Blood behaves exactly like water when it hits the freezing mud of a battlefield.The roaring fire from the southern gate lit up the dark rain clouds, casting long, twisted shadows over the main avenue of the slums. Arthur sprinted through the panicked crowds of fleeing families, his silver plated armor splattered with fresh mud. Marcus limped heavily right behind him, his teeth gritted so hard a thin line of red ran down his chin."They breached the outer wall faster than our scouts could even blink, Arthur," Marcus shouted over the sound of screaming citizens. "The vanguard general isn't waiting to set up camp. He wants to trample this entire sector before we can even form a line.""They want a slaughter, Marcus," Arthur said, his eyes locked on the massive iron bridge just a hundred yards ahead. "They are trying to catch us in the open. We make our stand right here at the river crossing.""The debris isn't finished yet," Marcus yelled, waving his short sword toward the fifty survivo

A chain is only as strong as the ground beneath the man who holds it.The dark purple links hummed with supernatural power, tightening against Arthur silver breastplate until the iron rivets began to groan. The three elite vanguard mages pulled back on their restraints, their glowing eyes fixed on the trapped prince as they prepared to drag him into the glowing cracks of the earth."We have him," the lead mage shouted toward the upper avenue. "Maintain the suppression array. Do not let his spirit circulate.""You are going to need a heavier chain," Arthur said, his jaw tightening inside his helmet.Instead of fighting the physical pull of the restraints, Arthur drove his heels deep into the mud and pulled a massive, concentrated pulse of cosmic energy directly from his core. He did not let the starlight escape his skin. He directed the entire gravitational shockwave downward through his boots, slamming the explosive energy straight into the bedrock beneath the mages feet.The cobblest

A true tyrant does not just take your life, he demands that you hand it to him willingly.Arthur stood perfectly still in the center of the manicured lawn, the rain drumming a frantic rhythm against his dented silver pauldrons. One hundred steel crossbow bolts gleamed in the dim light of the floating palace lanterns, all locked onto his chest. He did not lower his twin blades, even as his boots sank deeper into the saturated mud. Every muscle in his body was coiled like a spring, waiting for the single tear in the trap.The Imperial Crown Prince tossed Marcus brass hawk whistle into the air, catching it with a lazy flick of his gold-gloved wrist. He looked down from his high saddle, his expression completely clean of the mud and misery that covered everyone else in the garden."You really are a stubborn creature, Arthur," the Prince said, his voice smooth and clear despite the roaring thunderstorm. "I must admit, watching you scurry through the sewage lines and dig up old memories was

The deepest dungeons are not designed to hold your body, they are built to break your memory.The heavy iron shackles clanked against the frozen stone wall as the guards dragged Arthur down the wet steps of the palace depths. They had stripped him of his twin swords, his silver breastplate, and the signed imperial treaty that he had carried across his chest. He was thrown onto the damp straw of a windowless cell, his body completely spent, bleeding from the close-quarters duel with the obsidian guards.The Crown Prince stepped to the edge of the iron bars, looking down at his captive cousin with a cold, triumphant sneer."You look exactly where you belong, Arthur," the Prince said, adjusting the gold trim of his clean sleeves. "The public execution is scheduled for dawn on the central plaza. I want every single citizen from the slums to watch the final Sterling heir lose his head. That will permanently cure any thoughts of rebellion in this city.""A public execution will only show th

A golden crown breaks just like cheap glass if you apply enough pressure to the sides.The metal groaned under Arthur fingers before snapping into four jagged, useless pieces. The Crown Prince let out a sharp, high pitched gasp as the golden fragments slipped into the mud, his eyes widening in absolute shock as he looked at Arthur bare hand."You are a monster," the Prince choked out, trying to raise his magnificent golden broadsword to defend his chest. "Get your filthy hands off me.""This crown never belonged to you anyway," Arthur said, his voice dropping into that heavy, frightening resonance.With a sudden, sharp twist of his torso, Arthur unleashed a localized gravitational sweep across the stone floor. The invisible wave slammed into the Prince shins like an iron bar, lifting him completely off his feet and sending his golden sword spinning over the edge of the high parapet. The tyrant hit the marble battlements with a loud, painful thud, his golden armor denting heavily again