The black hatred within Valik's heart surfaced like a lion. With his lover lying halfdead beside him, Valik leaped barehanded at Emperor Lustratous. Lustratous responded by slashing at Valik with his black sword. The sword cut Valik's right eye and forced Valik to fall beside Shaiva.

"Have you went mad?" Lustratous asked. "What could you achieve barehanded? It would be best if you died with your wife. Her loss will bleed you to death."

Despite the pain in his right eye, Valik leaped at Lustratous once again. But before that trembling hands of his wife, Shaiva stopped him.

"Run!" Shaiva said amidst the smoke and blood.

Lustratous readied his sword to stab Valik. But before doing so, two middle-aged ladies blocked Lustratous. They were the mothers of Valik and Shaiva.

"Run! Leave Shaiva!" they shouted at Valik.

It was too painful for Valik to leave the three ladies. How would he face himself, his friends, upon realizing that three ladies had saved his life? That he had ignored the glimpse possibility of protecting their lives, and saved his own life instead.

"I can't do it," said Valik and he jumped at distracted Lustratous once again. With his heavy armor, the weight of Valik was too much for Lustratous to bear. Lustratous fell on the ground with Valik on top of him, and his black sword fell from his hands.

Valik kept punching Lustratous' face left and right until he received an iron kick from a soldier that knocked him backward.

Valik then saw two other soldiers stabbing and slashing his mother and Shaiva's mother. It was too late to save them. It was also too late to save Shaiva, or even tear up.

"My Emperor, are you alright?" said the soldier who kicked Valik as he helped his emperor stand on his feet. "Haven't I told you not to run alone like this? You could have killed yourself."

"I know Lamzaz," said Lustratous to his general. "My age has taken its toll on me that an untrained kid forced me to fall... Kill him."

"Absolutely," replied Lamzaz.

Valik saw Lamzaz running his way. This time Valik had nothing to protect, for everything he loved was dead beside him.

The young man ran away.

A huge long sword came at his face. Valik managed to lower his face in time, but the sword sliced a bit of his black hair.

Valik jumped to startle the soldier and continued his run. Luckily, the Lorope army was fully armored, that slowed them against Valik's fast village legs.

The atrocities were everywhere. More villagers fell on the grass and stained it red. Female villagers were abducted, and none of the men nor the boys were spared. Valik's bleeding right-eye was still throbbing, and it throbbed more, the more he saw such atrocities.

Valik felt as if his world was at its end. But he still had to run for the three ladies that sacrificed themselves to extend his end. He had to do so. It was his only drive to keep on running.

After running for thirty minutes, Valik reached the borders of the village to the south. He received four additional scars after running away from other Lorope soldiers. But It was still a pleasant conclusion compared to the villagers who lost their lives.

A few minutes Valik left the last village and ventured into the dark black wilderness. His eyelids and the rest of his body showed signs of heaviness. Valik understood the message and thus searched for the safest place between large bushes and gave in to sleep.

Valik woke up after a few hours and did not bother to count the time. He was surrounded by the vast bushes of the forest. The gentle sun warmed his body, and the sound of birds tickled his eardrums.

The forest was located between the five villages at his north and the Castle of Remna at the south where he is running towards to.

Valik was not aware of where he was heading. But he knew he had to be as far away from Lorope's army as possible.

He knew nothing about what surrounded him beside the mountains around his village. That his village belonged to the Djinn Kingdom who once fought against the Lorope Empire. He only knew about this back from the village elders who probably died at this point.

In any case, Valik decided to ignore this notion and continue southwards.

The walls of the castle that faced Valik were tall. They were very tall in his eyes that was only used to the humble houses of his village. Its size was equivalent of a city, and the thick walls made it one of the most solid structures known today.

The Castle of Remna was built by my father King Justinian the second after the success of his first war expedition. He believed that many enemies would swarm at him for expanding his land.

Thus, Father spent about 500,000 gold coins back then to complete this castle. On a side note, the father of Vin Chaldoon, Baron Chaldoon, supervised building the Castle.

The grass gave way to Valik's fatigued footsteps as he approached the mighty castle. He saw about a dozen guards patrolling the entrance of the Castle of Remna.

About half of them noticed him. Startled, five guards with spears walked toward Valik and placed the tip of the spear close to his skin.

"Who are you?" they asked, ignoring the weak, bruised condition of Valik.

"Valik, I ran away from the massacre of the Lorope Empire to my hometown, the Chocked Villages," Valik replied.

"They have already reached this far?" wondered one of the guards. The guards lowered their spears, knowing that he posed no harm, except for one guard.

"Not so quickly," said the only guard who kept his spear against Valik's neck. "Prove it."

"Oh, he is right," said an absentminded guard who returned his spear back against Valik's head.

"What do I have to prove?" said Valik in a pained tone. "Do not you see me suffering? I have lost my wife, my family, and my right eye. I am hungry, burdened by fatigue and you guys are bothering me with a prove!"

The guards seemed at a loss on what to do. They did not want to harm an innocent. But they also did not want to be blamed for bringing a spy from Lorope into the Castle.

"How about we let Vizier Kaljar see him?" suggested the same guard who first doubted Valik. The guard avoided the blame by throwing the judgment on his commander.

"But you think Vizier Kaljar would accept this?" asked another guard.

"Are you an idiot?" replied the guard who suggested the idea. "It is a major incident that the chocked villages were massacred by Lorope. This was against our estimations, remember Vizier Kaljar's briefing? This boy would bring invaluable information if he proved his innocence."

"I do not get what you are saying," said the guard who first doubted the idea. "But since you talked too much I think you are correct."

And with that Valik went to Vizier Kaljar. Valik still did not know the vast difference would he make in the future. He is still a lone hungry wolf, looking to satisfy his hunger, lick his wounds, and fill his revenge.

Two days remain until the Siege of Remna begins.