He continued through the forest in the direction of Lud, but the sound of multiple Cec systems interrupted his path. "More soldiers."

From afar, the lights of numerous trucks filled the night. On the northbound road, platoons of soldiers marched towards the city. Camiel climbed a tree to observe their advance better: they were patrols of Kharzanians in battle gear, some of them wearing armor that sparkled in the darkness like restless fireflies.

Lud was as light as a feather, and would suffer the wrath of a storm.

He ran towards the walls, torn between the urgency and the need to hide the sword. A farm. Hanging clothes. They were not perfect cover, but it was better than nothing. He tore a sheet and wrapped the weapon. He started running even faster.

He entered the street of the inn where he was staying; with the deserted streets, he no longer intended to waste time. He pushed open the door and saw many citizens, knights of Lamia and merchants enjoying the evening rest in front of a collection of empty takards and drooling mouths.

He approached the counter, and the innkeeper nodded in agreement. "I have some news," he whispered. "It seems that some local boys, a few days ago, sold a large piece of Seorite not officialy to that man over there. The one at the end of the room." The innkeeper's cheeks turned red. He pointed to a merchant that Camiel had glimpsed several times during his patrols of the city, and who was now gorging himself on a plate of potatoes and beans. The Hozman took a handful of coins out of his pocket and left them on the counter under the innkeeper's incredulous eyes.

He grabbed a beer from a tipsy customer's table and headed towards his target. "Um...can I buy you a drink?" he asked. He smiled and placed the small gift on the table. He couldn't leave anything to chance. "I heard you paid a lot of money for a big stone," he blurted out.

The man looked Camiel up and down. "Trouble?"

"No, no trouble. I just want to buy one too. The guy I talked to didn't leave me any contact information and disappeared," he lied.

"Well, you need to look for Allet's son. They're outside the city, on the northeast trail, beyond the gate," the man grunted.

The warrior startled. Allet? The same one he had just spoken to a little while ago? "Can you repeat the name? I think I've heard it before."

"Hey, are you kidding me? Everyone in the city knows Ludvig Allet and his son Aran. It was just less than a week ago...I remember it exactly because the day after we found out about the Great Jalme and many of us stopped our travels out of superstition." The merchant resumed eating, washing down the meal with the beer he had just received.

"Thank you, good man," said Camiel, still doubtful. He got up and walked briskly towards the stairs that led to his lodgings.

What did the Allet family have to do with all of this? He didn't know what to do. He paced back and forth in the room looking for a solution. He couldn't find the right connection between a secret Seorite sale and the incredible energy he had sensed. The possibilities raced through his mind. Was Ludvig Allet lying or trying to arm mercenaries behind his own city's back? He had no way of finding out now; he had to solve a more urgent problem.

As he struggled with doubts, he heard the rumble coming from the streets. The screeching of Kharzanian trucks filled every nook and cranny.

"They jumped their timeline," he said. He moved the curtain to observe the entrance of the building. The screams coming from the houses were just the beginning. The roar of objects breaking on the ground floor. Screams, thuds, and running footsteps. They had entered, and must have caused a commotion.

The clang of swords clashing reached him. He grimaced in annoyance.

He saw a dozen soldiers in armor moving from one place to another from the window. All armed to the teeth. They entered the houses by breaking down the doors, quick and organized.

"They will massacre everyone," he growled through clenched teeth. He grabbed his sword and a light bag. The rest would slow him down. If they found out he was in Lud, it would be an excuse to escalate the conflict with the Empire of Hozma. He must not be captured, it was also about his nation.

The silver ring emitted a faint light, and whispers filled his mind. A thread of energy started from his finger and connected with the stone on the sword. The weapon flared up. The same light covered him entirely with a thin orange membrane. His mind emptied. Now he had only one thing to do.

He jumped to the building in front of him and ran along the vertical wall to the roof. A soldier shouted in his direction, and Camiel saw him start to run. The soldier used the windows of the building as a support point for the climb, moving at an inhuman speed, and the armor he wore was covered in luminous strings. He followed Camiel, that was jumping between the roofs.

"Stop!" the soldier ordered. Some shots were fired, but the Hozman was too fast. However, the aura that surrounded him was so dazzling that it did not allow him to hide in the night.

