Dalen

At an army camp far away from Karnia, more than 20,000 soldiers were resting and waiting for their leader, Dalen, to give the order to break camp and be on the move again. They occupied the ancient castle of Koravia, having arrived more than two months ago, which, strategically speaking, was a pointless move. It was on a well-defended mountain top, yes, but it was out of the way and out of mind, a tourist attraction at best. As for why they were there for so long and what significance this place held, if any, nobody had any idea.

But the Hero Dalen's decisions saved the world once... So who would question him now?

Marching here, breaking through the forces of the loyalists, was easy. Even though those loyalists who were cut off from their main army retreated here, they were soon starved out in a lengthy siege and assaulted when they were in a fatigued state, causing a total and complete victory. Occupying the mountaintop and its neighboring region after that was a child's play. Everyone expected to move on soon enough, yet they were still camping here with no new orders coming from their generals for months on end.

Yet, nobody dared question the Hero, Dalen. Why were they not moving? Why weren't they pushing towards the capital city? No matter... It was not enough to raise anyone's discontent, as Dalen was famous throughout Susaria and was the one who led the army to defeat the Lich Queen. In many people's eyes, he was still the Hero, especially after exposing the royal family's sins.

He revealed to the world how they were concocting plots of peril, always relying on said dangers to keep them in power, resetting the world's balance whenever they felt their rule was threatened. Dalen was already someone loved by the people, and many generals and soldiers were willing to follow him to the end of the world, as they had done once before.

The Lich Queen... Many could vividly remember how the Hero, wearing midnight black armor and a blazing red cape, stood against the horde of the undead, burning them away while leading the charge whenever a battle broke out. Every. Single. Time. He was a warrior on the frontlines and a strategist who managed to divide the horde into multiple chunks through ingenious maneuvers, grinding the undead army down slowly but surely. He always arrived first and left last, leaving nobody behind.

Everyone was shocked when the rumors first began spreading. Finally, after they had spread across the continent, news broke of what was happening behind the scenes with the Susarian royal family, confirming the hushed voices everywhere, which had led to this righteous rebellion. Whenever the royal family's powers were to weaken and others were close to rising up, they orchestrated a being to appear and endanger the world, just so they could summon a Hero. Thanks to this cycle, they always managed to unify everybody under their banner and solidify their waning power once again.

Why did the Heroes always disappear after their victory? Why aren't they part of history after their usefulness has ended? Why do they only appear when so much blood has been spilled that the world is on the brink of destruction? The answer was before everyone, but they were too blind to see.

At least, that was what Dalen propagated.

As he declared it was all a ploy to ensure the world goes through a culling, and the Susarians remain in control, leading the big rebuildings time after time. Dalen, as the supposed last Hero, managed to uncover the evil plot with enough evidence to support it. He told the world that the Susarian royal family and the Ruyin tribe, who had always supported them, were behind the calamities that repeatedly ravaged Susaria. How their hands were in all of them, how it was always the strongest, most potent region to fight the enemy first, be it the Lich Queen or others.

It was always the same pattern, letting the most powerful nobles fight right until they were completely decimated. Only then, and only then, did they summon a Hero and turn the tide of the battles. Every. Time. Then, there was the famous revelation of Dalen that the Lich Queen was none other than a Susarian noble from centuries ago...

And just like that, when people expected to return to their peaceful lives, a second war broke out, keeping the flames alive not even a year after the defeat of the Lich Queen. This time, it was loyalists against rebels, a fight for the freedom of Susaria, a sentiment that was echoed by both sides. Those following Dalen knew they were close to winning... As a result, many did not understand why they were camping here and going around Susaria instead of assaulting the capital city. Yet, nobody raised the question as Dalen's authority was sacrosanct.

"Stop!" Echoed the booming voice of a three-meter-tall giant with rocky skin and face, clad in golden armor, wielding a spear the size of a horse. He was a rock giant, part of Dalen's honor guard, and he took his role seriously, stopping the approaching commander of the vanguards.

