Leye awoke to a grotesque crash. His consciousness rose above his dungeon—or what remained of it—and fixed on the place where the sound had occurred, one of the lateral walls of the fortress.

  With relief, he realized it was not a breach, merely the collapse of one of the marble layers covering the wall’s fa?ade, shattered by the war hammer of an Aneite.

  The enemies now surrounded the fortress on all sides, and the bulk of their forces piled up like a swarm of ants at the castle gate. There, the defenders, on the other side of the wall, had also concentrated, vigorously repelling the ladders the Aneites were trying to anchor to the battlements.

  Despite how dire the scene was, Leye felt calm. This new reset had left him refreshed, and now he felt he could face the circumstances with greater clarity.

  The enemies have razed my entire settlement, and now they surround my last bastion as a raging sea would a sailboat in the open deep, but something tells me this situation can still be reversed. He thought, as waves of mana flowed from the rock in which his consciousness was trapped.

  Very close to his body, a dying Vidul continued casting his weakened healing spells on Naya, who remained unconscious. Atop the central tower, Nilu and Zar Quar fought hand to hand against the few Aneites who managed to reach the battlements, driving them back with sword and mace. Though few invaders made it that far, more attempted it each moment, as the exhausted defenders withdrew deeper into the fortress to recover their strength.

  The burly leader of the enemies urged them onward, climbing the structure himself as he struck the keep’s doors with his greatsword, accompanied by his sturdy warriors, who pressed with their hammers, trying to force the wooden gates to finally give way.

  Inside the main gate, Illaqu Urku—the undead llama rider Nilu had brought back from one of his portal incursions—held the line alongside a contingent of Ixtalite warriors, bracing the doors with wooden stakes and marble statues shaped like serpents to keep them from buckling.

  Everything looks so bleak, and yet I feel this disturbing calm. Why?

  Leye did not understand it, but an absolute certainty that everything was about to change overwhelmed him. He was still imprisoned within his stone body, and his allies were on the verge of dying at the hands of a bloodthirsty army, yet he knew this siege was merely accelerating the inevitable. He had lived long enough to grow—he knew it—and it was already too late for his frantic competitors.

  You have not lived in vain, mother, he thought, with a surge of joy deep within his rocky core. One of your children will reach adulthood.

  He thought of his mother, yet felt no trace of her presence anywhere nearby—though she could not be far. He knew she had to be somewhere close, about to witness enemy hammers turning her egg into rubble.

  He refocused his consciousness on the battle outside the castle. His vision had shrunk drastically, almost entirely confined to the interior of the fortress and its immediate surroundings, where only the relentless Aneite warriors could be seen fighting to break through. He could still glimpse events in some nearby trees, but these were isolated visions, separated by a dense, dark fog—like stars in the black void of an infinite firmament—from which he could make out the broad backs of the invaders and a few towers that had not yet been destroyed at the dungeon’s edges.

  Everything had been reduced to smoking ruins: the coliseum, the mana wells, and the huts meant to house future settlers who would now never arrive.

  The rest of the world had become an eternal mist. He knew that beyond it stretched hundreds of leagues of jungle, and beyond that, a country ravaged by war. A world he would never see.

  Yet the calm remained, deep within his being. This time it was not a vision. It was a certainty that transcended his present circumstances. A thought sent by the ancestral knowledge granted to him at the moment of his birth permeated his consciousness.

  Intelligent beings can see beyond the present moment, see the full panorama denied to animals—lesser beings that live in an eternal now.

  Whether predator like a tiger or innocent gazelle, both animals could only perceive the piece of forest surrounding them at that instant. Of course, both could track food through their senses—keen eyesight or a refined sense of smell—but they could not plan their actions days or weeks ahead. A thinking being, whether human or god, could plan action—or even inaction—to obtain long-term benefit, whatever the plan decreed. It was what the elves, in their ancient tales, called determination and discipline.

  Somehow, Leye knew that all the destruction around him was necessary.

  Give a man paradise and he will destroy it. Give him nothing and he will build it.

