Kharzan recovered abruptly, as if awakening from a deep sleep, only to find that his army’s front line was in total chaos.
The methodical advance he had been observing minutes before had stopped completely, with soldiers running to reorganize formations that had been shattered by something he couldn’t see clearly.
Valdris seemed to be trying to calm things down, moving between section commanders while discretely directing some of the closest leaders to form a protective semicircle around Kharzan.
It was obvious they had been trying to hide his "switched off" state from the rest of the army.
The realization was deeply disturbing. How long had he been unconscious? What had happened during that gap in his awareness? The questions multiplied in his mind.
"What happened?" Kharzan asked, his voice sounding hoarser than usual.
"My Lord," Valdris immediately approached, visible relief on his face. "Sirius launched a powerful attack against our front defenses."
Kharzan looked ahead, where he could see a massive gap in what had been his front wall. Earth elementals worked feverishly to close the breach, but the damage was impressive.
The destruction was more than just physical... It was psychological.
Seeing their carefully constructed defenses reduced to rubble in a single attack had shaken the confidence of soldiers who had believed themselves invulnerable behind their earth walls.
"Casualties?"
"Surprisingly few, my Lord. Although it was visibly impactful, it generated almost no casualties," Valdris reported. "But it did completely stop our advance by lowering front-line morale. But more importantly..."
"...Are you feeling well?"
Kharzan didn’t fully understand what had happened with his own consciousness. He really didn’t feel bad, affected, or with less energy.
But it was something to analyze later... this wasn’t the time to doubt while in the middle of a battle.
"Restart the advance," he ordered, pointing toward the front line. "And fortify the front with more earth elementals, in case Sirius decides to attack again."
♢♢♢♢
With Kharzan back in command, military organization reestablished quickly. Soldiers responded to clear orders, formations reorganized, and the advance began to resume its previous pace.
But they had barely managed to resume the march when Valdris approached again, his expression grave.
"My Lord," he said in a low voice, "there’s another situation that occurred while you were... indisposed."
"What now?"
"Goldcrest castle was attacked."
Kharzan stopped abruptly.
"What!?"
"Preliminary reports indicate a massive attack in the center of our territory. We don’t have complete casualty information yet, but..." Valdris hesitated. "It appears Selphira Ashenway was involved."
The rage that erupted in Kharzan’s chest was so intense that for a moment he couldn’t speak. His family, his home, his son...
The images that flashed through his mind were almost unbearable. Kassian facing Selphira alone. His family caught in the crossfire of a battle they had no part in starting.
He was ready to leave and take on the old bast...
Bu then he became sluggish again.
As if someone had flipped a switch in his brain, Kharzan found himself disconnecting from the world around him. His legs wobbled, and only Valdris’s quick action prevented him from falling completely.
"My Lord!" Valdris held him, but Kharzan was no longer really present.
Once again, Valdris found himself assuming leadership at a critical moment, silently cursing whatever was affecting his commander.
And right at the worst possible moment.
"General Valdris!" A soldier came running from the flank, his urgency cutting through the air like an alarm. "New enemy contact!"
’An ambush right now,’ Valdris realized with growing alarm. ’Sirius kept us distracted at the front and forced us to concentrate earth elementals in him while others positioned themselves for a flank attack.’
’Twenty thousand soldiers under my command,’ Valdris thought, ’and enemies converging from three different directions.’
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