The king's final breath was only the beginning of a much longer nightmare. Kaelen looked at the silver bird in the sky and felt the air grow heavy with a pressure that felt like divine judgment.
"The Holy Empire does not come to save people but to claim what remains of the ruins," Kaelen said with a voice that was barely a whisper.
He felt the shadow dragon beneath him tense its massive muscles while its red eyes tracked the glowing bird. The silver creature was not a bird at all but a vessel made of enchanted metal and light.
"Master, the energy coming from that ship is enough to turn this palace into a pile of salt," the shadow dragon warned.
Kaelen turned his gaze back to the cowering nobles and the queen mother who was still sobbing on the cold floor. He knew he had very little time to consolidate his power before the new invaders landed.
"If you want to live, you will carry the bodies of my fallen brothers to the great square," Kaelen commanded the nobles.
The survivors looked at him with confusion and terror because they did not understand why a monster would care for the dead. A fat count tried to protest but a single look from Kaelen made his voice die in his throat.
"Do you intend to give them a funeral while an empire knocks at your door?" the count asked with a trembling lip.
Kaelen stepped closer until the count could smell the scent of the abyss and ancient dust on his breath. He grabbed the man by the collar of his expensive silk tunic and lifted him off the ground.
"I am giving them the army they were promised in life," Kaelen replied before tossing the man toward a pile of rubble.
The nobles began to work with frantic energy because they feared the shadow king more than the silver ship in the sky. They dragged the dead mercenaries through the shattered halls while their fine clothes became stained with blood and soot.
Kaelen stood at the center of the courtyard where his journey had started with a blade to his neck. He watched the silver ship descend and saw the bright light it emitted burning away the shadows in the streets.
"You have committed a great sin against the natural order of this world," a voice boomed from the silver vessel.
A man dressed in white and gold armor floated down from the ship on a platform of solid light. He held a sword that hummed with the power of the sun and his face was as cold as a marble statue.
"Sin is a word used by those who have never been hungry or betrayed," Kaelen said while drawing his dark blade.
The knight of the empire landed in the middle of the courtyard and looked at the dead mercenaries being gathered there. He let out a disgusted snort and raised his sword to point it directly at Kaelen's heart.
"I am Commander Valerius of the Third Solar Wing and I am here to execute the ghost," the knight declared.
Kaelen tilted his head and felt a strange irony that the newcomer shared the same name as the dead king. He felt the shadow power in his veins begin to boil and surge as if it recognized a mortal enemy.
"Many people have tried to execute me today and they are all currently inside the dragon's belly," Kaelen mocked.
Commander Valerius did not waste any more words and launched himself forward with the speed of a falling star. The clash of his light sword against Kaelen's shadow blade created a shockwave that blew the nobles backward.
The courtyard became a blur of white and black as the two forces collided again and again with violent intensity. Kaelen felt his human half screaming in pain as the holy light burned his smoke like skin.
"Your shadows are weak against the purity of the sun!" the commander shouted while swinging a wide arc of fire.
Kaelen took the hit on his shoulder and felt his flesh melting away into purple sparks and dark mist. He did not retreat but instead used his wounded arm to grab the commander's glowing wrist.
"The sun always sets and the darkness is always waiting for its turn," Kaelen whispered while his eyes turned into empty voids.
The shadow dragon let out a roar and breathed a cloud of absolute darkness that swallowed the entire courtyard. The light of the commander's sword flickered and dimmed as the shadows began to eat the holy energy.
Kaelen felt a surge of new power as the bodies of his fallen brothers began to glow with the same purple light as his own wounds. The mercenaries stood up one by one and their eyes were filled with the same hatred that fueled their captain.
"This is the Black Falcon unit and we are not finished with this war," Kaelen announced to the blinded knight.
The commander tried to fly back toward his ship but the shadow dragon snapped its jaws and caught the platform of light. The silver vessel in the sky began to tilt as thousands of shadows climbed up its metallic hull.
Kaelen saw a figure standing at the window of the silver ship who was not a soldier or a mage. It was a young girl with hair the color of moonlight who was looking at him with an expression of deep pity.
"Do not let the darkness take your soul entirely, Kaelen," the girl's voice whispered directly into his mind.
The silver ship suddenly exploded into a blinding flash of white light that forced Kaelen to cover his eyes. When the light faded, the ship and the commander were gone but a single silver feather remained on the ground.
The silver feather began to grow and transform into a terrifying mechanical giant.