The Price of Survival
Three days had passed since the light of Arthur Stellaris's Final Sanctum faded from the battlefield. Black smoke still billowed from the ruins of Stellaris Palace, while the corpses of warriors from both sides lay scattered across the now dark-red ground.
In a hidden cave, fifteen kilometres from the former palace site, Captain Gareth leant against a rock wall, a bloody bandage wrapped around his chest. Around him, thirty-seven individuals—the last remnants of the once-grand Stellaris Kingdom—gathered in a suffocating silence.
General Marcus lay in a corner of the cave, his breathing heavy and erratic. A vampire's spear had pierced his lung, and though Healer Mira had done her best, they all knew the General wouldn't last much longer. Archmage Eldon sat beside Commander Lyra's body, his normally sharp elven eyes now staring blankly into the cave's gloom.
Most concerning of all was the infant wrapped in a silk blanket in their midst. Carsel Stellaris, the last heir to the throne, slept peacefully, oblivious that his world had shattered before he even had a chance to know it.
"They're coming," General Magnus whispered hoarsely. His broken left arm hung in a torn sling, yet his eyes still burned with a veteran's vigilance. "The Alliance won't let a single one of us live. They know that as long as there's a Stellaris heir, there's always a chance the kingdom could rise again."
Gareth nodded heavily. As Captain of the Knights, he'd been trained for such situations, but the reality was far grimmer than the worst scenario he'd ever imagined. "Their search parties reached Millhaven Village this morning. They're killing anyone suspected of knowing our whereabouts."
"Innocent civilians," Magnus growled, his hand clenching in anger. "They even killed children just on suspicion."
Healer Mira, a middle-aged woman with weary green eyes, lifted her head from tending to the wounded. "We can't keep running like this. General Marcus needs care I can't provide here. And the baby... he needs milk and proper warmth."
Archmage Eldon finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "There's one place. A place even the alliance of the four kingdoms wouldn't dare to enter."
All eyes turned to him. Eldon gazed at baby Carsel with a complex expression—a mixture of hope and fear.
"The Oblivion Forest, on the southern border. There's a hermit there who was once a Sage, like our late king. He's been secluded for five years after... a certain incident. They call him the Sage of Shadows."
"Are you certain he'll help us?" Gareth asked sceptically. "A reclusive Sage usually isn't interested in political affairs."
"He owes King Arthur his life," Eldon replied. "Five years ago, when he lost control of his dark power and nearly destroyed a city, it was King Arthur who saved him. Not with violence, but with understanding and compassion."
Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats echoed from outside the cave. Everyone instantly tensed, their still-mobile hands reaching for weapons. Gareth carefully crawled towards the cave mouth and peered out.
What he saw froze him. Dozens of horsemen in black armour, bearing the combined banners of the four kingdoms, were methodically sweeping through the forest. In front of them, a man in a long coat walked calmly, his eyes glowing with an odd magical light.
"A Tracker," Gareth whispered in horror. "They've brought a Tracker."
A Tracker was a specialised mage capable of following magical energy trails. With the lingering magical aura from the battle three days ago, it wouldn't be difficult for the Tracker to pinpoint their location.
"How long?" Magnus asked, preparing for a final stand.
"Five minutes, maybe less," Gareth replied. "They're heading directly towards us."
Eldon rose hurriedly. "Mira, give me the baby. Gareth, take your three best men who can still fight. We'll create a diversion while you escape with Carsel."
"No," Gareth said firmly. "I won't abandon General Marcus and the others."
"This isn't about choice!" Eldon snapped, his voice trembling with emotion. "It's about priority! King Arthur sacrificed his life to protect that child. We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain!"
General Marcus, his voice barely audible, said, "Gareth... go. Take... our heir. I and the others... will buy you time."
Tears streamed down Gareth's grimy face. He knew this was the right decision, yet leaving his comrades to die felt like betraying his knightly vows.
With trembling hands, Eldon took baby Carsel and wrapped him in his thick cloak. "The Oblivion Forest, remember that. Look for a bamboo shack by the silver-watered lake. Tell him Eldon sent you, and tell him about King Arthur's favour."
The sound of hooves grew closer. Through the crevices of the cave, they could see the flickering torchlight moving among the trees.
"Now, go!" Magnus whispered.
Gareth, with a heavy heart, took Carsel from Eldon's arms. Along with three young knights—Sir Roderick, Sir Elena, and Sir Thomas—he crawled through a hidden rear tunnel of the cave.
The last sounds he heard from the cave were Eldon's whispered incantations and the clang of swords being drawn by Magnus and the others. They were preparing for a final battle that would allow the heir to the throne to escape.
Five minutes later, as Gareth and his group had run a kilometre through the dark forest, the sky behind them blazed with dazzling magical light—a sign that the final battle of the Stellaris survivors had begun.
Carsel Stellaris, still sleeping in Gareth's arms, was unaware that he had just lost the last people who knew him as a prince. His journey as an orphaned child without an identity had just begun, and the price of his survival was the blood of heroes willing to die for his future.
In the darkness of the forest, the four remaining individuals moved cautiously towards a place even their enemies feared to tread—the Oblivion Forest, where an exiled Sage awaited with secrets that might just change the destiny of the child held in their embrace.