As Corvus stood on the battlefield, even the shadows seemed to shy away from his presence. Standing over a metre and eighty centimetres tall, he resembled a god of war with his muscular but not bulky, agile body. His short, coal-black hair fell across his forehead, and his red eyes, typical of the Tiamats, seemed to reflect fire itself. The flame in his eyes displayed not only power, but also the cold, calculating rage that had been building up inside him. His face was as hard and expressionless as a statue, bearing the scars of years of battlefield bloodshed and victories. His jaw was firm, his shoulders broad and confident.
After Zarqa was declared the winner, cheers from the crowd filled the arena. Corvus heard the sounds around him, but paid no attention to any of them. His red eyes hovered dully over the crowd, as if swallowing each cheer and then sending it into nothingness, while he stood tall with all his willpower not to give away the weakness of his arm in pain.
At that moment a boy in the crowd, Volmir Tiamat, joined in the cheering, his eyes shining with excitement at witnessing his brother's victory. Volmir could not hide his admiration for his brother. With his short black hair and stern gaze, he was like a small reflection of Corvus. But next to his brother, he was as delicate as a sapling. Nevertheless, the fire in his eyes burned just like Corvus; it reflected his desire to be like him one day.
Zarqa approached Corvus, ignoring the enthusiasm of the crowd. To an outsider, Corvus looked invincible, but Zarqa knew that Varick's last blow had pushed him over the edge. ‘Is your arm all right?’ he asked in a low voice.
Corvus' face remained expressionless, without the slightest sign of pain. Varick's blow had numbed his whole arm, although it was not noticeable from the outside. But he could not show his weakness to anyone. "I'll be all right tomorrow." he replied, keeping his voice calm. This was neither the first nor the last time he would suffer; he had chosen to change this world, and change came with a price.
At Zarqa's command, the crowd dispersed and the nearly two thousand men who had managed to remain under Corvus' command lined up in front of him. Corvus stood before them like a rock. His presence radiated not only courage but also authority and absolute power. The quickly assembled soldiers looked at him with silent reverence. There were traces of fatigue and admiration in their eyes, but above all, a new loyalty shone in them that came from having accepted Corvus' leadership. Every soldier had fallen under the shadow of this man, who at that moment seemed so much more than a mere mortal.
Sensing the presence of Zarqa, Kragan and Baldrek behind him, Corvus felt the weight on his shoulders even more deeply. He was sure of their trustworthiness, but leading the men before him required a leader to put his heart, not just his intellect, on the line.
After a short silence, Corvus slowly released the breath that had built up in his chest. His thick and resolute voice filled every corner of the field. "I know there are friends who are leaving you," he said. His voice carried no emotion. "But you have proven your skills to me and have earned the right to stay here. From today you will fight shoulder to shoulder with me!"
His voice echoed like a war drum. As each word was engraved in the minds of the soldiers, Corvus saw the fire burning in their eyes. These men had found meaning, a purpose behind his words. They needed a guide to encourage or strengthen them, and Corvus was ready to fulfil that role.
He gestured to the three men behind him. Zarqa, Kragan and Baldrek stood silent as shadows, but each was a giant in his own right. "You will follow the orders of these three men as if they were my orders!" he thundered. His voice was like the last words of a commander echoing through the red smoke of battle. "Anyone who disobeys their orders is disobeying me! Is that clear?"
“Yes, sir!” cried the men in unison, with a force that almost shook the earth. A slight curl of Corvus' lips reflected his realisation that he would shape both victory and the fate of these people.
"You are free for two days!" he continued. "After two days, you will be here before sunrise! You may disperse!"
When he finished, the crowd quickly dispersed, but Corvus was still standing where he had been. Zarqa, Kragan and Baldrek, lined up behind him, remained with him like shadows. Corvus' mind was already on the plans ahead, the changes to be made, the decisions to be made. He was already planning the steps that would make these men, his army, even stronger.
