The dawn was cold when the gates of the capital began to open slowly, the creaking of old iron cutting through the silence of the first hour. Behind the gates, the soldiers stood lined in heavy silent formations, their breaths rising like small clouds in the cold air.
Heavy infantry at the front, tight rows of iron armor and long spears, their helmets reflecting the first faint strands of light. On the flanks, the cavalry steadied their horses whose hooves moved impatiently on the cold stone. At the rear, dozens of supply wagons stood arranged in precise order, provisions enough for days, and arrows enough for a battle.
Above all of that, Leon's banner was raised high, the golden eagle spreading its wings... and the banner of the Kingdom of Orvalis, a dark crimson flag with a silver dragon at its center, symbolizing the kingdom's resilience and its military history.
No speeches. No noise.
Leon mounted his horse. He stepped forward. Then stopped.He turned to the soldiers for a moment, then said:
"We secure the east... and return."
He turned his face toward the road. The wagons moved behind him. The banner moved.The army began leaving the gates...
One of the soldiers glanced right and left, then remembered last night:
One soldier said:"The commander of the campaign... the deputy supreme commander... it is Prince Leon, the Devouring Sword."
(A reply from the back)
"It's a chance to gain experience and stand beside the deputy or the prince... an opportunity that cannot be replaced... we must show what we have."
(A third laughs)
"The Devouring Sword leads us... the Savinians will regret every step they took toward our borders."
(An older soldier reflects)
"I remember the days when he was a second lieutenant, and his name alone was enough to terrify the enemy. And today he has become the deputy supreme commander, and holder of the fifth rank in the Covenant of the Seven Blades. Above him in the entire kingdom are only four men."
The soldier asks:"The Covenant of the Seven Blades??"
The older soldier turned toward the younger one who asked, and smiled.
"The Covenant of the Seven Blades? You ask, son? This is not just a military system, this is an entire history.
The first rank: The Professional Swordsman... one who has mastered the fundamentals, and has begun to fight like a man rather than like the amateurs of backyard arenas.
The second: The Blade... here the sword becomes an extension of his hand, as though it were another limb of his body. His movement does not miss, and his strike does not go to waste.
The third: Doctor... and this, son, is one of the most dangerous types of fighters. He does not merely fight, he analyzes his opponent like a surgeon. He knows your weak points before you move, and ends the duel with the least effort and the highest precision.
The fourth: Clover... a fighter who relies on strategic luck. He masters deception and traps his opponent in snares no one expects. You think he is in one place, and he appears behind you. You think him weak, and he has prepared a perfect ambush.
The fifth: Specter... the ghost. He moves like shadows, his speed unbelievable, and his timing makes his presence on the battlefield a riddle. You see him here then he disappears, you think you are chasing him and suddenly he is behind you. This is what our commander Leon has reached.
The sixth: Sharp Gold... the military peak reached only by those who mastered all five arts and became capable of changing the course of great battles with their own hands. These do not merely fight, they lead and decide the fate of entire armies.
The seventh: Sword Saint... and here we stop, son, for this is a rank reached only by those who have transcended combat itself. Mastery of all nine arts or even possessing their own art through experience, and reaching the state of absolute instinctive combat. You do not think, you do not plan, your body simply fights as if it were created for it."
(He places his hand on the soldier's shoulder)
"This covenant is not only for our kingdom, son. The entire continent knows it, and the history of great warriors was recorded by it. And our commander today... a man of the fifth rank. Imagine what it means that those who call us brothers stand under his banner."
The young soldier also asks:"And who are the four men you said are above His Highness?"
The older soldier smiled slowly, then tilted his head slightly toward the young soldier.
"Four men, son... only four in the entire kingdom who stand between Leon and higher degrees of light.
The first: Edward Hallward. This man... do not ask about his rank, for he is also titled the Sword of the Kingdom, and he was granted the rank of Marshal in the military hierarchy... even though no such rank exists in the army, it was created specifically for him. He holds the rank of Sword Saint. The entire continent today knows only three or four living saints, and Edward is one of them. He does not fight, he breathes war. I once saw him in the training field, standing among twenty fighters, his eyes closed. The moment they moved toward him, they fell without him touching them. Do not ask me how, because I do not know.
