Nathan

Year 2850 | Month 12 | Day 27

So this is the coast of the Kingdom.

I frown as I stare out from the top of a high cliff at the coast several kilometers away. At the soldiers from the Kingdom charging straight at the soldiers surfacing on the sands after swimming from the various ships.

It’s a rather dark sight, but one I’m used to by now. Just from the number of wars and battles I’ve been in.

The sight I’m not used to seeing, however, is the large fog of miasma layered in a massive dome around the continent, gradually fading the higher up I look. With various tentacles of miasma swatting at the soldiers trying to cross the dome before entering the coast itself.

I heard about it from the nobles, but it really is something else to see it in person.

The skeleton’s protection spell placed over the entire continent.

Not many people would be able to cast a spell of that size. So it goes to show how powerful the skeleton really is.

“Your Highness, please follow me,” the soldier who came to escort me here – a man serving Duke Elmwood – says while bowing towards me.

I nod my head absentmindedly while still staring in awe at the massive barrier. A defensive barrier that also attacks those who get near it.

After several seconds of trying to pick the spell apart and failing miserably, I finally turn to walk towards the soldier. Making said soldier immediately turn around and begin walking towards a nearby fortress on the cliff, just barely outside of the forest next to us.

It’s only been two days since the grand meeting of the nobles, and all of the nobles collectively started referring to me as ‘Your Highness’ and ‘Prince Nathan’ ever since. Without anything really building up to it.

They just randomly started referring to me as it after the meeting.

Maybe it’s because I’ve proved myself after killing those barons? Or maybe the skeleton said something about it.

Could even just be that they can’t ignore the king’s wishes about my ‘adoption’ into the royal family now that said king is the main defense of the entire Kingdom of the Fallen.

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Either way, it’s weird.

But whatever. Doesn’t really matter at the end of the day.

I continue following after the soldier while looking out over the cliff at the war. Most of the enemy soldiers aren’t crossing past the barrier, because it takes a powerful magician to create an opening in the barrier for them to pass through. Leaving all the other soldiers to be wiped out by either the barrier or the soldiers shooting at them from the shores.

All while the ships themselves fire powerful artillery at the barrier.

Well that won’t do much. Not without the help of powerful magicians.

As if waiting for that very thought, I see a barrage of spells suddenly fly towards the barrier. Spells of all sorts, whether poisons, explosions, flames, water, any type of affinity. And when the spells all hit the barrier, it flickers for only a second. And even that seems to only be because the artillery hits it at the same time.

Really is a powerful barrier.

We keep moving along the cliffside until we reach a point at about a hundred or so meters away from the fortress, where I turn my attention fully away from the battlefield to focus on the fortress. And at the same time, I find several officers leaving the front gate of the fortress and heading towards us.

But I don’t pay much attention to the officers. The one that catches my eye is the noble that I recognize in the center of the lot.

Count Fels. The ruling lord over this territory, and if I remember correctly, a rather prudent man. He showed no distaste for me and actually seemed to treat me in a positive light.

Which was the entire reason I decided to head here instead of any other border territory.

Once we get within speaking distance, we both stop walking and he calls out, “Your Highness, please act as you please. You have freedom over the entire battlefield, and you may give orders to some of my soldiers as well. But any order that requires more than one hundred soldiers at once must be run through one of my officers.”

The corner of my lips quirk upwards at that.

Good. That was what I was waiting for.

“Appreciated, Count Fels,” I tell him with a nod. Then I turn to look out over the cliff again as I add, “I’ll be joining the battle now. Good luck on your side.”

“I wish you luck as well, Your Highness,” the count says.

And without any hesitation, I jump off of the cliff, making a loud creaking sound come from my legs when I land as they no doubt almost break. Only for them to return to normal by the time I stand up straight again.

Then I proceed to run straight across the coast towards the battlefield.

The usual black veins from my bloodlust begin spreading across my face as I run. Meanwhile I see the crimson light reflecting off of my eyes onto the sands below me in the dark of night mixed with the miasma high above blocking out the stars.

But even as I allow my bloodlust reign, I keep in mind the fact that my friends could be amongst the enemies. Even if none of these particular enemies are from the Republic.

I’ve had trouble not thinking about them in the past couple days. Because they all still think I’m dead. And the thought of running into them now… while I look like this…

It’s not a pleasant thought.

Well, it’s best to just put them to the back of my mind. Only focusing on them if I see them.

I run straight up to the battlefield while drawing both of my swords and jumping straight towards one of the closest enemies, soaring through the air in the process until I slash straight through a magician who was preparing a spell to attack one of the count’s men.

For now, it’s time to hunt.