BOOK TWO: THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE GATE
Chapter 11: The Fallen Legion
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Hundreds of undead warriors charged through the black stone archway, their rusted armor scraping against the frozen ground.
Each step echoed like the march of an army that should have remained buried forever.
The crimson moon watched from above.
Its blood-red light covered the valley like an omen.
"Hold the line!"
Cassian's voice thundered across the battlefield.
The Royal Guards formed a defensive wall.
Golden shields locked together.
Ancient swords were raised.
The first wave crashed into them.
Steel collided with rusted blades.
The impact shook the valley.
Argos stood beside Cassian.
Although separated by thousands of years, the two captains fought as though they had trained together all their lives.
Argos' enormous sword swept across the battlefield.
Three undead warriors fell.
Cassian followed with a golden slash that shattered another five.
Yet...
The fallen soldiers slowly stood again.
Their broken bones repaired themselves.
Their empty eyes burned brighter than before.
"They're immortal!"
Aarvi shouted.
Argos shook his head.
"No."
"They're cursed."
Meanwhile...
The Crown Collector stood motionless upon a rocky cliff, watching the battle with amusement.
He didn't lift his weapon.
He didn't give commands.
He simply observed.
As if everything was unfolding exactly as he expected.
Lucien looked toward him.
"He's buying time."
Orion nodded.
"For what?"
Before Lucien could answer—
A deafening horn echoed across the mountains.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Every undead soldier froze.
They turned toward the Black Mountain simultaneously.
The mountain itself began shaking.
Large cracks spread across its surface.
Black light poured from within.
The Seventh Gate was reacting.
Eva's compass spun so violently that it escaped her hand.
It floated high into the air.
Ancient symbols surrounded it.
She quickly opened her notebook.
The symbols rearranged themselves into a sentence.
She read aloud,
"When the Prince returns, the Mountain remembers."
Lucien clenched his fists.
"So it's true..."
Riva looked at him.
"What aren't you telling us?"
Lucien remained silent.
His silence answered the question better than words ever could.
Suddenly—
The mysterious box in Aarvi's hands burst open.
Another hidden compartment unlocked.
Inside rested a tiny silver crown.
Unlike the crystal key...
This crown looked ordinary.
Simple.
Ancient.
Worn by time.
The moment Lucien saw it—
His expression completely changed.
"Impossible..."
He whispered.
Argos immediately turned.
"The Crown of Dawn..."
"It survived."
Lucien slowly reached toward it.
But before his fingers touched the crown—
The Crown Collector smiled.
"Don't."
Everyone looked toward him.
"You've forgotten what happens when the Prince wears his crown."
Lucien stopped.
His hand trembled.
Riva noticed.
"You remember something."
Lucien lowered his hand.
"Only fragments."
"I remember..."
"...someone begging me never to wear it again."
Before anyone could ask who—
The ground exploded beneath Orion.
A gigantic undead warrior emerged from below.
Nearly fifteen feet tall.
Its armor was black instead of rusted.
Its sword radiated crimson flames.
Argos' face darkened.
"No..."
"The General."
The giant warrior pointed its enormous blade toward Lucien.
Then spoke in a voice like breaking stone.
"My Prince..."
"Forgive me."
Without warning—
It attacked.
Orion barely blocked the first strike.
The impact threw him across the battlefield.
His sword slid through the snow.
The giant charged again.
Cassian intercepted.
Golden and crimson steel collided.
The shockwave knocked dozens of undead soldiers backward.
Even Cassian struggled to hold the attack.
"This one..."
"...is different."
Argos nodded.
"He was the greatest warrior of the First Kingdom."
"He trained me."
Parna noticed something strange.
Unlike the other undead...
The General hesitated before every attack against Lucien.
Almost...
As if fighting himself.
"Wait!"
Parna shouted.
"He's resisting!"
Nobody understood.
Except Elian.
"They aren't completely controlled."
"The Crown Collector is forcing them."
Riva immediately remembered the Memory Phantoms.
"They don't need to be destroyed."
"They need to be freed."
Eva quickly studied the compass.
The symbols shifted again.
This time they formed a single word.
Remember.
Riva understood immediately.
"Everyone!"
"Speak to him!"
Aarvi looked confused.
"You want us to talk during a battle?"
"Trust me!"
Lucien slowly walked toward the giant warrior.
Ignoring every warning.
Ignoring every attack.
The General raised his sword.
It stopped only inches from Lucien's face.
"My Prince..."
The giant's voice trembled.
"I..."
Lucien looked directly into the General's burning eyes.
"I remember you."
"You taught me how to ride."
"You always cheated when we played chess."
"You promised my father you'd protect me."
The General's body froze.
The crimson fire inside his eyes flickered.
Lucien continued.
"You kept your promise."
"You never abandoned me."
A single tear rolled down the giant warrior's stone face.
The black chains wrapped around his body began cracking.
The Crown Collector's smile disappeared.
"No..."
The chains shattered.
The General dropped his sword.
He fell to one knee.
"My Prince..."
"I'm sorry..."
"I couldn't save them."
Lucien placed a hand on the giant's forehead.
"You don't need to fight anymore."
Golden light spread across the General's body.
His black armor dissolved.
The crimson flames disappeared.
For the first time in thousands of years...
Peace returned to his face.
He smiled.
Then his body crumbled into countless particles of golden light.
The remaining undead soldiers stopped fighting.
One by one...
They looked toward Lucien.
Their weapons fell from their hands.
The curse controlling them weakened.
The Crown Collector slowly tightened his grip on his staff.
"So..."
"You've begun awakening the forgotten bonds."
He laughed softly.
"Excellent."
Lucien frowned.
"You're pleased?"
The Crown Collector nodded.
"Because this is exactly what I wanted."
Everyone froze.
"What do you mean?" Eva asked.
The masked man pointed toward the Black Mountain.
The Seventh Gate was now glowing brighter than ever before.
The freed souls of the fallen soldiers rose into the sky—
Not toward heaven.
Toward the Gate.
The ancient doors slowly opened another few feet.
Argos' face turned pale.
"Their memories..."
"The Gate is absorbing them."
The Crown Collector spread his arms.
"The more memories return..."
"The stronger the Gate becomes."
Riva's heart sank.
They had unknowingly helped open the Gate.
A loud crack echoed across the valley.
The Seventh Gate opened just enough for a single armored foot to step through.
The earth trembled.
The air grew unbearably heavy.
A deep voice echoed from within the darkness.
"So..."
"The path has finally been prepared."
End of Chapter 11