_______
I held the candle high, its flickering light casting long shadows across the tense faces in the room. "I've received news that Tayar's leader is away right now," I stated, my voice calm but carrying the weight of command.
The men around me began murmuring, the room alive with restless energy. "This is the perfect chance to attack them!" one declared, his words slicing the silence. Another voice joined, sharper this time, "Mobilize our army immediately! We must strike while they are vulnerable!"
A ripple of unease passed through the room when a dissenting voice spoke. A handsome man in a richly embroidered coat looked almost desperate. "Y-You can't do that!" he stammered. "We recently suffered heavy casualties from rushing into war unprepared. Attacking now… it will only repeat the same mistakes!"
My attention snapped to him, memories of the past flashing vividly. Ah… he was stripped of his command during the last war, I reminded myself, my brow furrowing. "You were relieved of your position as commander of the Royal Knights because you disobeyed my orders," I said, my voice cutting through the room like a blade. "How dare you meddle in the kingdom's affairs again?"
He flinched under my gaze, shrinking back, a silent acknowledgment of his past failings.
I turned to the military commander, ignoring the dissent. "Prepare to send our men to Tayar immediately," I commanded, my voice sharp. "Do not tell me the mighty Brionian Army fears a handful of barbarians!"
The commander bowed deeply, the weight of loyalty heavy in his posture. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he replied.
A cruel smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. Heh… if the Brionian Army and the remaining Shifters join forces, the Tayar Kingdom will fall for sure, I thought, the dark thrill of strategy sending a shiver of anticipation through me. "If we miss this chance, we might never have the opportunity to conquer the Tayar Tribe again!" I roared, letting the desperate fervor of command fill the room.
---
Meanwhile, far from the Brionian halls of power, the Tayar Palace Garden was a hive of careful vigilance.
"That concludes our meeting," a man with long, light-blue hair announced, his voice steady yet tense, as he presided over the council.
Concern flickered across my loyal citizens' faces. "We've observed unusual activity from the Brionian Army recently," a woman in a purple dress warned.
"But we will be fine as long as we stick to the plan," said a small woman with dark, braided hair, her tone resolute. "Even if war breaks out, everyone must carry out their duties to the best of their abilities."
A knight bowed low. "We will protect this kingdom, even in the absence of His Majesty the King and Lady Lucina. Leave it to us!"
"I'm counting on all of you," I murmured silently, watching from a distance, my heart heavy with responsibility.
A woman with silver hair, draped in a dark blue gown, approached the smaller dark-haired woman. "Let's go, Gillai. We must act quickly if we are to develop countermeasures against the Shifters," she instructed.
"Yes, Lady Arad," Gillai replied, her chair scraping across the polished floor, echoing urgency.
I cast one last glance upon them, taking in the determination etched on their faces. My people bowed as I prepared to leave. "I'm counting on all of you," I whispered, the weight of the Tayar Kingdom's survival pressing upon me.
The kingdom was in my hands now, but the storm gathering beyond its walls demanded swift, decisive action.
---
I stood at the edge of the battlefield, my gaze sweeping over the mass of Tayar forces advancing toward us. "I can see the savages over there!" I murmured, noting their determined march.
Beside me, a bright-haired commander's confidence radiated like heat. "Ignore those savages," he sneered, drawing his sword with a resounding SWISH. The weapon seemed to hum with dark energy. "It is our duty to defeat these barbarians and claim their kingdom for our king!"
I felt a flicker of hesitation. "We would like to avoid unnecessary bloodshed," I whispered, but my voice was drowned by the roar of clashing armies.
The two forces collided with a deafening YAAAAH. Spears struck shields with sharp CLANGS, swords sliced through the chaos, and cries of men echoed across the field.
Their army was smaller than I expected—a faint, grim smile tugged at my lips. They must have suffered heavily in the previous battle. I gripped my weapon tightly. "Stop them! Do not let them invade our kingdom!" I commanded, my soldiers rallying with renewed fury.
The battle was brutal. One of my men fell, a choked "UGH!" escaping his lips as he was fatally stabbed—a STAB that shook the lines.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the chaos. "SIR! We have a serious problem over there!"
Alarm shot through me. "WHAT?!" I shouted, sprinting toward the reported trouble.
"Do they have black arrows?" I asked urgently, a cold dread creeping into my chest.
"No, it's not that…" the soldier replied, his voice strained.
A cold, paralyzing premonition settled over me. I glanced back at the battle, horror dawning. The chaos was no longer caused by the Tayar army alone. A dark, ominous presence swirled among the combatants.
One of my soldiers sneered, stepping through the confusion. "How barbaric," he chuckled, relishing the disorder. "They can't even tell friend from foe."
My heart pounded in my chest. This is no ordinary battle. This is a trap set by the Shifters, I realized, my voice cracking with desperation. The field, once a place of calculated strategy, had become a chaotic, bloody labyrinth of deception.
---
A cold dread gripped me as my eyes fell upon the true enemy. A Brionian soldier—a Shifter—sneered at the chaos and taunted, "How barbaric. They can't even tell friend from foe." My mind spun, trying to process the unfolding disaster. "DON'T PANIC! IT'S A TRAP SET BY THE SHIFTERS!" I bellowed, the urgency of my voice cutting through the din of battle.
I had been running, desperate, my feet pounding the uneven ground as I questioned my men, "Do they have black arrows?" Their reply was terse, strained: "No, it's not that..." I glanced around, heart sinking. Dark, shapeless forms swirled above the battlefield, a nightmarish shadow over the soldiers clashing below. CLANGS of metal on metal rang endlessly. This was no ordinary battle—the Shifters had infiltrated our ranks, sowing confusion and fear.
