Chapter 9: Attack on Oceanus
December 14, 2025 at 11:27 AM
The air vibrated with tension.
Flora tightened the straps of her golden armor, the metal cool against her skin. Aestus stood beside her on the battlements, adjusting his own chestplate with trembling fingers. The sky above them churned with smoke and ash, casting the world in a bruised twilight.
“I can see them,” Aestus said, voice tight.
Flora shot him a look. “Aestus… everyone can see them.”
Below, the enemy army surged forward like a living tide — giants stomping through the clearing, mercenaries marching in perfect formation, Flamebringers trailing fire in their wake. The ground shook beneath their advance.
Aestus swallowed. “Well… good luck in the fight, I guess.”
“You too,” Flora said, softer than she intended.
A thunderousBOOMcut through the air.
A flaming boulder slammed into the titanium wall, shattering it into a cloud of molten shards. The barrier crumbled instantly, leaving a gaping wound in Oceanus’s defenses.
The enemy poured through.
Mercenaries raised their bows in unison, releasing a deadly volley of flaming arrows. The sky turned into a storm of fire. Flora and Aestus ducked behind their shields as the arrows struck with violent force, leaving deep dents in the metal.
Aestus peeked over the rim of his shield. “I foresee… we might lose.”
A giant charged forward, roaring — and stepped directly into the lava moat.
It dissolved instantly with a violent hiss, its body turning to ash before it even had time to scream.
Aestus blinked. “Okay. Maybe not.”
The ground trembled.
A low, rumbling growl echoed from beneath the cliffs.
Flora’s heart leapt.
The dragon burst from its cavern in a storm of fire and fury. Its wings unfurled like burning sails, casting a crimson glow across the battlefield. With a single sweep of its massive tail, it obliterated an entire squadron of mercenaries, sending bodies flying like rag dolls.
Aestus grinned. “I foresee that we arefinallygoing to win.”
The dragon roared, flames spiraling from its jaws, incinerating a cluster of Flamebringers in a single breath. The battlefield erupted into chaos — enemies scattering, giants stumbling backward, mercenaries dropping their weapons in terror.
And then, impossibly…
Dr. Malum raised a white flag.
He stood atop the shoulder of a Mountain Giant, his half‑melted face twisted into something that might have been a smile — or a snarl.
Flora narrowed her eyes. “He’s surrendering?”
Aestus frowned. “He’s surrendering…from the top of a giant.That feels suspicious.”
But the flag remained raised.
The battlefield fell eerily silent.
And for the first time since Auron burned, Flora felt the faintest flicker of hope.
A fragile hope.
A dangerous hope.
But hope nonetheless
