Chapter 67: The Forgotten Fortress

The Black Dragons continued east.

Their black dragon banner danced against the morning sky.

The road became rougher with every mile.

Paved stone slowly gave way to dirt paths.

Farmland disappeared.

Dense forests took its place.

The deeper they traveled...

The fewer travelers they encountered.

Walter glanced at the emperor's map.

"So..."

"Where exactly are we going?"

Kael unfolded it atop his saddle.

His finger rested on the next red circle.

Ironridge Frontier Fortress.

Leon frowned.

"I've heard of it."

"It used to guard the eastern trade route."

Walter looked around.

"Used to?"

Leon nodded.

"It was abandoned almost twenty years ago."

"No official reason was ever given."

Grom spoke quietly.

"That's not entirely true."

Everyone looked toward him.

"The official reason was 'declining trade.'"

He shook his head.

"But soldiers don't abandon a fortress because merchants stop visiting."

Kael folded the map.

"Then we'll find the real reason."

The Emperor's Test

As they continued riding...

Kael found himself thinking about the Emperor's words.

"Don't believe reports."

"Find the truth yourself."

Every red mark on the map...

Wasn't just a location.

It was a question.

Who was lying?

Who was suffering?

Who deserved justice?

Those were the answers the Emperor wanted.

A Broken Checkpoint

Around noon...

The Black Dragons reached an old Imperial checkpoint.

The watchtower leaned dangerously to one side.

The gate had rotted away years ago.

Imperial banners hung in tatters.

Walter dismounted.

He examined the abandoned post.

"No bodies."

"No signs of battle."

Leon ran a hand across the stone wall.

"Look."

Deep claw marks stretched across the granite.

Not sword cuts.

Not axes.

Something enormous had carved them.

Darius narrowed his eyes.

"Those marks weren't here twenty years ago."

Kael crouched near the ground.

Several tracks remained preserved beneath hardened mud.

Large.

Heavy.

Not human.

The system activated.

Investigation

Evidence Found

Estimated Age:

Less than one month.

Species:

Unknown.

Recommendation:

Proceed with caution.

Someone...

Or something...

Had been using this forgotten road.

Travelers on the Road

Not long afterward...

A merchant caravan appeared ahead.

Six wagons.

Three guards.

Two injured horses.

The merchants immediately looked relieved upon seeing Imperial soldiers.

Their leader bowed respectfully.

"Your Highness."

Kael returned the greeting.

"You know me?"

The merchant smiled.

"News travels faster than wagons."

"They're already calling you..."

He hesitated.

Walter grinned.

"Go on."

"...The People's Prince."

The Black Dragons exchanged surprised looks.

Kael sighed.

"I've only helped one village."

The merchant chuckled.

"No."

"You helped the right village."

He explained.

"Ashfall sits at the crossroads of four provinces."

"Every merchant passes through it."

"Yesterday's survivors have already told everyone what happened."

Walter laughed loudly.

"Told you."

"Good deeds spread."

Kael shook his head.

"Rumors spread."

"I'd rather earn my reputation than hear about it."

The merchant's smile widened.

"That's probably why people believe the rumors."

Trouble Ahead

As the caravan prepared to continue...

One of the guards approached.

"Your Highness."

"If you're heading toward Ironridge..."

"I wouldn't."

Kael looked at him.

"Why?"

The guard swallowed.

"People have been disappearing."

Walter's smile faded.

"Bandits?"

The guard slowly shook his head.

"No."

"There aren't any bodies."

"No blood."

"No tracks."

"They simply..."

"...vanish."

The caravan leader crossed himself.

"Some say the fortress is cursed."

Another merchant whispered,

"My cousin heard voices calling his name."

"He followed them."

"He never came back."

Leon frowned.

"Voices?"

An older merchant nodded.

"They sound..."

"...like someone you trust."

Silence settled over the group.

The Fortress Appears

Late afternoon.

The forest finally opened.

Standing atop a rocky hill...

It was Ironridge Fortress.

Even in ruin...

It was magnificent.

Towering walls of black stone.

Massive watchtowers.

An enormous iron gate hanging partially open.

Nature had reclaimed much of it.

Trees grew through broken walls.

Vines wrapped around ancient battlements.

Walter whistled.

"That's..."

"Bigger than I imagined."

Darius nodded slowly.

"It could house five thousand soldiers."

Kael studied the fortress.

If restored...

It would dominate the eastern frontier.

Control trade.

Protect nearby villages.

Serve as a staging ground for future expeditions.

Then...

A cold breeze swept through the valley.

Everyone's horses became restless.

One of the younger Black Dragons pointed toward the walls.

"Captain..."

"There."

Standing atop the highest tower...

Was a lone figure.

A soldier.

Clad in ancient Imperial armor.

His helmet concealed his face.

He simply...

Stood there.

Watching.

Walter raised a hand.

"HEY!"

No response.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

The armor looked centuries old.

Impossible.

The system suddenly flashed crimson.

Warning

Unknown Entity Detected

Classification:

???

Threat Level:

Undetermined

The figure slowly raised one arm.

Then...

Pointed toward the open fortress gate.

As if inviting them inside.

The wind howled through the empty walls.

The mysterious soldier vanished.

Not by running.

Not by jumping.

He simply...

Was no longer there.

Walter slowly drew his sword.

"I suddenly don't like this place."

Kael rested his hand on the hilt of his own blade.

Neither did he.

But this was one of the Emperor's marked locations.

If answers lay inside Ironridge Fortress...

Then that was where they would go.

He looked toward Darius.

"Set up camp outside the walls."

"No one enters after dark."

"We investigate at first light."

"As you command!"

The Black Dragons immediately moved into formation.

Some gathered firewood.

Others established watch posts.

Archers climbed nearby rocks to keep watch over the fortress.

As night fell...

The abandoned fortress loomed silently over the camp.

Unknown to everyone below...

From one of its shattered towers...

Two pale blue eyes watched the flickering campfires.

And for the first time in decades...

A forgotten guardian whispered into the darkness.

"...An Asterion..."

"...has finally returned."