The storm raged over the ruined citadel of Blackmoor, thunder cracking the sky as twin sabers clashed in the rain-soaked courtyard. Fire danced in the broken arches, casting twisted shadows across what had once been a temple of peace.
Baylan, once a revered knight of the Flameguard, stood tall amid the wreckage, his cloak torn and soaked with blood. His blade, crimson and seething with raw energy, hissed as it met the steel of his opponent.
Facing him was Cassian Vale, his closest friend, his sworn brother, the man who had once saved his life in the frostbound north. Cassian’s gold-marked armor was scorched, rain streaking the soot from his face. His breath came heavy, but his eyes never wavered.
“You betrayed everything,” Cassian growled, voice low and shaking. “The Flameguard. The oath. Me.”
Baylan didn’t flinch. “I broke a lie,” he said, his voice cold but tinged with sorrow. “The Flameguard was a cage. You know that. You felt it too. They feared power they couldn’t control.”
“You wanted control,” Cassian spat, swinging his blade with fury. Baylan parried, their sabers sparking as they crashed together.
“I wanted freedom,” Baylan countered, spinning low and forcing Cassian back. “For both of us.”
“You murdered the Grand Flame in his sleep” Cassian shouted. “You slaughtered the apprentices. They were just boys.”
Baylan’s saber locked with Cassian’s, the force of the clash shaking the courtyard stones.
“I did what had to be done,” Baylan said, rising slowly, the red light of his weapon casting deep shadows on his face. “So we wouldn’t spend our lives kneeling. I offered you a place at my side. I still do.”
Cassian stood trembling, his saber humming in his hand. The storm shrieked overhead.
“You were my brother, Baylan” he said, his voice tight with grief. “I would have followed you to the end of the world. But you chose ambition over honor. You chose power over loyalty. You left me no choice.”
Baylan’s expression hardened. “Then finish it. Strike me down. But remember this. When the council turns on you, when they twist your name into something shameful, you will wish you had stood with me tonight.”
Cassian charged.
The final clash lit the sky, sabers locked in a cry of fury and heartbreak that echoed through the broken halls of Blackmoor.
When the storm passed, only one remained.
Baylan, bloodied and alone, walked into the firelight, leaving behind the last bond he had ever cherished.
The age of knights was over.
Now came the age of the empire.
