Dawn crept slowly across the forest clearing, painting the tops of the pines with pale light. Birds began their morning calls cautiously, as though they, too, feared the smoke-blackened horizon behind them. Aramoor still smouldered in the distance.
At the edge of camp, Kaelar stirred.
His eyes snapped open.
And then shock.
"I slept," he whispered.
He sat up abruptly, looking around as though expecting an ambush. His hand shot to his sword hilt, then relaxed when he saw only the quiet camp and the soft morning breeze.
Kaelar frowned deeply.
"I do not sleep."
He muttered the words like a confession.
He got to his feet, marched toward the horses and found Varos standing there, stroking the neck of the lead mare.
Kaelar's eyes narrowed.
"What did you do to me?" he asked.
Varos looked up, expression calm as always.
"You were exhausted," he said, shrugging. "Perhaps last night safety finally let you rest."
Kaelar stared at him.
"That is not an answer."
Varos gently tightened a saddle strap.
"It is the only one I have," he replied, and turned his attention back to the horse.
Kaelar huffed but said nothing more. Still, suspicion hung around him like mist.
But then
Varos and Kaelar both stiffened.
A ripple of corruption passed through the air, faint but unmistakable.
Kaelar's hand went immediately to his sword.
"You feel that."
Varos nodded slowly. "Demons. Five of them. Searching."
Kaelar swore under his breath.
"The High Priest."
Varos gave a small nod.
Kaelar strode toward the campfire.
"We leave now!" he barked.
The High Priest stepped from the tent, already dressed in his ceremonial cloak.
"They hunt me," he said calmly.
"They hunt you," Kaelar corrected. "But they will not find you."
Erias scrambled to his feet, clutching the dagger Kaelar had given him the previous night.
"Are we leaving already?"
"Yes, boy," Kaelar said. "We must reach the sanctuary before the enemy catches our trail."
Varos placed a reassuring hand on Erias's shoulder, then helped him into the carriage.
The horses snorted anxiously, ears twitching toward the burning horizon.
Kaelar mounted his steed.
"The demons move west," Varos murmured. "We ride east. We will not cross paths."
Kaelar grunted his agreement.
"Move!"
The caravan rolled forward.
Hours passed beneath the morning sun.
Birdsong faded. Wind whispered through the leaves.
But Kaelar rode alert, scanning the trees as though expecting the shadows to leap out and attack.
Suddenly he halted.
"Riders," he said.
Varos narrowed his false-human eyes. Erias pressed his face to the carriage window.
Four armoured knights, helms marked with the sigil of Aramoor, appeared ahead on the road, swords drawn, armour scraped, tired horses stumbling beneath them.
Kaelar rode forward alone.
"You!" one of the knights cried. "You are"
"The Blade of Torvas," Kaelar finished. "What became of the city? I must know."
The knights looked at each other helplessly.
"Our home is lost," one said. "Demons… creatures of smoke… and beings with glowing eyes. They came from the sky and tore through the streets."
Another knight added, voice cracking:
"If you did not bow… they dragged you to the dungeons."
Kaelar's jaw clenched.
Veins of anger pulsed at his temples.
He tightened his grip on the reins until the leather strained beneath his gauntlets.
"This cannot stand," he growled.
The carriage door opened. The High Priest stepped out.
"Knights," he said gently. "Ride with us. The Sanctuary of Torvas still stands. You will be safe there."
The knights exchanged exhausted, relieved looks.
"We will follow," their captain said. "Lead us."
Kaelar turned his horse.
"Then we ride."
The forest thinned. Fields stretched out before them. And then
The Sanctuary appeared.
A massive stone citadel rose from the valley floor, towers carved with flaming scales, banners of brilliant red flowing in the wind. Sunlight glinted off polished armour as warriors trained in disciplined rows. Sparring bells rang across the training courts. The sound of swords striking shields echoed like thunder.
The Sanctuary of Torvas was not just a refuge.
It was a fortress.
Erias leaned out of the carriage window, jaw hanging open.
"Varos… look at it…"
Even Varos allowed himself a moment of awe.
Kaelar raised his arm in salute.
"We are home."
As the caravan approached the gates, the High Knights halted their training. Each warrior wore armour edged in flame-pattern steel. Their movements were precise. Their discipline is unmatched.
When they saw the High Priest
They all dropped to one knee and lowered their heads.
A wide path opened before him.
The High Priest stepped out of the carriage and walked forward with quiet authority, his cloak trailing behind him like a flowing ember.
"Rise," he commanded.
The knights rose as one.
He turned to Erias and Varos.
"Come," he said. "There is much to discuss."
Erias scrambled out of the carriage; Varos followed with measured grace.
Knights whispered as they passed.
"Who is the boy?"And the stranger…?""Why does the High Priest bring them?"
Kaelar rode behind them, still scanning for threats.
The Sanctuary gates opened wide, revealing grand halls carved with flame motifs, shrines to Torvas at every arch, and corridors leading to armouries, prayer chambers, strategy halls, and training courts.
"This place…" Erias whispered. "It's like a palace."
"It is more than that," the High Priest replied, leading them deeper into the Sanctuary. "This is where the finest warriors of Torvas are made. The High Knights begin their training here. And now…"
He turned to face Varos and Erias.
"…now it will become our base of operations. From here, we will form an attack force strong enough to reclaim Aramoor."
Erias swallowed.
"Attack force…?"
The High Priest gave a grim nod.
"Demons have taken our city, boy. We must be ready."
Kaelar dismounted and joined them.
"And you will train," he added, looking directly at Erias. "If you wish to protect anyone… this is where you begin."
Erias straightened. Dream watched him silently, knowing what awaited.
The High Priest turned again and beckoned them both.
"Come with me."
His robes glowed beneath the Sanctuary lights. The knights parted for him.
And together Erias, Varos, and Kaelar followed the High Priest into the depths of the true stronghold of Torvas.
The war had already begun.
But now…
They had a place to stand.
And soon
Dream's enemies would feel the weight of what they had awakened.