The second: the King himself. Rank of Sharp Gold. He does not sit on the throne because he was born into it, but because he deserves it with his sword. In the Battle of the Eastern Wall twenty years ago, an entire battalion fell, and the King stepped forward alone and opened a breach in the enemy ranks that they still speak of today.
The third: our Supreme Commander. Also Sharp Gold. The man who planned all our victories in the last decade. He does not merely fight, he sees the entire battlefield in his mind before it begins. They say he has never lost a battle, not because he cannot be defeated, but because he never enters a battle unless he is certain of its ending.
The fourth: Prince Adrian. Yes, the King's eldest son. Sharp Gold as well. At twenty-four years of age, he surpassed his father in the military ranks. Some say he will become a Sword Saint before he reaches thirty. But... between you and me, he is cold as ice, he does not laugh, he does not joke, only a sword and two cold eyes."
(The older soldier looked toward Leon at the front)
"And as for our commander Leon... he is the fifth. Specter. The ghost of the battlefield. Those who have seen him fight say he could have been Sharp Gold if not... if not for the fact that he lacks patience. He rushes like fire, burns quickly, but before he burns out he burns many times his number. The difference between him and Sharp Gold is that moment of restraint. Sharp Gold waits, Specter strikes. But believe me, son..."
(He lowered his voice)
"These four men above him... if you gathered them all in one field, none of them could ignore Leon's presence. Even though he stands fifth, his name is mentioned alongside theirs in every council."
(The young soldier turns with curiosity)
"But what about Duke Faedor? And the other duchies? Do they not have ranks in the covenant?"
(The old man freezes for a moment, then whispers in a voice barely audible)
"Damn... I forgot to mention them..."
(Then he quickly turns toward the young soldier)
"Shh! Quiet! Stop asking so many questions."
(We return to the present)
As the unit marches, one of the officers rides his horse forward toward Leon's side.
"Sir, I introduce myself: Officer Yuka from the western command and military units. I was sent by order of the Supreme Commander to assist you... and restrain you when necessary."
After two days of marching, one of the supply wagons suddenly stopped with the sound of cracking wood, one of its wheels had broken. The eastern road was muddy, late rains had turned the soil into heavy sludge. An entire battalion was delayed half a day, its soldiers stumbling through the mud as they tried to catch up.
Officer Yuka looked at the sky, then at the road:
"We are slower than I expected... all of this because of the weather... first severe sandstorms, then rain!"
Leon did not turn:
"The enemy will not wait for us."
The army passed near a border village. From afar, it seemed quiet. Leon raised his hand, and the army stopped.
"Ten riders. Advance and scout the village."
The riders entered the village. They stopped at the first alley. One of them looked around.
"No sounds... and no barking dogs?"
Another turned his face right and left:
"And no children. Do you hear children?"
"Nothing. As if the world suddenly fell silent."
They moved forward a little. One soldier looked at the houses on both sides.
"The doors... all of them open. Every door wide open."
One of them entered a house. He came out seconds later, his face frozen.
"The food is on the table. The bread is still there. The pots on the fire... they were burning almost two days ago."
Another returned from a nearby house:
"The beds are made. Clothes are hanging. As if they were here moments ago and suddenly vanished."
One of them looked at the ground:
"No bodies. No blood... emptiness."
They stood in the middle of the square, turning in place, no one speaking. Then one of them whispered:
"Where did they go? All of them... where did they go?"
The riders returned to Leon. Their faces were pale.
"Sir... the village is empty... all of it, the houses are open, food on the fire, clothes hanging. And not a soul inside."
The army approached slowly. Soldiers entered houses, then came out, their eyes unable to remain inside those empty homes. A young soldier said in a trembling voice:
"Maybe they fled... they were afraid and fled."
Officer Yuka came out of one of the houses, walked slowly toward them. He shook his head:
"Those who flee do not leave their pots on the fire."
Silence. A cold wind passed between the houses. Everyone looked at each other. The first feeling that something unnatural was happening slipped into everyone's hearts.