Chapter 201 - The Road to the Forbidden Battlefield ( Part 1 )

Day broke peacefully in the Kingdom of Nocturne.

The golden disk just managed to peek above the mountains when the gates of the kingdom's capital opened with a creaking of rusty hinges, giving way to the first rays of the sun – gold, amber, rosy.

A huge royal escort proceeded through it.

Leading them were fifty royal knights in gleaming silver armor mounted on strong, disciplined horses. They raised their banners, depicting the symbol of Nocturne: a crescent moon surrounded by dark wings.

A few carts followed them and then a carriage adorned with the crest of Seraiya – an intricate image of entwined roses and stars, the sign of the northern kingdom.

Next to the carriage there was Lucas Queens.

He sat tall in his saddle, his dark hair catching the morning breeze, while his vigilant eyes surveyed the surrounding landscape.

He was in his simple armor scarred from many battles, which he wore since childhood, with a sword resting comfortably in its scabbard at his waist.

He looked ahead.

"Formation."

All knights instantly answered in unison.

"Yes, Commander!"

But there was nothing royal about that inside the carriage.

Jennie lay across one of the seats, crossing her arms and sulking like a spoiled princess. Her silvery hair spread across the plush upholstery of the carriage like spilled moonlight, and her violet eyes were glued to the ceiling of the carriage in disgust.

"This is ridiculous."

Roxy looked up from eating breakfast, her one eyebrow raised.

"What is?"

Jennie pointed out to the window.

"All of them."

Roxy glanced out at the dozens of royal knights moving around them in perfect formation, their armor clanking rhythmically with every step of their steeds, their eyes constantly searching for danger.

"I think they're protecting us."

"I know."

"That's generally what protection means."

Jennie let out a heavy sigh.

"I told Lilia I wanted to travel freely."

Beside her lay Snow curled into a ball, his white fur feeling warm and cozy. The wolf opened one eye, looking at Jennie with lazy amusement.

"Technically, you are traveling freely."

"With an entire army," Jennie replied.

Snow opened the second eye.

"An extremely polite army."

Jennie groaned, covering her face with her arm.

She touched something underneath her cloak and remembered the blade of Eclipse – the Divine Sword had transformed after accepting Jennie and now had an ability to transform itself to look like a tiny dark ornament that could easily fit under her clothes.

Jennie hid it well.

None of people outside of her company knew that she received another Divine Sword.

Roxy leaned closer, her voice becoming a whisper.

"Do you think Lucas knows?"

Jennie shook her head.

"He knows I found something under Nocturne."

"Not that it's Eclipse?"

"No."

Snow raised his head.

"Your brother is observant."

Jennie looked out through the window, trying to see her brother riding ahead of them. "Too observant."

As if called by her thoughts, Lucas rode next to their carriage, leaning over the window.

"Jennie."

She immediately frowned.

"What?"

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yes."

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Lucas."

He gave her a bright smile, making his normally stern features softer.

"Good."

And continued riding, his horse's hooves clattering rhythmically against the stone.

Jennie looked after him, her eye twitching.

Roxy tried not to laugh. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You were laughing."

"I wasn't."

Snow's tail waved lazily.

"She was."

Jennie folded her arms, pouting. "My brother treats me like a child."

Roxy shrugged. "Maybe because you're his little sister."

Jennie looked offended. "I'm capable."

"Exactly."

"Yes, I'm capable of taking care of myself."

Snow nodded wisely. "She defeated a Demon General."

Roxy: "Found several Divine Swords."

Snow: "Destroyed an ancient ruin."

Roxy: "Saved an entire city."

Snow: "And somehow still manages to get lost when looking for an inn."

Jennie stared at the wolf, her cheeks red.

"It happened once."

"Three times."

"Snow."

The wolf immediately looked away, his face innocent.

"I value my life."

Jennie sighed.

Then the carriage stopped.

Lucas rode next to the window, his face turning serious.

"Raven."

She pulled the curtain open.

"What now?"

He looked towards the road ahead of them, his face tight with determination.

"We're approaching the outer road."

Jennie nodded.

"Okay."

"There may be monsters."

"I know."

"There might be magical storms."

"I know."

"The Forbidden Battlefield is dangerous."

"I know."

Lucas frowned. "Then stay close to the royal escort."

Jennie arched her eyebrow. "I am not a kid."

Lucas smiled. "I know."

"Then stop treating me like one."

His smile faded a little bit and he looked at her silently.

"I am not treating you like a kid."

