Throvald Fors

  "You look worried, my lord," Silas remarked from beside me, his voice cutting through the footsteps of our horses' hooves.

  "No, I was just thinking about the others. I hope they are okay," I replied, though the sight of the manor gates coming into view did little to ease the knot in my chest.

  It has been an hour since they left.

  Valka mentioned that time passes differently inside a Time Dungeon. For us, it has been sixty minutes; for them, it could have been hours or days. I still find it hard to believe they actually took Sieg with them. My mind keeps circling back to his small face.

  I hope he is okay.

  I shook my head, trying to dislodge the darker thoughts before they could take root. Valka and Erik are with him. They are among the strongest I know; they will protect him at any cost.

  I turned back to Silas with a forced smile, wanting to shift the air between us. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"

  He inclined his head respectfully. "Thank you for asking, my lord. But Liza must have prepared lunch already, and I need to see what my lazy son is doing," he answered politely, though a weary sigh escaped him at the end.

  "Are you still unable to convince him to leave for University?" I asked. I knew the dilemma well; his second son is fourteen now, with graduation from school looming only a year away.

  Silas nodded, his expression clouded. "He says he doesn't need to. He awakened his elements a year ago when he turned thirteen, and his talent with the sword has already reached the level of a Sword Veteran. It is nowhere near the Young Lord’s status as a Swordmaster, of course, but he thinks he is good enough. He says he doesn't want us to waste the money."

  I guess being a parent is never easy. The battles we fight for them are often the ones they resent us for the most.

  My mind drifted back to Valka’s own youth. She hadn't wanted to go to the University either. Elara and I practically had to tie her up to get her into the carriage. She kept kicking and screaming "I don't want to!" all the way to the gates. I can still see the faces of the other noble parents staring in shock as I dragged my thrashing daughter across the threshold.

  And now look at her. She is the 'Valkyrie,' the 'Goddess of War,' the creator of Valka Valley—the one who got the spell 'Compression Fist' renamed to the 'Fors Fist.'

  My amusement faded as quickly as it came.

  She is still my daughter.

  No matter how powerful she becomes. No matter how many titles she gathers.

  She is still the little girl who used to go to sleep in Elara's arms and ride on my shoulders.

  I placed a hand on Silas’s shoulder, offering what comfort I could. "Tell me if you need help talking to him. I have a fair bit of experience in that particular area."

  "Thank you, my lord," Silas said, bowing his head slightly. "Now, I will be taking my leave."

  I nodded in response and he turned his horse toward the path home. I dismounted, handing the reins to one of the waiting guards as I moved inside the gate the light shifted.

  The warm atmosphere around me dulled.

  Shadows stretched unnaturally across the courtyard.

  Clouds? It is far early for a rainy—

  I glanced upward, and to my surprise, it was not the grey of a storm that met my eyes.

  The sky was covered in blackness as far as I could see. There was no trace of the sun remaining.

  What is this?

  “My lord!”

  Silas came galloping back, urgency in his voice.

  Before I could ask him a single question, a loud screeching sound erupted from above. I narrowed my eyes, straining to see through the gloom, and watched as jagged, red and black crystalline creatures began pulling themselves out of the blackness in the sky.

  Monsters!

  "Silas! Go and activate the barrier around the manor immediately! Tell everyone to stay inside and away from the windows!" I shouted.

  Silas didn't hesitate and ran inside the mansion.

  I turned to the guard, who was staring at the sky in a daze. "Go to the training grounds and the barracks! Tell the soldiers to arm themselves and prepare for an aerial assault!"

  I didn't wait for a response as I noticed the creatures had begun to drop from the sky like rain.

  Why now, of all times?

  I rushed out toward the town, passing residents who were already beginning to scream in panic. "Go to the manor! Move!" I shouted as I sprinted past them, my heart hammering against my ribs.

  Panic spreads faster than fire.

  If they scatter, more will die.

  As I reached the middle of the town square, I summoned my axe, I raised it toward the darkened heavens. "O unseen threads of the world..."

  I am not suited for wide range spells; my strength has always been in the crushing weight of close combat. But looking at the sheer number of monsters, there was no other choice.

