In front of Alistair was a bright city, a bit far from the Black Mountains and its weather. There were very large wheat fields outside, covering half of the land.
It took Alistair by surprise, especially taken away by the beauty of it.
After learning he was eligible to construct a faction, Alistair was filled with a quiet certainty he hadn't felt in years. The Black Mountains were behind him. Whatever came next, it started here.
He walked along the bridge, meeting face to face with the city gate.
After a few moments, guards from above inspected quietly and chose to open the gates.
It would be unusual to let anyone in just like that, but there was a reason.
After the guards noticed Alistair's hair color, they instantly got into their positions and opened the gate as soon as they could.
Alistair belonged to the Thorne Clan, which held a notable amount of influence around Solnar. Of course, Alistair would never brag about being from Thorne. However, he could barely hide it as the people of Thorne would always have silky yellow hair.
Ignoring the useless thoughts of Thorne, he stepped forward and entered the bustling city of Therasia.
There were many people, some were calling loudly for customers next to their shops, some were doing advertisements, and some were apparently preparing for battle.
That last part made him stop.
Not dramatically, just a half step, eyes moving across the street with a different type of attention.
Three men near the eastern wall were checking the straps on their armor.
A merchant packing his stall away with the speed of someone who had done it under pressure before. A woman pulls her children inside without explaining why.
The city knew something was coming. It just hadn't arrived yet.
Interrupting his thoughts, a man in silver armor led his horse towards Alistair.
The man removed his helmet, revealing a middle-aged man with a mustache. He then dismounted his horse to meet Alistair face to face.
"I bring my most generous welcome to a man of Thorne!"
Alistair nodded his head, not liking the amount of attraction this man was bringing.
Despite the unnerving peace, Alistair was still a fugitive who escaped from a faction known as the Upholders of Law and Justice. They were on the other side of the continent; however, mercenaries would be quick to spot anyone as rumor spreads like wildfire between them.
"I appreciate your welcome, but I have matters to tend to." Alistair awkwardly smiled.
The man in silver armor sighed, "Therasia is too large to accommodate alone. I would never say no to helping a man of Thorne."
Alistair clicked his tongue in frustration, and just then, a piercing horn blared from outside, shattering the stillness of the moment and breaking the city into silence.
The eyes of the man in silver widened as a guard ran up to him and Alistair, then hurriedly said:
"The Sunborne are here! We won't hold for long!"
He put his iron helmet back on, then quickly mounted his horse and said in a low voice, "Excuse me, Ser."
Alistair raised a brow, "Ser? I haven't been given such a title."
But the man was already gone, his horse disappearing into the crowd of soldiers forming near the gate. The market had emptied in seconds and the stalls were abandoned, shutters closing, the city folding in on itself with the efficiency of a population that had practiced this.
'They've done this before,' Alistair thought. 'This isn't the first time the Sunborne have come.'
At that moment, the wooden gate was struck, producing a loud sound that reverberated throughout the city and caused widespread panic among the citizens.
"I know what to do. This is gonna be the perfect opportunity." Alistair muttered as he headed towards a high mark next to the guards.
No one paid him any attention as he wore dark armor that fit in while also carrying his status.
With that in mind, he made his way to the vantage point where the guards were firing arrows and throwing rocks to stop The Sunborne from rampaging through their city.
As he made his way through, he was confused, remembering how he saw no army this large with both men and equipment on his way here. It all happened too quickly.
'An army this size doesn't appear overnight. Someone planned this. Someone knew exactly when Therasia would be least prepared.'
Alistair oddly cast his gaze quickly in every direction, inspecting to see if any wielder of a Characteristic was in the army.
Fortunately, there were none. Those people would have brought nothing but trouble.
"Nock!" the man, seemingly commanding the archers, kept shouting out loud. In an orderly pattern, more archers shouted the same so that all of them could get the signal.
"Draw!" He repeated, continuing the pattern to shoot.
Finally, looking for the right moment, the command shouted at the top of his lungs, "Loose!"
Following that, the flaming arrows flew through the cloudy sky and rained down upon the army on the other side of the bridge.
Surprisingly, amid the archers, the arrows ended up only passing through their bodies, as if nothing had hit them in the first place.
"I see. However, this isn't just a Characteristic. What kind of power is this? Are they using an Aspect of Convergence cast by someone else? The amount of energy required to envelop an entire army is immense..." Alistair muttered to himself, the only one aware of this due to his extensive education.
The archer commander shouted, "Dirty tricks!"
From the vantage point below, the attacking army ignored him as they struck the gate with a ram once again.
The archers tried to shoot, to throw rocks, but nothing worked.
It seemed impossible. They were a step away from breaking into the city and massacring all who resided.
And no one was able to do anything about it.
"Halt!" a man from in between the army shouted.
Above the gate itself, Alistair stood firm, his gaze intense and cold, causing them to stop at their feet.
This would be a reckless move. But, thanks to being a man of Thorne, this was only normal.
"The wrath of Thorne kills even the strongest," said Alistair, a famous quote of Thorne.
He summoned his sword and brought it towards them.
"Continue any further, and you will face destruction. This is your last warning."
The atmosphere was so bitter at that point that even some of the archers had already given up and fallen to their knees.
After an entire minute, the man screamed at the top of his lungs, "Charge!"
Alistair's eyes widened as the gate toppled.
'Lost cause,' he recalled as he fell to the pool of soldiers that awaited him below.