  Suddenly he recognized his mother, who had transmuted herself into an Ixtalite archer in one of the towers lingering at the settlement’s edge. She spoke firmly to the other bowmen around her.

  "We must hold. As long as the castle stands, there is hope!"

  But the truth was that the Aneite hammers were doing their work. The lateral walls of the fortress, where fewer defenders stood, were beginning to give way under the blows. Leye knew it was only a matter of time before the enemies infested it like a virus.

  The massive structure possessed an intricate network of corridors the Aneites would take time to navigate, but eventually they would reach the wide chamber where he rested—and then they would destroy him, claiming all his mana for themselves.

  They would also find the exhausted arcanist struggling to save his companion, and the unconscious archer herself. Both would fall prey to the predatory fury of the northerners.

  His confidence remained intact, but the facts strained to disturb it. The enormous enemy leader—the giant with the stone sword—had managed to climb the battlement where the defenders clustered. Almost instantly, Nilu and Zar Quar, the only warriors capable of facing the brute, fell upon him with relentless battle cries.

  Yet despite the vigor of their assault, the enemy was managing to withstand both of them with his longsword and tower shield. More than that—he was driving them back into the keep.

  If either of them falls, I am lost.

  He realized then. For the first time since his awakening, fear began to seep into his consciousness.

  He had little time to dwell on it. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming energy surge forth. A power he had felt before—strangely familiar, though not entirely welcome. Or perhaps it was, but only in a moment like this.

  Yowo.

  It was impossible for her to be so close so suddenly. He should have sensed her energy leagues away as she approached. Yet he felt her right there, within the ruined settlement itself. He shifted his consciousness toward her and began to see through her eyes. The woman stood at the very edge of the jungle dungeon, gazing at the rubble of destroyed buildings around her, her sword drawn. In the distance, through the dust churned by the battle, the castle could be seen—where his rocky body lay.

  Then the core did not know whether to rejoice or despair. The side the woman chose would seal his fate. For better or worse, Yowo had returned.

  ***

  Kulad had finally caught his breath. Though the wounded kept arriving at the tent the Aneites had improvised, their numbers were dwindling.

  The defenders had retreated into the only building still standing in the jungle settlement—the castle—and it seemed they would not last much longer. The hammers were shattering the lateral walls, and the main gates were on the verge of collapse. Hunn the Tyrant had reached the battlements, and the defenders had failed to repel him, allowing the attackers’ ladders to anchor easily to the outer wall. The battle was decided.

  At this sight, the triton’s hopes faded.

  I will remain the slave of these butchers for the rest of my days, he thought with a sigh, as he finished healing an armored warrior with his restorative spells.

  "Good work," said the burly guard overseeing him. "You’ll soon earn a well-deserved rest, little fish."

  He handed him a jaguar rider who had been struck in the right arm by a defender’s arrow.

  As Kulad began to heal him, he noticed a flash very close by. He might have assumed it was another explosion from the battle, but then he felt a colossal power—a rare presence. Something strange had occurred. The guard sensed it too, gripping his hammer with both hands and scanning all directions.

  Suddenly, a human woman with black hair tied in a ponytail ran past them, longsword in hand. Somehow, the triton knew she was the bearer of that overwhelming energy. Her features resembled those of his captors: pale skin and tall build. An Aneite, he realized. That power would tilt the battle in the invaders’ favor within minutes. At least he would not have to heal more soldiers.

  Curious about the power the warrior woman would unleash inside the castle, he kept healing the man before him, avoiding another lash from his guard. Yet as his hands emitted waves of healing light over the Aneite’s wound, he noticed the guard was barely paying attention. His gaze was fixed on the path the swordswoman had taken.

  Then, out of nowhere, a beautiful woman appeared and, with feline movements, positioned herself behind the guard and slit his throat with her longsword before he could react.

  She is not a woman—she is an elf, Kulad realized, noticing her pointed ears and beauty far surpassing that of any human.