  "Heed my call! Reverse the flow of the world—Anti-Gravity!"

  Mana surged from my crucible.

  I expanded the spell, pushing my mana until the veins in my forehead throbbed. I cast the net over the entire town. The monsters that were inches from touching the ground were suddenly jerked upward, suspended in the air as if caught in an invisible web.

  The creatures struggled, screeching as they thrashed helplessly above the town.

  Sweat gathered at my brow.

  My arms felt heavier by the second.

  The spell was shaky at the edges, the drain on my soul crucible immense, but I held it steady by pouring every ounce of my will into the casting.

  All those hours Elara forced me to practice my control weren't for nothing after all. I have to hold out at least until everyone has evacuated.

  "Lord Throvald!"

  I did not turn to look toward the voice coming from my left, but I recognized it as Father Kaelen’s.

  "My apologies, Father, I cannot greet you properly as you can see I am quite busy. Do you have any idea what is happening?" My arm shook with the effort of holding the spell, the words coming out in a single, strained breath.

  He stepped closer, gaze lifted toward the suspended monsters thrashing above us.

  "I feel a power that is the polar opposite of Aethel magic. By their appearance alone… those must be Darkkins."

  Darkkins. I don't remember much, but what I do recall is that they are nothing but harbingers of ruin.

  Then I heard the clang of metal from my right.

  "My lord, most of the soldiers are currently directing the civilians. We are armed and ready for combat," Silas said, his voice steady despite the chaos.

  "Sir Silas, the church also maintains a barrier. You can send the civilians there as well," Kaelen added quickly.

  “Silas,” I said through clenched teeth, “make an announcement.”

  I felt a small touch of wind swirling around me.

  Then his voice echoed across the entire town at once.

  "People of the barony, this is the Head Knight, Silas, speaking. We are under attack. Please take refuge in the Fors Manor or the church immediately. Soldiers, guide the civilians to safety."

  The wind faded as his message ended.

  I could hear the streets shifting from chaos to hurried movement.

  "Father Kaelen, how should we deal with them?" Silas asked.

  The priest swallowed. “We would need to destroy that black veil covering the sky, as the Darkkins are spawning directly from it."

  "We don't have the means for that without Lady Valka and Lord Erik. Is there any other method?" Silas asked, his tone growing impatient as more creatures writhed in the air above.

  Kaelen hesitated.

  “Then… we have no other choice but to hold out against the Darkkins and wait for Lady Valka's return. Everyone, come together. This should help." Kaelen stepped forward and pulled out his silver medallion, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white.

  I maintained the Anti Gravity field as best I could while soldiers clustered near us.

  "O Aethelhum, grant your followers the power to wipe out the evil which dares to touch your roots," Kaelen chanted. A golden light, distinct from the one Elara uses in her alchemy, erupted from him. "Strengthen! Swiftness! Fortify! Clarity!"

  The golden mana of Aethel magic surged into me and the soldiers. My arm stopped shaking instantly. I felt my physical strength increase by a thousandfold, and my soul crucible began overflowing with a sudden, violent rush of mana.

  I didn't know he was capable of such massive buffs.

  I turned to Kaelen to offer my thanks, but his expression looked even more shocked than mine. He was staring at the group, his eyes wide with utter surprise.

  "Is something wrong?" I asked.

  "N-no, it is just... the results of the spell are far greater than my own output should allow. It is as if the magic is being amplified by something else."

  Amplified?

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  “My lord! My lord!”

  A soldier came rushing in on horseback, breath ragged.

  “What happened?” Silas demanded.

  "Those monsters have landed in the clearings around the barony. They are moving in from all sides. A large number of them are especially concentrated in the north!"

  To think that removing the old walls for our expansion project would come back to bite us like this. We are wide open.

  "I will handle the ones coming from the north myself. All of you, split into teams and handle the rest of the perimeter," I commanded.

  Silas stiffened.

  "My lord? But you—"

  “I can handle it.” I said, feeling the power moving through me.

  "O unseen threads of the world..."

