Back on the Fort.

The officer who interacted with Zach paced the length of the room, boots thudding against the wooden floor. Around him, the other men in uniform sat or stood stiffly, their faces shadowed by concern.

“What the hell is going on?” the officer demanded. “These iron spears, for instance—completely out of control! Do you know how fucking insane it makes us seems?”

One of the younger officers stepped forward, clearing his throat. “Our men have gotten the Iron Spear launcher back under control... Sir Kol. It's possible that one of our men had a vendetta against him."

"Really?"

"According to the papers, the target worked with Glory for a single day. One of them maybe took offense to him quitting so quickly and randomly?”

General Kol whirled on him, disbelief etched on his face. “He worked with them for how long? Four hours? And they tried to kill a promising scientist? If Glory wanted him, they wouldn’t have tried to assassinate him through us. They’d want him alive, and he would’ve received a very clear message. This wasn’t them.” He jabbed a finger in the air. “Someone else is involved.”

The room was silent.

“At least he’s off our hands now,” he muttered, rubbing his temple. “We don’t have the time or resources to deal with whoever—or whatever—is after him. But my words... having to act like we were behind this madness is infuriating.”

It was better to take the blame than to seem incompetent. Incompetent enough to have an unknown foreign agent act not once, but twice in their test area.

---

Back to Zach.

The forest was dense and eerily quiet, the thick canopy above blocking most of the sunlight. Shadows shifted as the group moved along the dirt path, their footsteps muffled by the damp earth. Zach adjusted his pack, the weight of it biting into his shoulders as he glanced at Maljuna’s two knights walking ahead.

He quickened his pace to catch up to them, clearing his throat. “So, we’ve been walking for a while, and I still don’t know your names. Might as well fix that.”

The male knight, tall and broad-shouldered with a serious face, glanced at him briefly before answering. “Daron.”

The female knight, whose smaller stature belied the sharp edge in her voice, added, “Lira.”

“Nice to meet you,” Zach said. “How long have you been working with Maljuna?”

Daron kept his eyes forward as he replied. “Since she was a child.”

“Same,” Lira added. “We’ve been her knights for years.”

Zach raised an eyebrow. “So, you two must be her main crew, then? I saw a lot of other knights with her before. Big group.”

“They aren’t usually with her,” Daron said flatly. “That was for show.”

Lira smirked. “A display of force. Maljuna’s position has its challenges. Sometimes, a bigger presence makes people think twice before causing trouble.”

“Right,” Zach said, nodding slowly. “Makes sense.”

They walked in silence for a while, the crunch of leaves and the occasional distant bird call the only sounds. The path began to narrow as the trees grew closer together, their twisted branches forming almost impenetrable walls of bark and leave

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

When they reached the outskirts of the village, the sight stopped them cold.

The village was in ruins. Charred remains of buildings stood like skeletal frames. The ground was littered with corpses, many burned beyond recognition. Maljuna’s jaw tightened, her eyes scanning the destruction.

Zach muttered. “This… this is bad.”

One of the knights stepped forward, his voice grim. “We should check the bodies. See if Markinson’s here.”

Maljuna nodded curtly. “Do it.”

The group spread out, moving among the smoldering remains. Zach hesitated, his stomach twisting as he passed bodies slumped against walls or sprawled in the dirt. The smell of decay and burnt flesh was overwhelming.

He wondered if he would come across the lovely couple that took him and Markinson in, but what was the chance he would recognize their faces?

“No sign of him,” the Daron reported after a while.

Maljuna’s face darkened. “Are you lying to me, Zach?” she demanded, turning on him suddenly.

“What?” Zach raised his hands defensively. “No. I told you what I knew. Why would I lie about this?”

“Because this is a waste of time!” she snapped. “Markinson’s not here!”

Zach took a breath, trying to steady his voice. “If you don’t believe me, fine. But at least check for your parents' corpses.”

The words made her freeze. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she looked away.

knight interrupted the tense moment. “I’ll check further ahead,” he said, disappearing deeper into the forest without waiting for a response.

Zach stayed where he was, watching Maljuna’s face as she struggled with herself. As he waited, his mind wandered.

If magic is frowned upon because of how it corrupts people, he thought, shouldn’t things like these inner powers and super weapons be treated the same way? He glanced at the ashes swirling in the breeze. Or maybe magic is just on a bigger scale, like comparing a knife to a nuclear bomb.

“Stay here,” he said, looking at Lira and Maljuna. “I’ll search ahead.”

Lira nodded, standing at attention as Daron disappeared into the trees without another word.

Maljuna leaned against a nearby tree, her arms crossed. Zach watched her for a moment, then decided to break the silence. “Can I ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"Why’d you pick me as a knight? To make me one.”

She turned to him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Pick you?”

“Yeah,” Zach said, gesturing vaguely. “You know, in the arena. When I won. Why me?”

Maljuna tilted her head slightly, as though trying to recall. “The First General, Kol, came to me with the idea. He seemed eager to get you off his hands. Said you’d earned your place and that it would be a waste not to use you. So I agreed. If you won, you must be good.”

Zach blinked, his mind racing. “Wait, hold on. Kol told me you asked for me. He made it sound like this whole thing was your idea.”

Maljuna raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t ask for you. Kol offered you..." She sighed. "I think I realize what happened. You're bad news and he threw you onto me."

Zach muttered under his breath. “Great.”

If he had to guess why they wanted to get rid of him, it was probably because of the iron spears or they saw him using his skills. At the last moment in the test when he had survived all those iron spears, it should have been fairly obvious that something was weird about him.

They waited in silence for what felt like an eternity, the forest around them eerily still. Finally, Daron emerged from the shadows, his face grim.

“I have found the corpses of your parents,” he said simply, glancing at Maljuna. “You should come.”

Maljuna’s expression hardened, and she strode forward without a word. Zach followed with the knight.

They went deep into the forest, the path winding longer than expected.

After what felt like hours of travel, they arrived at a clearing. By the time they reached, the sky was turning dark.

There, in the center of the clearing, lay two bodies scattered around, their flesh already decayed, and a thick swarm of flies hovered above. Maljuna stopped, her eyes locking on two particular figures.

The sight was horrifying—flesh withered, skin blackened and peeling, their features barely recognizable.

She stared, frozen, her face betraying no emotion. The silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity.

“Maljuna…” Lira started softly, but Maljuna raised a hand to silence him, her gaze unwavering.

The other knight shifted uncomfortably, unable to escape the tension.

“There’s something else,” he said hesitantly. “I spotted a carriage further down the trail. It’s damaged.”

Maljuna’s voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. “I see. Lira, destroy the bodies. No one should be aware that Nicole and Ember Tombbreaker are dead. They are busy trying to recruit warriors from across the land."

Libra drew her sword, it glowed bright and became fire. Then by tapping both corpses, they ignited.