  But her beauty clashed with her martial skill and her savagery. She reached Kulad and, without hesitation, killed the warrior he was healing, driving her blade through his skull. The steel point burst from the man’s jaw as he let out a pig-like squeal before dying.

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  The triton made peace with his own, knowing the same fate awaited him—but then the elf, brow furrowed and sword aimed at his chest, spoke.

  "You are a healer, are you not?" she said in a tone that allowed neither silence nor refusal.

  "Yes, my lady."

  "Good. Follow me, or the same will happen to you as to him."

  Kulad rose immediately and followed her into nearby bushes at the edge of the fortress, unnoticed by the surrounding Aneites.

  Within the undergrowth, another elf—paler-skinned, with a roguish aura—rested against a rock. He looked so wretched that Kulad initially thought him undead. But judging by the heavy sobs, he was alive.

  The woman turned to Kulad, gently resting her sword against his throat.

  "You will make sure my companion survives, or you will share his fate—and that of the other Aneites."

  Without waiting for a reply, the elf leapt toward the castle along the same route taken by the mysterious Aneite.

  The elf looked at Kulad with pleading eyes. A long spear lay beside him, but by his condition, he could barely lift it.

  I had better do as they say. I only hope it is not too late. Though death is not a bad option, after all.

  Then he began to heal the elf with his rays, and almost instantly, the man lost consciousness.

  ***

  The dragon’s wings beat majestically over Dalux. It was a clear day and the sky lay open, not a single cloud in sight. A perfect day to fly, the emperor thought.

  The Aneita capital rose beneath him like a shining jewel in the middle of a green world, its rocky districts linked together by stone bridges erected by the original founders two thousand years earlier, when the villages had grown tired of the floods that threatened their commercial barges.

  It is as magnificent as the beast I ride. Valtorius thought, a surge of pride swelling in his chest. Unique in its kind.

  With the reins the engineers had adapted to the beast, the Aneita emperor urged the gigantic reptile to begin circling above the city. He knew the villagers watched him with a mixture of fascination and terror. The flying animal had been domesticated. The most powerful weapon of war in the world.

  Once the engineers had prepared the winged throne—a dorsal frame anchored to the beast’s back that allowed the rider to mount safely—the first glides Valtorius had limited himself to had been over the Central Pyramid. But just as the mage who had given life to Nahum had told him, the dragon had proven docile from the very first moment, responding to the reins as if it were the simplest of machines.

  As the days passed, the emperor had dared to fly higher… and farther. He had seen with his own eyes the distant southern lands, the country his men had so far failed to conquer, and the shining portals that arose there, blooming like flowers in spring. Ixtul… it was so small, so pathetic. It seemed unbelievable that his forces had not yet managed to conquer it.

  After that, he had toured his own country. To the north, devastation was palpable: hundreds of villages and small cities razed to their foundations, as if a hurricane had passed through only minutes before. But it was no natural force that had caused so much destruction—it was the klurzites, opportunistic scavengers who had taken advantage of the bulk of the Aneita hosts marching south.

  As he continued gliding over Dalux, he could feel Nahum’s red scales beneath the gyroscopic stirrups. The beast’s coarse hide radiated a constant, tolerable heat, made bearable by the wind.

  Now that he had flown a dozen times, he finally felt confident enough to make his first incursion, though he did not yet know where to begin. So many enemies, and all of them will be erased in a single breath. He thought, adrenaline flooding his veins as he continued circling the great city.

  That morning, while the monster was being fed a dozen oxen and lambs in the dungeon beneath the pyramid, the emperor had received the usual reports in his main office at the top of the tower, delivered by his niece, Jontana. The lady had entered wearing a fitted cream-blue dress that highlighted her wide hips… and breasts. Though she was his own niece, Valtorius had felt a surge of lust upon seeing her. He knew the attraction was as much to her body as to her intelligence. A child of the two of them could propagate the family’s genes for generations, controlling the growing empire. He surprised himself with such a corrupt thought, even for a man who had at his disposal the most beautiful women on the entire continent… but he was still a man.

  “Your Highness, the nomads continue ravaging the north, and we barely have troops to contain them. At this rate they are only days away from our city.”

