At that same moment, far from the ruins, a grand palace stood beneath a grey sky.
Inside, armored soldiers marched briskly through its marble corridors, the clatter of metal boots echoing off the dimly painted walls like the ticking of a clock.
One soldier broke from the formation, hurrying up a spiraling staircase. His hand gripped the sword at his side as though it might steady his pulse. He reached a heavy door marked with the insignia of the Aegis Command and knocked sharply.
"Commander Aya," he called, voice trembling with urgency. "I come to report, there has been a problem."
Inside, the chamber resembled a researcher's study more than a war office.
Shelves sagged with old tomes, scrolls, and glass vials. Sheets of parchment littered the onyx tables, illuminated by the soft blue light of a crystal lamp.
Behind the desk sat Aya, her eyes closed, lips bitten in silent frustration. For a long moment she didn't move, then exhaled slowly, easing her tense jaw.
"Enter," she said.
The door swung open and the soldier hurried in, sweat running down his temple, his breath coming in uneven gasps.
"Take a deep breath, Soldier Marknon," Aya ordered, her tone calm but cutting. "Now report the situation in detail."
He nodded, forcing himself to steady. "Lieutenant Gork asked me to relay the news from River Green Slay… but I'm afraid, Commander, the details are terrifying."
Aya's brows furrowed. "Explain."
Marknon swallowed hard, the memory flashing behind his eyes, too vivid to forget.
Kaski soldiers stood at the edge of the woods as the front liners, beings that resembled humans yet were far from it. Behind them, beyond the trees, rows of human soldiers formed the second line of defense on the river, their armor clinking softly beneath the heavy breath of the forest wind.
A short distance from the second formation, a man stood apart, observing, and relaying. His eyes glowed faint green, light pulsing with each heartbeat as he forevisioned through the woods. His voice carried over the comm-line with calm precision.
"The Kaski are holding their line," he said evenly, "but these beasts are more determined than ever. Lenz, Grey, Red, Bee, and Lone are our last chance to minimize casualties. Their teamwork is exceptional… but they can't hold much longer."
The battlefield stretched into a storm of chaos as the Kaski move in varied forms—tall, lean, massive, broad, each wielding weapons suited to their strange anatomy. Their armor differed from one to another: some bore full plating, others half-covered, exposing limbs marked with glowing energy.
Among them towered one enormous figure, Bee. His armor covered only his shoulders, chest, back, knees, and forearms, leaving the rest bare and pulsing with raw energy. A heavy helmet concealed his face, and his breath came out in ragged bursts through its slits.
Bee swung his axe with monstrous force, the weapon cleaving through the air and biting into the thick hide of a creature that lunged from the shadows, a bear, grotesque and immense, its shape twisted by unnatural energy. The beast's eyes burned with a feral red, its hide flickering between flesh and shadow.
Bee roared, muscles tightening as the beast clamped its jaws around his arm. Metal crunched, the ground shuddered under their weight. But Bee didn't falter.
With another guttural cry, he raised the axe high and brought it down in a savage arc. The blade met flesh with a wet crack, splitting through bone and tendon. The bear's head tore free from its body, tumbling across the mud as the creature collapsed in a heap of fading light.
Golden steam rose from Bee's armor, as his breath came harsh, steady. Around him, the forest burned with clashing lights, green, red, and violet, as the Kaski line held, just barely, against the storm that refused to end.
Beside Bee stood another Kaski, tall, lean, and sheathed entirely in armor that gleamed faint crimson under the flickering light. This was Red, his eyes narrow and focused, a red aura rippling around him like heat from a forge. In his hands he held a long, razor-edged blade, cutting through the monstrous ranks with lethal precision.
Then his gaze locked onto a creature unlike the rest, birdlike yet earthbound, moving on four jagged limbs. It had no wings, only a long serpentine neck and a body shaped like splintered stone, its skin pulsing with a dark, sickly aura.
The creature released a deafening shriek that rippled through the trees, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Another beast thundered forward, a hulking bull-shaped horror, its horns jagged and its eyes glowing pure white, fury burning in their depths.
Red moved before it could charge. His body twisted upward in a sudden leap, armor glinting midair. He landed squarely on the bull's spine and drove his sword deep into its back before springing off again. The impact made the creature bellow, but it wasn't enough to fell it.
The bull staggered violently, its movements growing erratic as blood and energy burst from its wound. Then, from the side, the birdlike beast lunged, its elongated jaws snapping open to reveal rows upon rows of jagged teeth, far too many to count.
It lunged for Red, but before those teeth could close, another Kaski blurred between them.
Grey—short, broad-shouldered, his body packed with muscle and his knuckles thick as iron. He clenched his massive fist, energy crackling around it, and with a grunt he swung upward.
The punch landed with the sound of thunder and the birdlike creature reeled, its skull twisting sideways as it crashed into the dirt, the ground erupting beneath its weight, dust billowing.
Grey straightened, lowering his fist as the air around him trembled from the impact.