  Every suspended monster above the town was jerked toward a single point, slammed together into a crushing sphere of jagged limbs and crystal.

  "Attract Bind! Gravitational Glide!"

  My feet left the ground.

  I surged northward with the concentrated mass of monsters trailing behind me.

  Below, I saw the dark tide of creatures rushing in a mad, mindless sprint toward our homes.

  Soldiers had already formed a makeshift barricade along the main path.

  Brave.

  Too brave souls.

  I hurled the compressed mass into the front ranks of the charging monsters, blowing through them as bodies shattered on impact.

  I did not release control. I didn't let go of the gravitational tether; instead, I swung the sphere like a gargantuan mace, crushing the monsters.

  I heard screeching sounds behind me and noticed more monsters descending on the town.

  I swung the mass in a wide arc, swatting away the descending monsters before they could reach the town.

  Then an explosion erupted on western side of town. I turned mid-air and raced toward the sound. There, I saw soldiers lying unmoving or groaning in pain on the ground amidst the shattered remains of a barricade. Standing over them was a towering monster wielding a massive, flaming sledgehammer resting on its shoulder.

  "O unseen threads of the world!" I redirected gravity and pulled the injured soldiers away from the beast with a gentle tug. In the same motion, I swung my arm, slamming the mass of monsters directly into the creature and launching it squarely out of the town.

  For a moment I thought it would crash beyond the clearing.

  But jagged, black-red crystal like wings erupted from its back, allowing it to halt its flight and hover in the air.

  I hurled the mass at the monster again, but this time, it swung its hammer with a brutal indifference. It shattered its own kind into a thousand shards, sending the debris flying in every direction without a second thought.

  How cruel.

  The creature rushed toward me.

  I met it head on.

  My axe collided with the flaming sledgehammer. The impact reverberated through my bones.

  We were both thrown backward.

  I landed hard on a rooftop. Tiles cracked beneath me. The force carried me over the edge and down into a narrow alley below.

  Pain flared across my back as I struck stone.

  Dust filled the air.

  *COUGH*

  Hah… Elara was right. My back agrees—we’re getting old.

  I forced myself up and flew out of the alleyway, ignoring the protest in my ribs.

  The scene unfolding across the barony was hard to watch. Everywhere I looked, steel met claws. My people were locked in a desperate struggle. Monsters had broken past the perimeter, but the soldiers were holding the line with a tenacity that made me proud. Some houses burned. Others were half shattered. Civilians ran under escort toward the manor and the church.

  The ones that had descended from the sky were met with a golden field in the town plaza, where Kaelen, Silas, and a handful of our best men fought back the tide.

  I need to support them.

  A heavy beat of wings sounded above me, coming closer.

  It had not given up.

  Knowing what was coming, I shot forward at full speed, leaving the clustered rooftops behind and moving toward the outskirts of the town.

  I turned my head just enough to see the monster following close behind, its flaming hammer trailing sparks.

  Good. It looks like it is aiming only for me.

  I slowed my momentum abruptly and spun around in mid-air. The monster swung its hammer in a massive, sweeping arc, but I dived beneath the blow. I reached out, grabbed the creature by its spindly, jagged legs, and slammed it into the ground.

  I rose above it, axe already raised high. [High Executioner: Split Armor]

  I brought the weapon down with every ounce of reinforced strength flowing through me.

  The strike cleaved through crystal and flame alike.

  The monster split cleanly in two.

  For a heartbeat it remained suspended in that broken state.

  Then its body began to crumble, fragmenting into glowing embers that drifted away on the wind.

  Before I could even take a breath of relaxation, vicious screeches erupted from all around me. More monsters emerged from the treeline and the sky, rushing toward me with mindless hunger.

  I tightened my grip on my axe.

  I don't have time for this.

  Just as I readied my axe for another swing, I felt a familiar, comforting mana signature from above. I looked up to see a rain of massive fireballs descending from the blackened sky. They landed and exploded all around me, sending the monsters tumbling back.

  “Throvald.”

  Her voice cut through the smoke and fading embers.

  I looked up to see Elara riding atop Fatty, accompanied by that boy, Blake. Flames still danced faintly along her sleeves, yet her face held none of its usual fire.

