Anger twisted across Lurion's face as he watched Sera and Azron carve a merciless path through the Vaiels army on their way toward Arelus. Bodies dropped around them like broken shields beneath a storm.
Vaiels warriors rushed in waves, yet the two of them moved together with terrifying precision—Azron covering Sera's blind spots while Sera's strange weapon tore through anyone who came near their son.
Lurion's grip tightened around his bow despite the wound bleeding through his shoulder. His jaw clenched so hard the veins on his neck surfaced. His eyes never left the couple moving through the battlefield as if the world around them no longer mattered.
He raised two arrows at once.
Both aimed at them.
Azron's eyes shifted instantly.
"Sera!" he shouted.
But Sera was too focused on Arelus. Her eyes locked on the warriors dragging their son farther away. She never saw the arrows released toward them.
Azron ran toward her without hesitation.
The arrow pierced through his arm as he wrapped himself around her body.
The impact forced both of them to the ground.
Azron towered over Sera protectively as they knelt on the bloodied earth. His body shielded hers completely while chaos exploded around them. Horses screamed. Steel clashed violently. Men shouted and died in every direction.
Sera's eyes widened as she looked at the arrow lodged deep through Azron's arm.
Then her gaze snapped toward Lurion.
The Vaiels Lord was already preparing another shot.
Sera's breathing faltered.
Then her eyes shifted back toward Arelus.
Vaiels warriors were still closing in around him.
Her mind split apart between two choices.
Lurion.
Or Arelus.
Everything around her seemed to slow.
"Arelus…" Azron breathed heavily beneath her, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Sera raised the rifle again.
And continued firing at the warriors surrounding their son.
One by one, enemies fell before they could reach him.
Lurion released another arrow.
The shot struck Azron across the back.
His body jerked from the impact.
Lurion smirked as he watched Azron's body pierced with two arrows now.
"Azron…?" Sera's voice cracked.
"I'm fine," he forced out despite his weakening breath. "Don't let them go near Arelus."
Concern flooded Sera's face as she glanced at the arrows buried in his body while still firing ahead. Blood soaked through Azron's dark clothing, spreading rapidly beneath him.
Then her movements paused.
Lurion was walking toward them now.
Two arrows rested against his bowstring.
Sera immediately understood.
If those arrows landed again, Azron would not survive another hit.
By now the Mort army had fully intercepted the main Vaiels forces. The pressure around them eased just enough for Sera to check the rifle magazine.
One bullet left.
Her chest tightened.
"Shit."
She searched Azron's body quickly for another magazine, her hands moving desperately beneath his robe, but there was none. Azron must have only carried one spare load for her.
Sera grabbed his face.
Azron's eyes were forcing themselves to stay open now. His breathing had become uneven, strained beneath the weight of blood loss and pain.
Then her eyes shifted across the battlefield.
Rin and Runar were charging toward Arelus.
Before a Vaiels warrior could strike the child, Runar threw himself in front of him.
The sword pierced through Runar's back.
Blood burst from his mouth as the blade drove through him.
At the same moment, Rin's sword tore across the attacker's body, killing the warrior instantly.
"Arelus!" Rin shouted as he pulled the child away from the fighting.
Seeing her son finally safe, something inside Sera steadied.
She slowly raised the rifle toward Lurion.
At the same moment, Lurion released another arrow toward Azron.
Sera pulled the trigger.
The bullet collided against the incoming arrow midair, knocking its path aside before continuing forward—
—and piercing straight through Lurion's neck.
His eyes widened.
Blood burst from his throat.
Lurion staggered backward, clutching his neck desperately as blood spilled between his fingers. His strength collapsed beneath him and he fell heavily onto the battlefield.
The Lord of Vaiels fell.
But so did the Lord of Mort.
For a moment—
everything stopped.
Both armies froze.
The battlefield that had roared with violence suddenly fell into stunned silence broken only by ragged breathing, wounded horses, and distant screams from dying men.
Mort warriors immediately formed a defensive steel wall around Azron and Sera.
Vaiels warriors rushed toward Lurion.