  The woman looked terrified, but the emperor barely reacted.

  “Change that expression, my dear. There will be time to deal with them. Continue.”

  She looked at him in confusion, but did as he said.

  “Our informants have confirmed the betrayal of the Council of Mages of Panxian. The… honorable sorcerers of the Eastern Coasts have been infiltrating spies into all the cities to provoke a general uprising, though with the constant klurzite attacks, the Lords have barely listened. They are far too terrified to make any move.”

  “They will be punished in due time. For now, we must deal with the invaders on our territory… and the invasion in the South. What reports have arrived from Ixtul?”

  The woman sighed, and though the emperor perceived her irritation, he did not share it. Only a faint excitement at how beautiful she looked when distressed.

  “Our armies have been decimated by the locals, now that supplies from the sea have stopped arriving. Only one strong contingent remains, but it has been lost deep in the southern jungles.”

  The emperor thought of his dragon with satisfaction. If not for the beast… he would have no way to defend himself against his enemies, multiplied like a plague. He barely had troops left, but he no longer needed them.

  I have made too many mistakes in the past, but that will not happen again. He had thought. Then he had risen from his throne and taken his niece by the shoulders.

  “Do not worry, my dear Jontana. I will go right now to deal with our enemies one by one. I will fly for a while to decide which of them must fall first.”

  “My lord, the northern riders are advancing very quickly. Perhaps the beast’s fire should wipe them out first.”

  “I will decide that myself. For now, I leave the city in your hands. I am sure you will manage without me for a few hours. Perhaps a couple of days. Keep everything in order while your uncle returns.”

  Once the beast was ready, it rose into the skies. As he continued to soar over the city, climbing higher and higher, he began to weigh the possibilities.

  The riders will keep advancing, but when they reach Dalux, they will stall. He deduced as the midday wind struck his face. They have no siege engines, and the city walls will stop them for several months at best. I have more than enough time to deal with that pest. My forces in the south, on the other hand…

  He knew his squadrons were deployed throughout Ixtul, without a firm center, scattered across the jungle country, attacking villages and portals to seize their riches, and avoiding the locals’ cowardly attacks from the endless undergrowth. Little by little he would regroup them… though there was that great troop in the far south. There had to be something very enticing there for them to venture so deep into such harsh land. He had to rescue them before it was too late, and find out what they were searching for.

  Yes, I will definitely go to the jungle. It will only take a couple more hours of flight. He thought. After that, he would return north to deal systematically with his enemies: the few Ixtalite cities still standing, the traitorous sorcerers of Panxian—whose rock by the sea he would reduce to ashes—and finally the annoying nomads, whom he would exterminate to feed their horses to the beast.

  He pressed his legs firmly, and the dragon unleashed a blast of flame from its mouth. The emperor felt the heat, and sweat beaded on his brow.

  Now they will see what happens when they face the greatest power in the world. They should have surrendered, but it is too late for that. They will know my eternal fire.

  Controlling the reins, he guided the dragon southward. In the distance, dark clouds could be seen, but rain—even a lightning storm—would pose no problem for that stallion of the skies.

  Your moment has come, Ixtul. Your name will be erased from history, remembered only as another region annexed to my empire. I will destroy your cities, populate them with Aneites, and plunder every last one of your portals. The time has come to design this world in my own image. He thought, as the dragon picked up speed.

  ***

  Yowo reached the Aneite rear lines in a matter of seconds with broad leaps. My countrymen, she thought, as she moved through the squadrons like a human panther.

  In the distance, the castle was clearly visible, and several fights raged atop the battlements, where General Hunn fought with his enormous greatsword and tower shield against two heroes who could barely contain him.

  As she drew closer, she distinguished them. The Ixtalite scoundrel and a burly warrior with a jaguar’s face. That can be no one other than Zar Quar. She thought as she ran. She had seen the notification of his birth and his subsequent level-ups in the interface while sailing the high seas with the pirate guild.

