Part - 1
Ser Aurelius and the shadowy figure stood mere paces apart, a breath's distance between calm and chaos. They moved with lethal grace, the space between them humming with danger. They moved not as men, but as instincts made flesh. A slow advance turned to a sudden dash. The shadow reached into the depths of its cloak and flung a dagger with lethal precision.
Aurelius turned his wrist, steel catching steel. Steel rang through the Wilderwood Forest as Ser Aurelius and the shadowed figure clashed.
"Tch. You'll have to do better than that," Aurelius muttered, his breath steady.
The assassin closed the distance with a horizontal slash. Aurelius met the blade mid-swing, his sword singing against the dagger. The force of their collision sending the dark figure skidding back.
Yet even in retreat, the shadow struck - another blade whistling toward Kaelis.
Aurelius moved without hesitation. His sword flashed, batting the dagger aside where it stuck quivering into an oak. He landed in a protective stance before the boy, his shoulders blocking the threat.
Then, Ser Alric's voice cut through the chaos like a whetstone on steel. "Ser Aurelius! We will protect the boy!"
Like hounds hearing the hunt's call, the knights snapped to attention. "Shields!" Alric commanded. Steel rasped as blades were drawn, the circle tightening around Kaelis with military precision.
"Yes, Ser!" knights replied in unison.
Ser Alric turned to them. "We are the Order. We do not yield. We do not fear. Shield Kaelis!"
Aurelius didn't look back, but his mouth curved in a thin, approving smile. "Your time is over," he told the assassin, Then he surged forward.
His sword came down in a vertical arc. The shadow twisted away just in time, retreating into the shroud of trees. From the darkness, steel rained small knives, more like needles, designed not to kill, but to distract.
But the knights were ready now. They raised their shields, cut the air with clean parries, eyes scanning with renewed clarity.
"Smaller knives," Aurelius murmured. "Not like the one that took Ser Rennic. These are distractions."
He turned to his brothers-in-arms. "Well done. You've won your first battle today, not against the assassin, but against fear."
Then he stepped forward, his sword held in both hands. The air changed.
"Silver Moon Draw," he whispered.
"Half Moon Cleave."
A gust of wind followed the strike. Steel tore through the trees like a blade through parchment. The arc was wide, hungrier. Forest cracked and splintered. Branches rained down.
From the swirling debris, the assassin emerged - his cloak torn, the darkness around him peeling away to reveal human legs, bloodied and shaking. He landed, breath ragged.
"I think...I've bought enough time," he rasped. His gaze locked with Aurelius's. "This is not the end, knight."
Then like smoke on the wind he was gone.
One of the younger knights stepped forward. "Ser, we should pursue. We can still catch him."
But Ser Aurelius raised his hand "Our mission is the prince." He sheathed his sword with finality. "The rest is noise."
Ser Alric knelt beside Ser Rennic, binding the wound. "Get the horses ready," he barked. "We ride immediately."
And The Order moved as one, again.
Ser Aurelius led the column, his silhouette cutting through the lingering mist like a blade through smoke. Behind him,Ser Alric rode alongside the young Kaelis, while the other knights moved with disciplined quiet, their armor whispering rather than clattering. Only the occasional snort of a horse broke the silence.
"What was that thing?" one of the younger knights muttered.
Kaelis fidgeted in his saddle. "That thing... it had human legs," he murmured. "But the way it moved..."
Another knight answered "Maybe... something took over a human body."
Ser Darran chuckled darkly. "Maybe you offended some forest spirit, boy. Stole its favorite runestone?"
The other knights smirked. Even Ser Alric's mouth twitched.
Kaelis's ears burned. "I don't even..."
"He wasn't after you." Aurelius's voice sliced through the chatter. "He targeted the weakest."
The laughter died. Kaelis's hands tightened on the reins. Weakest. A liability.
Ser Alric nudged his horse closer. "Don't mistake different for lesser," he said quietly. "You're not here to fight. You're here to help us find the prince."
The trail narrowed, the trees pressing in like curious spectators. The horses slowed instinctively, their hooves finding uneasy purchase on the strange earth.
Kaelis looked up. "We're close. The sky..."
Above them, the heavens hung frozen in perpetual twilight, stars glimmering through violet haze, neither day nor true night. The Realm of Vel Atherea recognized no mortal cycles.
The knights dismounted.
Leaves rustled.
Then
A knife
It cut through the air toward Ser Aurelius.
Aurelius caught it mid-air, the blade quivering between his fingers. Moonlight glinted off the hilt's intricate sigil.
The knights drew blades.
"Is he back again?!" someone called.
But Aurelius didn't answer at first. He studied the blade. Moon-silver hilt. A sigil, faint, but clear.
"Seal of the Moon," he murmured. His mouth curled into something close to a smile. "Prince Veylen... it's time to come home."
From the thickets, a figure leapt. A mud-streaked boy tumbled out, his fine blue tunic shredded, his hair matted with leaves. Yet his grin shone bright as any blade.
Aurelius strode forward, voice stern. "Prince Veylen. Where have you been? The council strictly forbade you from leaving the city walls."
The boy rubbed the back of his neck, guilty. "I'm stronger now. I hunted a rabbit yesterday and I made fire without flint!". Earlier, I ate a... squirrel."
"And that makes you a ranger?" Aurelius growled. "Next time you feel brave, inform me. Or the councilor."
Prince Veylen's shoulders sagged. "Yes, Ser... I'm sorry."
Aurelius sighed. "Come. On my horse. We'll talk when we return."
The prince nodded, subdued.
They climbed into their saddles. Without a word, the Order turned and rode back through the twilight woods. Back toward Astelvyr.
End of Chapter.