Generals from both sides rode forward cautiously, weapons still drawn, eyes sharp with distrust as they faced one another across the blood-soaked field.
No one moved recklessly.
Because both Lords were critically wounded.
And if either side continued the battle now, the death of their ruler could turn victory into complete collapse.
A wounded army could still retreat.
But an army that loses its Lord in the middle of enemy territory risks disorder, pursuit, and annihilation.
The tension between both forces became suffocating.
Every warrior waited for the first command.
Then a Vaiels general raised his sword.
"Withdraw!"
A white Vaiels flag rose above their ranks.
General Jidu's eyes narrowed before he immediately answered.
"Withdraw!"
A white Mort flag was raised as well.
The battlefield shifted carefully.
Disciplined.
Measured.
Both armies slowly disengaged from one another, step by step, shields lifted cautiously as they retrieved their wounded and dead. No one lowered their guard. One wrong move could restart the slaughter instantly.
Vaiels soldiers carried Lurion away while shielding his body beneath overlapping spears and shields as they retreated toward Ormr Fortress.
Meanwhile Mort warriors surrounded Azron and Sera tightly, escorting them back while General Rin held Arelus protectively against him.
The battle had ended.
But the war between Mort and Vaiels had only grown bloodier.
Mort's army moved farther away from Vaiels territory before finally stopping near the lower hills beyond the battlefield.
The smell of blood and smoke still clung heavily to the air. Warriors moved urgently through the camp as the dead were separated from the wounded. Bodies covered in cloaks lined one side of the grounds while physicians scattered everywhere, treating men whose cries of pain echoed through the encampment.
"Mom!"
Arelus ran toward Sera the moment Rin placed him on the ground.
Sera immediately knelt and wrapped her arms around her son. The moment she felt his small body against hers, the strength she had forced herself to hold finally cracked. Tears spilled down her face as relief consumed her.
Arelus was safe.
Her son was alive.
Arelus buried his face against her shoulder, still trembling from fear.
"Mom…" his small voice shook. "…is uncle Runar going to die?"
Sera quickly wiped his tears despite her own eyes trembling.
"Shhh…" she cupped his cheeks gently. "No. We won't let uncle Runar die."
Then her gaze immediately shifted toward General Dan.
Dan understood instantly and hurried to summon the highest physicians among the Mort army to treat Runar's wound.
"Arelus," Sera held his face carefully, forcing herself to stay calm for him. "Can you stay with uncle Ru for a while? I still need to do something."
Arelus nodded obediently and walked toward Rin.
Sera slowly lifted her gaze toward him.
Rin looked back at her quietly.
No anger.
No questions.
But she knew.
He already knew the truth.
Knew she was never truly his sister.
Knew she had lied to him for years.
Yet Rin said nothing.
Not now.
Not when Azron's life was hanging by a thread.
Sera only looked at him briefly before turning away and stepping inside the large medical tent where Azron was being treated.
The moment she entered, the scent of blood became overwhelming.
She quickly grabbed her bag and searched through her medical supplies with trembling hands. Thankfully, despite the years and despite the fall into the Spine River, the waterproof case had preserved most of her emergency equipment.
Then she looked up.
Six high physicians of Mort surrounded Azron's body.
Basins of bloody water were scattered across the ground. Blood-soaked cloths piled beside the bed. The physicians' hands were stained red as they worked desperately over Azron's wounds.
General Wang and General Jidu stood nearby.
Their faces were grim.
Concern and fear filled their eyes as they watched their Lord struggle for life.
Azron's body lay motionless on the bed.
His skin had gone pale beneath the blood covering him. Two arrows wounds. Severe blood loss. One puncture dangerously close to the lungs.
One physician pressed cloth firmly against his back wound while another attempted to slow the bleeding on his shoulder and arm.
"Pulse is weakening," one physician muttered tensely.
"His breathing is becoming shallow."
Sera immediately approached the bed.
"Move."
The physicians paused and looked at her.
One of them frowned. "Your Ladyship, we are trying—"
"I said move."
Something in her voice made all of them step aside.