  I rose to meet her in the air.

  “Elara.”

  Relief surged through me at the sight of her.

  As much as I was happy to see her, I couldn't help but notice the missing faces in her wake. "Where are the others? Where is Sieg?"

  Elara looked away, her gaze fixing on the town's direction instead of meeting my eyes. "...They will catch up soon. Many Darkkins have entered the town. We need to help others." Even though she spoke with such determination, I noticed her lips quiver, a small crack in her usual composed mask.

  Something bad happened. I can feel it in the way she won't look at me.

  Without another word, even the usually energetic bird turned and started flying toward the town with a somber, heavy beat of its wings.

  Inside the town limits, the situation was turning dire.

  Monsters pushed through broken streets. Soldiers were being driven back step by step, formation thinning under sheer numbers.

  I descended to support the eastern flank.

  Then a golden radiance burst outward from the center of town and expanded to surround the entire perimeter.

  The Darkkin staggered as if struck by an unseen force.

  Some shrieked.

  Some faltered mid strike.

  "Aethel magic?" Elara whispered as Blake jumped from the bird and began cutting through the monsters with ease.

  They were falling too easily now.

  Their resilience had dulled.

  Their aggression blunted.

  Is this Kaelen’s doing?

  We moved toward the town center where Silas and Kaelen were holding the line. The soldiers were performing significantly better than before, easily defeating the enemies in coordinated groups.

  Fatty descended heavily onto a cluster of Darkkin, crushing them under his massive talons with a sharp screech.

  "Silas, what is the status of the evacuation?" Elara asked the moment she stepped off the bird.

  "All citizens have been successfully evacuated to either the Manor or the church," Silas answered, wiping sweat and soot from his brow.

  She nodded once, then turned toward Kaelen.

  He stood beneath my father’s statue, a book open in trembling hands, flipping pages in frantic urgency.

  "Kaelen, are you behind this spell surrounding the town?" Elara asked. Her tone was sharp, unkind, and unusually cold.

  "I-I am not entirely sure. I activated a veil, but..." He looked up at me, his face pale. "I am certain that this time someone took over my spell. I could not even detect the usurper's mana to pinpoint his location." His voice shifted, taking on a tone of sudden, breathless reverence as he looked toward the sky. "It felt as if some divine presence interfered to help us in our hour of need. This feeling... I think I have felt it once before."

  His head snapped toward Elara, his eyes with a look that bordered on insanity. "Where is the Young Lord?" he asked in a mindless, hollow tone.

  The question did not sound curious.

  It sounded frantic.

  His eyes were wide.

  Far too wide.

  Almost unhinged.

  Elara hesitated, her throat working as she prepared to answer the question I was terrified to hear the response to. But before a single word could leave her lips, a scream tore through the air from behind us.

  "W-hat is that?"

  I turned around, my gaze locking onto the horizon, something moved.

  At first it looked like mist.

  Then I narrowed my eyes and poured mana into them to sharpen my sight.

  It was not mist.

  To my absolute terror, a colossal wave of black was surging toward us at an unbelievable speed. It rolled and churned like a living tide, reaching upward so high it nearly kissed the black sky.

  "Kaelen, can the veil stop it?" Elara asked, her voice tight with a sudden, sharp edge of panic.

  "N-no. The spell is not a physical barrier. It is a veil designed only to weaken creatures born from darkness," Kaelen stammered, his hands trembling against his holy book.

  That was all I needed to know.

  "Elara, move to safety!" I shouted over my shoulder. I didn't wait for her reply. I ran with everything I had in the direction of the oncoming wave.

  I need to stop it before it reaches the town.

  Father... All my life, I have answered every call. To honor. To duty. To war.

  I looked at the enormous wave as it reached closer, it swallowed trees as it advanced, uprooting them like blades of grass.

  Yet now, fate has laid upon my hands a blessing I never dared to seek. It mended what was broken. It made my family whole.

  "O Unseen threads of the world..."

  I brought my hands together at my side, compressing the spell with such intensity that the air around my palms began to scream, amplifying my own power until it felt like a sun was trapped within my chest.

