Inside an immense, shadow-draped palace, a man sat on a throne of cold stone, its surface inlaid with animal pelts. He rested his chin on one hand, an air of authority about him, yet his eyes betrayed a deep anxiety as he stared into the vast, empty hall. The silence pressed in, thick and suffocating.
At this moment, the man's face was a tangle of emotions—he seemed to be anticipating something, but was gripped by fear.
"Cyrus, you've come." The words hung in the air, heavy with longing and regret.
The man immediately rose to his feet, his joy barely contained as he rushed forward, but Cyrus Sage met him with a cold, indifferent stare.
"Now that things have come to this, what do you want from me?"
The man was King Silas of the Sage Domain. Half a year ago, his eldest son had been struck by sudden illness, now lingering on the edge of death. All of King Silas's hopes had once rested on that son, and now he was drowning in grief—his sorrow as vast as the empty palace around him.
"You've heard about your brother, haven't you?"
"He brought this on himself. Hah."
Cyrus Sage sneered, pushing away his father's reaching hand.
"Now, you are all I have left, Cyrus. Do you understand the weight of that?" The words echoed, heavy and final, in the cavernous hall.
"Since you've already cast me out of the tribe, now you want me back? Ha. I'm not your pawn." Cyrus Sage's voice was cold, each word sharp as a blade in the gloom.
King Silas's face darkened, shadows pooling beneath his eyes. In the Sage Domain, the second son had always outshone the eldest. After the clash with the Wynn Domain, the brothers' bond was shattered. In the end, King Silas laid every failure at Cyrus Sage's feet, made him the scapegoat, and cast him out into the cold.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
With those words, Cyrus Sage turned and walked out of the palace, each step echoing in the emptiness.
Suddenly, Cyrus Sage snapped back to reality—the battle was still raging. Several generals nearby fought desperately to shield him; the troops were bogged down, and the fighting was utterly one-sided.
Yuna Ji stood just over ten meters away, her gaze fixed intently on him.
"Commander Cyrus, stay strong! Even if it costs us our lives, we'll get you out. You go first—I'll hold the enemy back."
One general barked the order, charging forward with his soldiers. Cyrus Sage mounted his horse and fled—he had to survive, no matter the cost.
A scream tore through the chaos. Cyrus Sage glanced back—his trusted general was cut down by Yuna Ji, who now charged after him with her spear. Soldiers rushed to block her, but arrows whistled through the air.
"Yuna, go—bring me the enemy commander's head!"
Lucille Xing shouted, swinging her twin swords and instantly slaying two enemies beside Yuna Ji. Cyrus Sage whipped his horse fiercely, which neighed and charged out of the battlefield, galloping down the main road.
There was nothing ahead of him, only the sound of hooves behind. A chill crawled up his spine. Since childhood, he had lived in fear—his father and the second woman had conceived him, but for certain reasons, he and his mother suffered all the humiliation inflicted by those in the palace.
He had endured humiliation to survive until now. Cyrus Sage had finally regained the things he once dreamed of as a child but thought unattainable—they were now firmly in his grasp. After this war, he would return as King of the Sage Domain, a promise made by his father.
He glanced back again, suddenly surprised—Yuna Ji was gone. But then the sound of hooves came from the left. Cyrus Sage looked over; Yuna Ji had raised her spear.
"I can't die here, ah..."
With a furious roar, Cyrus Sage swung his sword at Yuna Ji. With a clang, his Boneblade snapped, and the spear aimed at him changed course. The horse's shrill cry rang out.
Cyrus Sage's vision began to blur and shift rapidly. He saw the ground, and with a thud...
"Stop right there!"
Just as Cyrus Sage was about to step out of the palace, King Silas's commanding voice halted him.
"Whether you hate me or even want to kill me, you are my son. You must inherit the throne. This is your destiny, Cyrus Sage. You cannot escape it."
Cyrus Sage turned back, his face filled with sorrow as he looked at King Silas.
"Mother passed away last year, and you didn't even visit her once. Now you have the nerve to call me back to inherit the throne? Ha, what a joke. You hypocrite."
"Ah, I am a hypocrite. That is what a king must be. One face for the tribe, another for family. Such is the fate of a king, and you are no different. I have summoned all the clan chiefs; soon they will arrive in Sage City. When the time comes, I will declare before them all that you are the next King of the Sage Domain."
Cyrus Sage looked at King Silas in shock, but inside, he still rejected his father.
King Silas walked over slowly and gently placed a hand on Cyrus Sage's shoulder.
