Goods and products were also delivered to the exterior of their multi-layer defense fields while being guarded by the Divine Army.

  This was to prevent many people from figuring out the secret of the Auroras, but their Celestial Drakes also caught the attention of the outsiders. Moreover, the wizards also warned them of many beast hunters looking out for citizens to butcher. These made them only go out when the Divine Army and the wizards were with them to give protection.

  However, the curiosity of humanity from the exterior only deepened, especially when a strong power was said to lie inside it. They could not also deny the noticeable wealth of the kingdom.

  The desire got stronger when passages of the long-lived wizards were also discovered.

  All the ancient texts were searched and merged by the people working under the Nexxus describing the wizards here. They dug buried libraries and preserved writings in caves just for these.

  Wizards with certain powers and appearances who could still be seen even during the trade negotiations in recent years.

  They were illustrated and described in ancient texts and books of long dead visitors or scribes who had written about them more than 500 years ago.

  These enticed many wizards, strong men, and brave women who all came from different lands to work under the Nexxus.

  ***

  In the castle of General Vaelros in Callona, there were 25 young trainees.

  These were mostly sons and daughters of high-ranking officials and the special few who had no facilities or notable pedigrees, but achieved high marks in the written and practical examinations.

  The basic examinations were mostly based on their skills, abilities, and knowledge.

  Now, over this castle called the Den of Irons, a bluish blinding circular light appeared.

  The space was distorted, then Celestial Drakes, soldiers, and wizards began to materialize.

  Once all of them appeared, their eyes and bodies took time to recover from the effects of the teleportation spell, except for Uther and the other wizards.

  As they descended from the heavens, everyone could see crimson stains all over the surroundings of the castle.

  This meant only one thing.

  The city of Callona was not spared from the attacks, especially the castle of the distinguished general.

  “No!

  No!

  This can’t be!” Lieutenant General Gol Furbuw yelled looking below.

  The castle was engulfed in flames.

  And, most of what could be seen were pools of blood and piles of bodies scattered everywhere.

  Many of the soldiers were speechless and had their eyes scanning the area.

  A bigger attack took place, larger than the one carried out in the White Starlight Palace of Faliamber where the royal family resided.

  “This can’t be! How come there were so many bodies here?” General Vaelros exclaimed.

  He also noticed the stillness.

  There were no sounds of weapons or people.

  It was only the strong winds that continued to blow with the smell of the flames, which could be heard together with the flapping of the Celestial Drakes’ wings.

  The reported attacks were usually on a small scale in different places.

  But, for what appeared from the skies, there was a large-scale attack in the Den of Irons.

  Thousands of soldiers were dead outside and there were no signs of current fighting.

  They could be too late.

  “There were three lieutenant generals with all their 20,000 troops in Callona.

  Who would be able to kill this many when those enemies are not even strong enough?” Sergeant Demoir uttered and held his sword tightly, ready to battle below.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The wizards were also dumbfounded to see that they were not able to fully protect Livingrings.

  The two Divine Archmages saw that there was no more fighting outside, which was why they decided to go where the enemies were likely located right now.

  “Let’s go inside using Uther’s teleportation now!” Zoho shouted.

  Everyone heard it, but they had no time to answer him since Uther activated one of his gates instantly.

  “Astral Leap – Gate of the Rivers!”

  Uther immediately transported them inside the castle to ensure they could save anyone who was still there.

  "Ugh!"

  "N-no…!"

  "Ahhh—!"

  They all sounded as they were dropped to the entrance of the castle and their drakes disappeared.

  Their mouths remained open, their eyes enlarged too much and were ready to pop out, their voices were lost for a bit as it trailed in silence.

  They gazed around, but were anchored to the spot and were not able to disperse and seek for anyone still living.

  “Oh no!!!” Some soldiers in the Divine Army yelled.

