The air in Commander Keryn’s tent was tense, heavy with the weight of strategy and danger. A map of Parales sprawled across the table, its surface cluttered with carved figurines marking troop movements and strongholds. Beside Keryn stood General Kaelen, his scarred face impassive as his piercing eyes lingered on the map.

Elian stood at attention, his dark cloak brushing the ground as he waited for the briefing. He had grown accustomed to being summoned into such rooms, though it rarely brought good news.

“Captain Ashrin,” Commander Keryn began, her voice low and even, “your reputation for stealth and adaptability precedes you. We have a mission that only someone with your skills can accomplish.”

Kaelen’s deep voice interrupted, gruff but purposeful. “This war drags on, not because of the lack of victories but because of the shadows we fight in. Aero Eltharion—Simbar’s second prince—has fortified his princedom, leaving little trace of his plans. He’s a ghost on the battlefield, but we need to unmask him.”

Elian’s eyes narrowed. Aero Eltharion. The second prince’s name was spoken in hushed tones, his cunning and ruthlessness feared even among Brightbloods. While the civil war raged across the land, Aero had remained enigmatic, his forces striking decisively and vanishing just as swiftly. His motives and strategies were a riddle, and riddles had a habit of killing the unprepared.

“We’re sending you and your company to scout deep into his territory,” Keryn continued. “You’ll infiltrate his princedom, identify his movements, and report back. We need to know what Aero Eltharion plans—and who stands with him.”

“And if I find nothing?” Elian asked, his voice steady despite the rising tension in the room.

“You’ll find something,” Kaelen said bluntly. “Even silence can tell us a story. But if you’re discovered…” His eyes locked with Elian’s, cold and calculating. “You’ll be on your own.”

Elian nodded. “Understood.”

Keryn stepped forward, placing a firm hand on the table. “This mission isn’t about glory, Ashrin. It’s about survival. Aero’s forces have a reputation for… unconventional methods. Don’t underestimate them.”

“I won’t,” Elian said simply.

Keryn dismissed him with a nod, and as Elian turned to leave, Kaelen’s voice cut through the air once more. “You’ve earned their trust, Captain. Make sure you don’t lose it.”

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Elian gathered his company under the dim glow of the campfires. His soldiers, hardened by months of battle, fell silent as he stood before them. The crackling flames reflected in their weary eyes, shadows flickering across faces etched with both loyalty and doubt.

“This mission will test us like no other,” Elian began, his voice calm yet resolute. “We’re heading into enemy territory, deep into the heart of the second prince’s princedom. Our orders are to gather intelligence—nothing more. This isn’t a fight, but it’s no less dangerous.”

He paused, scanning their faces. “The second prince is a phantom. We don’t know what we’ll find, but whatever it is, we face it together. I won’t lie—this won’t be easy. But I trust each of you to watch my back, as I’ll watch yours.”

There was a murmur of agreement, quiet but firm. Elian’s soldiers were few, but they were capable—a mix of seasoned warriors and sharp-eyed scouts who had learned to trust their captain’s instincts.

“Rest tonight,” Elian concluded. “We leave before dawn.”

The early morning was shrouded in mist as Elian and his company slipped away from the camp, the world around them bathed in a cold, gray light. The journey to the second prince’s princedom was grueling, the terrain shifting from open plains to dense forests that seemed to close in around them. They traveled with practiced silence, their steps muffled against the forest floor.

By the time they reached the edge of Aero Eltharion’s domain, the sun was low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the land. The princedom itself loomed ahead, a fortress nestled within a valley, its walls dark and unyielding. The air felt charged, as though the land itself recoiled from their presence.

But it wasn’t the imposing gates that stopped them in their tracks. It was the figures guarding them.

Four towering Forgers stood at the entryway, their forms encased in gleaming armor that seemed to pulse faintly with an otherworldly light. Each of them carried weapons that shimmered unnaturally, blades and hammers that looked as though they could cleave stone with ease.

“By Sudo…” one of Elian’s men whispered, barely audible. “Forgers.”

Elian held up a hand, signaling for silence. His heart raced, but his expression remained composed. Forgers were not mere guards—they were symbols of power, living weapons deployed only by the most influential Brightbloods. Their presence here was a clear message: Aero Eltharion was not just preparing for war. He was summoning the kind of power that could tip the scales.

“Captain,” one of his soldiers hissed, “what do we do?”

Elian’s mind raced, weighing their options. The Forger guards were too dangerous to confront directly, and slipping past them would require more than skill—it would require divine luck. Yet retreating now meant returning with nothing, a failure that could cost lives in the long run.

He turned to his company, his voice low but firm. “We stay hidden. Observe. There’s more to learn here than just what’s inside those walls.”

The soldiers nodded, and Elian led them to a concealed position overlooking the gates. As they settled into the shadows, the faint hum of the Forgers’ weapons filled the air, a haunting reminder of the power they faced.

In the stillness of the moment, Elian felt the weight of the mission pressing down on him. The answers they sought lay beyond those gates, but so did dangers unlike any they had faced before.

And Aero Eltharion’s secrets were guarded by more than just stone and steel.