The Attack
The door burst open before I could wake up, a rush of cold air swept into the room, sending chills to my body. My head was foggy and heavy from last night's wine. I struggled to open my eyes, following the noise coming from the corridors.
"They have come for us." I heard muffled voices, I thought I was dreaming.
"Dana!" Lysara's voice broke through the haze. "Dana, the Forsaken... they're here!"
My eyes finally snapped open as my mind scrambled to catch up.
"Wh-What's happening?" I gasped, jolting upright in bed.
"The Forsaken... they're attacking the Temple," her voice shook.
My stomach fell. There was this high-pitched ringing that filled my ears.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. As I stood up, I nearly stumbled. I pulled a kirtle over the hose I wore. My hand found the hilt of my sword and I placed it on the belt at my left hip.
"We have to move quickly," Lysara squirmed. "The Bound are gathering, but... they're coming faster than we expected."
I swallowed, my pulse thrumming in my ears. Every instinct in me screamed: run, fight, survive.
I stepped out of my room, Lysara close behind me, still trembling. The corridor had Novitiates running around, their faces looking panicked. We hurried down to the lower floors till we got to the entrance.
When we came into the open air, I immediately got a horse and Lysara jumped into the same horse with me. As we rode toward the first district closest to the Sanctum, one of the Forsaken lunged at me. I quickly drew out my sword and swung it, cutting through him cleanly. His blood sprayed, painting the ground and dripping from the blade.
The market beyond was chaos incarnate. The Forsaken tore through stalls, screaming, and slaughtering anyone in their path. Flames had destroyed wooden carts. The Bound were already fighting, but there were too many of the Forsaken attackers. And this was only part of it — they had brought gifted children. Children from Earth, twisted into soldiers of destruction.
My heart froze when I saw her.
Casi.
She stood among them, using her powers for destruction. I saw her grab a woman who was running away with her child, and she burned the woman whole. She was about to harm the child when my power suddenly responded and I sent a wave of force pushing her off the child. The child stood there crying and screaming 'mama'. Lysara quickly got down from the horse and ran to grab the child. I also got down from the horse. That was when Casi's gaze locked on me. She glared at me while channeling her power coursing around her like fire. I couldn't bring myself to strike her again. I still... cared. Even then, seeing her like that, I felt this harsh pain of losing her to this darkness.
She unleashed a wave of energy wrapped in fire toward me. Heat scorched my face, the wind knocked me back, and the fire made my skin sting.
I groaned, getting up from the floor. But Casi did not relent. She sent another strike and just before it hit me, out of nowhere, Giselle collided with the wave of power, using a strike of her own. Casi flew backward, and slammed into a stone wall. Dust and small stones sprayed into the air.
She tried to rise, her lips twisted in fury, but Giselle's hands reached out, conjuring iron chains through the air, wrapping around Casi's throat, pressing and constricting. I watched in horror as Giselle's eyes narrowed, her face tight with focus, until a snap echoed.
Casi's body went limp, crashing to the ground. A scream tore from my lips before I could stop it. Pain and disbelief clawed at my chest. The market, the screaming, the chaos around me, it all fell away except the horror of what I had just witnessed.
I felt numb. The Forsaken were still out there. The brainwashed children were still attacking. And in the midst of it all, Casi's dark eyes haunted me, even in death.
I fell on the ground, tears began to blur my vision, my breath was shallow, my heart still trying to catch up. Casi was gone. Just like that. A part of me had hoped that there might be a sliver of light, that I could have saved her from the darkness. But she died with it.
Suddenly, a hand gripped mine, yanking me to my feet.
"Come on, Dana, we have to go now," Lysara's voice broke through the fog of my mind.
I didn't know if I could move. My legs felt like stone, and my heart — my heart was shredded.
"Dana, please," Lysara pleaded again, panic rising in her voice. "We have to move, now. You have to be protected."
I barely heard her, my mind was lost in the abyss of grief and self-loathing. Was it my fault? Did I cause this too?
She brought the horse and forced me to get on it. I mounted, she put the child that was still crying for her 'mama' in the middle, directly behind me, and she stayed at the back. As we rode, I couldn't shake the sight of the dead. The bodies scattered like broken dolls in the streets. People I knew. People who had smiled at me. Friends, neighbours. So many of them were gone.
Lysara's hands gripped the reins from behind me. "I'm taking us to a secure place while the Bound handle the Forsaken."
