Dark Crow Rising

"Leave me." I order the Emerald-Clothed Guard I had accompany me. The royal soldier bows quickly and does as asked and my eyes linger on his back. His Eyed-Upon Pin glitters with the unfortunate purity of lightning-blessed gold. The shimmering warrior vanishes with a leap and he takes a position up on a faraway peak.

The winds sing for miles around him and each little line of the breeze becomes his weapon just as much as his fanned pole.

Bringing my attention back to the still-smoking fortress of this fallen country, I go inside. Using a whisper of magic, I reignite the dying embers into a bright blaze so I can fight back the night. The picked clean stonework, vanquished of all its previously divine-inspired artwork crumbles and shakes. Some small stones fall and blood still manages to drip from the scorched bodies.

Finding the secret tunnel that goes into the city, I find myself a seat on a wall brought down by outdated cannon fire. Staring into the dark, collapsed tunnel, I wait for the sounds of prayer to reach me. In the time that passes while I wait, I find myself glancing around some more. The corpse of an unarmoured woman comes ever so slightly into view.

I shake my head upon sensing the vast stores of magic still within her dead muscle. Another wasted soldier who could've died in a more meaningful war of freedom and independence. Every wasted moment will lead to more lost power. War is to gamble with life and more often than not, you will lose the ones who could've made a hundred surrender.

It's not just the cowards who fall, the brave are brave because they're willing to head to their ends.

"Oh, blessed lord, love of my life, I beseech you to hear my prayer." my main pawn in this whole affair speaks. I smile a little, then I scoff. To think of how much she owes me right now, this privileged position within an organisation at war with me. She owes it all to me.

"There has been a change of plans. Something is occurring in the south, His Lunar Majesty has put a stop to the siege. We will be gone for some time and I need you to ensure stagnancy within the Valkinvar." I explain through clear whispering so as to not be loud enough for anyone else to hear. I can recall the engineering schematics near perfectly, at this level, it should only be her that can hear me if she is doing this properly.

"Though we are at our breaking limit, though we find ourselves sheltered only within your city in the time of now. I, the greatest of my kind, I promise to do everything within my power to ensure the gates remain closed to our enemy. They will open only in triumph so that the banner-flying victor may march through to reclaim." she answers, keeping up with the fake prayer as to not attract attention. Well, going by these echoing footsteps, the wrong kind, anyway.

"See to it that it is done." I order.

"Of course, love of my life, my service will end only in death and your embrace." she answers, her body twitching when those steps come closer.

"Zaphadren-Valkinvar, who are you praying to?" some random Valkinvar asks. My turncoat starts to giggle and laugh, an emergency act to make sure things do not escalate.

"As a Valkinvar of many years more than most others, I must ask you something in turn. Who do you think?" she goes, giggling away still and eliciting one from whoever it is that is bothering us.

"Aha! Right, I'm sorry for disturbing you, Zaphadren-Valkinvar Gemorli. I guess I best be heading off to bed now, the days have been fairly taxing on all of us." this stranger explains.

"Indeed..." I mutter, rubbing my head as I unfortunately recall that pain that made me collapse. Whatever it is, I will delight in seeing it destroyed given how close it came to undoing my future plans for the lands beyond Jherikra.

"Yes, I believe we all should find rest when we can, what happened today was quite unfortunate." my turncoat tells them.

"I saw, I guess I'm lucky I am a Valkinvar-Wiswipide. I saw but a fraction of it, but, word has it that the entire Wind of the Valkinvar-Staguiffmani collapsed in what many think is some kind of magic-induced seizure." this stranger remarks and I let out a 'hmm' of thought. I already knew my army of turncoats experienced this effect as well. But, to know that not even the Valkinvar with all their stores of knowledge do not know. It's interesting, very much so.

I will have to hope that the competency of the men of the Thrustradtur-Suhurlodst armed forces is up to their reputation. Whatever is happening down south needs to be figured out quickly if we will have any hope of stopping it. If I am to be called to the battlefield, it must only be in the most dire of circumstances given the burden I bear. Too much is at stake for me to just toss it aside and defeat this threat.

Unfortunate as it is to think about, I must let the blood of millions spill before I even so much as sweat. All to avenge billions more who have drowned, the family we've had to sacrifice to ensure that generations will exist. An empire died underneath the water all those forgotten millenia ago, before the time of our founder, the Kingdommaker. I have a plan, but I must be allowed to maintain all the strength I can so that it will be used to its fullest extent.

I groan out a lengthy growl to ensure the aches will die down for another night. When I am done here, I will endure another restless sleep so that the magic will stay in the sky. I cannot let my efforts fail. The means to expel this threat must be found amongst the dormitories of Suhurlodst, the streets of Thrurstradtur and the mountains of Jherikra in its entirety!

"Goodnight, Valkinvar-Wiswipide, get all the rest you can." my turncoat tells the interruption before she returns her focus to me.

"See to it that it is done." I tell her, forcing myself up and hearing part of the mountain collapse because of it. Rocks roll and rain across the land below like renewed batteries of the largest guns.

"My love... When will you be able to hold me again?" she asks me with a lack of breath, the echo of her body collapsing against her side of the tunnel.

"Patience, my four-petaled flower, patience." I assure her, walking away.

"Blessed love, when my service ends, hold me forevermore. Fulfil the promise you made all those years ago." she begs of me and I nod. Though she and her entire Ordoar Staguifmanii are mine to command, they are a means to an end. The battle I fought on that mountain against all of them was merely an act of corruption. If they think of themselves as pure, then I am their greatest temptation.

For all the mastery the Valkinvar have, they are no son of the Kingdommaker. The blood of the Lone Lancer flows through my veins, that which they earn I am born with. And I am no fool, I have not rested on my gifts, so little of my family has. I will ensure a future of my making, one that prospers under the shine and glow of the one good god in this world.

Jhrarda the Mighty, though this night is not yours, I will see to it by the time I next see you at night in the most holy of times. I will make sure that you see all of Jherikra under your flag, all shall be yours. The people you awakened to their full potential nearly five-thousand years ago... They will have earned the right to truly be called, the Greatest People of the Land.

"So I swear, as the Prince who Will Ascend, I promise you on my name, blessed with part of yours. Jhrartur, Royal Son of the Seven-Peaks Union of Jherikra. It will be that, that history remembers as the one who united our people like in the days of yore." I say to my god, slowly prostrating myself before the amulet I have on hand. I hold my form as long as possible, disrespecting the manner only when my body needs its focus.

I groan once again, pushing back against the weight of my future.

"Back down the mountain I go." I mutter, heading to the path that will take me to my transport.