At the northernmost edge of the Kingdom of Hathor stood Belenos, a district fortified by colossal walls of white ore, as ancient as the Aelvoran lineage itself. Beyond its borders stretched a sea of titanic trees, with trunks as wide as towers and flowering canopies that shone with white petals in the light of dawn.
The forest's sweet, tropical scent drifted through the air, carried by a cool breeze that masked its true nature: a lethal trap teeming with beasts.
Sentries moved in pairs along the roofed rampart of the wall, armed with swords and crossbows. Their elongated shadows stretched across the stone floor as they patrolled.
"I can't wait to go home," said one sentry, rubbing her face in annoyance. The dark circles under her eyes betrayed the effects of so many sleepless nights.
Her partner, a veteran with a scruffy beard, patted her shoulder firmly. Despite being in his fifties, he still seemed surprisingly energetic, as if staying up all night on patrol was a habit ingrained in his body.
"You get used to it over time," he said, as if repeating an old lesson learned through years of experience.
"Is it like this in all districts?" the young woman asked, stretching her neck wearily.
"No. Working here is the hell everyone fears when they have their biannual rotation," he explained, recalling his first shifts. "Twice the danger, twice the workload, and the strictest inspections in the entire kingdom."
"At least we get twice the pay too," she murmured, as if trying to convince herself of her luck.
Working on the Belenos wall was a silent sentence. They guarded the Darvaza Gate—the only entrance to the Milbong Rainforest in the kingdom. The gate was as colossal as the trees surrounding it. At a thousand meters high, it towered over even the tallest building on the Acropolis. A network of interior walkways ran through it every 150 meters, connecting to internal corridors and halls like a vertical anthill.
Despite its magnificence, its function was clear: to keep at bay whatever lurked on the other side.
Curiously, the sentries didn't stop anyone who wanted to cross into the rainforest. The protocol was simple but strict; if someone wanted to risk their life, they were free to do so. Reports were minimal, and permits issued were almost nonexistent. No one in their right mind wanted to go to that side of the world, and those who did rarely returned.
Faced with a shortage of volunteers, the high command had opted for extreme measures: rotating sentries from each district, mainly new recruits, forcing them to gain experience in the worst possible scenarios. In Belenos, although attacks were sporadic, when they occurred, they were brutal. The beasts didn't follow human logic; they just charged blindly.
"Luckily, here comes our relief," said the veteran, pointing into the distance. A middle-aged woman and a young man were approaching at a measured pace.
"At last!" The young woman, who looked like a withered plant, lit up with joy, greeting her companions vigorously.
When the other two approached, the young man examined the girl's dark circles with sympathy. They both shared the misfortune of having been assigned there, but at least he had gotten the morning shift.
"I know you were waiting for me for this," he joked with a wink, handing her a steaming metal flask as if it were an act of divine mercy.
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me!" she exclaimed, accepting the hot drink with eyes reddened with exhaustion.
"This? The best?" He placed a hand theatrically over his chest. "Your standards are rock bottom, dear."
"What if you dump your boyfriend and marry me?"
"I pity you. But not enough to add you to my glorious record of bad decisions."
"How cruel!"
"Not cruel. Realistic." He offered her some cookies with a radiant smile. "Go on, eat. Maybe with a little sugar you'll come up with a coherent idea."
"You're unbearable," she snorted, but accepted the cookies anyway.
"I know, it's part of my charm."
The old woman shook her head and ignored them completely, resuming her conversation with her former colleague. While the veterans exchanged reports, the youngsters whispered quietly.
"Did you hear the rumor?" he asked, leaning toward her.
"Which one?" Her eyes, which until then had seemed like a flame about to go out, regained some spark.
"Remember a few weeks ago when they said they saw a squadron of the Order of Laurus cross the Gate?" he murmured, looking toward the rainforest, as if he could see through the foliage.
The girl nodded immediately. It was impossible to forget the navy blue uniforms of the kingdom's most elite legion, made up of warriors selected from the best of the other three legions.
It was no exaggeration to say that the dream of every Hathi child was, one day, to wear that uniform. But, although formidable, they were rarely seen, as they were always deployed on confidential missions or guarding the heart of the Acropolis, where only the most prominent figures moved.
