampment. But these weren't military tents. They were bright, gaudy, and blood-red. The Red Mist Circus.

  Rose’s expression shifted to cold calculation. "This map leads us to the village of Lajira, but... these tents stand directly between us and the village."

  Klein reached for his sword. "A full assault?"

  "No! Get down, you oaf!" Rose hissed, dragging him behind a rock. "This camp is larger than before. And listen..."

  From the camp, a sound drifted over the wind. Not screams of war, but music. Twisted, carnival music. And then... CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. Thunderous applause echoed from a massive central tent.

  Klen clenched his fist. "Those dishonorable scum... They are holding hostages and forcing them to watch a performance?" "It seems so," Rose whispered. "They're putting on their insane show."

  Suddenly, a woman hurried past them in the snow, dressed in the tattered robes of the Red Mist rope. She didn't see them; she was running toward Aurik, eyes wide with terror. Klen whispered, "What is she doing? She is one of them... but she is fleeing?" Rose narrowed her eyes. "If even the cultists are running away... what is inside that tent?"

  Rose stood up slowly, brushing the sand and snow from her knees. She smiled, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Alright... What do you say, Sir Knight? I'll sneak into the Circus... and you head to Lajira to secure the perimeter?"

  Klen looked at her. "Lady Rose? You intend to enter the lion's den alone?"

  Rose pointed toward the cages visible on the edge of the camp. "I know you won't leave without rescuing those trapped in the cages first. You're too 'noble' for stealth."

  Klen knelt, the snow falling around his golden shoulders. He placed his sword in the ground like a cross. "You deserve to be the Red Knight's sister! In a noble, magnificent, honorable way!"

  Rose rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "What? Your sister?! You foolish knight! Lower your voice before they hear us!"

  Klen stood again, seemingly energized. "It's settled then! I'm counting on you, Lady Rose! Show them the sting of the thorn!"

  Rose nodded slowly. "Hmm... and I on you, Brother."

  She pulled her hood up and vanished into the shadows of the dunes, heading toward the bright lights of the Circus Gates. The Red Knight veered off, circling wide, his golden armor reflecting the grey sky as he approached the oppressed village of Lajira.

  At the outer walls of Aurik, the battle against the Black Order had turned into a slaughter. Dais led the advance not with a shout, but with a terrifying, silent walk. Around him, his Dark Knights marched in lockstep, their shields absorbing the frantic magical bombardment of the city's defenders.

  Jalmoud, blood pouring from a gash on his forehead, smashed his hammer into a knight, crumbling the armor. "Damn it! They aren't slowing down! They're getting stronger!"

  High atop a watchtower, Razaan fired a volley of three enchanted arrows, pinning a Shadow Soldier to the stone. "I don't know! But they won't stop!" she screamed over the wind. "Jalmoud! At this rate, they'll reach the civilians and the Palace! We need more time!" She glanced at the sky. "The snow has stopped! The clouds are thinning—this is Prince Asser's chance! We can't let that bastard Dais take the sun from us!"

  "Understood!" Jalmoud roared. He charged forward, a bull of muscle and steel, smashing into the Black Order's ranks and scattering them like bowling pins. Behind him, the chaotic mix of guards, assassins, and mercenaries fought desperately—old warriors and young spirits falling like leaves in a gale.

  Razaan drew her bowstring to its limit. "Eat this!" She fired a spiraling magical arrow directly at Dais's face.

  Dais didn't dodge. He didn't even slow his pace. He simply raised a hand and caught the arrow mid-air. The magical energy sizzled against his glove and died. He looked up at the tower, bored. He crushed the arrow in his fist. "Annoying fly."

  He pointed a finger. A beam of concentrated Violet Void energy erupted from his hand. Razaan's eyes widened. "Move!" She leapt from the tower just as the beam struck. BOOM. The stone structure was obliterated instantly, turned to dust and falling debris.

  In mid-air, falling through the smoke, Razaan twisted her body. She fired two more arrows at the advancing soldiers. Thwack. Thwack. But she couldn't dodge while falling. A stray beam of dark magic struck her mid-section.

  She crashed to the cobbled street below, rolling violently. Blood poured from her mouth and abdomen, staining the golden stones of Aurik. "Damn..." she wheezed, trying to stand and failing.

  "RAZAAN!" Jalmoud screamed. He abandoned the frontline, lunging toward Dais with a swing meant to shatter mountains. "YOU BASTARD!"

  Dais summoned a dark spear from thin air. He blocked Jalmoud’s massive weapon with one hand. He didn't even flinch. He looked at Jalmoud with genuine pity. "Is that all you've got?" Dais asked softly. "Mercenaries... That's why I never counted you as warriors. You're nothing but paid fools."

  Lamees and Samhar scrambled through the debris, reaching Razaan. "Razaan!" Samhar cried, kneeling beside her. Razaan grabbed his collar, her grip weak. "Run... Get inside the inner district... Close the gates..."

  Samhar trembled, seeing the severity of the wound. Lamees grabbed his hand, her face pale. "Samhar! We have to go!" "But—" "Damn it, move!" She pulled him back into the city streets.

  Above them, civilians watched from the high windows of the golden towers—faces pressed against glass, eyes wide with terror. Silence blanketed the streets, a stark contrast to the screams at the wall. The only thing protecting them now was the shimmering, translucent barrier of High Commander Laika's protective spell.

  Lamees dragged him into an alleyway. "This is bad! They couldn't hold them off! Jalmoud is going to die if he stays there! What do we do?"

  Samhar stopped suddenly. He pulled his hand free. "Wait..." He looked at the fleeing civilians. He looked at the direction of his own home. "If we lose... now... that means they enter the city." His eyes widened. "My mother... she's in the lower district."

  Lamees shook him. "What are you saying?! Focus! Razaan told us to defend from inside!"

  Samhar clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms. The fear vanished, replaced by a cold, desperate clarity. "I won't let them reach her." He turned back toward the gate. "I'm not running."