by Michael Sisa
The Sword Saint remained silent, indicating his agreement.
“The Third Army managed to capture the City of Akash.” Baron Zacharia pointed at an area on the map. “It’s only a day away from Yorkshaire. As long as we get there, we’ll be able to rally our troops and launch a siege against the Empire.”
“Easier said than done,” the Sword Saint finally spoke. “The Empire won’t just sit still and let us regroup with the army stationed in that city.”
The officers inside the tent agreed. They all knew how difficult it would be to pass through the numerous camps the Empire scattered all throughout the region.
“In the end, it seems we have no choice but to split the army, huh?” said one of the officers. “Disperse. That way, it’ll be difficult for the Empire to hunt all of us down.”
“A bad idea,” said Lui Marcus. “We’re already having a hard time defending against the attacks of General Alvaren. If we split our forces even further, he’ll hunt the smaller groups one by one like a demon. Worst-case scenario, General Rizel joins the fray and we’ll be trapped between two monsters, our forces split and scattered.”
The officers continued discussing stratagems throughout the night. In the end, none of them came up with a concrete plan to overcome the tight net of the Empire. They were about to settle with the idea of marching straight toward Akash City using the Serpents Road, when suddenly a soldier barged into the meeting.
“B-Baron! Commander!” the soldier said the moment he entered. “A bird! A talking bird says he wants to meet you!”
The officers looked at the soldier in bewilderment. They’d never heard of such report before, but since they knew that magic was capable of making impossible things a reality, they did not fully question the authenticity of the statement. After all, there were records of shifters capable of assuming the form of their familiars.
“A bird?” The Baron curiously looked at the soldier. “What did it say?”
The soldier, finally realizing that all of the officers were waiting for his response, stiffened. He scratched his cheeks as he tried to remember the words of the strange bird.
“He said something about…” the soldier mumbled. “What was it again? A pendant?”
“A necklace,” a voice rang outside the tent. The flaps opened and remained suspended in the air, revealing an ordinary-looking brown eagle. “The necklace worn by the Baron.”
The Baron’s eyes widened. The voice was very much familiar. “You…”
There was silence as the eagle entered the tent, its flapping wings sending a gust of air inside. It landed on top of the table, its head moving left and right as it scanned the room. It finally directed its gaze toward the Baron.
“Long time no see, Baron Zacharia,” said the eagle. “I assume everyone here is an officer of this army?”
The Baron collected himself. He nodded. “Yes.” He stared at the eagle for several seconds. “I didn’t know you’re a shifter.”
“I’m not,” said the eagle. “I’m merely borrowing this bird’s consciousness. My body is still at Akash City.”
“All the way from Akash City?” The Baron couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Baron, what’s happening here?” said Lui Marcus. He looked at the eagle suspiciously, as though it was a spy sent by the Empire. “Who is this… person?”
The Baron found the question amusing, since it came from Lui Marcus himself. “Your younger brother,” he replied. Lark Marcus. There’s no doubt about it.”
The group went into uproar upon hearing this. They knew that Akash City was several days away from here. Even Master Tamers would have a hard time sending their familiars here, moreover finding the Second Army’s whereabouts inside this dark forest. There was also the fact that he was conversing with them through voice magic from such a long distance, without using the body of the eagle itself. Such a feat would require an absurd amount of control over mana.
Even the Sword Saint looked at the eagle with curiosity. Lui Marcus, on the other hand, stared at the eagle in astonishment upon finding out that it was his younger brother. The eagle and Lui Marcus locked eyes with each other for a moment. The eagle seemed to be looking at his bandaged chest. It then turned its attention toward the Sword Saint.
“Master Alexander,” the eagle bowed its head, “I’m glad to see you unharmed.”
The Sword Saint smiled wryly. “Do I look unharmed to you?” He showed the eagle the blotches of blood on his clothes. Just like Lui Marcus, the wounds on the Sword Saint’s body had yet to fully heal.
The eagle ignored the remark. “I’ve scouted the area and it seems that an Imperial Army—composed entirely of knights—is heading this way as we speak.”
The air suddenly became heavier.
“They’ll reach this place in five hours, maybe six. I know that it’s middle of the night, but it’ll be better for you to move camp.”
“Where should we go?” the Baron asked.
The eagle took small steps on top of the map and using its right wing, pointed at a particular spot.
“Here.” Everyone looked at the place where the eagle pointed. “Judging by the route of the pursuing army, they’ll be taking the Serpents Road. A clash is inevitable at this rate. Taking a detour will cost us an additional half a day, but we’ll be able to avoid a clash with the Empire.”
“Can we trust you?” one of the officers asked.
The eagle looked at him. “You have to.” The eagle flapped its wings. “Wake up your men. We’re moving out.”
Some of the officers were dissatisfied on how the eagle—Lark Marcus—was ordering them around. But they remained silent as the final decision still rested on the Baron and the Commanders of the Marcus and Yorkshaire Army.
Silence befell the group for a moment.
The Baron closed his eyes and said, “You heard the man. We’re moving out.”