  Around the fight, several Aneites had already managed to scale the fortress’s high walls and were fighting hand to hand with several Ixtalites—or rather, slaughtering them with their enormous hammers. Although archers atop the high towers of the fortress continued firing, they barely inflicted minor wounds on the invaders, armored to the teeth.

  I hope I’m not too late.

  As she approached the fortress, Yowo felt the gazes of her countrymen upon her. Many recognized her instantly. It was obvious—any Aneite militiaman would know who she was, one of the finest fighters in the imperial army—but they looked at her with suspicion.

  It was likely many of them already knew of her betrayal, but fortunately no one made a move to block her advance. Then she knew she had only seconds to cross that enormous mass of muscle and armor before hostile actions began against her.

  Many of them believe I am still on their side, she thought. While it was true she had vanished for quite some time after murdering the idiot Orec, no one knew for certain that she had fought the pirates who supplied food to their forces.

  But even if they did know, they would not be able to stop her. She felt light, and proved it when with two long leaps she reached the top of one of the ladders anchored to the wall and knocked the armored soldier climbing it down with a kick to the face.

  The poor bastard fell nearly six meters and died with a broken neck.

  How is it that I’ve jumped so high? She thought as she ran toward Hunn and Nilu, now only steps away. It must be the adrenaline. I’m about to lose my treasure.

  With a quick glance over the battlefield, she saw Xyrna coming after her, deftly dodging the Aneite squads around her. She knew she would soon find a way to climb the wall, but there was no time to wait. The gigantic Hunn was a far tougher nut to crack than Orec.

  She tried to use surprise to her advantage to fall upon the Aneite general and, with some luck, kill him instantly, but her arrival on the battlement caused a great commotion, and it did not take long for the hulking man to see Yowo running toward him, sword in hand.

  She could have arrived faster, but soldiers from both sides began attacking her—the Ixtalite defenders thinking she was just another Aneite, and the imperial attackers aware she was a traitor after seeing her hurl her comrade through the air.

  But Yowo had entered a state of flow, and no one could separate her from her prey. With a leap and a battle cry worthy of a goddess, the warrior sprang at Hunn, who blocked the thrust with relative ease after dispatching Nilu against a wall with a kick to the chest.

  “Well, well, if it isn't that traitorous bitch,” the man said with a huge laugh that greatly diminished the warrior’s confidence. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you. Here’s my sword so you can take a closer look.”

  “Your mother’s the bigger whore, you filthy pig.”

  They exchanged several blows for quite some time, but without a doubt this was the most powerful warrior the swordswoman had ever faced.

  He predicted each of her attacks, and though some of Yowo’s agile strikes managed to land, the truth was that the hulking man was an impenetrable mass of iron. She would have to be exceedingly precise to defeat him.

  Fortunately, the brute was slow, and the swings of his enormous greatsword were easy to dodge. However, the warrior soon found herself losing ground, and with quick glances around her she realized more and more Aneites were reaching the top of the wall. It was only a matter of time before they fell upon her. Then she would be finished. She could not hold off that giant if attacked from multiple angles.

  A small window of hope arose when Zar Quar, the jaguar warrior, arrived from behind and struck Hunn with his mace. The brute nearly lost his balance but managed to steady himself. For the first time, Yowo saw him irritated. She tried to surprise him with a quick move, but he stopped it with his sword like a stone wall. He knocked her aside with ease and turned toward the anthropomorph.

  “Now you’ve really managed to get on my nerves, kitty. Your time has come.”

  With that, he raised the greatsword with a speed unbefitting such a massive weapon. Zar Quar lifted his sturdy mace to block it, but the force of the blow was such that it split it in two. And it kept going. In a reflexive movement, the son of Leye tried to dodge the attack, but he was not fast enough. The blade struck flat against his neck and instantly severed his head from his body, which went tumbling somewhere down the lower part of the wall.

  Then Hunn turned toward Yowo.

  “Don’t worry, doll. You won’t suffer the same fate as this idiot. I’ll keep you tied to my bed for a long time. I’ll use you as my personal whore until I get bored, before sending you to hell.”