Chapter 105
A low, rumbling hum shivered through the air—and then, as if a great lock had turned, the Gate yawned open.
It howled into the night like a mouth stretching wide, swallowing all hope in its crimson glow. The blood and hatred poured into the ritual circle were finally enough to trigger the spell. The ancient spell flared to life.
Tarsila stood at the edge of the gate, barely visible in the shadows, eyes burning red. A cruel smile twisted across her lips as she raised her voice in command.
“Slaughter the humans! Take back the land that was stolen from us! It’s time to repay the centuries of hatred!”
A group of howls answered her.
“GRRAAAAAHH!”
The monsters roared, their voices shaking the air. They surged toward the gate, but slowly—carefully. No one dared rush in. If the formation was disrupted now, the gate could collapse.
Tarsila remained silent, watching, waiting.
Every monster needed to pass through safely. Only then would it be her turn.
***
The forest trembled.
The clash of claws and steel echoed across the trees. Growls, screams, and the scent of blood filled the red-tinged woods. The once-holy forest was now soaked in chaos.
“They’re coming! Reinforcements are on the way!” someone shouted from the noise.
Giverny, standing at the front, gritted his teeth and nodded. He remained calm, sticking to the plan. He had skillfully managed the defense, building walls that provided cover for the soldiers and barricades to stop the monsters’ movement.
His gaze swept across the snowy battlefield.
Among the defenders were yeti warriors—towering white-furred beings who moved with grace and power. They tackled the monsters with practiced ease, bringing them down one after another. As soon as a monster fell, the human knights swarmed in to finish the job.
They moved like a single, trained unit.
Giverny felt hope fire in his chest.
We might actually win.
The knights of the north were still arriving. Their banners shimmered through the trees. In the distance, Cassius’s voice rang out like a bell.
“Today, no monster escapes this forest! We will win—and we will all return to the arms of our families!”
His sword blazed with energy, slicing down beasts like wheat before a scythe.
Then the arrows rained.
Giverny narrowly dodged, only taking a shallow cut to his arm. He quickly wrapped it and turned to find Cassius, but just as he was about to speak—
Boom!
The ground quaked.
A monstrous foot slammed into the earth, shaking the entire forest. A massive beast emerged from the gate—muscles rippling, skin like boulders, eyes burning with rage.
A troll.
With one swing of its club, it sent knights flying like broken dolls.
“It’s a troll! Get the explosives, now!” someone yelled.
Cassius’s eyes sharpened, and his entire body tensed. That wasn’t just one troll. No—five of them stepped through the gate.
It wasn’t a random attack. These were the gate’s strategy—brutes meant to buy time for more monsters to cross.
“Grahhhh!”
Every time the trolls moved, trees snapped and shields shattered.
Giverny’s heart sank. Arrows bounced off their thick skins like pebbles. The soldiers’ morale dropped.
We can’t let this break us.
Cassius moved like lightning.
His greatsword flashed, cutting through the air.
One troll’s neck was split cleanly by a shining arc of swordlight.
The beast staggered, then collapsed, its massive frame crashing down like a fallen tower.
“WAAAHHHHH!”
Cheers erupted from the soldiers.
He had killed just one—but it was enough.
Enough to prove they could win.
“All monsters can be killed!” Cassius roared. “Trolls have weak heads! Aim for the skull!”
The knights came together. With renewed courage, they charged.
Cassius gripped his sword tightly. A small ornament on the hilt shimmered faintly.
<“I can’t be with you, but this is something for you. Cassius, come back safe. I’ll be waiting.”>
Charlotte had given it to him. A simple token of love.
He clenched his teeth and raised his sword again.
He would return. No matter what.
Back to Charlotte.
Back to Theo.
Back to his home.
***
The war had begun.
And Janice could feel it through every bone in her body.
Her hands moved quickly, gathering branches from the sacred tree. Her breath caught in her throat. There was no time.
Her plan was simple. She would finish preparing the sacred tree. Then, she would bring Lorencia.
She would make Lorencia the face of the salvation—the holy woman who closed the gate.
All of it was going exactly as planned.
She was surrounded by twisted, motionless monster corpses that had been drained of life by her spells.
These weren’t part of the battlefield. They were sacrificial—beasts who had slipped through.
Janice wiped the sweat from her brow.
There are more monsters than I expected.
She trembled slightly. Her clothes clung to her skin from the cold sweat soaking her.
She had fought in wars before. She’d seen battle. But never like this.
Never this many.
She had thought it would be manageable.
She had been wrong.
She needed to close the gate. Now.
Before something worse crossed over.
She slipped through the trees, avoiding the monsters, hiding the sacred wood in a hidden pouch. She moved swiftly, killing when necessary, always silent.
Eventually, she arrived near the human camp. There were knights who protected the civilians. There were new faces among them—reinforcements.
She pulled up her hood and blended in with the crowd. Whispers of fear and confusion buzzed through the streets.
No one stopped her.
The path to the inner fortress was open. All soldiers had moved to the front.
The scent of smoke, blood, and ash filled the air. Flames crackled in the distance. Trees burned. Ash floated like snow.
Hell had arrived.
And she had summoned it.
She turned once to look at the burning forest, then made her way to Lorencia’s room.
The guard at the door barely had time to react before Janice put him down.
She pushed open the door.
“Janice!” Lorencia jumped to her feet.
“Where have you been?! Do you know what people are saying? They say you’re the one who—”
“Does that matter right now?”
Janice’s voice was dry and hoarse.
“We’re leaving. Now.”
“Leaving? Are you insane?! There are monsters everywhere! Where are we supposed to—”
“You’re going to close the gate, Lorencia.”
Lorencia froze.
“What… what the hell are you talking about?! I can’t do that!”
“You don’t have to. You just have to look like you’re doing it. I’ll close it. You’re just the symbol.”
Janice grabbed her shoulders. There was no time for argument.
“You’re going to be the hero. The savior of the North. Even Istheria won’t be able to look down on you.”
Lorencia’s voice cracked. “What about Charlotte?”
“That woman?” Janice sneered. “I’ll kill her. Don’t worry. In a war like this, one person’s death is meaningless.”
Lorencia hesitated.
Then she nodded—barely.
They stepped out into the hall.
That’s when they saw him.
“…Theo?”
Lorencia’s voice trembled.
Theo stood frozen. His small face was pale as snow.
He had heard everything.
His lips quivered. “Y-You’re going to… hurt her? Hurt Charlotte…?”
Janice clicked her tongue.
Theo turned to run.
He didn’t get far.
Janice caught him by the collar and pulled him back.
“Wait!” Lorencia shouted.
“What.”
“Maybe… maybe we should bring him. He’s a duke’s heir. He might be useful.”
Janice raised an eyebrow.
Lorencia was no saint. She didn’t care much for children.
But even she didn’t expect to see a child killed right in front of her.
“We could say we rescued him. It might help our story…”
Footsteps echoed in the distance.
Janice cursed under her breath.
She wrapped Theo tightly in a cloak she had taken from Lorencia’s room.
“Let’s go.”
Lorencia nodded, nervously glancing at the boy.
Theo’s muffled sobs barely escaped through the fabric.
He didn’t understand everything.
But he knew one thing for certain:
He was no longer safe.
