The world of Itonys was primitive and inhabited by a race called Zoralines. They were later named the wood elves by the Dark Lord. Although the world was affected by the time array when the Dark Lord reset the universe, there were still some remnants of the Dark Lord in Itonys. They worshiped him as their only god. Until two years ago, the wood elves lived peacefully without major wars. However, everything changed one day. The barrier that kept Itonys hidden from the outside world broke as the soldiers of Skyhall invaded their world and slaughtered thousands of wood elves. The wood elves fought the Skyhall army with primitive bows and arrows, while the Skyhall used high-powered weapons such as cannons, trebuchets, and wyverns.

At that moment, Tazkin, a young warrior from the forest tribe, was risking his life to steal medicine for the wounded villagers and his teammates back home. He was accompanied by his wife, Thilve, and four comrades. The wood elves called the Skyhall soldiers by the name demons since they brought death and destruction wherever they went.

Like most of the wood elves, Tazkin had coppery skin and hazel eyes. His hair was jet black with a hue of copper red. Compared to the elves and dark elves, wood elves were slightly taller and had pointier ears. Contrary to those elves, wood elves were kind and friendly. They would have formed an alliance with Skyhall and happily offered them valuable resources if Skyhall chose the path of diplomacy. But no, Skyhall waged war and slaughtered thousands of them without a shred of mercy.

All of those deaths and destruction were for the natural resources Itonys possessed. This world was once treasured by the Dark Lord himself, and Skyhall had no clue the Dark Lord was on his way to save the world from them.

Tazkin and his group were walking through a bluish, ancient forest. It reeked of age. Its woody incense was from centuries of snapping branches crashing to the forest's floor and rotting silently. The composting, organic smell rose up in waves like a miasma. Every sprawling tree they passed under reminded Tazkin of a watchful guardian, a silent sentinel of the groves. Tazkin and his team used branches and veins to traverse through the forest without making a noise. They knew the forest like the back of their hand. The Skyhall soldiers used contraptions to traverse through the forest when they were in a good mood. Otherwise, they would burn down everything in their path just to travel hundreds of meters into the forest. Hundreds of ancient trees with unlimited potential turned to ashes in their hands. Tazkin and his team were on their way to the forest's center, where the mother tree was. The mother tree was the oldest in the world, spanning hundreds of acres. The wood elves had a ritual of climbing the mother tree, which would take months. Countless wood elves lost their lives trying to reach the top. The wood elves believed they could get the mother tree's blessing and hear their god's voice by reaching the top.

The deeper Tazkin and his team went, the more mystical and spellbinding the forest became. Huge roots spread-eagled the ground, twisting like the great backs of sea dinosaurs. The foliage became thick and lush, forming an arch of fairytale sapphire blue above their heads. Arthritic boughs, gnarled with age, dripped their bounty of nuts onto the path. Briars, brambles, and berry trees flanked the trail, making it impenetrable on either side. Shuffling noises came from deep in the interior, deadened by the cunningly woven web of leaves. A troupe of winged badgers crossed the winding trail in front of them at one point. They were finishing up their early morning foraging and looked startled to see the wood elves. As if on queue, a blue feather bird erupted from the knot of trees. Soon, a few more of its beaked companions joined the flock, creating a symphony of song. The heart-haunting melody was an elixir for the soul. Their melody used to soothe the wood elves' souls. But after the demons appeared, these birds cried more often than they sang. Despite the ash and smell of blood in the air, the sap-sweet fragrance of the forest washed over them.

Finally, Tazkin arrived at a wide glade, where the ancient trees fell away, revealing the bespeckled blue sky. The last of the morning's stars were glinting like silver earrings, luminous and bright. An ore-gold moon with a blue ring hung quietly in the distance, casting a honeyed sheen over the trees. Tazkin and his men sat their backs against a lightning-blasted tree trunk and watched the demon castle in the distance.

lghtnvlubm fr th bt nvl rdng rn

The demons scorched hundreds of trees, and everything lived in the area to build their castle and the surrounding buildings. Tazkin could still hear the cries of his people when the demons first arrived. They built the castle with the wood they got from the mother tree's branches and the roots as defensive walls. Once, a holy site turned into a burial site for thousands of wood elves. Since the Skyhall sent a total of thousand soldiers, they were able to build a castle in a month. The castle had eleven broad, square towers connected by large, thin walls made of blue marble stones they mined in Itonys. To mine those stones, the Skyhall slaughtered an entire tribe that protected and lived in the mines for centuries. Small windows were scattered generously around the walls in seemingly perfect symmetry, along with symmetric crenelations for archers and artillery to shoot down the wood elves who dared to get near the mother tree. A huge gate with heavy metal doors guarded the castle. It was the only easy way in. Any other side would be futile.