VOLUME 4: CHAPTER 13
The eleven thousand-strong army camped in the forest bustled with life. Tents were unpitched and folded, torches were lit, and horses were untethered. The sleeping soldiers were woken up in the middle of the night and ordered to march eastward, the opposite direction of their initial route.
Numerous speculations on why they were suddenly ordered to move out spread among the troops.
“Hey, why are we leaving the camp in the middle of the night?” said one of the soldiers.
“We encountered groups of monsters here yesterday, what if they suddenly attacked us now?”
“Idiots! It’s fairly obvious, isn’t it? General Alvaren and his men must be coming here as we speak! That’s why we’re being forced to march like this in this damnable, dark forest!”
Lui Marcus silently listened as his soldiers talked among themselves. His mind was elsewhere. His encounter with Lark an hour ago still lingered in his mind.
The Lark he knew was nothing but a vindictive brat who knew nothing but the most basic of spells. He could not even properly cast a simple fireball spell. But now, it was revealed that he had the skills comparable to Master Tamers. This revelation cemented his previous speculations.
There were also the facts that he’d defeated the Third Legion, gave out blueprints for the mana bombs and balloons, invented the method of killing the Black Famine, and even successfully conquered the City of Akash in just a single day.
He’s not my brother.
This was the only conclusion Lui Marcus could come up with. Other possibilities such as his little brother being a secret prodigy felt far-fetched and out of touch with reality. Lui had tested his little brother using the measuring stone a few years ago, back when they were still living in Gryphon City. There was no way to fake those results without Lui noticing it. There was no doubt that during that time, Lark did not know any powerful spells nor had a decent mana pool.
Even if his little brother was secretly a prodigy, there was no way to overcome this hurdle in just a few years. Moreover, the spell he used to control his familiar was not something
taught to him back in Gryphon City.
Lui clenched his fists. He wanted to confront the impostor and ask him what he did to his brother. Why was he assuming the form of Lark Marcus? Why did he take over his little brother’s body? For what purpose? Lui tried shaking off the thoughts. They needed to focus on escaping from this forest for now. He could interrogate the impostor later, once they’d arrived at Akash City.
Hours passed and the army relentlessly continued marching toward the rocky hill opposite Serpents Road. Thankfully, the rear guards did not see any signs of General Alvaren and his men. Aside from the occasional, small-scale attacks from the monsters of the forest, the army did not experience any setbacks.
After arriving at the rocky hill, they camped for a couple of hours then started marching again, this time toward the west, passing through a seemingly endless grassland. Grasslands were among the worst places to conceal an army this large, but for some reason, they did not clash with any enemies along the way.
The eagle would hover down every now and then and guide the army toward a certain direction. This simple tactic worked wonders, as the army’s march proceeded at a faster pace now that uncertainty was taken out of the equation. All they needed to do was listen to the eagle and move to the direction it pointed.
After four and a half days—half a day earlier than expected—they finally saw the walled City of Akash. Next to it was a half-burned forest, its sea of trees charred black. Outside the city, numerous soldiers and workers moved about. Some of them dug around the walls, while some moved around logs, stones, and iron.
The moat in front of the gate was almost finished, and the wooden drawbridge was already complete. It was amazing that such a big project, which would normally take months to finish, had taken less than two weeks to complete.
The workers seemed to have been briefed beforehand that an eleven thousand-strong army was going to arrive, since none of them showed signs of panic upon seeing an army so large approaching the city. On the contrary, they started cheering. The bells on the watchtowers rang and the gates fully opened, welcoming the newly arrived reinforcements.
Looking above, they could even see large ballistae with spear-sized arrows nocked on them, several weapons resembling catapults with attached severing disks, tubular irons, and some other weapons they were unfamiliar of.
Lui and the other commanders were speechless upon seeing this sight. They knew that the Third Army had successfully conquered the City of Akash, but they did not hear about the ambitious project of turning it into an impregnable stronghold.
Their army entered the stronghold and cheers erupted even further. Numerous soldiers from the Third Army had already been waiting for them there, some of them enthusiastically waving the flags of the Kingdom.
It felt like a hero’s welcome. The same thing given to Duke Drakus after he successfully quelled the strife in the Bloody Thorn Plains Incident fifteen years ago. After seeing the heated crowd, Lui could not help but be reminded of that time. He had been so proud of his father back then.
“Welcome to Akash City,” a calm voice was heard despite the frenzied cheering of the soldiers.
Looking at the source of the voice, Lui and the other officers of the army saw a young man with short silver hair and clear blue eyes. He bore a striking semblance to Lui Marcus during his younger years.
Lark Marcus, the Commander of the Third Army.
Lui stared at his younger brother, carefully taking note of anything that looked amiss. The probability that he was an impostor was high, but Lui did not want to rush into conclusions and compromise their odds in this war.
The officers of the army were invited to a banquet in the Lord’s Castle. It was a sumptuous feast and the officers of the army did not hold themselves back from filling their bellies. They had been marching nonstop for several weeks, after all. The last time they’d had a decent meal was months ago.