I nodded and let her guide the horse, but it felt like I was moving in a dream.
"Where's Doya?" I croaked.
She leaned forward, "Huh?"
"Where's Doya?" I asked again, a little louder this time.
"Front gate," she replied. "He's holding off the attackers. Fighting."
A lump formed in my throat. "And Kumbuye?"
"I don't know. He's probably fighting too," she said as he spanked the horse so it would move faster.
"They... they need my help," I whispered. "I can't just hide while they fight. I have to help. I can't lose anyone else."
I didn't want to be the one who stood by and watched the people I cared about fall.
But Lysara didn't stop the horse, her grip on the reins got stronger. "We're not safe out there. The Forsaken are everywhere. The Bound are dealing with them." Her voice softened for a moment. "You're not going to help anyone by throwing yourself into the fire. You need to be alive for them. For yourself. For this world."
I closed my eyes, taking a slow breath. "Alright... take me to safety," I sniffed.
The horse rode faster, weaving past ruined buildings, scorched walls, smoke curling into the darkening sky. The smell of ash and blood was thick in the air. The ground was littered with debris, broken carts, shattered pottery, and burned clothes.
We hurried through the districts and finally reached the Old Watchtower, a sturdy, semi-hidden structure at the edge of the temple, long abandoned except in times of emergency. Beneath it lay the vault — a reinforced underground chamber, reserved for nobles and those of high importance when danger struck. We dismounted and stepped into the tower, making our way to the vault. As we descended the wooden stairs, torches flickered in iron sconces, casting long, jittering shadows. I could smell sweat and the faint metallic tang of blood.
Inside, the space was crowded. King Achaleous stood near a corner, flanked by his nobles. The Ascend were there as well, and several High Bound stood in this enclosed place. The sight of it made my blood boil.
"Good work bringing her to safety, Novitiate," Kaelric said, nodding at Lysara.
I could not contain myself. My hands trembled as I moved toward the group, the heat of rage coiling in my chest. "You're hiding while you send your Bound into battle? What is wrong with you people?!" I screamed, my voice hoarse.
The Bound were out there, risking everything. Their powers were unmatched, yet here they hid, in comfort, when they could have torn the Forsaken apart. The injustice was appalling.
"I'm going out there to help them," I spat, my hands curling into fists.
Kaelric's eyes narrowed. "You will do nothing of the sort," his voice was commanding. "You will stay here until we are assured it is safe."
"You cannot tell me what to do!" I shouted, anger slicing through every nerve.
"Oh yes, I can. And I am," he said. "You will stay here until it is safe to come out."
I stepped forward, but before I could take another step, Kaelric raised his hands, and instantly, the High Bound encircled me. Their grips were hard, pinning my arms and shoulders down to the floor.
"Let go of me!" I screamed, struggling against them.
"Do not fight back," Ascend Elyndra barked. "It would be unwise. You will stay here so that you may live to fulfill your duty."
I couldn't stop myself. I struggled, tears slipped freely, burning trails down my cheeks. The memory of Casi's death, Doya and Kumbuye fighting without me, the people of the Temple that I couldn't save, all of it surged into a storm inside me.
The hold of the High Bound on me released. I could feel their eyes on me while I cried bitterly. My chest heaved as I stayed crumpled on the floor.
Lysara crouched beside me, one hand gripping mine. "You'll get your chance," she whispered. "You'll fight again, and you'll save them. But not like this."
I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breath. I knew she was right. I had to survive. I had to endure.
When I opened my eyes, I looked at the child Lysara and I had saved earlier. Her eyes were red from crying so much and the marks of tears were still on her face. Even if I couldn't save everyone today, I knew that I had at least saved this little girl.
I gathered myself and slowly rose from the floor. I looked at everyone in the room and I wouldn't lie, I was ashamed that I had broken down like that in front of them. I wondered what they thought when they saw their "guardian" crying like a baby.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a Bound rushed down the wooden stairs, breathing hard, panic written all over his face.
"Many of the Forsaken have retreated," he gasped, "but we captured a few."
Darveth, one of the Ascend, stepped forward, "Is it safe to come out now?"
The Bound hesitated, then nodded. "For now... but we believe they may return."
The moment those words left his mouth, a shiver ran down my spine. My heart pounded against my ribs. I knew, deep down, that this was only the beginning.