New World - A New Beginning

Chapter 82: Ravaged Heart

ARES HEARTH'S POV:

I walked through the streets of Thorria, the towering building I used to admire crushed down to mere rubble. Families cried as they clutched the bodies of their dead... if there was a body in the first place.

I understood what had just happened right before my eyes; the utter destruction of one of the most fortified cities in all of Auroria. The news was slowly spreading across the continent, and people were beginning to understand what war truly meant.

Did we think this was a game?

Upon first laying my eyes on that young boy, he resembled a small, defenseless animal who didn't understand what was happening. Forced to be the victim of hatred between two nations, the twelve-year-old kid could only wait in a lonely cell, wait in silence for the inevitable announcement that the dragons had been defeated.

And yet here I was. The S-rank tasked with surveying that child, walking through the rubble that my prisoner had caused.

Jay Cadmium.

I clenched my fists in anger. My hatred was not directed towards Jay, however, but towards myself. Was I a disgusting human being for not hating him?

Without feeling any guilt or hesitation as hundreds of innocent civilians were crushed before him, Jay delivered a message to all of Auroria, a message that snapped everyone out of their daydream, their ideological fantasy of conflict.

In a swift and decisive blow, Jay had said three simple words that would echo in the ears of the fallen, the grieving, and the spectators:

'This is war.'

I saw a lonely child tumble through the smoke, her head covered in blood. She collapsed against my legs, looking up in despair as tears trickled down her face.

"I'm scared," she said simply, her voice neutral as an uncontrollable waterfall ran down her cheeks. Almost like her voice was no longer connected to her emotional state, the girl was ruptured, forever broken as she lost the last bit of strength in her legs.

I crouched down, caressing her head as I smiled weakly.

"It's okay, now. Just go to sleep," I whispered, realizing there was no hope for her survival. The young girl closed her eyes peacefully, drifting off into an endless slumber that she'd never awake from.

Was this your goal, Jay Cadmium?

If you were standing in my place right now, would you still say it was all for a noble cause? Was slaughtering these people the price you had to pay to achieve victory and send your message?

The thoughts circled around in my head, but I knew an answer would never come.

How could someone so young not even flinch when faced with so much death and horror?

I finally entered the castle, the simple yet sophisticated interior still relatively intact. It almost seemed like their target was never the King, to begin with.

"Sir," said a guard, eyeing me with respect. Even so, I could see the devastation behind his dark brown eyes, his thoughts similar to my own. "His Majesty is waiting for you."

I nodded, heading upstairs and into the royal chamber.

"Ares," acknowledged King Glad, aware of my presence. "We cannot let these Dragons have their way with our city. If we are to respond, we will do so by eradicating them off this continent. I'm sending you to the Southern front where our main forces have begun their advance into Dragon territory."

"And what of the enemy that is lurking around here?" I asked worriedly. King Glad nodded, understanding my concern.

"We have already recalled some of our battalions to guard the city. Even if this attack has weakened our power on the main front, I trust your presence will be more than enough to push through Dragon defenses."

"Your Majesty," I said, looking the King right in the eyes as my aura suddenly darkened. King Glad's eyes shot open at the sudden pressure, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Do not underestimate their leader. He has the power of an S-rank."

"H-He rivaled your abilities?" asked King Glad, shocked by my acknowledgment of Jay's strength.

"Yes, and I could feel he wasn't going all out. He never had any intention of killing me," I added, further enhancing King Glad's uneasiness.

"I understand. I will make the necessary preparations then. I will assume we are dealing with an S-rank adventurer," said the King, sighing after calmly thinking over the entire operation. I nodded in agreement, turning around to leave.

"Ares," called out the King, making me stop in my tracks.

"Hm?"

"Good luck, son."

"Thanks," I responded neutrally, walking out as I headed towards the carriages awaiting my arrival.

Luck was unnecessary. This attack had happened because I had been too careless, and I wouldn't make the same mistake again. To protect the family that raised me, to fight for those who were massacred today, to honor the individual who considered me his own son, I would fight.

"Take me to the Southern Front," I ordered the guard, his body moving immediately. I entered the carriage, my eyes glancing out of the window one final time.

"So this is war."

ASTHIA DARCK'S POV:

I could feel a lingering pain in my left shoulder, a wound I knew was not my own. The overall impact of numbing feeling was softened considering I had not personally experienced the attack, but I could tell that Jay had been brutally injured.

The reflection in the water that could be seen during King Glad's speech was no illusion. The entire city had suddenly burst into a panic, citizens wailing in anguish as unknown attackers suddenly appeared out of thin air.

All that I had seen was the bright flash of a lightning bolt, a power that I recognized immediately.

Jay had attacked Thorria directly, ignoring the presence of civilians.

Had he closed off the link to prevent me from feeling any of those emotions? From living the atrocities and the guilt of slaughtering innocent lives?

A sudden wail echoed across the deep forest where we were currently waiting, my eyes shooting open as they realized where the sound was coming from: the Frontline.

The Dwarves had engaged.

This attack was earlier than we had anticipated. Without a proper commander or figure leading the army, we had suspected that the Dominion forces would wait before attacking, but that was simply false hope.

My mother's voice echoed in my head, the Empress addressing the entirety of her army.

"Both fronts have made contact with the enemy!" boomed the voice, the rest of my troops frozen in place from the sudden sound. "All battalions on standby are to head towards the human village of Freem. Another wave of Dwarves has been spotted crossing through Imanian territory!"

"Mia. We're headed towards the village of Freem," I said, transmitting the telepathic message to the girl.

"Freem? How have the Dwarves already defeated the human forces?" she asked, an aura of discomfort spreading across the group. My eyes darkened as I looked at my friend.

"I doubt there was resistance, to begin with. Humanity never mobilized its armies to defend us."

The reality of the situation set in as we mounted the battle wyverns coating in gleaming black armor. Had we been betrayed as soon as the war had begun?