The skies above the Lien Tribe are always clear. Though this land sits in the desert and boasts a few small forests and lakes, it is, in truth, desperately poor and arid. The tribes living here endure the torment of the blazing sun every day.
In such a barren place, where all you see is sand and stone, the more you look, the heavier your mood becomes.
Henry Lien sat quietly on a large rock, watching the distant wind and sand. He had been deeply troubled lately; his parents had died in a drought, many in the village had perished, and he had barely survived long enough to receive food aid from other tribes.
A deep sadness lingered in his sunken eyes. Before him lay his village—though part of the Lien Tribe, their area was even more desolate. As the son of a sub-clan chief, he had never seen anything green since childhood.
He had spent his whole life among these rocks and sand. Now, though the village still held over ten thousand people, many had gone days without enough to eat. Even with aid from other tribes, for so many, it was barely a drop in the bucket.
Although his father had long been in contact with the main clan, the reply was that they could only rely on themselves to survive this food crisis. This year, every corner of the Lien Tribe had suffered disaster, and since last year, the scorching sun had only grown fiercer, roasting everything on earth.
Many times, Henry Lien had wondered if dying with his parents would have spared him this pain. During the famine, he managed to eat a little each day, but when his parents fell critically ill, he realized they had chosen him—they gave him their last food.
He could never shake these memories from his heart.
"Henry, get down! It's dangerous up there."
A voice called out from below. It was his cousin, Sam Lien, who had cared for him since his parents passed. The two had always been close.
When they returned to the village, the streets were almost deserted. Built among massive reddish-brown rocks, the village was always battered by wind and sand, and now, with famine, even fewer people remained.
Shielding his forehead from the sand, Henry Lien struggled forward with Sam Lien, who held his hand. Back inside, Henry stared at the wooden barrel—there was barely any water left.
The nearby lakes had dried up, and this summer, it was even harder to find water.
"Henry, do you know? Famine is raging everywhere in the Wynn Domain, and King Wynn has decided to invade the Grant Domain."
Henry Lien replied with a simple 'oh.' He had heard these rumors before: King Wynn was gathering all the tribes, urging them to train their armies, and personally selecting outstanding soldiers to go to Wynn City. Many villagers dreamed of going, but only those from the main clan ever did.
"Food will arrive in a few days, Henry. Don't worry."
Night fell. Henry Lien woke up parched, drank a little water, and felt his throat ease. But tonight, the darkness was deeply unsettling. The wind and sand had stopped, yet unease gnawed at Henry's heart.
"What's wrong, Henry? Can't sleep?"
Sam Lien sat up, watching Henry Lien anxiously gaze at the moonlit window.
"When I was up on the rocks today, I thought I saw someone in the distance. I wonder which tribe they belong to."
Sam Lien stared at Henry, then suddenly his eyes widened and he rushed out of the house.
Worried, Henry Lien stood at the door, watching the road leading to the village entrance. There were many figures in the distance.
Shouts erupted everywhere—their tribe was under attack by outsiders, and soon everyone was in chaos.
Cries of killing filled the village. The outsiders had come to plunder, killing anyone they saw and bursting into houses to grab anything of value.
There hadn't been soldiers in the village for a long time. After the disasters, most had left, leaving only the old, weak, sick, and disabled. The soldiers had all gone to the main clan.
In the darkness, Henry Lien watched in terror as everything outside unfolded. The villagers had lost all power to resist, and the outsiders seemed to know it.
It was like hell. The slaughter gradually ceased. Henry watched in shock as the outsiders, fewer than a thousand, took the village in a single night. His cousin Sam Lien, wounded while resisting, was tied to a stake after being captured. Around him, villagers sobbed and screamed, powerless as the outsiders tortured and killed them.
"From today on, this village belongs to us. You are all our slaves now. Disobey, and this will be your fate."
Blood sprayed through the air. Henry Lien watched silently as Sam Lien was killed before his eyes. The light faded from his cousin's eyes.