A THWACK of steel slicing the air rang out, followed by a gut-wrenching HAAAAH! A fighter fell, blood spraying across the ground. The battlefield had become a bloody free-for-all, a chaotic nightmare where friend and foe blurred into a single, violent mess.
Then, a new sound cut through the chaos: CLIP CLOP. Figures on horseback emerged, their arrival precise and commanding. One man, his long silver-braided hair glinting in the sunlight, called out, "It looks like we got here just in time." My heart leapt. The White Dragon Tribe and the Black Dragon Tribe? What are they doing here?
The silver-braided man dismounted with fluid grace, his gaze steady. "We heard the Shifters might be attacking… and brought some powdered black hawk droppings that we received from Gillai."
A spark of hope ignited within me. "So you know about the Shifters too," I said, relief threading my words.
A man with red-brown hair stepped forward. "His Majesty warned us about them before," he explained, his tone calm but serious. He clarified the danger: "Shifters capture their enemies by transforming into other people. If they appear as those we cherish… we might be unable to strike."
The silver-braided man countered with quiet confidence. "Even if they disguise themselves now… they won't be a problem as long as we have the powdered black hawk droppings!"
A unified YAAAAH! erupted from our combined forces. Horses charged forward—RUSH—and swords clashed with the enemy—CLANG! A Brionian soldier was stabbed—STAB!—and fell, wailing, "UGH!" The arrival of the White and Black Dragon Tribes shifted the tide; the chaos now had direction.
My blonde-haired commander observed the reinforcements, a confident smirk tugging at his lips. Muttering under his breath, he noted, "They reacted faster than expected… but it's fine." His composure contrasted sharply with the turmoil surrounding us.
I refocused on the new allies. The red-haired man gave me reassurance, "With your help, we should be able to defeat the Brionians." The silver-braided man nodded firmly. "You can count on us. We swore to serve the great King of Tayar."
Elsewhere, in a quieter corner of operations, Lady Arad received encouraging news. "Several Slayers have already infiltrated their kingdom," her companion informed her.
A smile of relief touched Lady Arad's lips. "I'm so glad we received such a large amount of powdered black hawk droppings from the Wolf Tribe."
"Me too," the companion agreed. "Most of our forces should have some by now."
The battle raged on, but with the unexpected reinforcements and the countermeasure against the Shifters' deception, we finally had a fighting chance.
The battlefield was a maelstrom of steel and chaos—CLANG! YAAAAH! My heart pounded as my soldiers fought desperately, shouting, "DON'T LET THEM INVADE OUR KINGDOM!" The Brionian forces were smaller than anticipated, likely weakened from prior casualties, but the danger was no less real. A sudden STAB took one of my men down, blood soaking the dirt beneath him.
A cry cut through the din: "SIR! We have a serious problem over there!" I turned—TURN—and sprinted—DASH—toward the source. "DO THEY HAVE BLACK ARROWS?" I demanded.
"NO, IT'S NOT THAT…" came the strained reply.
A dreadful realization froze me. WAIT… Dark, malevolent forms swirled above the battlefield—a sign of the Shifters. A cruel SNICKER confirmed my fears. "How barbaric. They can't even tell friend from foe."
I shouted the warning to all around me: "DON'T PANIC! IT'S A TRAP SET BY THE SHIFTERS!"
Just then, reinforcements arrived—CLIP CLOP. "It looks like we got here just in time," one of the newcomers declared. I gasped in recognition. "The White Dragon Tribe and the Black Dragon Tribe? What are they doing here?"
The silver-braided man explained that they had anticipated the Shifters' attack and brought "powdered black hawk droppings from Gillai." Relief and hope surged within me.
The red-haired man confirmed the danger. "His Majesty warned us. Shifters capture enemies by assuming familiar forms. Without precautions, we could be paralyzed by hesitation."
"But the powdered black hawk droppings… they neutralize the threat," they added proudly.
A fierce YAAAAH! rang out as our forces surged forward—RUSH! "With your help, we can defeat the Brionians," one of my men shouted. "You can count on us," the silver-braided man affirmed. "We swore to serve the great King of Tayar." The tide was turning. Meanwhile, the blonde commander's composed smirk contrasted the chaos: "They reacted faster than expected… but it's fine."
In another location, Lady Arad received word that several Slayers had infiltrated the enemy kingdom. She sighed with relief. "I'm so glad we received such a large amount of powdered black hawk droppings from the Wolf Tribe."
"Most of our forces should have some by now," her companion added.
"This time, we won't be helpless against the Shifters," Lady Arad said, her voice steady with renewed determination.
Preparations continued as one woman readied to deliver the remaining powder to Titi and the Cardinal. CREAAAK—the door opened. An older woman examined a research book, noting Gillai's involvement, when KNOCK KNOCK sounded. She turned—TURN. "IS GILLAI BACK ALREADY?"
The door opened to reveal a figure whose presence sent a shiver through her. SHUDDER. "It's been so long. It's me, Raikan. You remember me, right?"
The woman recoiled, her steps trembling—SHUFFLE. "That's not possible…"
Raikan stepped closer, placing his hands over hers—SQUEEZE. "I've returned after protecting Hakan… just as I promised."
Tears streamed down her face—TRICKLE—but horror overwhelmed her maternal instincts. "RAIKAN DIED A LONG TIME AGO…! YOU DIRTY SHIFTER!" she screamed, staggering backward—SHUFFLE.
Raikan's expression hardened, cold and unreadable. "Mother… how could you be so cold to me?"
Her mind spun, grappling with impossibility. "Y-YOU'RE…!" she stammered. Raikan repeated the single word that carried all its weight: "MOTHER."