"Then what are you doing?"

Lucas answered very simply, softly. "I am your protector."

Jennie fell silent.

"And it is my duty." He looked at her. "It has been since I was ordered to protect you . Until the day death comes for me."

She didn't know what to say.

Then she averted her eyes. "You don't have to protect me."

Lucas smiled. "Maybe."

He looked at the road ahead and said, "But I'll do it anyway."

Jennie looked at her elder brother.

There was something oddly familiar in these words. Something that she had heard before—the faint memory of another time long gone.

Younger Lucas. Younger herself. Her little hand in his big hand.

Don't be worried. Big brother will protect you.

Jennie's heart tightened.

She quickly averted her eyes. "Idiot."

Lucas blinked. "What?"

"I said you are an idiot."

He laughed. "Yeah. That's more like you."

Carriage started moving again.

Roxy quietly watched Jennie, her keen eyes noting the change in the expression of her friend.

"You remembered something?"

Jennie shook her head. "No."

But her hand remained firmly clenched in her coat, clutching the hilt of Eclipse.

In her mind, the long-forgotten voice of her childhood whispered.

Big brother will protect you.

The convoy traveled for some hours.

The dark forests of Nocturne slowly receded behind them, giving place to emptier lands. The road became harder, stony and cracked—it hadn't been repaired for decades. And the sky started turning strange, becoming grey—not cloudy, but just... somehow colorless, as if all the light was being drained from the world.

Even Snow stopped cracking jokes.

He perked up his ears and became nervous. His white fur was standing, his amber eyes scanning the horizon with growing uneasiness.

Roxy saw it first. "Snow?"

The wolf stared ahead. "I smell something."

Jennie looked outside, her hand going to Eclipse. "What?"

Snow's fur slowly rose along his spine.

"Death."

The royal knights started feeling uneasy. Horses whinnied nervously, flattening their ears against their heads. Knights tightly clutched their reins, watching the grey horizon.

Lucas raised his hand. "Stop."

The whole convoy stopped.

The horses became uneasy, stamping their feet.

Jennie stepped outside the carriage and looked towards the distant horizon, narrowing her violet eyes.

At first... nothing seemed wrong. Just the empty land stretching towards the distant mountains, grey and lifeless.

But then she felt it.

Pressure. Hard, cold, ancient.

It pressed against her chest as a physical weight, making it difficult to breathe. It was seeping into her bones, into her blood, into the depths of her mind.

Her expression changed. "That's..."

Roxy stepped next to her, her staff already in her hand. "What is it?"

Jennie didn't answer.

She felt the thousand-year-old emotions hidden under the ground—anger, fear, pain, despair, hatred. Such hatred that it seemed alive, the living creature that had been feeding upon for centuries.

Jennie slowly closed her eyes.

And suddenly...

She remembered.

The battlefield. The fire. The blood. The screaming soldiers. Her sword in her hand.

A thousand years ago.

Her heart stopped.

"The Forbidden Battlefield."

Lucas looked towards the horizon, his expression serious. "We are almost there."

Jennie opened her eyes.

She already saw it.

The land beyond the mountains was black. No birds flew over it. No trees grew there. Even the wind seemed to fear crossing its borders, leaving the wasteland completely still.

Lucas approached her, quietly saying "Raven ."

She looked at him.

"We are almost entering the battlefield."

He paused, his eyes looking into her face. "If anything happens..."

Jennie smiled faintly. "I know."

Lucas looked confused. "What?"

Jennie shook her head. "Nothing."

She turned to the carriage, her silvery hair shimmering in the grey light. But before she entered it, she once more glanced towards the distant wasteland.

Something was waiting there.

Something that she once defeated. Something that she once forgot.

And something that still remembered her.

The convoy proceeded towards the border.

As they approached the place, silence reigned everywhere around them.

No chirping of the birds. No buzzing of the insects. No sound of the animals.

Only the sound of the wagons' wheels.

Creak…

Creak…

The royal knights started to look around nervously. One of the knights said quietly to another knight.

"Why is it so silent?"

The other replied quietly, his face pale. "It is silent because there is no life there."

Lucas caught the conversation, his voice sharp. "Concentrate."

"Yes, Commander."

Jennie sat in the wagon, her eyes shut. She sensed Eclipse through her cloak—the sword was unusually silent, almost imperceptible.

Finally, Jennie asked. "You know this place."

Eclipse replied in her mind, her voice ancient and tired. Yes.

"You fought here?"