The next day, Henry was taken to the outsiders. He had just turned ten. When they learned he was the chief's son and the next in line, they brought him over. To avoid alerting the Wynn Domain's supply troops, they forced Henry to do as he was told and forbade anyone from leaving when the army arrived.
More and more clan chiefs died. Henry Lien's eyes grew dull and lifeless. Day after day passed, and the supply troops still hadn't arrived. Finally, one afternoon, just after the wind and sand stopped, the supply troops appeared in the distance.
It looked like only a few hundred people. The outsiders waited happily for the army to enter, planning to ambush them at the right moment.
Leading the group was a woman—beautiful, too. For the first time, Henry met Lydia Lien, but he was hopeless. He dared not make a sound. Inside the hall, he mechanically followed the outsiders' instructions and interacted with Lydia Lien.
"What's wrong, little Henry? Aren't you happy? The food has arrived."
With a stiff smile and vacant eyes, Lydia Lien did as the outsiders glared at her. She stepped closer, reaching out to touch Henry's forehead.
But in an instant, something shocking happened—Henry watched as Lydia Lien killed every outsider in the room, leaving none alive.
The woman before him, grinning wickedly and stretching out bloodstained hands, had saved him. Outside, the troops easily wiped out all the outsiders.
Suddenly, Henry snapped back to his senses. He grabbed the spear from James Grant's hands, mouth agape, and, bleeding profusely, swung the spear at Yuna Ji.
"Die!"
James Grant roared, pulling his spear and lunging toward Yuna Ji.
A blood-soaked hand gripped the spear tightly, the tip piercing Yuna Ji's neck as a streak of crimson blood trickled out.
A pair of sorrowful eyes gazed at Yuna Ji. A hand slowly reached out to touch James Grant's cheek.
"Don't go on... Don't go on any longer..."
James Grant's roar echoed across the sky.
"Retreat, Commander-in-Chief! The central forces have been cut off. The cavalry from Jiang Territory and Grant Domain are linking up, forming a defensive line. Our soldiers are struggling—if we keep going, the front will be devoured."
An officer spoke urgently. Bella Liang looked at the exhausted Lily Mao, then behind her, and sighed.
The retreat horn sounded. Bella Liang led her soldiers in a desperate charge to the rear. Only by tearing open the enemy's dividing net could they break through.
Noon sunlight shone down on the corpse-strewn plain. The battle was over. Joseph Qiao quietly watched the enemy withdrawing onto the main road, where their forces guarded both sides. Behind him, his own soldiers cheered, but he did not order a pursuit—they could not chase them.
His side had lost over fifty thousand soldiers in just one morning.
"Should we feel happy or sad, Joseph?"
Terry Mao spoke gloomily. Joseph Qiao raised his head and squinted— the sun was blindingly bright.
"I don't know! Where does the road ahead lead?"
The cavalry of Jiang Territory was nearly wiped out. Both sides had suffered heavy losses in this war, and the enemy would not give them a chance to rest—they would attack again at dawn.
"How am I supposed to explain this to Lydia Lien!"
Bella Liang and Gus Bull quietly looked at Henry Lien, long dead. His eyes were wide open, his hands still clutching the spear—he died fighting.
Cyrus Sage watched silently from the side, saying nothing. War was always this cruel; surviving such a hellish battlefield was no small feat.
"I heard Henry Lien followed Lydia Lien from a young age. She was like a mother to him."
Gus Bull muttered. Bella Liang clenched her fists, glaring angrily across the field.
"Pass the order: let the soldiers rest, prepare their weapons, and be ready to attack again at dawn. Get the reinforcements here as soon as possible."
The sunlight gradually faded. Lydia Lien walked quietly alongside the main force, while the generals behind her still worried about today's battle. The messenger hadn't arrived yet.
"No matter what, today's casualties will be severe."
Lydia Lien murmured.
"Commander Lydia, do you have any strategies?"
Lydia Lien smiled and shook her head, then looked into the distance.
"Please, don't do anything reckless, Henry."
Just two more days until the front lines. Lydia Lien couldn't shake her vague sense of unease.