Chapter 61:

Eris Falls

Reverie's End: Blades of Malice


Day: 10/13/991; Time: 21st hour

Seizing the lands of House Eris proved an almost trivial affair. Only the most loyal knights of Eris would even think of opposing King Janus' overwhelming forces. It was only 2 weeks ago that the "Battle of the Emerald" took place and yet the king was already marching towards Eris to judge the traitors that sought to dethrone him. Such was the power of King Janus and the city of Gamma. They recovered quickly.

However, the king was merciful, and offered the opportunity for a peaceful surrender. His only condition was that the traitorous leader was to be given up so that they could stand trial for their war crimes.

Lord Victor's honor would not allow him to surrender and many of his best knights were ready to die alongside him. His grandma, Sarah, tried to persuade them to lay down their arms, but her voice was not heard. It was her idea to commit treason and join the Blades of Malice, but she was very well aware of the king's true power. She had gambled and lost; Sarah was ready to pay the consequences. The problem was that Victor was too young to fully comprehend the might of his opponent. He did not get to see the king fight during the "Battle of the Emerald".

It was a dark and windy night outside. King Janus and Victor stared at one another, each with their armies by their side. Victor had golden hair, bright blue eyes, and was in his early 30s. This was not his first time in combat, but his opponent was clearly more experienced. The king of Gamma's regal appearance exuded power and authority. King Janus had deep blue eyes and appeared to be a tall and middle-aged man with brown hair. His eyes seemed like they could stare into one's soul. They were the same shade of dark blue that was common among Kali.

Neither man was willing to leave; a battle was inevitable. Victor's men were certainly fierce and noble. They had excellent training and possessed steel weapons and armor, all adorned with the golden hawk sigil. However, they were no match for the king's men. The Gamma knights were simply terrifying. Their ice-cold expressions showed no compassion or empathy. They were killing machines capable of fending off even seasoned warriors from the Malice. The outcome of this battle was obvious.

"Drop your weapons, Victor. House Eris needs a successor; don't lead these men to their deaths. You're a prudent man, Victor. Sarah did not raise you to be so rash. Although, it seems she couldn't follow her own advice. Greed gets the best of us; she was not like this in her younger days," said King Janus sighing.

Victor was unfazed. He continued to grasp his blade tightly and maintained his composure. King Janus saw Victor's adamant posture and he shook his head in disbelief. But the King was wise; he had methods of making people submit.

"I guess you don't really understand what you're up against, child. You're a few centuries too young to be fighting me!" bellowed the king as he spun his golden-tipped lance around. The ground began to shake violently. Victor and his men took a defensive stance and waited to see what would happen.

In just a few moments, a giant sphere of water appeared above Victor's army. It must have been 2 skars in height; he could easily drown a good portion of the Eris army. The Eris soldiers looked up in terror. While they were distracted, the king swung around his lance and pointed it at Victor. A giant ice spike shot out of the lance and stopped just shy of Victor's neck. King Janus had clearly demonstrated their gap in power, but Victor was not budging. Being mere moments away from decapitation was not enough to stop him.

"I will only say this once more, boy! Drop your weapons!" bellowed the king even louder than last time. This was no ordinary yell; it was enough to make all of Victor's men drop to their knees. King Janus' power was seldom seen, but those that saw it definitely learned to respect his authority.

"Bend the knee! Or I'll do it for you!" yelled the King of Gamma. Victor could not resist and fell prostrate to the ground. It was as if King Janus commanded the very force of gravity itself.

Sarah, who had been observing the battle from afar ran out and pleaded with the king, "Stop the fight! We surrender!"

King Janus looked down at the fallen Victor and said, "You better listen to your grandma, young man. This is no time for games and being a sore loser." The king sighed deeply and said, "I need all the men I can find right now. This war has only just begun. Come join me! Or would you rather die a traitor?"

Victor and Sarah both looked at the king with a puzzled expression on their faces. The king continued to speak, "The Blades of Malice will be back at some point; I'm sure you're aware of that. But, now we have new enemies: The Kali to the east. They are growing more and more discontent as time passes. They will surely strike soon. Worse yet, the entire Nihil Alliance might mobilize. If this were to happen, all 7 kingdoms would be in danger. We have been fortunate so far; the various demi-human races have not thought of uniting under one banner. But, that may change very soon."

The king of Gamma stared at both of them and said, " You picked a very bad time to stage a coup; I hope you understand the utter stupidity of your actions, Sarah. Please try to be a better role model for the younger generation."

Both Sarah and Victor looked down in shame. They had no retorts to make. "Very well. I'll put down my blade. The kingdom of Gamma must be united during these dark times. If even the great king Janus acknowledges the Nihil Alliance as a threat then I would rather die fighting them then fall here in such a shameful manner. Your blade is mine, O king," replied Victor in a humble tone.

He kneeled on one knee, this time willingly, in front of the king. The Eris army followed their commander and did likewise.

"Smart boy; you kept me from having to spill the blood of Charon's men today," commented Janus.

The king continued to speak, "However, I need to take proper precautions. Your grandma is coming with me; I need to avoid the possibility of further meddling. She will be in Gamma, under my mens' watchful eye. Her influence in court could also prove useful. Eris' spy network will now report directly to me and be under my control. As for you, Victor. You are now Lord of Eris. Serve your kingdom well and do not cross me again. Work hard to remove the blot off your house's great name."

Victor bowed in silence and said nothing. He couldn't do anything in the face of such greatness. The silence lasted for a while and was only broken when a nearby soldier started to hesitantly raise his hand and began to mumble something.

The king looked over and said, "Are you talking to me, young lad? Speak up!"

The frightened soldier just pointed his finger up at the sky. The king looked up and saw that the giant ball of water was still floating above the Eris army.

The king chuckled and said, "O that thing!" He moved his hand around and threw the water sphere a good distance away. It caused a good amount of rainfall for several seconds. Everyone else just stared in awe.

"I trust we have an agreement then," said the king.

Fortunately, a tragedy and civil war was avoided that day. King Janus had managed to subdue Eris, but Nyr might not be so easy to negotiate with. Aria was crafty and sly; he probably would not be able to let her run free. More forceful methods might be necessary. He did not yet know that House Nyr had already fallen to the Kali and that a war was inevitable. Even the wise King of Gamma could not predict what the future held in store for his kingdom.

Victor and his army returned to the castle in shame that night; they were determined to get stronger. King Janus and his men began the long journey to the domain of house Nyr. His new political prisoner, Sarah, and a few of her spies went with them. The king's hypothesis about the threat from the east was about to come true.