After General Vaelros and his Silver Legion escorted King Thalorin, Princess Nymeria, and Prince Orion to safety, they prepared for their next duty, to protect Livingrings and the citizens.

  Because of the magic casted by Divine Archmage Cera, General Vaelros was worried that some of his men might still be disoriented.

  Thus, he checked that everyone in the Silver Legion who just returned with him in front of the Floating Orb were truly all right and could join them in their next mission.

  General Vaelros had just finished inspecting his soldiers when he noticed General Hovereth was headed his way. He was familiar with each footfall that echoed through the path trudged by his old friend.

  His ears tuned into the familiar, rhythmic clinking of his armor plates, a symphony of steel that was only made by Hovereth's worn and resolute gear.

  “You did great escorting everyone back safely,” General Hovereth praised after checking General Vaelros and the Silver Legion who had no wounds or injuries.

  ‘Is this some form of congratulatory speech or an insult? It’s just as if something seems a bit off…’ General Vaelros thought as Hovereth forced a smile.

  Vaelros understood why when he realized Hovereth had wounds all over his body. His full body armor was stained with blood and bruised by metals. It was clear he came from one of the areas attacked by whatever was causing all the burning in the city.

  “Thanks. Everyone did their best. Thankfully a Divine Archmage was able to undo the Ellysian Chains and heal the Prince and Princess. They are safe now and are just resting,” Vaelros informed.

  “I see. That’s a relief then. Did it take long to undo the spell since it took you 24 hours to return?” General Hovereth said and Vaelros and the Silver Legion gawked.

  “24 hours?! What are you talking about? We had just been away for a few minutes,” Vaelros corrected.

  The Silver Legion nodded in agreement.

  General Hovereth frowned and said, “No, 24 hours had passed since then. Attacks around the city had been going on since you departed.” General Hovereth explained that he had been fighting with his soldiers for a while, and ensured the safety of the queen.

  However, there were simultaneous attacks around the city. And so, the soldiers had been running here and there to protect the citizens and give aid where necessary. Even all the smaller cities which were far from the capital and far-flung villages at the corners of the Livingrings Kingdom were attacked.

  “So this is why the situation is already this bad?” Vaelros and the Silver Legion nodded in understanding after General Hovereth’s explanation.

  General Vaelros also understood why Hovereth’s son who often followed the latter around was not with his father now.

  He must be stationed somewhere helping to protect the citizens.

  Vaelros hoped the kid was safe since he was still young. He recently got out from the second layer of the Auroras under the Divine Army training, and was not as powerful as his father.

  In Livingrings, generals were given special privileges to allow their sons or daughters to follow them around, and offer their support and loyalty if they had ranks in the Divine Army.

  Thus, once their children were trained enough and passed the requirements, they could join the Divine Army and be with them.

  Vaelros looked at Hovereth who was waiting for an update from their side since he was done with his.

  “It appears time flowed there differently. We thought only a few minutes had passed since it was what we experienced there. Which was why we were shocked to see various parts of the city in flames when we got out. We hurried to the palace so we could help after we escorted His Majesty and the kids,” General Vaelros clarified.

  He looked around once again and saw some of Hovereth's troops who had just arrived.

  Hovereth’s troops had their armors dented and caked with mud and blood.

  Their movements were heavy, as if the weight of the world bore down upon their shoulders. And, they had a lot of injured soldiers among them.

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  “I see. No wonder you were all shocked by my words earlier. For 24 hours, we have been battling ceaselessly to repel the onslaught and stave off death as much as we can," General Hovereth explained.

  His eyes had darkened with exhaustion and his voice was stuck in his throat for a bit, he gasped for air to breathe further. His wounds seemed to give him some trouble. The arteries in his body also protruded and the lines of old age became more evident.

  "The struggle was relentless, for we cannot afford to leave Faliamber and the queen undefended.

  The enemies were cunning though.

