My eyes fluttered open, taking in the light from the torches. I stayed in bed for a while, letting the room around me come into focus. I enjoyed these moments when you first wake up, still trying to remember who and where you are. There’s a certain peace and tranquility to just being. It was short-lived, as the events of the previous night came flooding back.

  I got out of bed and felt the stiffness in my muscles. I inspected myself and saw several scars and a few cuts, most of which were healed, but some not fully yet. I got dressed, putting on my armor and holstering my weapons to my back. I headed out of my room and into the dining hall, where Elysia was sitting alone, eating breakfast.

  I walked over to the table and noticed a place set for me, with a huge spread of pastries, eggs, meats, and juices. I sat down, and Elysia just smiled. She looked exhausted.

  "Good morning," I said as I helped myself to the food.

  "Good morning," she replied, not taking her eyes off her plate.

  I could tell the events of yesterday still weighed heavily on her. I took a few bites of my food and looked up to see Elysia eating very slowly. She seemed to be thinking more than eating, and I knew she wasn't really here.

  "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

  She didn’t answer right away but continued playing with her food. I waited a moment, then continued eating, knowing how to take a hint.

  "You know, I worked very hard to get to where I am today," she said. I looked up from my plate, giving her my full attention.

  She continued, "It's not easy being a woman in a man's world. When I joined the Stormpeak army, I was laughed at and told I wouldn’t be able to fight as well as the men. Then we went to war several times with different islands." She paused for a moment, as if reliving some of the fights. "I was told I was going to get myself killed, even as I bravely fought and conquered every enemy that dared challenge me."

  Then, her voice grew more serious. "After years of service and the scars to prove it, our leader was killed in battle, and I volunteered as his replacement. I was told no one would ever follow a woman. Several other men volunteered for the position, and I dueled and killed them all."

  She looked up and met my gaze, her expression steady. "When I say that, I don’t mean duels were held, and I was just one of the last ones standing. I mean, one by one, they all challenged me to a duel, trying to eliminate me first so they could figure out who would lead."

  Her eyes started to illuminate, the lightning inside intensifying. "And one by one, I killed every single one of them."

  She leaned back, her posture relaxing. "So I became the leader of Stormpeak, unchallenged." She drifted off in thought for a moment before continuing. "I fought with Boltar most of my life. I trusted him and lifted him up to his position as my second." She laughed softly before continuing, "Even though there were several soldiers more qualified and capable than him." She stared back at her plate, thinking. "In the end, I'm not mad at his ambition to rise. She stopped briefly, and I saw a single tear drip down her face. "What I can't accept is that he betrayed me after everything. After all the battles we fought side by side, after the trust I placed in him, he turned against me. And for what? Power?" She wiped the tear away quickly, her voice hardening. "I’ll never understand that."

  I nodded and thought for a moment before speaking. "You know I wish had something to say to make you feel better, but all I can think of is something a very wise leader I know told me once." She looked at me intently.

  "Power is just as much a poison as it is a blessing. It corrupts people and feeds on their pride and desire. True power lies not in domination, but in service."

  She smiled very slightly. "I'm glad you were listening."

  I continued. "I have great admiration for you Elysia, you are a very strong and capable leader and I have some words of wisdom to give you from my world that I hope will help you." She lifted her head.

  "Strength isn’t just about how much you can endure or how many you can defeat. True strength is in how you rise after the fall, how you keep moving forward when everything inside you wants to give up."

  She smiled, and I could see her spirits lift a bit. "Thank you," she said, and I nodded before continuing with my meal. Once I finished eating, I stood up.

  "I meant to ask you this earlier. Do you have people who are in touch with the mainland?"

  She looked at me, puzzled. "What I mean is, how will we know if the Warden decides to attack? I'd rather not plan for a fight that's already over when we arrive."

  She nodded in understanding. "I have people who rotate going to the mainland and keep us updated on current events."