Sera climbed onto the bed beside Azron and immediately checked his pulse herself.
Weak.
Thready.
Barely there.
Her hands trembled as she looked at his face.
Azron's eyes were half-open, unfocused. His breathing uneven.
"Azron." Her voice softened despite the panic building inside her. "Hey…stay awake."
Azron's eyes shifted weakly toward her.
For a second, his lips almost formed a smile.
Then—
his chest stopped moving.
The physician beside her immediately froze.
"My Lord?"
Sera's hand snapped toward Azron's neck.
Nothing.
Her face went pale.
"No."
Another physician quickly checked his chest.
"No pulse."
General Wang's eyes widened.
General Jidu stepped forward in shock.
The entire tent fell silent.
"No…" Sera whispered again, her breathing becoming uneven. "No, no, no—"
She immediately shoved the physicians aside and climbed fully over Azron's body.
Her bright red dress spread across him like spilled blood itself. The silk was already stained darker from the battle, clinging against her legs and waist while her hands—covered entirely in Azron's blood—pressed against his chest.
The sight stunned everyone inside the tent.
It looked almost indecent.
The Lady of Mort straddling their Lord's body in front of everyone, her dress disheveled, blood covering her arms as she mounted him desperately.
"Lady Mort—" one physician started in alarm.
"Stop this!"
"You cannot—"
"BACK OFF!" Sera screamed.
The entire tent froze.
Her eyes were wild with fury and fear.
"I am not letting him die!"
No one dared move after that.
Sera positioned the heel of her hand at the center of Azron's chest.
Then she started compressions.
Hard.
Fast.
Her entire body moved with each push as she forced blood circulation through his stopped heart.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four—
Her bloody hands trembled violently as she counted breaths beneath her own ragged breathing.
"Come on…" she whispered desperately while continuing compressions. "Come back…Azron…"
The physicians stared at her in confusion.
They had never seen such a method before.
Sera tilted Azron's head back carefully to open his airway. She pinched his nose shut, sealed her mouth over his, and gave two rescue breaths before continuing compressions again.
Her red dress swayed with every forceful push against his chest.
Blood stained her knees.
Her hair had completely fallen apart, strands sticking against her wet cheeks as tears mixed with blood across her skin.
"Lady Sera, please…" one physician spoke carefully. "His heart has already—"
"I SAID BACK OFF!"
The fury in her voice silenced everyone again.
Even the generals looked shaken.
Sera continued compressions relentlessly.
Thirty compressions.
Two breaths.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Her arms began shaking from exhaustion.
"Don't you dare…" tears streamed down her face. "Don't you dare leave me…"
Another compression.
Another breath.
Then suddenly—
Azron's body jerked violently beneath her.
A harsh gasp tore from his throat.
The physicians immediately widened their eyes.
"He's breathing!"
Pulse returned weakly beneath her fingers.
Sera froze for one second.
Then relief shattered through her completely.
A sob escaped her lips as she grabbed Azron's face with bloody hands.
"You idiot…" she cried softly. "You absolute idiot…"
Azron coughed painfully, blood spilling from his mouth as weak breaths returned to him.
But he was alive.
Alive.
Sera immediately regained composure.
"Boiled water. Clean cloths. Now." Her voice turned sharp instantly.
The physicians hurried without hesitation this time.
Sera climbed off Azron carefully and opened her medical kit.
The unfamiliar tools immediately caught the physicians' attention.
Metal instruments.
Sterile needles.
Sutures.
Antiseptics.
Things none of them had ever seen before.
Sera cut away parts of Azron's blood-soaked clothing and examined the wounds quickly.
"The arrows missed the heart," she muttered while working. "But one likely caused lung trauma."
She immediately cleaned the wounds with antiseptic despite the physicians staring in confusion at the strange-smelling liquid.
Azron winced weakly beneath her touch.
"Stay awake," she whispered while stitching the deeper wound carefully. "You're not allowed to sleep yet."
Azron's tired eyes stayed locked on her face.
Even barely conscious—
he still looked at her like she was the only thing he could see.