THE ECHO OF BATTLE ADND THE SILENCE OF THE BLADE

The dust from Goliath's blast slowly settled, revealing Ragnar, The Indomitable Fury, standing in the center of a smoking crater. He was panting, his armor was dented and bleeding from a dozen wounds, but he was victorious. He posed epically for an instant, a god of war contemplating his handiwork. Then, without addressing a word to the two young men he had saved, he turned and walked away, his figure disappearing over the horizon as abruptly as he had arrived.

Asimil and Luce stood silently, watching the place where he had gone, trying to process the scale of power they had just witnessed. — What... what exactly happened? — muttered Asimil.

One of the few surviving villagers, an old warrior with a broken arm, approached them reverently. — They have just been saved by the guardian of this region — he said, his voice trembling with awe. — That was Ragnar, one of the Eight Stars of the Firmament. He is always on the lookout for strong opponents. Looks like that... thing finally gave him a good fight. —

— That thing? — asked Luce, helping Asimil to his feet. — What was it? —

The villager's face darkened. —

One of them. A Void General. Twelve in all, and they have begun to appear throughout the Altverse like a plague. They say their corruption is spreading, wreaking havoc. A few weeks ago, one of them appeared at the top of the central region and... killed Lord Vorlag in front of all the other leaders. —

The blood froze in the veins of Asimil and Luce. Mio's story, Valerius' warning? it was all real, and it was happening now. They could not believe that, while they were traveling and getting to know each other, the world had been plunged into all-out war. A wave of guilt washed over them. If they had been stronger, if they had been able to stop Karen and Noelia in the ruins, perhaps none of this would have happened.

— Here — said the villager, offering them a few health potions. — It's the least we can do to help us evacuate. Be careful. —

They continued their journey, but the mood had changed. The easy camaraderie was replaced by a heavy, determined silence. Luce was trying to hide a limp, the pain of the wounds Goliath had inflicted, but Asimil noticed. He realized that not every region was lucky enough to have a protector like Ragnar. In most places, the only heroes were those who were willing to fight, regardless of their strength.

In one of these weaker regions, a village without walls and without a powerful clan to defend it, chaos reigned. Creatures of the Void, small but numerous, clambered over makeshift barricades.

In the heart of the defense, Ikel, Mitsu and Lyra were fighting. They were the only hope of that place. Unlike Asimil and Luce, they already knew the brutality of this new war. They had been fighting on the front lines, watching the Void's influence spread day by day. They had received no help from any Firmament Star; they were alone.

— Get out of the way! — Ikel roared, saving a stumbling child by incinerating a corrupted dog-creature with a fiery punch.

They were under attack, but there was something strange. The warriors of the village militia, fighting alongside them, were falling. But not by the claws or teeth of the monsters.

— Arg! — a defender in the palisade next to Mitsu let out a choked cry and collapsed, a thin, perfect cut in his throat.

Mitsu turned around instantly. He saw no one. — Lyra! — he shouted,  — We've got a killer! I can't see him! —

— It's not stealth — Lyra replied from the rear, her face expressionless but her eyes moving frantically, scanning the battlefield. — It's speed. Pure unnatural speed. —

The silent massacre continued. Another warrior fell, then another. An icy panic spread among the defenders. How do you fight an enemy you can't see?

Ikel, frustrated and furious, planted himself in the center of the front door, the most exposed area. — COME HERE, YOU COWARD! — he shouted, his flames burning brightly, —If you want a fight, fight me! —

— It's a bad idea — said Mitsu, positioning himself at his back.

— It's the only one we have — Lyra replied, preparing an area spell.

The warrior standing right next to Ikel stiffened. His eyes widened in surprise. And then, his head slid clean off his shoulders and rolled to the ground.

Ikel turned around, his face a mask of horror and disbelief. He saw nothing. Only a faint glow in the air, like that of heat distortion, which disappeared in an instant.

And floating gently in the place where the warrior's head had been, a single, solitary black raven feather slowly descended to the ground. The message was clear. The slayer was playing with them. And they were next