  “Damn them!” Lieutenant Gol Furbuw shouted again and looked around, not knowing what to do. Thousands would not die without fighting a mighty foe.

  Sweat dropped unceasingly while his heart chilled, as if it needed more space to pump his blood.

  His calloused wide hands were clenched tight while his knuckles were white against the harshness of his grip.

  General Vaelros’ eyes darted around restlessly in the interior checking for every shadow and movement.

  The scene before him churned his stomach, and he fought back the urge to retch.

  General Vaelros and Lieutenant Gol Furbuw had worked in the Divine Army for a long time, but they had not seen a scene like this before, since their kingdom was generally peaceful.

  Limbs, flesh, fingers, ears, internal organs, and fluids of the body were all ripped to pieces and strewn all over the place, as if a beast was in full blast with this butchery.

  “They got us! Those small raids and attacks were diversions! Their ranks were filled with frail, unskilled warriors, little more than pawns on a battlefield. Seeing them stumble and falter, a sense of ease washed over us—what danger could such feeble foes pose? They even used weak fighters, so we felt safe!” Gol Furbuw shouted as he stepped back from the flowing blood of Lieutenant General Jacobs.

  He was hanged upside down from the ceiling, above the entrance before the main room.

  It was like he had been attacked by a beast.

  Most of his body parts were missing and his eyeballs were still staring wildly in the void, as if he had seen a demonic monster.

  As they looked around, not even some of the trainees were spared.

  They were slammed everywhere, with broken bodies and bones.

  Mangled remains bore grotesque bite marks, as if savage beasts had feasted upon them, leaving gaping wounds too severe for any chance of survival.

  Many clutched weapons in their lifeless hands, perhaps a futile attempt to fend off the monstrous assault.

  Their bodies were brutally torn apart, limbs scattered, and flesh savaged by feral teeth and claws.

  Some who may have fought together were frozen in their last moments of terror.

  Their eyes were wide and their faces were marked with a mix of defiance and despair, still bearing the expressions they wore in their final stand.

  The wizards tried to detect any enemies, but all the dark energy being released was from all the dead.

  “Aaahhh! How brutal can they be?!” Gol Furbuw continued to shout looking for any survivors among the trainees.

  He was mostly with these trainees since he also lived here with General Vaelros and the others.

  He worked hard with them together many days and nights honing their skills, their magical powers, hoping for the day when they could fight together in the second layers of the Auroras and fend off attackers.

  He had seen their laughter, struggles, and weaknesses.

  Gol Furbuw often chuckled with their diverse quirky ways of escape, when some of the hellish sessions they expected were harder in reality.

  At first, many of those born with higher standing looked down often on the less privileged, especially during the basic examinations.

  However, they were proven wrong when results came.

  But those said less privileged struggled so hard, just to gain enough knowledge to pass the tests.

  The tears which flowed from their eyes dropped to the bloody ground as they looked around for survivors. Their hearts sank with sorrow as they mourned the dreams and futures that had been brutally and mercilessly cut short.

  The air was thick with the weight of grief, and the echoes of lost hopes kept whispering in the wind. The true toll of the massacre remained shrouded in uncertainty.

  Some may have succumbed to their grievous injuries later, even after miraculously surviving the initial onslaught.

  The fragile line between life and death was truly cruel.

  They continued in the search.

  The general also kept himself together and looked for any slight sign of an enemy inside the castle while the others were rattled by all this slaughter.

  Thummmm…. hummnmn…

  The sound of a throbbing heart due to the probability of something harrowing did not stop.

  He may have appeared to remain composed, but something troubled the general.

  As if a hollow void rotated inside General Vaelros, making him unable to move easily; as if an unseen force sapped the very essence of his being.

  Vaelros’ movements grew sluggish with each step, which turned into a monumental effort as his strength waned.

  *Lieutenant General Eva Thunderoar - fought and died in the Den of Irons

  *Lieutenant General Ford Asderon - fought and died in the Den of Irons