2026-08-21 12:56:40The sun rose over Hill Villeran as if nothing had happened. Jade hated it.
Golden light touched the ruined walls, the blackened rooftops, and the bodies still being carried from the courtyard, indifferent to the blood and smoke below.
He stood on the highest remaining section of the eastern wall. Thousands of survivors filled the courtyard and the open ground beyond the gates, farmers, soldiers, merchants, children and all watching him.
“What do we have?” Jade turned to the captain. The older man opened a worn ledger.
“Five thousand two hundred and thirteen civilians.”
“Soldiers?” His expression tightened.
“One hundred and thirty-seven fit for duty. Sixty-three more wounded.”
“Food?”
“Three days.”
“Water?”
“Seven days with strict rationing.”
“Gold?”
“Two hundred sixteen silver coins.” The captain hesitated. Jade stared at him.
“That’s it?”
“That is what remains of the treasury.”
Five thousand people, with three days of food. And two hundred silver, broken walls, a shattered army, a dragon. And an Abyssal Behemoth.
Jade looked toward the eastern gate. The enormous creature still stood motionless where it had stopped at dawn. The captain followed his gaze. “Milord… are you certain we should keep that thing here?”
“I don’t know,” He admitted, then faintly smiled. “But we’re going to find out.”
“Gather the farmers.” He started down the stairs.
Half an hour later, more than a hundred farmers stood in the courtyard. Most kept their eyes lowered, just a few bowed when Jade approached.
“I need to know everything about Villeran’s land,” he said. An elderly man stepped forward.
“What do you wish to know, milord?”
“Which fields are fertile?” The farmer pointed south.
“Those used to be our best.”
“Used to?”
“The soil stopped giving good crops three years ago. We don’t know why. Water is still plentiful. Seeds are good enough.”
“Then the soil is exhausted,” Jade said. Blank stares answered him, he sighed. “Never mind.” He turned to the captain.
“Bring me ash, animal waste, rotting leaves, and every scrap of plant matter you can collect. Also, every shovel, hoe, pickaxe, and cart we still have.”
“For what?” The captain frowned.
“Fertilizer.” The farmers exchanged confused looks. He ignored them and pointed at the Behemoth. “And bring that creature here.”
Silence fell.
“Milord—”
“It understands me.” The captain looked at the monster, then at Jade, and decided not to argue.
---
The Behemoth approached. Each step shook the ground. Farmers scattered and children screamed. Jade raised one hand.
“Stay back.” The creature lowered its massive head.
[Bearer.]
“Can you understand me?” He asked.
[I hear your thoughts before your words.]
Jade grimaced. “That sounds inconvenient.” From the wall the dragon gave a low growl.
[It is an ancient guardian. Do not treat it as a beast.]
“I wasn’t planning to.” He looked back at the Behemoth. “I need you to clear these fields.”
[Why?]
“To grow food.” The creature was silent for a moment. Then it stepped forward. One enormous claw slammed into the earth.
Roots and stones erupted. The Behemoth dragged its claw in a long, deliberate arc. A deep trench opened. Within minutes an entire section of hardened soil had been overturned and broken.
A farmer whispered, “It did in minutes what would take us months.”
“Can you do that across the entire field?” Jade’s eyes brightened.
[Yes.]
“Then do it.” The next hour, found the Behemoth transformed the southern plains, tearing out roots, crushing stones, turning dead earth into soft, workable soil. Jade watched carefully. Then he saw a glimmer beneath the broken dirt.
He crouched, a dark blue crystal laid half-buried. The moment his fingers brushed it, the golden mark on his palm burned.
The dragon dropped from the wall in a rush of wings. [Do not touch it.]
“What is it?”
[Mana crystal.]
“How much is here?” The dragon’s gaze swept the field.
[Enough to power a city.]
Jade slowly smiled. Magic, energy, resources — all buried under the land everyone had written off as worthless. He looked toward the mountains.
“How much of this territory is hiding things like this?” The dragon was quiet for a long moment.
[More than your people know.] His smile faded.
“Then we’re going mining.”
---
By sunset Villeran had already begun to change.
Damaged gates were under repair. The wounded were being treated. Grain had been inventoried. Enemy weapons collected. And the southern fields laid ready for planting.
Jade stood over a rough map spread across a wooden table. The captain pointed to the eastern forest. “The smoke columns came from here.”
“We’ll investigate tomorrow.”
“And the enemy commander?”
“Still dead. Most of his soldiers surrendered.” Jade studied the map.
“Good. Every prisoner is another mouth to feed… but also another pair of hands.”
The Behemoth gave a deep, rolling rumble outside which shook the windows. Beneath Jade’s feet the World Heart pulsed once which made his golden mark flare.
A faint golden line appeared across the map, beginning at Villeran and stretching due north into the mountains.
“What is that?” He leaned closer. The dragon appeared behind him, its’ expression grim.
[The World Heart is showing you the path.]
“To what?”
[The first forgotten city. The city from which the First Kingdom once ruled the world.] Jade stared at the glowing line.
“And what’s waiting there?” The dragon’s eyes darkened.
[Your inheritance.]
“Then that’s where we’re going.” He slowly rolled the map.
“Milord!” A messenger suddenly busted through the door, pale and out of breath.
“What happened?” Jade turned.
“We found something in the forest, a village.”
“Abandoned?”
“No.” The messenger’s voice dropped. “Everyone inside is dead.” The room went silent. “They weren’t killed by soldiers,” the man added. “There were no wounds.”
