The first sign of Raelen’s arrival was the light—a blinding, radiant sun that appeared out of nowhere, hanging in the sky above Zaros’s largest territory. It was a light unlike any they had ever seen, illuminating every corner, banishing every shadow. It hung there, so brilliant that for a moment, time itself seemed to stop as everyone, friend and foe alike, looked up in awe and terror.
---
From the slums of the captured city, a young slave named Mira stared at the blazing orb in the sky with wide eyes. She had spent most of her life in the mines, working until her hands bled, under the cruel gaze of Zaros’s soldiers. Hope was something she had forgotten the taste of, but now... something in her stirred, something deep and long-buried.
“Could it be him?” she whispered to herself, barely daring to hope.
An older man beside her, scarred and bent from years of toil, gave her a sad smile. “It’s a dream, child. Don’t waste your heart on what can’t be.” But even his voice shook slightly, his face reflecting the unspoken hope that Mira dared to voice.
As the light intensified, Mira’s hands clenched around her pickaxe. She thought of her family, long lost to Zaros’s brutal rule. She thought of her friends, broken by the endless labor. And as the light grew brighter, that long-buried seed of hope took root. She knew, as if some invisible force had whispered in her ear, that this was no dream. Raelen had returned, and this was his message to every slave, every captive soul: their torment was not forgotten. He was coming.
---
Meanwhile, atop the ramparts of the fortress, Captain Edran felt a chill despite the heat radiating from the artificial sun overhead. He had been a loyal soldier under Zaros’s rule for years, part of his elite forces, and he prided himself on his ruthlessness. Yet, as he looked up at the blazing sun, an emotion he hadn’t felt in years crept up his spine: fear.
“Raelen,” he muttered, his voice barely audible over the panicked murmurs of his soldiers around him. They had heard stories of Raelen’s powers, of his unrelenting strength, but they had never seen him in action. Most dismissed him as a legend, a tale to scare unruly troops. But now, with the unnatural sun glaring down on them, the legend had become their grim reality.
“Captain,” one of his soldiers, Lieutenant Corvin, approached him, visibly shaken. “What do we do?”
Edran forced himself to sound confident, though his hands trembled as he gripped the hilt of his sword. “We’re Zaros’s army. We stand our ground. Raelen may be powerful, but he’s only one man.” He raised his voice, projecting a bravado he did not feel. “We’ve conquered countless lands, brought armies to their knees. This is no different.”
Corvin nodded, though the fear in his eyes betrayed his uncertainty. As he looked up at the blinding sun, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was indeed different—that this was something they were never meant to face.
---
The gates of the fortress shook, and Raelen appeared, his figure almost silhouetted against the bright sphere of light. His steps were slow, almost leisurely, as he strode forward, one man against an army. His gaze swept over the soldiers lined up to confront him, and a faint smile played at his lips. It was a smile without warmth, a cold, calculated thing, meant to convey a single, chilling message: they were already dead.
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Edran took a deep breath, forcing himself to raise his weapon. “Men! Ready yourselves! Stand firm!”
But before they could act, Raelen raised a single hand, and the light intensified. In an instant, spears of pure light shot forth from the artificial sun, raining down upon the fortress walls. Each beam found its target with terrifying precision, piercing through stone and steel, flesh and bone. Soldiers who were moments ago defiant now screamed, trying to flee, their shadows consumed in the relentless onslaught.
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From the slave quarters, Mira and the other captives watched in awe and terror. For them, this was the wrath of a god, a force of nature come to life. The fortress that had been their prison for so long was crumbling before their eyes, the very stones cracking under the weight of Raelen’s power. She clutched her chest, feeling her heart race. She felt an overwhelming urge to run, to flee from the chaos, but something held her back. She wanted to see him, this legend who had come to shatter the chains around them.
She watched as Raelen moved through the battlefield like a specter of light, his form flickering and reforming with each strike. Soldiers scrambled to defend themselves, but it was futile. The ground was littered with their bodies, shadows burnt into the ground where they had once stood. And yet, amid the destruction, Mira felt no fear—only a fierce, unrelenting hope.
---
Captain Edran staggered back, barely able to comprehend the scale of the devastation unfolding around him. Everywhere he turned, his men lay dead, struck down by beams of light that moved faster than thought. His hands shook as he tried to grip his sword, but his resolve was slipping, the weight of Raelen’s power crushing any remnants of his courage.
“Please,” he whispered, though he knew Raelen would show no mercy.
At that moment, Raelen’s gaze fell upon him, cold and unyielding. For a single heartbeat, Edran felt as if the light itself was judging him, stripping away every pretense, every mask. He dropped his weapon, falling to his knees, defeated not just by Raelen’s power but by the sheer inevitability of his fate.
Raelen raised his hand, and a final beam of light descended. The captain’s screams were swallowed by the searing brightness, leaving nothing behind but silence.
---
As the fortress lay in ruins, Raelen lowered his hand, the light around him dimming. He walked among the shattered remains of Zaros’s army, his expression calm and unbothered, as though he had merely performed a task, nothing more. Around him, the few remaining slaves emerged cautiously, eyes wide with awe and fear.
Mira stepped forward, clutching a small pendant she wore around her neck—a keepsake from her family. “Are… are we free?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Raelen turned his gaze upon her, and for a moment, his expression softened. He nodded. “You are free. Return to the Sunborn. There, you will find safety.”
Mira’s heart swelled with gratitude, and as she looked upon him, she saw not just a warrior but a savior, a figure out of legend who had come to deliver them from darkness.
---
From a distant vantage point, hidden in the shadows, a single figure watched the scene unfold. Another of Zaros’s lieutenants, one who had thought Raelen was nothing more than a myth. His hands clenched as he took in the scene—the destruction, the slaughter, the way Raelen had brought ruin upon them with such ease.
Raelen’s eyes met his, and for the first time, the lieutenant felt fear. He stumbled back, turning to flee, knowing that he must report this to Zaros. This was no ordinary rebellion; this was a force that could not be quelled.
---
And in that ruinous silence, Raelen looked to the skies, letting his voice carry across the battlefield, across the shattered remains of the fortress, to echo in the minds of every enemy and ally alike.
“Zaros,” he declared, his voice calm but laced with a steely resolve, “I am coming for you. Your reign of darkness ends here.”
His words reverberated across the land, reaching every ear, friend and foe alike, a challenge and a promise that the war had truly begun. The sun above him blazed once more, casting its light over the battlefield as Raelen vanished, leaving only the wreckage and the hope he had reignited among the oppressed.