"Your Majesty, maybe we should wait until the sun graces us," the captain of the escort suggested cautiously. "And I doubt the King would approve of this sort of action."
They had set up camp in a clearing deep within the forest. The other boys and girls were eating the hot meal the military escort had prepared.
Sir Jeffrey, I respect your opinion," Prince Timothy replied, his gaze sharp and unwavering, "but I want this done now."
Elsewhere, Brianna was about to signal departure. "Alright, let's—" she froze mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing. "We have company."
Before I could ask, she scooped me up like a child into her arms. Petra immediately summoned her weapons—a circular shield and a short sword—her muscles tensing like coiled steel.
"Uh… what's going on?" I tried to look around from my princess-carry position. But then I realized—there was no sound. No chirping crickets. No rustling leaves. Even the wind held its breath. The forest had gone still, as if the world itself was waiting.
And then—
Back at the camp, Timothy and the captain had just joined the others for dinner: a thick, creamy lamb stew. Regina sat apart from the group, avoiding conversation. That's when they all noticed it—the deafening sound of silence.
It rolled in with the fog, nature setting the stage for something unseen. Everyone stopped eating. The guards tightened their grips on weapons. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
From that stillness came inhuman screams.
Figures emerged from the mist—undead. Their crude weapons and tattered clothing looked pathetic, but their numbers were anything but. Dim, hollow orbs that were once eyes glimmered in the darkness like spotlights demanding attention.
Timothy, Zoë, and the boys sprang into formation, coordinating instinctively. Zoë's companion stood beside her, matching their rhythm. The captain barked orders, and his men formed a pike wall with shields braced. Regina stood behind them, her Dao in hand, her expression unreadable.
"This is the work of a necromancer," she said flatly.
Brianna, meanwhile, had halted at the forest's edge, Petra standing protectively in front of her. With a sigh, Brianna set me down and summoned a spear. "We might need more help," she muttered.
From the trees, faint mechanical clicks echoed—like dozens of unseen eyes locking onto us.
"Your stamina is at sixty percent. You can summon a piece," she said.
"Right…" My voice shook as panic bled in. "Right, I summon the Knight!"
The moment the words left my lips, reality cracked.
Two zombies were impaled against trees, Petra now wielding a polearm, carving through bone, sinew, and congealed blood.
"What the fuck is going on? Walking dead?!" I blurted.
Above, the Eye of Horus hung alone in the unnatural night sky, bathing the battlefield in silver light—watching like an ancient audience awaiting the next move on the board.
If you want, I can also rework the fight sequence so it feels faster and more cinematic, almost like a chess piece battle merged with a horror scene. That would make the undead encounter hit a lot harder.