New World - A New Beginning

ASTHIA DARCK'S POV:

My mind attempted to piece together the current information at hand as we zoomed through the air at ridiculous speeds only possible for wyverns.

Were we betrayed?

No, that didn't seem right. A betrayal of human forces would've simply meant an alliance between the Dominion forces and Imania, meaning the Dwarven army currently marching through Imania would also contain humans.

So they hadn't turned their backs on us, but then why were there zero defenses preventing the Dwarven armies from opening up a third front?

Being encircled was the worst-case-scenario for a nation in times of war. Mother had taught me everything that had to do with battle and leadership at a young age as soon as Jay had left Lares. Upon his departure, my real training had begun, and the intensive lessons I endured every day shaped me into who I was today.

Then did that mean we were simply a bait to lure out the enemy forces?

If the majority of the armies were concentrated in the Southern parts of Auroria, it allowed Imania to launch two massive simultaneous campaigns directly at the capital cities. Thinking logically, it was the most efficient way to defeat the Dominion forces, but the Dragon casualties would be enormous. So great, actually, that Imania would have no problem defeating the Dragonkin immediately after the end of the current war.

I shook my head, eliminating any thoughts that doubted our only ally. Mother wasn't someone who could be tricked so easily, and all I could do was trust in her judgment. If she believed King Roy to be trustworthy, then I had to believe that.

I heard the heavy sound of metal below me as my conscience returned to reality, my team gliding beside me, awaiting my orders. We were currently invisible to the enemy given our altitude, the thick white clouds masking our presence.

The Dwarven army had already passed the small village Freem...

We could've potentially set up an ambush and stealthily eliminated key individuals within the Dwarven ranks, but all we could do now was face them head-on.

If we were to take full advantage of our invisibility due to the clouds, we would need to target the backline of the enemy without fail. I waited, seconds feeling like hours as I pushed my patience to its limits.

I had no idea how large the Dwarven army would be, my entire operation relying solely on estimation and my instincts as my eyes shot open with determination.

"Dive!" I ordered, all seven dragons exiting the triangular formation as they dropped into the misty clouds.

My vision returned as we exited the white bodies of fog floating in the air, my eyes widening at the view below me.

The Dwarven army... was massive.

Extending for hundreds of mels, soldiers clad in iron armor and equipped with massive shields marched Southwards. Even if it was clear that each individual Dragon was much more powerful than multiple Dwarves combined, numbers were the only thing determining the outcome of this battle.

A sudden roar erupted from the Dragon forces, all of them recognizing the individual leading the charge on the aerial attack.

"It's the Princess!"

"Push them back!"

A giant blaze shot out the mouths of all seven dragons simultaneously, cries of despair piercing the air as Dwarves got pulverized to ash in a matter of seconds.

One of the key factors that influenced the outcome of a war was none other than moral. To keep pushing forward no matter the odds, to defend what you care about until your dying breath, to only stop fighting once your body was no longer able to, that was what turned the tides of battle.

"!!"

A large metal arrow shot past me as I heard the echoing scream of a dragon, my head turning back to see one of my riders tumbling onto the floor below. My eyes located the source of the attack, immediately realizing what we were up against.

Anti-wyvern weapons: the ballista.

Our ability to fight from the sky was about to end as I witnessed dozens of ballista ready themselves. I could feel the fear within my soldiers, but none of them broke our current formation. If they were meant to die following their princess in battle, there was no other fitting end.

I looked below me, realizing the battle was no longer two linear forces clashing against each other, but rather an all-out fight where only the strongest would remain standing. All I needed to find was the individual anchoring the entirety of this Dwarven force.

My eyes glanced ahead, realizing the metal bolts from the ballista were headed straight for me.

"Evade and dismount!" I ordered, understanding our limited time had finally expired. I leaped off my wyvern, the beast blasting flames one final time before leaving the battlefield.

Mia stood beside me, taking a deep breath. We had landed in the middle of the Dwarven backline, a position that was still relatively untouched by the chaos that had plagued the frontlines. Enemy troops were already leaping at us, my body instinctively moving to defend myself and my friend.

"Mia!-" I started, interrupting myself as the girl's eyes lit up with a power I had never felt before.

"Absolute zero," she muttered, shooting her arms out as the world seemed to freeze.

Absolute zero?

It was a spell I had heard before, a spell that had echoed through my link when I was still unconscious from the Liech family's kidnapping.

This was Jay's spell.

But hadn't he failed to keep the effects active for more than a few seconds?

I watched as Mia calmly stepped forward, raised her arms as a gigantic crystal of ice formed above. The cold blue meteor crashed down on the frozen targets, instantly obliterating hundreds of Dwarves.

Not a single sound echoed from their mouths as every soldier around us was shattered to pieces, the battle momentarily pausing as everyone witnessed the ridiculously powerful individual who had appeared.

So this was the power of Mia Stil?

A girl who could manipulate ice to an ability that even Jay was unable to mimic. Jay's utmost trust in this girl's abilities suddenly made sense to me. Had he known all along that her power was something that could annihilate armies with ease?

I snapped out of my imagination, igniting my surroundings as my eyes lit up with a roaring flame.

BOOM

Waves of crimson red flames and cold blue ice shot out from the very core of the Dwarven army, massacring every troop who wasn't prepared. A small rift appeared in midair as I pulled out a spotless black broadsword.

Velvet streams of heat mimicked my motions as I slashed around me, any attempts at striking me immediately being blocked as my aggressors were disintegrated.

Within mere minutes of the wyvern attack, the battle had completely turned around, and I could already feel the uneasiness wavering through the Dominion ranks. This was it, this was all we needed.

If we could push through and defeat them here, it would give us the opportunity to flank both other fronts simultaneously and drastically reduce the overall threat to Lares. The enemy ranks began faltering, and even if none of the Dwarves feared death, the hesitation to strike first was arising.

Our very first victory was quickly approaching.