Various barracks, camps, and small buildings were scattered outside the castle gates. The soldiers and some of the merchants who were related to Skyhall elders lived in those buildings. Tazkin and his men had no idea who lives in the castle, as none of them stepped into the castle. This castle was the most protected place in the entire world. Daring to invade the castle would only result in certain earth. Luckily, Tazkin and their men had no need to go into the castle. Instead, their target was one of the infirmary buildings where the Skyhall soldiers kept healing potions.

"We should wait for the nightfall and then strike," Vakoc, one of Tazkin's men, suggested, only to see Thilve shake her head.

"We don't have time. They need those magical potions ASAP,"

Tazkin nodded,

"She is right. Time is not in our favor. It's now or never," said Tazkin. His voice betrayed him, showing his uncertainty and worry about the plan. Deep down, Tazkin knew attacking the demons in broad daylight was nothing short of suicide. Still, they had to do it for the sake of their people. Fifty lives depended on them and the magical potions.

Tazkin's men sighed. Although they all knew the plan was suicidal, they would follow Tazkin to hell itself. After all, if it weren't for Tazkin's leadership, they would have died along with thousands of other wood elves when the demons first invaded them. Moreover, Tazkin was the only wood elf who managed to kill one of the demon generals and steal one of their weapon shipments. Unfortunately, the wood elves lacked the technical knowledge to assemble the weapon to its full form.

h ltt nd mt ulr nvl t lghtnvlubm

"Vakoc, go and scout the area ahead. Do not get caught," said Tazkin.

"Hmm," Vakoc, the brown-haired wooden elf, nodded and slowly crouched forward. As the team scout, recon was his job. Hugging the tree, Vakoc slid down to the ground like a monkey. He used the foliage to his advantage. But there was no foliage once he entered the castle land. The Skyhall soldiers knew how the wood elves operated. Steal was the one and only advantage the wood elves had over them. Therefore, the Skyhall soldiers cut down everything, including trees and bushes, around the castle.

Vakoc used the huts and buildings to hide and walk around. He took a mental note of how many soldiers and the paths of their patrol. Meanwhile, Tazkin, his wife and the three other wood elves waited for Tazkin to return.

Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion near the castle. Black smoke rose through one of the castle towers.

"By the name of the Dark Lord, what is that?"

"Must be one of their new weapons," Thilve gritted her teeth.

"Once the Dark Lord's blessing returns to our people, we will pay them back several folds," said Thilve.

h ltt nd mt ulr nvl t lghtnvlubm

"No god came to our aid when they slaughtered our people, Thilve. If we want to change our fate, we have to fight for it," rebuked Tazkin.

"Do not speak like that, Tazkin. We must pray to the Dark Lord when the time of our needs. He will definitely answer our prayers,"

Tazkin did not want to argue with his wife. The wood elves were a god-fearing race that worshiped the Dark Lord for thousands of years. They didn't see him, but they worshiped his statues, which protected them for centuries. However, after the demons invaded them and slaughtered thousands, some of the wood elves like Tazkin lost their trust in the Dark Lord. One couldn't blame them for losing faith in a higher power after witnessing their race being pushed to the brink of extinction. Tazkin had no faith in a god who didn't raise a finger against the demons, unlike his wife.

Eventually, Vakoc finished his recon and returned to them.

"Twenty fully armored guards on the way to the infirmary," Vakoc reported back to Tazkin.

"Did you see the healing potions?" asked Thilve as Vakoc nodded. But he didn't have any excitement or even the slightest joy in his eyes. Instead, Vakoc seemed like something had affected him deeply.

"What did you see, Vakoc?"

lghtnvlubm fr th bt nvl rdng rn

"He is here, Tazkin," said Vakoc with a grave tone. His eyes contained fear and worry like never before.

"General Tar?" asked Tazkin as the others looked terrified except for Thilve, whose eyes burned with rage and blood lust.

"Reports said he was looking for something in the mines," Tazkin creased his brows. This mission got a whole lot tougher with Tar being on the castle ground. If this were any other day, Tazkin would have opted to back off. But today, he must retrieve those potions. His brother's life depended on the healing potion.