Chapter XXI – The Judgment of Broken Men
Auron woke to the rhythmic clatter of wagon wheels.
The scent of blood and oil hung in the air, and every bone in his body ached as though he had been crushed beneath a mountain. The faint light of morning filtered through the canvas above him, pale and cold.
He tried to move, but his muscles didn't respond. His breath came in shallow bursts, fogging in the air. Frost still clung to his skin, shimmering faintly with its own dim glow.
"Stay still," someone said softly.
Taren knelt beside him, exhaustion carved into every line of his face. His bandaged hands trembled as he wrung out a cloth and placed it over Auron's forehead. "You nearly froze yourself to death."
Auron's throat was dry, his voice barely audible. "The others?"
"Alive," Taren said. "Barely. Garrick's stable for now. Finn's still breathing. Lucian hasn't woken. Rhel's out there helping Rodrik's men bury the fallen." He hesitated. "You should rest. You burned yourself hollow."
Auron closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep. To fade. But the moment he did, he saw Ursa's dying face, the flash of Asad's grin, and the avalanche of death that followed his choice.
His voice cracked. "How many lived?"
Taren didn't answer. He just looked away.
That silence told Auron enough.
****
By midday, the convoy began to move. The soldiers of House Arvel marched in disciplined rows, guiding the supply wagons and dragging sleds carrying the wounded. Smoke still rose from the ruins behind them, drifting into the red-stained sky.
Rodrik rode at the head, his posture straight despite the fatigue. His men moved like an extension of his will; precise, steady, unflinching.
Inside one of the rear wagons, Auron sat upright at last, staring through the slit of canvas at the world passing by. The cold no longer bit at him; it was inside him now, deep and constant. The wolf spirit lay dormant somewhere within, but he could feel its heartbeat, faint and angry.
He hated it.
He hated himself for needing it.
Rhel climbed into the wagon, his arm now fully splinted and wrapped in leather. "You look like shit."
Auron didn't answer.
Rhel sighed. "You did what you thought was right. You saved who you could."
"I killed more than I saved."
"That's the consequences of battle," Rhel said quietly. "And you're young enough to still care about those it consequences."
Before Auron could respond, the wagon lurched to a stop. A shadow fell across the opening. Rodrik stood outside, his expression hard. "Auron. Out."
Taren started to protest, but Rodrik silenced him with a glance. "Now."
Auron stepped down, bare feet hitting frozen mud. He stood before the commander of House Arvel, the man's presence filling the air like pressure.
Rodrik circled him once, studying the faint shimmer of frost clinging to Auron's skin. "You used something that was beyond your control."
Auron kept silent.
Rodrik's voice sharpened. "That ursa. That wasn't supposed to here, it was not it's fight why did you try to bring it here"
"It came when asad al appeared," Auron said. "I don't why it came."
Rodrik's eyes narrowed. "You lie poorly." He gestured toward the valley behind them. "that thing you brought here levelled half of the camp, and it died. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? That thing kept the other monsters in check, do you even realize how this is going to affect the forest?."
Auron's fists clenched. "Would you rather we had died?"
Rodrik's tone was calm, but it carried steel. "I'd rather you knew what you were doing. Death of that ursa is going to bring consequences beyond your imagination."
The soldiers nearby turned at the sound of raised voices. The tension rippled through the camp.
Rhel approached, his face pale. "Rodrik, with respect all due—"
Rodrik cut him off. "Enough. We will hold tribunal now."
He turned to his men. "Form a circle."
Within minutes, a ring of soldiers stood around the open ground, their faces drawn and uncertain. The wounded who could stand gathered to watch. The survivors of Lucian's command sat together, hollow-eyed.
Rodrik stepped into the center, his armor glinting faintly beneath the sun. "By order of House Arvel, I hold command over this field. We stand in the aftermath of forbidden power. A man among you called down a divine presence. He will answer for it."
He looked at Auron. "State your name."
"Auron."
"house?"
"None."
Rodrik's mouth twisted. "Then let this trial decide if are worth the death of ursa."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Taren stepped forward. "Commander, please. He—"
Rodrik raised a hand. "I've heard enough from others. The man speaks for himself."
Auron swallowed hard. His voice shook, but he spoke anyway. "The plan was mine. I thought if I could use the ursa's strength, I could stop Asad Al. I was wrong. I thought I could control it."
He looked down at his hands, still faintly blue from the frost. "But I was desperate. Men were dying. I didn't want to watch them die waiting for help that wasn't coming."
For a moment, the field was silent except for the wind.
Rhel broke it first. "He saved us," he said quietly. "You weren't here, Rodrik. None of us would be standing if he hadn't—"
Another voice joined, weaker but determined. Finn, still wrapped in bandages, leaned on a crutch at the edge of the circle. "He saved Lord Lucian. Saved me too."
The murmurs grew louder.
Rodrik's jaw tightened. "Perhaps. But saving lives does not erase breaking the laws of nature. The power of the forest is not for mortals to claim."
He stepped closer. "Auron,you claim to have pure intentions. Prove it."
He unbuckled his sword and tossed it aside. The steel hit the ground with a dull thud. "Five strikes. You take them all. No weapon, no interference. If you fall, you die as a apology to nature for your crimes. If you stand, you live as a man."
The air went still.
Taren took a step forward. "That's madness."
Rodrik didn't look away from Auron. "That's judgment."
Auron hesitated only a moment, then nodded. "Fine."
Rodrik removed his gauntlets, his movements deliberate. "You've got one chance to prove."
auron raised his fists. "Begin."
The first blow came like a hammer
Auron barely saw it. It struck his shoulder and sent him sprawling backward into the dirt. Pain shot through his body. He gasped, tasting blood.
The crowd was silent.
Rodrik's expression didn't change. "One."
Auron pushed himself up, shaking. He could feel the wolf stir faintly inside him, whispering for release. He crushed the instinct, grinding his teeth.
The second blow landed against his ribs, shattering the breath from his lungs. He dropped to one knee.
Rodrik didn't wait. The third came fast a strike to the jaw that spun Auron sideways. The world tilted. The whispers grew louder, clawing at his mind.
Let me out. Let me fight.
He refused.
The fourth blow came with a faint shimmer of golden light; Rodrik's aura, disciplined and cold. It hit his chest like fire. Auron fell, coughing, his vision tunneling.
Auron was on the ground coughing blood. Asher had been a weakling compared to Rodrick.
Rodrik stepped back, breathing steadily. "Last one."
He drew his arm back.
"Stop!"
The voice cut through everything.
Lucian stood at the edge of the circle, pale and unsteady, but awake. The air around him shimmered faintly with residual mana.
Rodrik froze, fist still raised.
Lucian stepped forward, his voice rough but firm. "He's proven your point. You've tested his will enough."
Rodrik turned to him slowly. "He broke every rule of nature. He brought a primal beast into our world."
Lucian met his gaze. "And saved every man still breathing, By the authority granted to me by lord arvel himself as the de facto leader of the caravan auron belongs to, I declare this trial over"
The silence that followed was absolute.
Rodrik's eyes flicked between the two of them. Then, slowly, he lowered his hand. "Very well."
He stepped back. "Your men. Your judgment."
Lucian turned to Auron and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's over."
Auron swayed but stayed standing. His body was broken, but his eyes were clear. The whispers were gone.
"BRING THE FIFTH ONE, I CAN TAKE IT" auron yelled, making a declaration to the heavens
"Auron you dumb fuck, stand down right this instance, I command you" Lucian tried to talk some sense
"Very well then" Rodrik exclaimed.