  As I walked toward the door, she continued, "We have a lot to do today. Since Boltar is gone, we need to discuss battle plans, and I need to have a look at the..." She stopped as we opened the door to see about 30 soldiers standing in wait outside. I looked at Elysia, and she stared at the assembly for a moment.

  "What is the meaning of this?" she asked, her tone commanding.

  One of the soldiers stepped forward. "We just want to have a word with the chosen."

  Elysia looked at me and then back at them. "Alright then, speak, soldier."

  The man cleared his throat and continued. "We would like to thank you for stopping the traitor Boltar and saving Elysia from a terrible fate." I nodded, and the soldier went on. "Seeing as you're a chosen, and you managed to take care of roughly 20 men singlehandedly, we would like to invite you to train with us today."

  I looked at Elysia, and she just smiled. "You better do as they ask," she said, making her way around the soldiers and out of the gate.

  I headed down the steps, and the soldiers greeted me, offering their congratulations on my victory. I was a bit shocked by their reaction but grateful to be welcomed. One of the soldiers grabbed me and led me to the corner of the courtyard.

  "You’ll train with us today," he said, bringing me to a group of five men who were loosening up and taking practice swings with their spears. The man spoke again. "These men here are the best warriors on this island." He leaned in and whispered to me, "Second only to myself."

  One of the other soldiers spoke up. "In your dreams, Draken. You may be part of our squad, but you're the weakest of us all."

  Draken laughed and whispered again, "That’s Aeris, and he’s just mad I got the better of him yesterday."

  I nodded and looked at the men. Draken continued, "As you heard, I’m Draken. That try-hard is Aeris." He then pointed to the rest of the men. "Those two over there are Orin and Seris. They’re identical twins, as you can see." He whispered again, "I don’t know if you can tell, but I can never figure out who’s who."

  He continued, "Over there, that little guy is Rynn. He’s just off his mama’s breasts." The young man stopped his loosening-up routine to give Draken a disapproving look.

  Draken then pointed to an older man talking with some other senior-looking soldiers. "And finally, that’s Varek, our squad leader." He patted me on the back. "And if I’m not mistaken, you’re Ryker, right?"

  I nodded, and the group of men made their way over to me. Aeris was the first to speak. "You have to show us some stuff, Ryker. I was blown away when I heard you took on 20 men by yourself."

  Draken turned to him. "Even if he showed you, it wouldn’t matter. You’d just trip and fall, like you did yesterday."

  The group of soldiers laughed and Aeris playfully pushed Draken.

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  "Alright, form up," a voice said from behind me. I turned to see their squad leader, Varek, approaching. The soldiers quickly formed a single line as he walked toward us. He reached out his hand, and I grasped it with a firm shake.

  "It’s good to meet you, Ryker. I’m Varek, squad leader for this group of misfits," he said. I nodded, noticing the large scar running down the side of his face. It started at his hairline and ended below his shirt. He must have noticed me looking because he pointed to it.

  "If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy."

  I chuckled a bit and then apologized. "I’m sorry for staring."

  He waved it off. "I see it as a badge of honor. I’m sure you’ve got your fair share of scars under that armor."

  I nodded. "I certainly do."

  Varek turned to his men and continued. "Listen up. We’ve just received the order—war against the Warden and his forces is on the horizon. You’ve all trained hard, and now we’re going to focus on applying what we know. We will do sparring sessions for here on out. Ryker has been kind enough to join us. Learn everything you can from him."

  Varek turned to me and nodded. He then took a step back as if waiting for me to say something. The men stared in anticipation as well. I thought for a moment and then simply unsheathed my spear and shield. "Who's first?"

  Draken was the first to fall out of line and volunteer. He unsheathed his spear and held his shield in front of his body, his head barely peeking out from behind it.

  "Go easy on him, Ryker. He looks scared!" Aeris shouted from the semicircle of men that had gathered around us.

  Draken ignored him, waiting silently for me to make the first move.