"They say they were sent to the camp, to the front lines."
"So... is the thing about General Zurie true?" Her voice dropped and her expression hardened.
"Exactly. That's why they sent reinforcements." He grimaced with a mixture of apprehension and disbelief, leaning casually against the parapet.
"That would be a disaster. Without him, the Second Legion is vulnerable. And if the beasts break through the front line…"
They both fell silent, tension hanging in the air.
"And that's not all," he added, raising an eyebrow smugly. "I've heard another rumor... and honey, this one's fresh off the fire. Hotter than my last trainwreck of a breakup."
"Stop acting mysterious. Spill it," she urged, glancing at the veterans.
"Tch, you don't appreciate the art of gossip," he clicked his tongue, looking her up and down with mock disdain. "Anyway. It's about the Second Hilmir and the Apostle…"
But before he could continue, a deep, dull rumble shook the air. The wall vibrated beneath their feet. Not like the shock of an explosion, but as if they were standing on the spine of some colossal beast stirring from slumber.
The sentry, leaning against the parapet, lost his balance. His face contorted with panic as he felt his body tilting dangerously toward the abyss.
"Gotcha!" The young woman grabbed him with both hands and hauled him back.
"Everyone down!" the old sentry bellowed, his voice heavy with urgency.
"Get away from the railings! Down now!" others along the ramparts repeated.
The structure swayed slightly at first, but soon turned into a brutal shaking, as if trying to shake them off. Stones creaked, metals clanged, and a guttural hum rose from the heart of the earth, chilling the sentries' blood.
The wind suddenly shifted, sweeping the battlements with an icy blast. The treetops shook in waves, shedding white petals like a blizzard. Flocks of birds took to the air in chaotic flight, screeching in despair, and from deep within the rainforest, a cacophony of wild roars tore through the air.
- - - - - - - -
In the border post room, the once neatly organized papers lay scattered across the floor, now covered in dust and debris. In one corner, a wooden table had been split in two by a large chunk of the ceiling that had collapsed onto it. A dim light filtered through the gap, revealing particles suspended in the air.
A muffled groan broke the silence, followed by the faint sound of a body dragging across the floor. From under the table emerged a young man with ash-brown hair, covered in dust. His gray-green uniform was torn and soaked in places by the blood still dripping from his leg.
Emrys wiped his face before struggling to his feet. His precognition had allowed him to take cover seconds before the collapse, but the impact had still reached him. The makeshift tourniquet he'd made from one of his sleeves wouldn't last long; the wound was still bleeding, and every movement was painful.
He used the wall for support and limped to the door. His leg burned, but not as much as the anxiety of not knowing what was happening outside. When he reached for the handle, the door burst open.
"Emrys!" A figure stormed in, breathless, his voice trembling with panic.
It was Gawain, his cousin. He was wearing the same uniform, now disheveled and covered in dirt as if he'd dragged himself along the ground. Fortunately, he didn't seem seriously hurt, beyond a few visible scrapes on his arms and face.
"Thank goodness…" Emrys exhaled with relief.
Gawain approached quickly, and upon seeing his condition, his expression hardened. He put his arm under Emrys's shoulder and took some of his weight with a mixture of frustration and relief.
"Don't move so much, idiot. What were you doing inside?" he scolded him in a dry tone he only used when he was worried.
"I got here early... and I was sorting through some paperwork," Emrys muttered, frustrated at the realization that his habits had worked against him.
"One day you're going to get yourself killed for being so punctual and responsible, and guess who's going to have to engrave it on your tombstone," Gawain replied, snorting as he led the way out. "I'm taking you to the medical station, although with this mess they're probably up to their necks with work."
"What was that?" Emrys asked, still disoriented. His voice was weak, but thick with tension. "A beast?"
"I don't think so," Gawain muttered after a few seconds, staring straight ahead with his lips pressed tightly together.
Emrys noticed his cousin's awkward silence and frowned.
"What are you hiding from me?"
"You'll see," Gawain said, more somber than usual.
They crossed the threshold of the wooden door. Outside, a harsh gust of wind whipped their faces, heavy with the stench of fresh blood, smoke, and heart-wrenching wails that drifted in the distance.
Emrys's eyes widened involuntarily.
The landscape they knew had changed drastically.