He swallowed. “They were all turned to stone.”
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The New Tax System
The silver crown sat on the table like a quiet accusation.Jade had wrapped it in dark cloth the night before, yet he still felt its weight even when he was not looking at it. Every time his mind drifted, fragments returned: a throne of black stone, seven kneeling figures, fire reflected in eyes that were the same shape as his own. He had forced the memories down. Villeran did not have the luxury of ancient kings today. It barely had the luxury of tomorrow.Morning light cut through the narrow window of the temporary study. Hammers already rang outside against stone. The western wall was being cleared. Carts rattled as voices rose in the courtyard. The territory was still alive, but only because no one had given it permission to die yet.The captain entered without ceremony, his ledger under one arm.“Full count,” he said.Jade nodded.“Five thousand one hundred and ninety-four civilians. We lost nineteen overnight. One hundred and thirty-one soldiers fit for duty. Fifty-eight stil
The Village of Stone
By dawn Jade was already riding east. The road was silent, with no birds, insects or wind in the trees. Only the steady rhythm of hooves on the packed earth. The early morning mist still clung to the lower branches, and every distant sound seemed swallowed by the unnatural quiet that hung over the land. Behind him rode the captain and twenty soldiers. High above, the dragon kept pace among the clouds. Farther back, the Abyssal Behemoth followed at a distance, each step shaking the ground.The heavy tremors rolled through the soil like distant thunder, reminding everyone of the strange new ally that now walked with them. When the trees finally opened, Jade reined in hard. The village stood before them, but every living soul in it had become stone. Men, women, children, some frozen mid-run. Others still holding weapons, with many caught in ordinary moments: carrying baskets, standing in doorways, speaking to one another. Their clothing, hair, expressions, all perfectly preserved
The First Day of Rebuilding
The sun rose over Hill Villeran as if nothing had happened. Jade hated it.Golden light touched the ruined walls, the blackened rooftops, and the bodies still being carried from the courtyard, indifferent to the blood and smoke below.He stood on the highest remaining section of the eastern wall. Thousands of survivors filled the courtyard and the open ground beyond the gates, farmers, soldiers, merchants, children and all watching him. “What do we have?” Jade turned to the captain. The older man opened a worn ledger. “Five thousand two hundred and thirteen civilians.” “Soldiers?” His expression tightened.“One hundred and thirty-seven fit for duty. Sixty-three more wounded.”“Food?”“Three days.”“Water?”“Seven days with strict rationing.”“Gold?” “Two hundred sixteen silver coins.” The captain hesitated. Jade stared at him. “That’s it?”“That is what remains of the treasury.”Five thousand people, with three days of food. And two hundred silver, broken walls, a shattered army,
The Thing in the Forest
The horns kept sounding.One long blast, then another and lastly, three more in rapid succession. Every soldier in the courtyard turned toward the eastern watchtower.“What can you see?” Jade climbed the stairs two at a time.The young sentry pointed beyond the treeline. “Smoke, milord. It appeared less than a minute ago.”“How far?”“About six miles.” He narrowed his eyes. The smoke was not rising from a single point. It was moving, five dark columns crawling slowly between the trees. A sixth column appeared as he watched.The captain came up beside him. “There are no villages that far east.”“Exactly.” The smoke suddenly stopped. Silence followed. Birds had gone quiet, the wind had died. Even the insects seemed to have vanished.The golden mark on his palm burned. He pulled his hand into his sleeve.“Something is wrong.” The captain nodded.“Should we send scouts?”“No, whatever is out there wants us to.” A deep vibration rolled through the ground. Not an explosion but a heartbeat.
The Price of Victory
The battlefield fell silent.Not a peaceful silence. But the kind that settles only when there is almost nothing left to fight.Broken weapons littered the courtyard. Bodies lay among shattered stones. Smoke drifted through the ruined castle, thick with the smell of blood and burning timber.Jade lowered his sword, his arms trembled. The golden mark on his palm had faded to a faint glow. “Milord.” The captain limped toward him, blood soaking through the leg of his armor.“You’re hurt,” Jade said.The captain glanced down. “I’ve had worse.”“You’re bleeding through the plate.” He raised an eyebrow.The older man looked again, then shrugged. “Perhaps I’ve had better.” Despite everything, Jade almost smiled.Just then, a woman’s scream cut through the courtyard. “Help him!” He turned.Soldiers were carrying the wounded toward the old chapel; men missing limbs, others barely conscious, civilians with burns and arrow wounds. The true cost of the battle arrived all at once.He looked around
Take Back the Castle
The first enemy soldier reached the courtyard. Jade moved, steel flashed. He barely got his sword up in time.CLANG!The impact jolted both arms to the shoulder. He staggered. The soldier pressed forward, blade rising for a killing stroke. Jade twisted aside, the edge sliced open his sleeve and grazed his skin.In that instant the truth hit him hard. Knowing strategy was one thing, but standing in front of a man who wanted him dead was another.He ducked under the next swing, and drove his shoulder into the soldier’s chest, twisted the man’s wrist, and slammed an elbow into his jaw. The enemy dropped, gasping.Jade stared at the fallen man, breathing hard. He was barely alive.“Milord!”The captain’s shout cut through the noise. Three more soldiers charged from the left. The captain met the first with a crash of steel. Two Villeran men closed ranks behind him. The enemy’s line wavered.“Push them back!” the captain roared. For the first time, the defenders stopped giving ground. They
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