Away from Grey, a monstrous roar shook the air as a bear-like beast towered over the chaos, one massive arm lifting high to crush the Kaski soldiers beneath it.
Before it could strike, another roar answered fierce and human.
Lone, smaller than most Kaski, moved like a streak of blue fire. Her flames burned brighter than any torch, wrapping around her slim frame as she surged forward, a blade in her right hand and a dagger in her left.
She slid beneath the creature's swing, her movements sharp and fluid. With a single sweep, her blade severed its limbs, and before it could scream, she plunged her dagger into its neck dragging it downward through the jaw and out through the mouth. The beast collapsed, its body convulsing before going still.
But the victory was brief. More beasts surged from in front them, shadows with shapes half-recognizable. Some charged into the woods, tearing through the trees, while others crashed directly into the Kaski line. Many of her kin fell in brutal silence, cut down faster than they could react.
Red caught his breath, stepping back into position. His sword glinted red as the bull returned, faster than before, horns lowered to gore him.
He pivoted, flipping clean over it. Then, with a single clean strike, he drew his blade through the air. The ground shook as he landed behind the beast while the bull stumbled mid-run, a dark line splitting from the crown of its head to the tip of its tail before it crumpled to the side in two halves.
But there was no time to recover. More creatures lunged, some walking upright like twisted humans, others crawling on many limbs, their bodies bending in unnatural ways.
Red steadied himself and looked ahead. Beyond the rushing horde stood something else, massive silhouettes towering over at the distance. These were not beasts but beastkins, five times taller than the forest canopy itself, so vast they could not be compared to anything living.
Below them stood smaller humanoids, watching in silence, their colors and forms defying human resemblance.
The Kaski fought on, standing shoulder to shoulder in a long defensive line, every armor glowing a different hue—green, red, blue, silver, gold. Their formation gleamed like a wall of living light amid the chaos.
But the creatures were relentless, stronger than anything they had faced before.
Those that slipped past the Kaski charged through the woods, vanishing among the trees only to emerge on the other side, where human soldiers guarded the river.
A soldier's shout rang out across the water:
"They're here! They've crossed the woods!"
Panic rippled through the ranks as the beasts tore through the soldiers as if the armor were paper, their claws slicing flesh and steel alike. Men screamed and fell, one after another, their blades glancing off hide too thick to pierce.
No single strike could kill them. And the battlefield had become a slaughter.
-----
"Our men have been pushed back," Soldier Marknon said, voice shaking. "The first battalion of Kaski soldiers on the far side of the woods has been defeated. The Malged beasts have crossed into the Hanjed Woods and reached the river."
"What!?" Aya's eyes widened as she slammed her fist on the table, the papers on its surface scattering. "That quickly? What about the second battalion stationed by the river?"
"Yes, Commander," Marknon replied, still struggling to catch his breath. "The fight now rests with the third battalion beyond the river. The second line… was wiped out completely. The beasts are stronger and angrier. They're charging without hesitation."
He hesitated, voice lowering. "Yet the enemy's second line of beastkins hasn't even moved."
Aya's brow furrowed, her expression darkening. "That was expected," she murmured, half to herself. "Not all humans carry Aether in their veins, most of their attacks are useless against creatures like that. Only strategy can make a difference."
Her gaze shifted toward the window, eyes narrowing as distant thunder echoed. "Still… the Kaski held their line longer than I anticipated."
Aya turned her gaze sharply toward the soldier. "Then what about the troops stationed on Paeon Bridge?"
Marknon hesitated. "On the bridge, Commander… men from the Canskeq Kingdom have arrived. They've brought advanced weapons and worse, they've unleashed their Yoda into the battle. A field meant for men has turned into chaos."
He swallowed, voice tightening. "The first through the fourth lines have already been wiped out. The enemy forces have begun to cross the bridge. At this rate, they could enter the Young Sky Kingdom any moment now."
Aya's composure held, but her hands curled into fists at her sides. "Those dirty fighters," she muttered, her tone low and bitter.
The room felt smaller suddenly, the air heavy. Two enemy fronts both advancing at once. The Young Sky Kingdom stood at a crushing disadvantage.
"Fine," she said at last, her voice firm again. "Send word to the command at Green Slay River: order them to stand down and retreat. The Malgeds aren't fighting for domination, they're driven by instinct. We can't lose more men to a pointless front. They may be powerful, but they pose the least strategic threat for now."
"Yes, ma'am. And… what about the forces on the bridge?"
Aya's eyes darkened as she shifted her gaze back to the soldier. "I'm not the one in charge of that line, and standing down doesn't mean they will. We'll need to increase our manpower instead."
She turned to her desk, scribbling a quick order across the nearest parchment before sealing it.
"Relay this message, I'll be sending the Yoda and the remaining soldiers from Green Slay River to reinforce Paeon Bridge. But I won't be joining them."
Marknon straightened. "Ma'am?"
Aya's expression hardened as she moved to the window. "I have something more urgent. I'll report to the King myself, he needs to hear this in person."