Chapter 2 ( The last knight Volume 1 )

The longer Kaine breathed, the harder the rain fell. The fires devouring the battlefield burned hotter than any hope he still carried. Wind whipped across the field like it wanted to finish what the Eastern army had started, driving thick black smoke straight into his lungs.

“No… I can’t die. Not yet.”

He crawled forward on broken armor, the torn banner of Westbank still clinging to his back like a dying flag. His fingers dug into the cold mud, pulling his battered body between piles of corpses.

“Someone… save me…”

No one answered.

The moon had risen  a blood moon, glowing deep crimson above the slaughter. It was the hour of the Inverted Prayer, when the gods turned their ears away and something darker listened instead.

Kaine dragged himself toward the distant tree line, the only thing guiding him a faint, stubborn spark of will. Behind him, the fires still hissed defiantly against the rain. The smell of burning flesh and wood clung to the air.

“I have to live… so he dies.”

His breathing grew shallower. Each inch forward felt like climbing a mountain. When he finally reached the edge of the forest, far from the battlefield, his strength gave out completely.

He collapsed onto the wet forest floor, staring up at the blood moon through the branches.

“Am I dying?” he whispered, voice raw and exhausted. “No… I can’t. Not now.”

His eyes slowly closed.

In the darkness, he heard the voices of his fallen brothers. Even with his eyes shut, he saw flashes of the past  the day he first picked up a sword, the laughter of friends long gone, the moment he stood before General Kai.

A soft voice suddenly cut through the memories.

“Hello?! Hello?! I think he’s dead…”

Kaine’s eyes snapped open.

“Ah! He’s not dead!”

A young woman was leaning over him, wearing a simple farmer’s hat. Behind her stood an old man, his face tight with worry.

“Leave this man,” the old man said sharply. “Look at that banner he’s from Westbank. If our village is seen helping him, we’ll be burned to the ground.”

The girl’s eyes were filled with pity as she looked down at Kaine. She clearly wanted to help.

“But father…”

“No ‘buts’!” the old man snapped. “Just leave him to die.”

From the ground, Kaine’s cracked voice barely rose above a whisper:

“Please… save me…”

The girl froze. Those words pierced her deeper than any command from her father.

“Come here right now!” the old man shouted.

She hesitated, her eyes locked on the dying knight for one last second before she was forced to turn away.

Kaine’s eyes closed again. Another memory surfaced  the day he first met General Kai.

“I’m Kaine Magnus, son of the great Rienka Magnus, who fought in the war between Eastbank and”

General Kai had cut him off with a tired smile. “Okay, okay, I get it. Rienka… I remember him. He was one of my best allies…”

Kaine’s eyes snapped open once more.

He was no longer lying in the mud. A makeshift roof of leaves and branches swayed gently above him. The same girl was sitting beside him, watching him carefully.

“Hey… you’re awake?”

Her voice was soft, gentle like a flower in bloom.

“Where… am I?” Kaine asked weakly.

“Don’t talk. You need to rest. I’ll explain everything later.”

His eyes grew heavy again and drifted shut.

In his dreams, he stood once more on the battlefield, facing General Kimar and the entire Eastern army alone. Just as the fight was about to begin, he jolted awake.

The girl was still there, sitting calmly beside him.

“Hey… Enid Oriana. That’s my name,” she said with a small smile.

Kaine finally felt some strength return to his body. He tried to sit up.

“Enid… thank you for saving me, but I have to go.”

The moment his feet touched the floor, his legs buckled and he collapsed with a pained groan.

“Ahhh”

Enid laughed softly. “Rest for now. Here, eat this.”

She handed him a piece of bread.

“I saved you despite the risk, and you’re trying to leave without even saying ‘thank you’? How rude.”

Kaine exhaled heavily and looked at her.

“Girl, I can’t tell you everything, but there’s something important I have to do.”

Enid made a dramatic, scary face. “Girl? I thought I made it very clear a moment ago  my name is Enid Oriana.”

Kaine managed a weak smile and sat properly on the floor.

“My name is Kaine Magnus,” he said, his voice suddenly loud and clear with purpose. “I am a knight of Westbank… and I am here to kill General Kimar.”

“Idiot! Keep it down!” Enid hissed, her eyes wide with fear. She quickly glanced toward the door. “If someone hears that, we’re both dead.”

To be continued...