Chapter 52: Eclipse Unmasked

The battlefield was chaos incarnate.
Mana storms raged overhead, painting the night sky with streaks of blue and crimson. The ground trembled with every impact, every unleashed spell. The scent of scorched earth and blood was thick enough to choke me.
I didn’t have time to think. I didn’t have time to breathe.
I darted between bodies—some twitching, some already still. Eclipse Order soldiers moved with inhuman discipline, blades and spells weaving a tapestry of death. Vareon’s mercenaries fought with brutal efficiency, their armor scorched and dented, their faces twisted with fear and fanaticism. And in the middle of it all, Count Vareon himself, roaring like a wounded beast, and the Eclipse Leader—silent, spectral, unstoppable.
I kept moving.
"[Ghost Step]," I whispered, letting my mana flow through my limbs. Shadows clung to me, hiding me from the worst of the carnage. I swept past a collapsing mercenary, ducked a bolt of lightning, and slid behind a fallen log.
The dragon was there, crouched low, her scales dulled with blood and dust. Her eyes met mine, fierce and desperate.
“Hold on,” I muttered. “Just a little longer.”
She nodded, her breathing ragged. I could see the pain etched into every line of her body, but she didn’t complain. She never did.
A scream cut through the night. I turned in time to see one of Vareon’s lieutenants impaled on a silver blade. The Eclipse soldier yanked the weapon free, blood spraying in an arc, and spun to face me.
I didn’t hesitate.
"[Vein Pierce]!"
My dagger flashed, slicing through the gap in his armor. He staggered, eyes wide, and fell.
I didn’t wait for him to hit the ground. I grabbed his sword, tossing my battered dagger aside. The new blade was heavier, but better balanced. I tested the grip, then turned to scan the battlefield.
Vareon was trading blows with the Eclipse Leader. Sparks flew with every impact, the ground cracking beneath their feet. The Leader moved like flowing water—never quite where Vareon expected, always a step ahead. Their sword shimmered with runes, each swing sending arcs of silver mana screaming through the air.
Vareon was relentless, his gauntlet-clad fists shattering shields and bones alike. But the Leader was faster. Smarter.
I watched, transfixed, as the Leader ducked under a wild swing, spun, and drove the tip of their blade into Vareon’s side. The Count roared, aura flaring, and backhanded the Leader across the clearing.
For a moment, the Leader was still.
Then they rose, brushing dust from their cloak. Their mask was unreadable, but something in their posture—calm, unhurried—sent a chill down my spine.
I forced myself to move, to think.
We’re all going to die if this keeps up.
I scanned the field, looking for an opening. The dragon needed help. I needed to get her out. But every path was blocked—by Vareon’s men, by Eclipse assassins, by the chaos of battle.
A mercenary charged me, sword raised. I parried, twisted, and drove my blade into his thigh. He screamed, dropping his weapon. I kicked him aside and kept moving.
The dragon tried to rise, but her legs buckled. I slid to her side, putting myself between her and the nearest threat.
“Stay down,” I hissed.
She growled, but didn’t argue.
A shadow loomed over us—a masked Eclipse mage, staff crackling with dark energy.
"[Shadow Bind]!" he intoned, sending tendrils of black mana snaking toward us.
I slashed at the magic, my blade disrupting the spell. The mage recoiled, surprised. I lunged, driving the sword through his chest.
He fell without a sound.
The dragon’s tail lashed out, knocking another attacker aside. I caught my breath, scanning for the next threat.
The ground shook. Another explosion rocked the battlefield.
Vareon and the Eclipse Leader were locked in a deadly dance, their auras clashing in waves of force. The Leader’s blade flashed—"[Lunar Rend]!"—sending a crescent of silver energy slicing through the air.
Vareon blocked with his gauntlets, but the force sent him skidding back, boots carving trenches in the earth.
I watched, heart pounding, as the Leader advanced—silent, implacable.
Vareon grinned, blood trickling from his mouth. “You’re good,” he spat. “But not good enough.”
He slammed his fists together. "[Iron Demon’s Grasp]!"
Chains of crimson aura erupted from his gauntlets, snaking toward the Leader. But the Leader moved like a ghost, sidestepping the attack with impossible grace.
I felt a surge of envy—and something else. Recognition.
The Leader turned, eyes—hidden behind the mask—locking onto mine for a split second.
A navy blue strand of hair fluttered in the moonlight.
My grip tightened on the sword.
Who are you?
The question burned in my mind, but there was no time for answers.
A mercenary lunged at me from behind. I spun, parried, and drove my blade through his chest. He fell, gasping.
The dragon tried to rise again, but collapsed with a pained grunt.
“Stay with me,” I whispered, crouching beside her.
She nodded, teeth bared.
The battle raged on.
Eclipse soldiers and Vareon’s mercenaries clashed all around us, spells and steel turning the night into a nightmare. The ground was slick with blood, the air thick with the stench of death.
I moved on instinct, fighting off anyone who came too close. My arms ached, my lungs burned, but I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
The dragon needed me.
I needed her.
A sudden silence fell over the battlefield.
I looked up.
The Eclipse Leader stood in the center of the carnage, sword leveled at Vareon.
Vareon grinned, blood staining his teeth. “You want her, don’t you?” he taunted, jerking his chin toward the dragon. “You want the beast for yourself.”
The Leader said nothing.
Vareon laughed, a harsh, broken sound. “You’re not getting her. She’s mine.”
He lunged, aura blazing.
The Leader met him head-on.
Their clash was titanic—mana and steel colliding in a storm of power. The ground split, rocks shattering. The air screamed with the force of their blows.
I watched, helpless, as they fought.
The dragon stirred beside me. “We have to go,” she whispered.
I nodded, scanning for an escape.
But every path was blocked.
A shadow fell over us.
I turned.
The Leader stood there, sword dripping with silver light.
He looked at me—no, through me.
For a moment, the world fell away.
I saw flashes—memories.
The Leader tilted his head, as if he want something.
Then he turned, vanishing into the chaos.
Vareon roared, charging after him.
I seized the moment.
“Now!” I hissed to the dragon.
We moved—stumbling, crawling, fighting for every inch
.
A mercenary blocked our path. I drove my blade through his knee, then his throat.
The dragon’s breathing grew weaker.
She nodded, pushing herself onward..
I glanced back.
Vareon and the Leader were still fighting, their auras lighting up the night.
Eclipse soldiers and mercenaries clashed all around them, the battle raging on.
That navy blue hair.
Those movements.
Who are you?
The question burned in my mind as we fled into the night.
To be continued