Camiel plunged into the chasm between one building and another. He looked at the sky during the fall and glanced at the ledge of the house. The hopes of an easy strike became a reality the moment his pursuer leaped into the void behind him.

"Too confident," he thought.

Camiel pushed himself off the wall and landed on the wall of the building across; he waited for the kharzanian, freefalling, to be defenseless. He jumped on him and plunged his sword straight into his chest. The blade went through him and plunged into the wall. The armor powered by Seorite crumbled, and blood splattered on the warrior's face.

The soldier screamed, surrounded by sparks. The Cec system must have been compromised. Camiel leveraged his weapon and jumped back, onto the roof. The soldier's equipment was about to explode any moment.

The explosion drowned out the sounds of the surrounding clashes, and he took advantage of it to resume his escape.

Other soldiers were attracted by the noise and chased after the orange trail that lit up Lud's night like a comet. The stone on his sword was almost exhausted, and if they caught up with him, he would be doomed.

He arrived at the west gate, while six soldier pursued him like hunting dogs.

Camiel crossed the side of the hill of the Great Jalme, but he didn't have time to observe it. He took the only path that diverted from the road to Clodia and found himself in a few moments near an illuminated building. He slowed down just in front of the sign. "Orphanage of Lud, the house for those who have no home."

He wanted to sneak into the building, take advantage of a stall, but he couldn't involve its occupants. He changed direction. A loud metallic bang made him stop. He turned, searching for his pursuers. "What..."

They were all on the ground, crushed by the weight of their own armors and entwined in a strange black substance. Surprised, he widened his eyes and turned his gaze to the orphanage: the door was now open.

There, a man with a cane, shrouded in shadows, led a line of children, and an old lady with a frightened look hugged as many as possible.

Camiel took a step in their direction; his mouth became dry, and his footteps heavy. The faithful instinct seemed to rebel against that decision, and his bowels twisted in his body like never before.

The mystery man reassured the woman with a gesture and then advanced towards him, stepping between the Kharzanians who were writhing in vain. He walked slowly, limping in some ways.

"Who are you? What did you do to them?" Camiel mumbled, the luminous aura had already vanished in the wind. The warrior felt his heart in his throat.

"Look at me, Hozman. Look at me because I know the sword you wield and your worth," the black figure hissed with a voice that was anything but human. A horrifying sound. "Contemplate how empty despair is." Two white orbs flamed under the hood, and nothing surrounded them: shadow, smoke, and tar dictated the features. He was not of this world. "Take this meeting as a warning and burn it in your memory," the figure continued. "But now, son of the land of the sun, turn your attention to the west. That is where you must direct your next steps."

"Are you the one behind all this? Are you the one who has hidden the Seorite?" Camiel asked.

"No. But I am here for a valid reason. The dance in the moonlight belongs to four souls, four souls that were one and now demand redemption."

Camiel was tempted to run, but the figure stopped a few steps away from him.

"I will take these children to the coast. There they will be safe and far from this madness. But for the city, I fear the end has come," he explained, turning towards the burning walls of Lud.

The cloak that concealed his appearance bore symbols that timidly alternated between light and darkness. It was the Lost Language, but it was difficult for Camiel to recognize the meaning of what was written there.

"You haven't answered my question, who are you?" the Hozman dared, and the shadow turned towards the orphanage and said, "Just a legacy of the past that has rejected its mandate and now wants to save these people." A child burst into tears.

Camiel was unsure of his intentions, but whoever he was, he had taken out an entire team of soldiers in a single instant; not much more than flies to him.

"It is an ancient force that has awakened in these lands, among the roots of the crimson tree," said the shadowy man. "The only fire that can tear the night that its near. The Herald, hidden for centuries, has awoken." He took a deep breath under the moonlight. "The events that once moved the heavens and the stars will return, and they will be greedy for blood." With a gesture, he invited the woman and children to approach.

Camiel didn't understand those words and watched the scene still dazed. He wanted to follow him, but he couldn't move his legs out of fear.

"Now, we must say goodbye, but be assured we will meet again someday," he concluded. Using his staff, the man vanished into the night, along with the woman and children, as if they had never been in front of the orphanage entrance.

Camiel stood there, dripping with sweat. He gave one last glance to the soldiers lying unconscious at his feet. Finally, hesitating in his first steps, he headed west and ran at full speed into the forest.