  I took my defensive stance and moved quickly toward him, leading with a shield bash. But as he raised his shield higher to block, I swung the handle of my spear low, catching his legs and tripping him up. He fell hard onto his back, and before he could recover, I jumped forward, my spear pressed to his throat.

  The group burst into laughter and cheers. Aeris shouted again, “Who’s tripping and falling today?”

  Draken quickly sprang to his feet, wiping dirt from his armor, and walked over to Aerin. With a smirk, he grabbed Aerin and pulled him into the center of the circle. "Let’s see what you can do then, tough guy," he said, taking his place on the outskirts.

  Aeris unsheathed his weapons and dropped into a loose, fluid posture. Instead of waiting for me to make the first move, he charged at me with a combination of two forward spear thrusts and a shield bash.

  I blocked the spear thrusts with my shield, deflecting them away, and stood firm against his shield bash. He seemed to be repeating the same sequence, so when he started again, I dodged the thrusts, leaning my head from side to side. As he charged into me with his shield, I stepped away at the last moment, causing him to stumble past me.

  I pressed my spear to his back.

  Frustrated, he lowered his guard and walked back to the others.

  "Not so easy, is it?" Draken said, smiling as he took his spot next to Aerin.

  The soldiers looked at each other anticipating who was next. Varek watched the whole engagement and decided for them. "Orin and Seris step up." The twins came forward and took their spot. Draken and Aeris seemed excited to see how I would handle two opponents.

  They stood side by side, and Orin attacked first. He moved quickly and fluidly, striking with his spear from several different directions. While I was distracted blocking and dodging his blows, Seris waited for an opening and fired a lightning bolt at me.

  I saw it coming just in time and rolled out of the way. The powerful bolt struck the dirt behind me, sending it flying into the air with a deafening boom.

  As soon as I was back on my feet, Orin attacked again. I continued to dodge and block his strikes, keeping my ground. I noticed Seris preparing for another lightning attack, and as soon as Orin seemed to hesitate, I ducked under his strike and yanked him in front of me.

  Seris, already in the motion of casting his bolt, couldn't stop it. His eyes widened as the lightning struck his brother directly in the chest.

  Orin collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, but I didn’t wait. I was already preparing my own lightning strike. Seris, focused on his fallen brother, didn’t even notice as I thrust my hand forward, sending a powerful bolt into his chest. He was thrown backward and hit the ground with a heavy thud.

  "Ohhhh!" Draken and Aeris yelled as the twins rolled around, struggling to breath. I waited as they recovered and got back to their feet. They still struggled to breathe as they took their places among the men.

  I turned to the last soldier—the youngest—who very hesitantly started making his way toward the ring.

  "Hurry up, Rynn! The enemy won’t wait until you find your nerve," Varek called out. Rynn hurried to his position, looking nervous. Deciding to give him a chance, I waited for him to make the first move.

  We stood there for a while, both of us in our defensive stances, just staring each other down. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I was hit by a bolt of lightning. It blasted me back, and I turned to see Rynn’s eyes, now glowing with the intensity of a thunderstorm.

  I began to move in for an attack, but I was struck again—this time, my shield took the brunt of it, pushing me back even farther.

  I quickly scanned the area, looking for anyone else launching attacks, but saw no one. My gaze shifted back to Rynn. His eyes remained fixed on me, crackling with lightning, as if the storm inside him was just waiting to break free.

  I pushed forward again, trying to get an opening, but was struck by another heavy blow to my shield, followed by a loud boom. I noticed the other soldiers grinning and nudging each other, paying close attention to the fight.

  I stayed still, watching Rynn’s eyes intently this time. The lightning inside them crackled, shooting outwards in streaks. I began to move again, and immediately, those streaks of lightning shifted direction, tracking me.

  In that moment, I slung my hand forward, sending a bolt of lightning of my own. It collided with an invisible force, causing a deafening sonic boom that sent Rynn flying backward.

  I rushed in, closing the gap, but as soon as he hit the ground, he jumped to his feet and desperately swung his spear at me in an uncoordinated, panicked attack. I slapped his spear aside, and in the same motion, I found an opening at his chest.

