Kai exhaled, the rush of victory already starting to fade. Despite the impossible odds, they’d pulled off a win, but the work was far from over. The responsibilities of a lord weighed heavier now. There were losses to account for, injuries to manage, funerals to arrange— it wasn’t over until every sacrifice was honoured. He glanced toward Francis and Killian, the two he knew he could lean on.
The moment the celebrations erupted around him, both men were the first to reach his side. Francis, beaming with pride, grinned as he clapped his hands together. "Lord Arzan, we did it. You did it."
Kai shook his head. "Everyone did it. If they hadn’t believed in my plan to summon a creature from another plane, it wouldn’t have worked." His eyes flicked toward the crumbled remains of the wall. "Though we lost the wall."
"The wall doesn’t matter. We rebuilt it once. We can do it again. What we did today... no one else in the kingdom could’ve done it with this many troops. It’s just an unprecedented victory that’s going to be written down in the history books."
Kai nodded, though he noticed a shadow passed over Killian’s face. Suddenly, his eyes seemed distant and he pursed his lips tightly together.
"Are you okay? I see you are injured." Kai asked, looking over at his shoulders. Just based on what he had seen, Killian had killed almost two dozen beasts on his own, but it had also given him quite a few injuries. "You shouldn’t push yourself and heal for now."
"It’s not that." Killian shook his head. "We lost people. Some I saw falling right in front of my eyes... Nelson didn’t make it."
Kai’s chest tightened, his frown deepening as he remembered Nelson, the young man who had entered the guards with lofty dreams. He was one of the Enforcers who helped Kai to the maximum of his abilities when they fought off the bandits and the first to face the spiders head-on during the earlier attacks. "There are probably many more who fell beside him. We’ll honour each one. Make sure their families know they died as heroes."
Killian gave a solemn nod but then added, his voice cautious, "There’s... something else. It’s about Amyra."
Kai’s heart sank, his face falling in dread. "Is she...?"
Killian quickly shook his head. "No, no. She’s just unconscious. But... there’s something you need to know—"
Before Killian could finish, a sharp, stinging pain lanced through Kai’s chest. His breath hitched, the sensation growing unbearable as he clutched his chest, teeth-gritting in pain. Even though he tried his best to stop the pain while keeping his hand on his chest, his whole body shook. The backlash of temporarily increasing his circles was here.
The word slammed into his mind, cold realisation dawning. His heart thundered in his ears, every beat a deafening drum as the fourth circle, barely contained, spun out of control.
His mana surged wildly, coursing through his veins like a raging river, uncontrollable, volatile. He felt it— like a storm inside him, battering his body from within. A jolt of energy slammed into his chest, sending a fresh wave of pain that nearly knocked him to his knees. His vision blurred as he fought to stabilise the circle, pouring everything he had into reigning it in.
But it wasn’t enough.
The mana whipped through him, lashing out violently, hitting him harder than any beast had. His knees buckled, and as the world tilted, the last thing he saw was Francis and Killian rushing toward him before darkness claimed his vision.
***
Kai waved his hand, cutting through the formalities. "I’m recovering. Let’s get to the point."
The room seemed to shift at his words, everyone falling into their roles. A slight smile tugged on Francis’s face, probably because he expected Kai to get to the chase like this, therefore he straightened, his expression turning serious.
"All the funerals have been handled, Lord Arzan," he began. "We’re in negotiations with Malden and a few other merchants for the beast parts. Veralt’s getting the prime sections— we’ll need them for supplies for weapons and alchemical potions. The rest, we’ll sell. First order of business after that is rebuilding the wall. We’ll start with that tomorrow."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "Luckily, things have been quiet since the beast wave, so even without a complete wall, we’re in good shape. The frays have agreed to help secure the perimeter in the meantime. No beast will get near Veralt."
Kai nodded, absorbing the information. Francis had a way of covering the essentials with the security of the city, and at moments such as this, it was all he could ask for. "Good," he said simply, acknowledging the progress without lingering on it.
His eyes shifted to Killian, who had been standing quietly, though with an air of casual confidence. Kai noted the improvement in his posture— much stronger than the last time they spoke.
"And you, Killian? How’s your recovery?"
Killian gave a slight nod with a ghost of a smile covering his lips, rolling his shoulders as if to emphasize his point. "Much better, as you can see, Lord Arzan. My body’s healing faster than I expected— becoming an Enforcer really speeds things up."
Kai nodded, unsurprised but glad to hear it. "And your report?"
Killian’s grin faded, replaced by his usual seriousness. "The guards are mostly healed. Those still injured are recovering, though it’s slow for some. The mercenaries are staying with us for now, but they’ve been paid, so they’re content. Only Nelson lost his life among the Enforcers, the rest are back on their feet thanks to the potions given by Orion."
"I’ve taken a few frays out on patrols outside Veralt. We haven’t seen anything threatening— seems like the wave cleared out most dangers. News has started reaching the other cities, though, and we expect the people who ran away will start returning soon."
Kai listened, nodding slightly as Killian finished. It was as expected— Veralt was regaining its footing, albeit slowly. The beast wave had left its mark, but the city would recover. He would make sure of it.
Finally, his attention turned to Claire, who had remained quiet through the reports. She met his gaze with her usual calm, but there was a tension in the room now, the air heavy with unspoken things.
"Claire?" Kai asked, his voice low, though he already knew she had something important to say.
She didn’t speak immediately, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. Then, in her usual measured tone, she began, "As you ordered, I’ve had the maids and servants under my command monitoring the Mages closely. So far, we’ve only confirmed one spy— Roran Brightholm. He’s been attempting to send information to Archine Tower, though he hasn’t made any moves beyond that. We’re keeping a close watch on him."
***
A/N - Do you want me to change covers?