...the arrows covered the skies and for a moment a shadow enveloped him, the first men to fall were the frontline ahead of him.

Mattheus:

What is this William?!

Ronald:

Prince!

Ronald lounged towards the prince, just before the next volley made both of them fall from their horses.

Woman in Green:

What are you doing idiots? I told you! Do not harm the prince!

William:

Apologies my lady

Woman in Green:

Quickly send your men, I want the prince brought to me at once!

William:

Infantry, move! Bring the Spear Prince!

Only a couple of soldiers were standing, each one of them with arrows protruding from their bodies. Broken spears and shields on their feet. Some horses had left them while others were lying on the gory ground gasping for air. The few warriors that managed to stand drew their weapons.

Mattheus:

(Whispering, while covering his face, a gush of blood flowed endlessly) My Prince…we’ll buy some time, there is a river nearby, if you can get there…the river will take you to Kanem’s Mountain Range…

The Ox infantry got closer, their numbers were a hundred times higher. An imminent clash was inevitable. A second volley of arrows came from the Ox side. Most arrows hit their marks.

Mattheus:

You’ll have to do better than that!...For the king!

Lombard:

For Ronald! For the King!

Ronald? He looked around and found him at his side, lying motionless on the floor. The prince tried to stand up but his body was as heavy as lead. He gritted his teeth angry at his impotence, he had to survive, his father had to know his brother's betrayal!

The sound of steel clashing erupted in the forest, it lasted a couple minutes and then silence.

He clutched his golden spear, a magnificent weapon bestowed upon him three years prior. With a razor-sharp blade protruding from the maw of a voracious dragon, this heirloom was named "Dragon’s Breath," a legacy weapon passed down through generations in his family.

The prince was prepared to die fighting, years of training came instinctively and possessed his body which turned into a combat stance.

The first enemy approached from the front, the prince pierced him swiftly in the neck, where there was no armor.

A second enemy came from the side, the prince quickly rotated and using the force of his movement sliced the neck of his attacker.

A third enemy approached from the back, the prince could no longer see properly, but he attacked where he thought the enemy leg would be, all he could hear was a distorted shout of pain, the sounds around him were merging with the beat of his heart, he could no longer see nor hear anything outside of himself.

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A blade came from the side, which he dodged by leaping backward, and then using his spear he dispatched three more enemies.

An enormous shadow approached him from the back, but when he thrusted, he felt as if he had attacked a wall, his spear shaft breaking in half. An enormous man with a Giant Steel Shield was in front of him, William had personally come to fight him, but there was not much strength left in the prince, his legs gave out and the prince fell to the ground. The prince was too tired to feel anything at that moment, there was no pain nor fear.

Strong arms lifted him from the ground, men in green armor were dragging him across the sea of bodies that once were his warriors. It was hard to keep his look up, thirst and tiredness engulfed him, a familiar voice brought him back from his lethargy.

Woman in Green:

Cousin…what a sorry state you are in, please accept my apologies

Prince:

…E-Estella?! W-why did you do this? What has uncle done? Why?!

Estella:

Father is dead, he was old…a mere shadow of his former glory. Kanem needs new leadership, and I’ll provide it. Clan Ignis will join Bradavia, and soon Northia will be no more, the whole continent will be mine…no…ours cousin

Prince:

That’s impossible! Uncle…h-he…but Bradavia and Northia joined forces…you are a puppet in their plans!

Estella:

My sweet cousin, you worrying is delightful but unnecessary, that alliance is false. Once Northia pushes towards Kanem’s lands, Bradavia’s queen Calypso will crush them from the West and we’ll do the same from the East.

Prince:

I can’t believe it…you? Of all people? What happened to you?

Estella:

What do you mean? This is me, cousin…this has always been me

Prince:

…Be done with it then, kill me and end this charade

Estella:

Kill you? Ha ha ha, why my dear? I won’t kill my husband…no…

Prince:

W-What?

Estella:

Once your father is dead…We’ll marry, uniting Kanem and Magna biggest clans, you and me, we both share Ignis blood. By marrying, my claim to the throne will be legitimate. And you…are an added bonus.

Prince:

Father won’t die, he’ll come to get you

Estella:

Your father’s death is not supposition, it is reality. Northia’s White Hawk killed him.

The prince fell on his knees, all his strength was directed on saving his father, but he had failed, since the beginning, this was a failed mission…his father knew it…and chose to send him away. There was no longer anything to fight for…the boy was prepared to die.

Prince:

Kill me Estella…there is no point anymore, be done with it, you have won…

Estella:

But there is a point my dear, I want this kingdom, I want this continent and I want you, and I always get what I want! Captain! Take him to the infirmary and get him ready to travel, we move to the capital!

Again, strong arms dragged him and chained his hands before sitting him inside a wooden carriage.

When all hope was lost, he took a final glimpse: his warriors dead, their broken weapons and armors…in the middle of it all, his family banner torn and messed. The wind carried it into the air, and got it stuck into a pale tree in the middle of the forest. A golden flame resting on top of a stone tower in a crimson red background.

We are the flame that binds the world.

He remembered that his family endured the cruelty, the malice of the world as they recognized the good in it.

The Ignis clan had always thought about changing the world for the best, two clan heads hundreds of years ago split the Ignis Clan into Kanem and Magna, following their own methods to achieve a better world. Magna was created with the intention to bring justice to an irrational world. Brigands, beasts and demons roamed the frontiers since ancient times, his family was sworn to shield mankind from those horrors.

He had to endure as did his ancestors, he had to cleanse the evil that had set roots in his kingdom. He gritted his teeth, the carriage passed over a wooden bridge.

Under the bridge an imposing waterfall more than 10 meters tall led to the river Mattheus mentioned before. The prince didn’t think at that moment, his body moved, with all his will power he stood up, and threw himself to the floor. He tried his best to jump from the bridge, but at the last moment was stopped by two enormous warriors.

William:

What are you doing? Hold him!

Tall Warrior:

I can’t…h-he..

We are the flame that binds the world, the words came to his mind once more.

He gritted his teeth, this time so hard that blood came out from his mouth, and with all his strength he pushed the two oppressors, and the three of them fell from the bridge into the depths of the water.