Chimeras, beasts created by the Dark King ,surge from the fog that walls the continent, not as individuals but as waves. They spill out in hordes, devouring any living creature , then withdraw back into the mist, only to emerge again and repeat the cycle, their true numbers unknown.
Their bodies look like someone tried to stitch different animals into a single nightmare. Forms vary from pack to pack, but the most common chimera is described like this: big as a predator with a deer's skull for a head, crowned in jagged antlers, as if flesh and bone have traded places. Four lidless eyes cluster on each side beneath the bony mask, watching from the shadows. Behind the long skull, a jaw packed with knife‑long teeth can unhinge wide enough to fit a grown human whole.
Its body is built like a lion warped into something leaner and crueler—ribs exposed like a cage of ivory, spine plates ridging the back like interlocked blades. Each limb ends in retractable claws that snap downward, forcing any prey it grips to the ground. From its lower spine grows a segmented, bone‑plated tail that ends in a hardened spike; when it lashes, it hits like a whip and punches through armor as if the tail were just the spine extended outward.
Even these are not the peak of the species. Their purpose is simple and terrifying: consume, survive, and with every body they tear apart, grow closer to something far worse that waits deeper in the fog.
......
The fire pit had burned down to coal and ash. The iron pot sat empty, bowls scattered across the ground. Silence held the camp, the last exchange of words dying on Ren's tongue as he muttered, "And that's all I remember."
Shin let the quiet sit, giving Ren a moment before he spoke. "I don't understand something. I know you've been through hell—the way you skipped some parts says enough—but I need to know one thing." He leaned forward. "Where was Lord Adrian in all this chaos?"
Ren frowned. "Who?"
"Adrian. The younger brother of the previous lord, Alexander," Shin said.
Ren shook his head. "He died in the first month of winter. I heard it from the knights in the village, reminiscing about how the young lord was supposed to lead us. I asked about him. They said he died two weeks before my arrival. I asked how. They found his body drifting in the river with claw marks. They suspected chimeras, but Gorann, the knight commander, shut them up—said there are no chimeras west of here. They never spoke about it again."
Shin was already on his feet by the time Ren finished, hands moving fast as he began to gear up. Ren looked at him, confused.
"If the young lord is dead," Shin said, tightening his belt, "then who the hell is running that fortress?"
"What?" Ren stared at him.
"At first I thought your story was missing pieces on purpose," Shin went on. "I assumed they ran after fighting you, and for some reason didn't finish you while you were unconscious. But something doesn't add up. Think about it." His voice sharpened. "They're still there. Hiding in plain sight."
He took off down the hill toward the fortress.
Hearing that "they" were still inside, Ren's face twisted with anger. He broke into a run beside Shin.
The wagon wheels squealed again as Bjorn steered it uphill. Beside him on the bench sat Lili and Peter, Peter wedged between them, arguing as usual.
"I'm telling you, he might be as strong as him," Peter insisted.
"No one is as strong as him. You're just jealous—with those twig arms," Lili shot back.
From inside the wagon, with his feet hanging out the back, Jonathan groaned, "You always exaggerate, Peter. It's not the first time. Remember the dragon incident?"
Lili laughed and pointed at him. "Yes. He was terrified of an elder falcon."
"Shut up," Peter snapped. "I saw it with my own eyes—big as the sky, covering the moons' light, then it went up into the clouds."
Jonathan and Lili laughed together as Bjorn suddenly pulled the reins and brought the wagon to a stop.
Peter frowned and looked ahead. Shin and Ren were sprinting toward them at full speed.
Shin reached them first and slapped a hand onto Bjorn's shoulder. "Get your hammer. It's time."
Ren stood at the back of the wagon, staring. It was his first time seeing a human that big.
"Gear up, all of you," Shin said. "We've got a mission. We need to capture the lord and his knights—dead or alive—but only after we get all the facts straight."
"You figured something out?" Peter asked.
"The lord is an impostor—and an Akrion Aspect," Shin replied. "We need absolute confirmation about the occurrence of…" He hesitated, then finished, "the act of Desecration."
Everyone froze and turned to him, shocked. Shin's expression was all hard anger. The silence broke as they moved at once, following orders.
Jonathan dropped out of the wagon, his full figure showing at last: lazy eyes, long blond hair shaved on one side and ending in a single long braid. He carried a bow with no string and no arrows. "Blood's spilling tonight," he said calmly.
He circled the wagon and stopped when he saw Ren. His eyes widened; for a heartbeat, another face flashed in his mind.
"You… look like… him," Jonathan whispered, voice trembling.
Ren met his gaze, then turned away and followed the others as they left the wagon and headed straight toward the fortress. Jonathan stood there, staring after Ren as if he had just seen a ghost.
Shin laid out the plan as they moved. "Bjorn, once we're inside, you handle the guards. Don't kill them—knock them out if you can. Peter, Lillian, Jonathan, you take the knights. Leave at least one breathing if there's a chance to interrogate. Ren and I will go straight for the lord."
Peter glanced over. "You said the lord was an Akrion Aspect. Any information on his manifest?"
"I'm not sure," Shin replied. "But I have a hunch—and I really hope I'm wrong"
Bjorn reached the gate first and laid a broad hand against it, then pressed his ear to the wood. The fortress gate was 8 meters in height,a double doorway of thick timber, bound in a steel frame and heavy bars. 8 meters in height
He shifted his head, then lifted one hand and made a sharp gesture: give me my hammer.
Peter stalked up, frustrated. "You damn well know I can't pull it," he muttered, then swiped his finger through the air. A wooden handle appeared from nothing.
Bjorn sighed, stepped aside, and wrapped his hand around the floating haft. He pulled with all his strength as the rest of the weapon rushed into existence—a massive hammer forming out of thin air, he channels massive amount of akrion and compresses it into a sphere on the hammer's face , weight slamming into his grip. In a fast motion he swung, bringing it down with full force into the center of the gate.
The impact shattered the doors inward. Both leaves tore off their hinges and crashed into the courtyard beyond in a storm of splinters and iron. with guards gathering in the courtyard after one blowing danger horn .
Ren flinched at the sound and sheer violence of the strike with a shocked face . Bjorn caught the look on his face and, for the first time since they'd come to this fortress, he smiled.