THE DRAGON SWORD

Chapter Five

The academy bells rang out like a desperate cry, their resonance shaking the walls. The sound of armored boots echoed through the halls as knights scrambled to their posts. Gideon stood frozen in the courtyard, his thoughts a tempest. The vision of the academy’s fall still burned in his mind.

“You can’t hesitate now, Gideon!” Roderic’s voice snapped him from his trance. The commander stood at his side, his sword drawn and face hard as stone. “This is what the academy prepared you for.”

Gideon swallowed hard and nodded, gripping the Dragon Sword tightly. But as the blade hummed faintly in his hand, he couldn’t shake the ominous weight of his sister’s words.

The enemy forces spread across the horizon like a dark tide, their banners marked with the sigil of the Dark Lord a gnarled black tree with crimson roots. Above them, winged creatures circled, their screeches chilling the air. At the forefront stood Lysandra, her obsidian armor shimmering in the pale light.

“Brothers and sisters of the academy!” Lysandra’s voice boomed, carried unnaturally by the wind. “You stand on the brink of change. Join us, and the suffering ends. Resist, and you will fall like all who cling to the old lies.”

Her words sent a ripple of unease through the knights. Gideon glanced around and saw doubt flicker in some of their faces. The mark on his chest throbbed, as if reacting to her voice.

“Do not listen to her!” Roderic shouted from the battlements, his voice cutting through the tension. “She serves only death and ruin. Stand strong, for the light of Aerioneth still burns!”

The knights rallied behind his words, their cheers filling the air. But Gideon knew this was far from over.

The attack came swift and brutal. Shadows surged like living creatures, slipping past the front lines and ambushing knights from within. Gideon joined the fray, the Dragon Sword a blur of light as it cleaved through the dark entities.

As he fought, the mark on his chest pulsed rhythmically, each beat aligning with the rhythm of his strikes. He moved with a precision that felt almost unnatural, his sword finding its mark time and again. But with every foe he felled, a small voice whispered in his mind: You’re wasting your strength. Join her, and this will all end.

“Gideon!” Roderic’s voice snapped him back to the present. The commander pointed to the eastern gate, where a massive shadow-beast was tearing through the defenses. “We need you there now!”

Without hesitation, Gideon sprinted toward the gate.

The beast was unlike anything Gideon had faced before. It towered over the knights, its form shifting and writhing like living darkness. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Gideon as he approached, and it let out a bone-rattling roar.

The Dragon Sword blazed brighter as Gideon charged. He dodged a swipe of the beast’s massive claws, his movements guided by instinct. His blade slashed through the creature’s arm, but the wound closed instantly, the shadows knitting themselves back together.

“This is futile,” a voice whispered in his mind. Lysandra’s voice. “You can’t defeat it alone, Gideon. Use the crystal.”

“No!” he shouted aloud, shaking his head. The voice laughed softly, fading into silence.

Focusing, Gideon dodged another attack and plunged the Dragon Sword into the beast’s core. The creature let out an ear-splitting shriek as it exploded into a cloud of shadowy mist.

Gideon staggered, breathing heavily. Around him, the knights began to cheer, but his victory felt hollow. The crystal in his pouch hummed faintly, as if mocking him.

As the battle raged on, the tide began to shift in the academy’s favor. The knights fought valiantly, their spirits bolstered by Roderic’s leadership and Gideon’s unwavering determination.

But then, the unthinkable happened.

A squad of knights guarding the central tower suddenly turned on their comrades, cutting them down without warning. Panic spread as more knights joined the betrayal, their eyes glowing faintly with the same crimson light that marked the enemy.

“They’ve been corrupted!” Roderic shouted, his voice thick with anguish.

Gideon’s heart sank as he recognized one of the traitors a young knight named Alric, who had trained beside him since the beginning.

“Alric!” Gideon called out, rushing toward him. “What are you doing?”

Alric turned, his face twisted in anguish. “I’m sorry, Gideon. She promised us freedom. She promised us peace!”

“She lied!” Gideon said, desperation in his voice. “Look around you. This isn’t peace it’s destruction!”

But Alric shook his head, raising his sword. “I can’t go back. Forgive me.”

Their blades clashed, and Gideon fought with a heavy heart. Every strike felt like a betrayal of their shared bond, but he couldn’t let Alric’s corruption spread. With a final, sorrowful blow, Gideon disarmed him, knocking him unconscious instead of delivering the killing strike.

As the battle reached its climax, the academy’s forces managed to push the enemy back to the outer walls. Lysandra stood at the forefront, her gaze fixed on Gideon.

“You’ve done well, brother,” she called out, her voice calm amidst the chaos. “But you know this is only the beginning. The mark on your chest is a doorway, and soon, you’ll have no choice but to open it.”

“I’ll never join you!” Gideon shouted back, his voice firm despite the uncertainty gnawing at him.

Lysandra smiled. “We’ll see.” She raised her blade, and the shadows around her surged forward, forming a massive vortex. Before anyone could react, she disappeared, leaving only silence in her wake.

But the momentary peace was shattered as the mark on Gideon’s chest flared violently, sending him to his knees. Images flooded his mind once more this time of a vast, blackened wasteland and a single figure standing atop a throne of bones.

The voice of the Dark Lord echoed in his ears, low and menacing.

“Bring me the blade, Justiceborn, or watch everything you love burn.”

Gideon gasped as the vision ended, his body trembling. Roderic rushed to his side, his face etched with concern.

“What did you see?”

Gideon looked up, his eyes filled with fear and determination. “The end. And it’s coming faster than we thought.”