William stood silently atop the watchtower, his eyes fixed on the northern horizon. The last rays of sunlight stretched across the battlefield, casting long shadows over the ground littered with the corpses of dark beasts. Night would fall in less than an hour.
We need to get the lights up before darkness fully settles. The moon will be bright tonight... but fighting in the dark will still be difficult.
His thoughts were interrupted by a silhouette on the horizon—dark and humanoid, unmoving against the fading light. His chest tightened.
No… it can't be.
Thump!
A heavy sound echoed across the wall. The warriors turned toward the noise just in time to see William leap from the top of the watchtower. Despite the ten-meter height, he landed gracefully in front of the wall and broke into a sprint, dust swirling at his heels.
The Old Guards were tense. No words were needed—they knew their leader wouldn't abandon his post without a dire reason. Not when every move could sway the morale of the men holding the wall.
Minutes later, William returned, vaulting onto the wall in one fluid motion.
"Emergency meeting. Now," he told Simon, a veteran of the Old Guard. "Call half of the Old Guard and a few warriors. I need to inform them of a pressing matter. The rest should stay vigilant." Simon nodded and left.
Then, William turned and ascended the watchtower again.
"Telo, fetch John, Hestia, and Elsa. Tell them to meet me here—immediately," William said to the lookout beside him.
Telo gave a sharp nod. "Right away, Chief." He vanished down the steps.
Everyone assembled in the barracks near the wall. John, Hestia, and Elsa arrived last, tension heavy in the room.
"I've confirmed it," William began the moment everyone was present. "A wraith at the edge of the forest."
Everyone was so shocked that no one spoke for a while. The Old Guard exchanged grim looks. John's and Hestia's expressions darkened. Even the younger warriors, though they didn't fully grasp the implication, felt the shift in the room.
"How many?" John asked quietly.
"Just one—for now," William answered, his voice heavy. "But there may be more."
The room seemed to hold its breath.
"We can't rely on the wall alone," Hestia broke the silence after a while, her tone firm.
William turned to her. "You have a plan?"
She nodded. "We strike first. Take out the demonic beasts before they can mount a full-scale assault. If we wait, the walls won't hold. Once they're breached…" She didn't finish. She didn't need to.
William's eyes narrowed. "Hestia, we're talking about demonic beasts. Taking them on during a tide is suicide. Even if we succeed, it's only a temporary solution."
"Which is exactly what we need right now." She leaned forward. "We send for reinforcements from Atari City. If we eliminate their strongest now, we'll buy time. We can't count on Cyrus Stronghold—it's much further away, and for all we know, they may be besieged or worse..."
William's expression darkened. "And how do you propose we get a message through? The forest is swarming."
"Only a warrior or someone from the Old Guard could make it," Hestia said. "Sending messages to both Atari and Cyrus would cost us another fighter. Atari is the safer bet."
William glanced around the room, seeking alternatives. Unfortunately, no one could think of any other way out.
John crossed his arms. "What if the Lord of Atari refuses? What if he thinks we're not worth the risk?"
"He won't," Hestia replied. "If we fall, the tide moves directly towards his domain. Helping us now is in his best interest. Waiting would cost him dearly. None of the villages between us and Atari have fortifications like ours. This is his best chance to eliminate the threat before it reaches him. Plus, he wouldn't even need to eliminate them on his own—we are already doing it for him. With a little bit assistance, we would get rid of a potential disaster... and he would gain many warriors and experienced soldiers."
"Are you saying we have to work under him afterwards?" one of the Old Guards couldn't help but ask.
"What choice do we have? After we leave our village and enter his territory, we will have to obey his law. He won't tolerate other forces meddling in his domain," Hestia replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"It's not like we'll be enslaved or anything. We'll just be his subordinates—like many others. I've heard he's kind and treats his subordinates fairly." Seeing everyone's reluctant faces, she added further.
Everyone was still hesitant, but the gravity of their current situation gave them perspective. Being subordinates to someone was better than being dead. Since they couldn't think of any alternative, they remained silent.
William waited for objections. When none came, he nodded. "Fine. We'll do it your way. Now, how many initiates should we choose for the assault team?..."
The meeting continued for another ten minutes. They discussed other matters—wall lighting, weapons, and defensive placements. The finer details would have to be managed on the ground—William trusted Hestia to handle that.
As the group dispersed, Hestia lingered.
"I have a bad feeling," she murmured.
William frowned. "About what?"
"I don't know. It's just a feeling. Something worse might be coming."
William exhaled. "Worse than this?"
She reached out, gently taking his hand. They stood in silence, the weight of memory and fear unspoken but understood.
After a long moment, William stepped back. "Go. Help organize the second defense line. I'll take care of things here."
She nodded and left with John.
Only Elsa remained on the watchtower, preparing ingredients for her spell.
"We need fire spells across the northern wall," William said.
Elsa nodded. "I'll begin now. My strongest spell can sustain flames along the wall. If I use dark beast remains as fuel, they'll burn through the night."
"Good. I'll assign a guard to assist you."
Elsa began carving runes into the earth. After fifteen minutes, she climbed the wall, raised her staff, and chanted.
Flickers of flame sparked to life, growing steadily until they roared as tall as a man. The wall glowed orange with firelight, bathing the night in flickering heat.
Breathing heavily, Elsa approached.
"That's all I can manage. I won't be able to cast anything major for a while."
"That's enough. Go help Hestia in the square—she could use your support."
Elsa turned, then hesitated.
"What is it?" William asked.
She paused. "Something felt… wrong when I cast the spell."
He narrowed his eyes. "How so?"
"These dark beasts—they're freshly corrupted. I sensed traces of light within them. They were turned only a few days ago."
William's eyes sharpened. "You're saying they didn't come from the Dark Forest?"
Elsa nodded. "Exactly. It would take much longer for a tide to reach us from there—especially if they had to avoid Cyrus Stronghold."
William fell silent, deep in thought. He couldn't think of any reason for this. In the end, he sighed. "If that's true, maybe the stronghold isn't under siege. But that doesn't change our situation. Tell Hestia what you sensed. She may notice something we've missed."
Elsa nodded and left.
William turned back to the horizon. Night had fully settled in.
The second wave would come soon.
If the wraiths were involved from the beginning, the earlier attack was just a probe. The real assault was imminent. Stronger, faster beasts would come in force. If they concentrated their strength, the wall would fall within two charges.
To stop them, the warriors and the Old Guard would need to strike preemptively, armed with newly-forged long spears.
The walls themselves were weak—stone and rubble held together by mud mortar. Wide enough for two men to stand shoulder to shoulder, but poorly built.
When they were first raised, the villagers admired them. But in truth, they were little more than a child's sandcastle—impressive only to those who had never seen a real fortress.
I built these walls to quiet my own fears, William thought. I never believed they'd be tested like this.
Dark beasts had never entered this region before. He had always hoped they never would. Unfortunately, his nightmare had come back to haunt him, and he could do nothing but face it.
There was no more time for doubt.
The true battle was about to begin.