The officers of the army expected Lark to make a speech regarding their plans for the upcoming battle. But to their surprise—and probably relief—the young man did not bring up the topic. He merely moved around the banquet, greeting various officers of the army, sometimes even cracking jokes like introducing himself as the annoying eagle from before.
They realized that Lark intended on allotting this day for rest and relaxation. It was a big gesture for such an exhausted army.
Finally, it was Lui’s turn.
Lark walked up to him, and with a bright smile, offered him his hand. Lui looked at the hand for a moment before shaking it. He stared at his little brother. The eyes, the face, the body. Everything was exactly as how Lui remembered them. But the movements. The posture. The air of confidence borne not from arrogance but from competence. They were different.
Lui did not have the chance to talk to his little brother back when they met in the capital several months ago, since their father was with them. And there was also his promise of not initiating contact in exchange for not exiling Lark to a faraway Kingdom.
But now, that promise did not hold value since the wellbeing of the Kingdom was at stake in this meeting. Lui told himself that he was not breaking his promise to his father. Right now, he was meeting the Commander of the Third Army.
“It’s been a while, brother,” said Lark.
Lui gripped his brother’s hand even tighter, before eventually letting go and flashing a smile. “You’ve changed a lot.”
“People grow up,” replied his little brother. “It’s been years since I left home, after all.”
Lui noticed that Lark’s body was a lot leaner than before. The body of someone who had been training physically every day for combat.
“And two years is enough time to become a Master Tamer,” said Lui. He looked for a reaction from Lark, but was disappointed upon seeing none. The young man remained unmoved and as calm as before.
“It’s certainly more than enough.” Nodded Lark, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
But Lui did not give up. He wanted to find out if this person in front of him was actually an impostor. “I heard you slayed General Urkawi. Do you know why hardly anyone believed it even after the rumors spread?”
Lark did not reply. He simply waited for Lui to finish his statement.
“It’s because that beastman is the so-called immortal,” said Lui. “Even the Giants of Orth couldn’t kill him. But my little brother, who did not know martial arts and hardly knew magic when he left Gryphon City, managed to kill him in a one-on-one fight.”
Lark thought that it was laughable that someone capable of opening only three out of the seven gates of mana was being called an immortal in this era. That spell was flawed in that simply cutting off the supply of ambient mana would be enough to render the spell useless.
“I must have been really lucky then, huh?” said Lark. “How’s father?”
“Don’t steer away from the topic.” Lui glared. “You. Who are you?”
Several seconds of silence befell the two. They looked at each other in the eye. Lark sighed. “Look, this may sound preposterous, but I lost most of my memories after a certain incident almost a year ago,” Lark said with a straight face. “And as for my magic, I learned all of it from Master.”
Lui frowned deeply. Everything sounded like a blatant lie. The story felt too convenient, as though it had been prepared before this meeting even started.
“Master,” repeated Lui. “And your memories. You’ve lost most of them, you say?”
“That’s right,” nodded Lark. “I know it’s hard to believe, but you can confirm it with Gaston. After some bastards held me captive and beat me to a pulp several months ago, I lost most of my memories.”
Lui’s eyes widened, before becoming filled with rage. He suppressed his growl. “Beat you to a pulp? Who?”
His fists were clenched as he waited for Lark’s response. If it was one of the Dukes, he vowed to retaliate in his own ‘little way.’ Although probably an impostor, how dare they harm his little brother?
“Just some unknown bastards in the town.” Lark shrugged the topic off, as though it was insignificant. “They’re all dead now, though.”
Lark took out a gemstone the size of half a fist. “Here.” He threw the gem to Lui.
“What’s this?” Lui caught the gemstone in the air and quickly inspected it.
“A communication crystal. You must have heard from the Baron about the necklace I gave him back then. It’s the same one,” said Lark. “But that one’s a bit special. It’s made from a more expensive stone, you see, so the range’s far higher than the one the Baron has. And it’s directly connected to the one master wears back in Blackstone Town.”
Lui stared at the gemstone for a moment. “You’re telling me… that I can contact this so-called master of yours using this?”
The story of Lark losing his memory was already absurd on its own. Coupled with the story of having a master capable of molding an incompetent brat to a powerful magician, it became totally unbelievable.
But if the gemstone could actually contact this so-called Master of Lark, a part of Lui’s doubts could be lifted somehow. He would still not fully believe the story, but it would no longer be as preposterous as it initially seemed.
“How do I contact him?” said Lui.
“Just apply a little bit of mana to it,” said Lark. “And it should connect directly to Master.”
Lui channeled mana into the gemstone and it glowed. After several seconds, a loud and coarse voice echoed in the Hall.
“Damn, brat! Why are you only contacting me now? I repeatedly told you to message me after you arrived at the capital! Is this how you repay me for everything I’ve done for you, huh? Is this how you treat your Master?”
The voice was so loud that Lui almost dropped the stone and had the urge to cover both his ears. He looked at the gemstone bewilderedly, at Lark, then back. Little did he know that Lark was the one manipulating the voice through a matching, but smaller gemstone in his pocket.