  They knew precisely how to strike once they breached our walls," General Hovereth said and wiped the blood that trickled down his cheek.

  “I see… Thank you for all your efforts.

  You and your troops did very well, General.

  It seems we need to investigate later how this came to be. But for now, we’ll do our best at the next location they are targeting. We have a lot of strength to spare. Please take some rest and get healed,” General Vaelros replied with utmost sincerity to his fellow general who looked so tired and worn out.

  General Hovereth smiled genuinely this time and said, “Then, we’ll leave the rest to you until we can join the battle again.”

  “Yes, leave the rest to us while you recover,” General Vaelros nodded and placed a reassuring hand on General Hovereth’s shoulder.

  With a shared smile of camaraderie and resolve, General Vaelros and General Hovereth nodded at each other — one donned his helmet ready to face the coming battles, while the other walked to his wounded soldiers to ensure they were treated.

  Right on time, King Thalorin arrived. His conversation with the Queen and his scribes were over, and it was clear he was already informed about what happened, and knew now that more time had passed than they thought.

  “General Vaelros, I see you have received updates as well. You and the Silver Legion are to be stationed near your castle in Callona,” King Thalorin commanded Vaelros.

  Vaelros gulped since the King just gave him the chance to watch over his kids and the trainees who were gathered in Callona.

  There were skilled and strong lieutenants and generals who also stayed there, and were stationed in various locations.

  Due to this, the wizards do not monitor Callona often since they knew any enemies who managed to pass the Auroras could be dealt with by the Divine Army and brave citizens.

  “Yes my king. Your kindness is boundless," General Vaelros replied.

  Vaelros' eyes sparkled with anticipation, eager to reunite with Calek and Donvar and see how they fared.

  Since the two were no longer in Faliamber, Vaelros knew they must have gone home to Callona.

  “It seems there were strong magicians who attacked there.

  There were Monster Riders that killed many civilians in other major cities like here in Faliamber.

  Make haste, with all the commotion, it could take some time for you to arrive there,” King Thalorin said, hoping nothing grave happened in Callona like in Faliamber, where there were many attacks.

  “Yes my King!” General Vaelros replied. He and the Silver Legion bowed to the king before they climbed up their drakes and took off.

  With the King’s request, Jenna and Dunesther joined since their aid may be needed there too.

  Vaelros was a known general, so their enemies may try to attack his hometown if no wizards were seen flying around.

  The king knew that Rune Masters were capable fighters for a long-time, especially if they had been to what some wizards called ‘the source’, which he now knew was the Floating Orb.

  Due to the reports, they had also received, Dunesther and Jenna wanted to check Callona to see the condition of the city themselves.

  After all, Callona was the second largest city in Livingrings after Faliamber.

  If Callona does not need their help, it would be better. It meant they could go outside the Auroras to serve as backups for the Divine Archmages.

  Dunesther and Jenna knew the Divine Archmages must be fighting much stronger enemies since even the situation inside the Auroras had already turned like this.

  Vaelros, the Rune Masters, Gol Furbuw, and the Silver Legion all flew towards Callona. But even with all their Celestial Drakes, it would take some time.

  They flew in silence, prepared for battle in case of surprise attacks or ambush, until something disturbed the wizards…

  A message was telepathically sent by Qunara, the communication Divine Archmage who was also fighting in the frontlines outside the Auroras.

  Rune Masters were under the command of the Divine Archmages, known to humans in Livingrings as the highest rank of wizards.

  Once Qunara’s telepathic communications were opened, she could listen to the thoughts of those she was connected with and share it if necessary.

  These types of wizards want to live free, and not under iron hands, so this was only done during extreme emergencies like now.

  *Callona - second biggest city in Livingrings

  *Qunara - a Divine Archmage specialized in communication

  *Monster Riders - knights from the outside kingdoms who had monstrous appearances and could transform into several beasts covered with black fire. Magicians, sorcerers, or wizards always supported them.