The riders' spears scratched Zaos here and there, but he managed to avoid being hit on his vitals. By dodging their attacks by a hair's breadth, Zaos had the chance not only to cut down the rider's legs with a single swing but also drop their horses. His sword seemed sharper than usual, even though he only had time to clean it. Several riders noticed that Zaos was in trouble, and then they dashed toward him with their spears in hands, which was what he had been waiting for. Zaos held his sword firmly and then swung, spreading massive waves of flames in an arc, burning the same riders and their horses.

Before Zaos could see the results of his actions, he retreated. He had plenty of time to do so since the other enemies were caught off guard. Even those who weren't damaged by the flames were surprised by his attack.

Another group tried to attack Zaos when they saw the spear on his back. Still, the situation repeated itself, and several riders were killed. Getting closer to Zaos was not only difficult, but it was also deadly, so the riders who had bows decided to focus their arrows on him.

Zaos grabbed the spear and moved as fast as possible to escape the arrows. His speed increased exponentially, but he still got hit on his left arm by an arrow despite that. Zaos didn't slow down, but he took a look at his forearm and saw the arrow stuck on his arm. That only made the pain increase…

Weirdly enough, the pain made Zaos focus more, and his speed increased. To the point where he even tripped once. After noticing that they wouldn't hit him, the riders decided to regroup and retreat. They lost thirty riders and only killed five-foot soldiers, so it was evident that they weren't ready to fight. The mercenaries were probably tired, despite the eagerness to fight at night.

Zaos sighed and then decided to rejoin the group of survivors. While he passed by them, some soldiers looked at him with dubious and annoying eyes. Zaos grew tired of that, so he glared at them back.

"What? Do you have something to say?" Zaos asked.

Despite his harsh words and the fact that he was talking with veteran soldiers, Zaos didn't hear anything. They sure looked dubious of Zaos, even though he had an arrow on his arm and drew the attention of the enemies to himself. Zaos decided to ignore from that point onward. He didn't have time or energy to waste on people who disliked him for no apparent reason.

In the end, the riders didn't attack again. However, even when morning came, Zaos couldn't bring himself to feel relaxed. He was exhausted and hungry, and he didn't have time or the chance to solve either of those problems. Around noon, some soldiers approached Zaos to deliver a message.

"You are the kid who fought alongside Captain Verkan? The commander is calling for you."

Zaos didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. Arlen probably endured the worst and would survive if he was conscious, but fighting was out of the question. Zaos prevented his death, but magic couldn't make him recover faster from the lost blood.

After jumping on the side of the wagon where Arlen was, Zaos saw him with his eyes half-opened. As expected, he looked frail and pale due to the blood loss, but he still moved his eyes when he saw Zaos.

"You saved my life," Arlen said. "You have some weird skills for a soldier in these parts of the world. Regardless, I am not in condition to lead this army anymore, do you think you can take my place? Verkan had great expectations of you."

"I don't believe I don't have the experience, nor am I fit to lead anyone in a battle, sir," Zaos replied. "When I have a sword in my hand and when I dash at the enemy, I can't think of anything else aside from opening a path in front of me."

"Relax kid, I am just joking, you might be from the Sielders family, but you are not there yet…" Arlen said. "Well, it looks like the final battle will take place near the northern base. Ruvyn will be the commander in charge from now, but until then, I am your commander. I will give you only one order Zaos. Don't get close to that man. Don't try to avenge Verkan. You are too young to face someone of that level."

"… Yes, sir," Zaos said.

Truth to be told, Zaos wasn't planning to avenge anyone. A battlefield wasn't a place where one had to give room to feelings like that. Zaos didn't know Verkan all that much, so he didn't even consider that, but now that the commander mentioned it… he wouldn't throw away the chance to fight that long-haired man if he were to receive it.

"It looks like the idea never crossed your mind until now," Arlen said. "You are slow, just like your father. Do you know why Verkan brought you with him?"

"Because he thought I would be useful?" Zaos frowned.

"Yeah, that too," Arlen said. "But he also brought you so that you could learn how a real battlefield works. This wasn't your first battle, but based on the things I heard, you still have a lot to learn. Here is another order, observe Ruvyn and learn as much as you can. Difficult times are ahead of us and considering the family you were born; you don't have any choice but to join the frontlines whenever something happens."

"I will do my best, sir," Zaos said.

"I am sure you will, even though you look so much like your father, your eyes are completely different from his," Arlen said. "Remember this battle, kid. From now on, on every single day you wake up, remember this battle and imagine it happening in your hometown. If you imagine that, then I am sure you will become much more impressive than your father." 

Zaos imagined just for a single moment his home being attacked by those mercenaries. Although he didn't imagine his mother being killed, the idea alone made his blood boil… before that could happen, he will show the enemies the true terrors of war.