  So hear me, ancestors. Lend me your strength. Not to conquer. Not to destroy. But to protect this home of ours…

  I crouched low, then jumped as high as possible with every ounce of strength in my legs. I soared through the air, wind roared past me as I ascended.

  So that when I pass it to those yet unborn, I pass not hatred—

  “REPULSION!”

  —but warmth.

  I thrust both hands forward and slammed against the leading edge of the wave. The impact felt like hitting a mountain, but I didn't yield. I poured my soul into the spell, a wall of pure force erupting from my palms to cover the entire surface of the approaching darkness.

  It was only for a moment that we were locked in place. The wave was stopped, the massive wall of obsidian energy groaning under the pressure of my palms. But the very next moment, I felt my spell being drowned inside it, the force of my repulsion being swallowed by a hunger I could not overcome. Without wasting a second, the wave surged forward.

  I was consumed by it. I tried to use my mana to fly out, to anchor myself to the earth, but it didn't work.

  My body tumbled through a churning current of claws, shards, and writhing forms. Limbs scraped against my body from every direction. Something struck my ribs. Something coiled around my leg, my limbs scrambling everywhere as I was tossed like a leaf in a storm.

  I tried to rise.

  There was no up.

  I could not breathe.

  I could not see.

  I could not hear anything but the violent rush engulfing me.

  My mind began to drift, clutching at the only things that mattered as my consciousness started to flicker.

  Elara... Valka... Erik.

  “...Sieg.”

  Suddenly, something tight clamped around my arm. I was pulled with enormous strength, the force of it nearly dislocating my shoulder. The pressure around me tore away and my eyes found the light again. I saw the figure who had pulled me out. Even though he was covered in a cloak from top to bottom, the tall and imposing frame was undoubtedly that of a man. Without a word, he flung me away from the wave as though I weighed nothing.

  He turned around. In his other hand, a massive sword ignited. Flames erupted from its blade—not wild, but furious; controlled, yet overwhelming. He spun once, and fire roared outward in a sweeping arc. The world vanished behind a blinding inferno as the flames swallowed my sight.

  By the time I could see clearly again, there was no wave. I was sitting on the ground, gasping for air as the grass beneath me smoked from the heat.

  "Who... was that?"

  The man's face was hidden beneath a white cloak, but as he turned, I saw a few stray strands of hair. It was silvery white, or perhaps what my daughter likes to call platinum blonde.

  Was it... Sigmund? No. He did not feel like him.

  “Lord Fors!”

  I looked up and saw the Blake flying toward me on Fatty. Beyond them, I saw the black sky shift. It twisted unnaturally.

  Then it opened.

  Multiple enormous jaws formed within it, each shaped like a beast’s maw, each filled with a terrifying concentration of blood-red mana.

  It cannot be…

  I took flight immediately, passing the bird without a word, but the mana in those jaws brightened and spilled out in a blinding flash.

  No pain came. I had heard people talking about how the gods make death painless for the worthy, and I wondered if this was it.

  I opened my eyes, fully expecting to find myself in the afterlife where souls go before rebirth. But somehow, I was still floating above the barony.

  The streets below were intact.

  The soldiers unmoving in stunned confusion.

  The sky no longer roared.

  Everything looked the same.

  Except for one thing.

  Above the town hovered a vast green, glass like circular disc, translucent yet absolute, spinning slowly as it absorbed the dying remnants of mana from the shattered jaws above.

  two POVs — Throvald and Siegfried, with Siegfried’s part being the main highlight.

  However, the chapter became much longer than expected (about 8,500 words / 28 pages), so I decided to split it into two chapters.

  Do you prefer longer chapters or shorter ones?

  As everyone knows, this story is told in the First-Person POV. I am thinking of making some future chapters Third-Person for better exposition. This new POV will be reserved for battles taking place in faraway locations or events involving characters we haven't met yet. I actually experimented with this once in Volume 1 Epilogue (Chapter 19). I want to know if this sudden change in POV styles will break your immersion or make the story unreadable for you. Please share your views below.