Fort Luxen wasn't just a city, nor a simple fort. It was a living wall.
From a distance, DdD saw its enormous towers of black stone and its banner waving in the wind: a golden shield pierced by a spear. At its feet, dozens of merchants, refugees, and soldiers entered and exited through a reinforced wooden gate, which looked more like a mouth swallowing stories of war and hunger.
Lyra led him without saying much. Her shoulder bandaged, her steps firm.
"They'll treat you here. But watch what you say," she warned.
He nodded. Although still disoriented, he understood that this world had new rules. Having power wasn't enough. Here, he had to measure it.
The Silent Judgment
They led him to a stone hall, illuminated by torches. The walls were adorned with shields and banners of fallen clans. There, three figures awaited him:
General Carvern, face tense behind an ivory helmet.
Magistra Talwyn, dark blue robe and ice-cold eyes.
Cleric Armand, an old man in a brown robe, with the symbol of the Church of Luxen hanging from his neck.
"They say you killed three Shadoweyes by yourself," the General said.
"It wasn't just me," DdD replied, glancing briefly at Lyra. "It was teamwork."
"Even so, those creatures have massacred entire platoons. Who... are you?"
DdD lowered his gaze.
"A traveler. Lost. I survived as best I could."
The Magistra narrowed her eyes, and a blue aura crackled in her fingers.
"What kind of magic did you use? The 'Shadow Blade' isn't registered in any school in the Kingdom."
"It's... a forgotten art," he lied, feeling his divine core vibrate.
The General sighed:
"I don't trust you. But Luxen needs swords. Even dark ones. You can stay... under surveillance."
The Reunion with War
That same night, Lyra took him to the fort's tavern. A fire burned in a central hearth, blacksmiths sharpened swords in a corner, and scouts shared stories in another. As he entered, everyone fell silent, then rumors spread:
"Is that foreigner the one who wiped out the Shadoweyes?"
"He has the look of a condemned man..."
"He doesn't look human."
"You were lucky," Lyra said, pouring him a mug. "If Magistra Talwyn had her way of seeing things, you would have been burned in the plaza."
"I noticed," DdD replied. "But something tells me I'm not the only outsider with secrets."
"You're not. But the difference is, you don't bleed the same way. I saw when your blood shone like golden ash."
When Lyra mentioned his blood that shone like ash, he felt the weight of his lie. The silence became more real...
A New Battle
A horn sounded, thunderous:
"North Gate! Attack!!"
Soldiers ran towards the wall. Lyra cursed, raised her spear, and darted through the crowd. DdD hesitated for a second, and then the inner fire flared in his eyes.
"This is my test. My judgment."
He ran after her, straight into the fray.
Battle in Fort Luxen
In the north tower, defenders and mercenaries clashed in a tumult of steel and sweat. Battering rams pounded the gates, catapults launched burning stones, and iron shields screeched.
DdD climbed onto a battlement; the rain was starting to turn the moat into mud. He looked down, adjusted his stance... and jumped.
He activated his Obscurement: his body turned to shadow as he fell, passing through the palisade with a whisper. He landed inside the enemy army, shrouded in a dark mist.
With a cry that wasn't his own, he unleashed:
"Echo of Chaos."
A wave of darkness swept the front line. Axes flew from hands, spears fell into the mud, and several mercenaries stood motionless, eyes fixed on him.
Three of them, armed with heavy axes, regrouped and advanced, shouting:
"Finish off that wraith!"
"It's a demonic trick!"
"Damn it, not even the Demon King would do this!"
DdD watched them for an instant. Then, he dodged an axe swing with an exact turn, slipped under one's guard, and raised his hand:
"Null Heart."
Dark energy shot out. The first fell, stiff, his eyes vacant. The second swore and backed away. The third tried to flee, but DdD was already in front of him, the Shadow Blade forming in his hand.
The enemies let out choked cries:
"He's alive... and killing with his bare hands!"
"He's unstoppable!"
"Like the Demon King himself!"
With a precise horizontal cut, he sliced the mercenary in half. Blood spurted in dark streams, soaking the stone.
Those who witnessed it dropped their weapons and fled in a stampede, trampling over each other to escape the living shadow.
Silence After the Storm
When the last mercenary left the moat, the rain subsided. The field fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the creak of armor and the murmuring of trembling soldiers.
In the middle of the puddle of mud and blood, DdD stood tall: the Shadow Blade disappeared, and he remained soaked, upright, his cloak torn, and his eyes serenely dark.
Fort Luxen had held.
The Fear of Order
At dawn, the wall roared in cheers, though many looked at him with horror.
From the top of the tower, Magistra Talwyn frowned:
"That man... he is not of this world. His power is not human."
The General remained silent, but Cleric Armand, atop the temple tower, wrote in his voluminous Bible:
"The Fallen God has arrived. Judgment is approaching."
And so, as the light of the new day bathed Fort Luxen, a dark legend began to take shape.