"After I die, you can do whatever you want. Those who wronged you, spoke behind your back, or humiliated you—deal with them as you wish. That is the privilege of a king. As for the future of the Sage Domain, it will be yours to decide."
The sorrow on Cyrus Sage's face vanished, replaced by overwhelming anger. He stared at King Silas, then slowly nodded.
"But there is one condition. I have already discussed with King Wynn about invading Grant Domain. You must play your part in this invasion. Can you do that?"
Cyrus Sage turned and walked away slowly.
"I will surpass you."
"Everything on the battlefield changes in an instant, Cyrus..."
A salty, metallic taste filled his mouth as Cyrus Sage slowly regained consciousness. His vision swam, his head spun, and one arm was numb and burning with pain. His whole body was weak, but a flash of green caught his eye.
"I told you, next time it'll be your turn."
(Irrelevant website prompt skipped as per guidelines.)
Yuna Ji sneered at Cyrus Sage, her spear pointed at his head. Cyrus lay on his side, struggling to his feet as he stared back at her.
"I'll cut off your head and hang it at the entrance to the plains. How does that sound?"
Yuna Ji said it with a mocking tone, almost playful.
"I... I can't die here."
Cyrus Sage slowly stood, clutching Yuna Ji’s spear in his right hand.
"Please... spare me."
Yuna Ji looked at Cyrus Sage in surprise. There was no pleading in his eyes—if anything, it was a command.
Yuna Ji jerked her spear away, driving it into the ground with a metallic clang.
"Why? If I let you go, you must give me a reason."
"You and I are enemies. One day, we'll meet again. Maybe then, our roles will be reversed."
Yuna Ji chuckled, bending over to look at Cyrus Sage.
"You're an interesting one, heh."
In an instant, Yuna Ji’s smile vanished. Her face, cold and brimming with murderous intent, drew close to Cyrus Sage.
In Cyrus Sage’s eyes, Yuna Ji saw obsession—a fierce will to survive.
Yuna Ji slowly extended a finger. At that moment, a cry rang out overhead—a Nine-Plume Bird descended. She pointed toward her horse, not far away.
"Go."
Cyrus Sage nodded quickly, his body trembling and barely able to stand. He scrambled onto the horse, tugged at the reins, and whipped it into a slow trot.
"Thank you."
"Don't forget—one day, I'll come to collect. You owe me a life."
Cyrus Sage stopped, nodded, and turned to look back at Yuna Ji.
"As the next clan chief of the Sage Domain, I swear—if I break my word today, then neither I nor my tribe will meet a good end."
The sky had turned pale. Yuna Ji sat beside her dead horse, gazing quietly toward the end of the road. Inside, she was torn—why had she let such an important enemy go? She didn’t know. It was as if a voice had guided her, urging mercy.
The pounding of hooves approached—Lucille Xing and Long Nu arrived with a group of cavalry.
"Yuna, where’s the enemy?"
"He escaped."
Yuna Ji replied coldly. Long Nu glanced around suspiciously, then noticed the horse beneath Yuna Ji—it wasn’t the one she’d ridden out on. Long Nu remembered its color and markings. This was the enemy’s horse. What had just happened?
But Long Nu said nothing. Lucille Xing sighed beside her. The enemy was nearly wiped out; a few had fled into side roads, but it hardly mattered. They’d captured over two thousand horses—now their cavalry would be even stronger.
Riding her horse, Yuna Ji leaned exhaustedly against Long Nu behind her. Long Nu held the reins as their horse walked slowly.
"You let the enemy go, Yuna."
Suddenly, Yuna Ji’s expression changed. She turned her face to look at Long Nu, but Long Nu was gazing ahead, her voice quiet—only Yuna Ji could hear.
"Let me ask you—do you think it was necessary to spare the enemy?"
Yuna Ji nodded.
"I won’t ask anything else, Yuna. I trust your judgment."
There were no enemies in pursuit. The road ahead was pitch black, the temperature dropped. Cyrus Sage stopped and sat under a large tree by the roadside. After drinking some water, he leaned against the trunk. His bones didn’t seem injured, his left hand could still move, but the tendons were damaged—he probably wouldn’t be able to grip anything with his left hand for months.
This battle was a complete failure. Despite being so cautious, he still didn’t think deeply enough because of Zhao Peng.
"The battlefield truly is unpredictable, heh."
Thinking back, Yuna Ji spared him, just as he had spared Zhao Peng.
"Actually, we owe each other nothing. But this time, I guess I owe you a life, Yuna Ji."