  I stopped just shy of impact, my spear hovering near his heart. With that, the match was over.

  I heard clapping and turned to see Elysia watching the match. "Well done, Ryker. I would expect nothing less from a chosen." I smiled, and she motioned for me to follow her.

  The rest of the soldiers patted me on the back and thanked me for sparring with them. I smiled and returned the gesture. As I started to follow Elysia, I noticed Rynn standing behind everyone else, looking very distraught.

  "Hey, Rynn," I called, and he turned toward me. "Walk with me." I said, and he slowly made his way over to me.

  As we walked toward the stone building, trailing behind Elysia, I asked, "How were you able to send invisible lightning at me without moving?"

  He seemed to smile a bit. "I'm naturally gifted at lightning magic," he replied. "That's why I was recruited so young."

  I stopped and looked at him with a serious expression. "Listen, I want you to know that out of all the soldiers I sparred with today, you were the only one I was worried about beating me."

  He smiled and turned his head to the side, trying to hide it.

  "If you keep training with your spear and shield, and get better, that—combined with your already incredibly powerful lightning—will make you the strongest warrior on all the islands."

  He nodded, and I gave him a pat on the back. I watched as he made his way back to his group, his chest puffed out a little more than before.

  I followed Elysia into the main stone building. We entered and the dining table normally covered in different food and drink now had a large map on it. A few of the more senior soldier were standing around it pointing and arguing. Elysia approached the table and I took the spot just next to her.

  One of the men spoke. "Our best bet is to attack him first." He pointed at the castle in the center. "Our intel suggests this wall is the weakest, and once breached, it will give us a straight shot to the tower where the Warden sleeps."

  The other man shook his head. "I'm not marching our soldiers right up to the castle walls so the Warden and his army can hide behind them and pick us off one by one." He then pointed to the coastline nearby. "We need to stage here on our ships and wait for him to come to us. At least then, the fight will be on equal footing."

  They turned and looked at Elysia, who thought for a moment before turning to me. "What do you think, Ryker?"

  I stared at the map for a moment, collecting my thoughts. "I think drawing them out into the open would be our best bet." The man who had disagreed earlier gave me a disapproving look. "And how do we do that?"

  I paused, thinking a little longer before responding. "I’ll approach the gates and draw him out. He won’t be able to resist the opportunity to kill me." I pointed to a hill on the map near the coastline. "I’ll lead him here, where you all will be waiting. As soon as you see him, unleash everything you've got against him. Hopefully, we can take him out together."

  I then turned to Elysia. "Do you have others who can summon a thunderstorm like you did yesterday?"

  She nodded. "I have a few who can do that."

  I nodded back. "Good. The Warden uses very powerful fire magic, and hopefully, the rain will weaken his attacks."

  Elysia thought for a moment. "This leaves you taking a lot of risk."

  I simply nodded. "This is my fight, and I asked for your help. It’s only right I take most of the risk."

  Elysia grabbed my arm. "The Warden threatens us all."

  I looked at the two other men. "When you see me run over the hill, that will be the signal to—"

  I was cut off as a soldier rushed through the two large doors. "Elysia, a messenger has just arrived. He's at the shore. Please hurry!"

  Elysia and I exchanged a quick glance before she rushed out the door. I followed closely behind as we ran toward the shoreline. A boat was docked, and a man lay on the ground, surrounded by soldiers.

  "Make way!" Elysia commanded, and the soldiers quickly stepped aside, allowing us to get close enough to see the man. His body was covered in terrible burns, all along the right side.

  Without hesitation, Elysia knelt beside him and gently propped him up, holding him in her arms. "You’re safe now. Please, tell us who did this to you."

  The man struggled to breathe, each labored inhalation growing weaker. He reached out, grabbing Elysia’s arm, his eyes locking with hers. As his breathing slowed to a near stop, he managed to whisper a few words before going limp in her arms.

  "The Warden has begun an assault against the elves."