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After telling Zarqa, Kragan and Baldrek what needed to be done, he sent them away. Each of them was now responsible for a thousand soldiers, but Zarqa had no one under his command yet. Valerius, Corvus's uncle, would soon fill the gap. The soldiers that Zarqa would be entrusted with would be the new forces sent by Valerius.
When Corvus sent his friends away and was left alone, his eyes fell on the horizon. Solitude and silence were old friends that accompanied his thoughts, but the peace did not last long. Light footsteps broke the silence. Turning round, he saw it was Volmir. His younger brother had waited for the crowd to disperse completely and waited patiently to ask his brother to keep his promise. The look of admiration on Volmir's face eased the weight of responsibility on Corvus' shoulders for a moment. His love for his brother softened his hard exterior.
"You took proper care of your wounds, didn't you?" Corvus asked, a slight tone of compassion in his voice. Volmir responded with a quick nod of his head up and down, his energy and enthusiasm evident in his eyes. Corvus was tempted to smile for a moment, but it quickly gave way to a serious expression. "Shall we begin training then?" he asked. He knew his brother had a tough road ahead of him, and his face reflected it in a stern expression. Volmir winced at the look on his brother's face, but there was no turning back now.
Volmir attempted to begin with the movements he had learnt from his instructors. Before he had moved even an inch, Corvus' stern voice echoed. "Your stance is wrong! Your right leg is too far forward!" Corvus could see Volmir's slightest mistake with just an observation. Volmir obeyed his brother's warning and corrected his posture, but before he could take another step, another warning came. "Your elbows are too low! Raise your guard! You must not give your opponent an opening!"
With each movement Corvus made a correction. Volmir had wanted everything to be perfect in this training, but his brother's eyes were like sharp eagles, spotting every mistake. "Your stride is too wide! Your balance is off! Your opponent will knock you down if he gets the chance!" Corvus continued with every mistake his brother made. Volmir tried to pay more attention with each correction, but this training was far more demanding and exhausting than he had imagined. Not even a few minutes had passed, but Corvus had warned Volmir dozens of times. Every word Corvus spoke echoed in Volmir's head, weighing on his shoulders like a weight.
Volmir began to think that this training would last forever. He had not expected his brother to be so stern. The sun was about to set and Volmir's mind was consumed with nothing but training. His muscles ached, he was out of breath, but he did not want to show weakness in front of his brother.
When Corvus finally realised the sun was setting, he thought of his friend Belisarius. He had left Belisarius in the hands of the old instructor Montis, famous for his endless and arduous training. For a brief moment, he felt guilty for both Volmir and Belisarius. Perhaps he had been a little too hard on Volmir, but the hard training was necessary to make him stronger.
He looked down at Volmir, lying on his back on the floor, panting for breath. His little brother was completely exhausted. His muscles were trembling, his breathing ragged, but there was still the will to fight in his eyes. Seeing the fire burning in this little boy, Corvus sighed lightly.
"Get up, we have to go," Corvus said. Realising that the training was over, Volmir was suddenly filled with energy despite his fatigue. Corvus was a little disturbed by his younger brother's sudden energetic state, but he said nothing. Volmir looked at his brother curiously. "Are we going home?" he asked with childish innocence.
Corvus answered his brother's question with a slight smile. "No. I'm going to introduce you to a friend of mine," he said.
Volmir's curiosity was increased. The two made their way to the training grounds where Belisarius was, exhausted under Montis' harsh training. Corvus' steps were heavy but determined, and Volmir walked excitedly beside his brother, but he couldn't help but wonder what he was in for. He had seen Belisarius with Corvus before. He also remembered that Kaelyra had been swearing at Belisarius for the last few days when she was angry at Corvus.
He knew what a formidable instructor Montis was, and the thought sparked a spark of fear in him. After all, Belisarius was a weak-looking stranger and Corvus had left him alone with Montis. "I hope he's not dead," he thought as he and his brother arrived at the training ground where Belisarius was.