He stood on a dirt road leading behind the castle grounds, up toward the actual mountaintop, where a lone tower with an observatory stood in ruins, overlooking the region. From his position, he constantly scrutinized the conquered, half-ruined stone castle and the hundreds of campfires, not to mention the firefly-like lights coming from the plains where the bulk of the army was waiting for their orders. He was always alert, always looking for an ambush... for danger.

"It's me, Akku. Or are your eyes no longer working?" He snorted, wearing his worn, damaged silver armor, which had seen so many battles that it told everyone that he was the most decorated soldier of the two wars, against the Lich Queen and now for the freedom of Susaria.

"Magic can conceal anybody, Commander Gorka. The Hero is in retreat, and the order is clear: Don't let anybody disturb him!"

"I know, but we have news of a spotted ryuin. If my memory holds, Lord Dalen said that any news of the surviving ryuins is a top priority." He replied, tucking his long, black hair behind his ears while his middle-aged face was dotted with multiple scars, causing his short beard to grow in patches on his face.

"..."

"Akku..."

"The orders are clear!" he answered, his voice booming. His eyes reflected his simplistic thought process, and he did not want Gorka to proceed because the Hero's orders were absolute.

"Let him in." A gentle, calm voice from the tower echoed in their ears, drifting forward with the wind, making Akku step aside at once.

"Thank you, my lord!" Gorka bowed, cupping his hands towards the mountaintop. He hurried up the road, entering the dusty, cobweb-filled tower and ascending the spiraling stone stairs until he arrived at the observatory. The old windows were long gone, leaving only a metal structure to let the wind blow through.

There he was, Dalen, standing in the middle of the ravaged building, hands behind his back, looking up at the sky and gazing at the millions of stars.

"Tell me." He said, without looking at Gorka, letting his curly, golden-colored hair rest on his shoulders while his azure-tinted eyes remained fixated on the stars above them.

"Lord..." Gorka whispered, going to one knee, and although the man before him was barely twenty, less than half of his age, he wasn't ashamed to bow his head. "Our scouts spotted a ryuin."

"Only one?"

"Yes. At the southern borderline. It is clear that the creature was there, looking for something or someone, but our scouts could not determine exactly what it was searching for. But it wasn't alone. There was a human scent accompanying the ryuin."

"Was there any sign of ryuin magic being used?"

"Not that we could tell..." Gorka answered after a momentary pause, thinking back to the report.

"Not that I expect them to pull it off." Dalen chuckled, "At least it is a sign they are out of the capital city, which is good. Keep patrolling and try to capture them!"

"Why don't we..." Gorka asked but stopped himself, holding back the question everyone was thinking about.

"Why don't we march against Karnia?" He asked, his voice remaining calm and without anger. "The city was built by the first Hero, Susaria. While training, I lived there, and my origin made me resonate strangely with the city. As a Hero myself, I learned more about it than the royal family could because there are simply things they can't see. Things only a Hero would pick up on... Believe me... We are not ready to attack the city... Not until I find everything to disable their defenses."

What he was now telling him hastened Gorka's breathing. He was sharing a secret with him that he had not yet told anyone else. They were not attacking at random... their leader was moving against Karnia's legendary defenses! No wonder he never revealed it; he didn't want the royal family to find out. If it is something the Hero discovered, he for sure didn't want to lead the enemy to the same discovery, or they could reinforce their future targets. It made sense to him at once...

"I trust you, Gorka. You have been with me since the beginning."

"It is my biggest honor, Hero!" He shouted, remaining kneeling.

"Thank you... It is because of this trust that I want to entrust you with an important mission."

"Just say it, My Lord, it will be done!"

"I want you to name someone competent to replace you. After it is done, you take some of your best men and try to infiltrate the central lands. Take the scouts who noticed the scent with you and try to find the human the ryuin found. Even if it isn't a summoned Hero, they must have ventured out to find people like you... Either convince them of our cause or..."

"Destroy them. It will be done." Gorka answered, and when Dalen remained silent, speaking no more, he left him alone and backed out of the tower silently.

"Susaria..." Dalen whispered, forming a small smile, finally finding the clue he was looking for in the stars. "I will rename it Dalenia after I wipe off your markings from this world... It just... sounds better."