The first sign was smoke.
Dark plumes rising above the ridgeline, curling into the sky like fingers clawing for breath.
Then came the sound. Screams. Steel. The unmistakable thunder of mana-born destruction.
"They're already fighting," Caelum said grimly, tightening his gauntlet.
Aelric urged his horse faster.
The trail opened into a valley scattered with crumbling homesteads. Soldiers in tarnished armor clashed with banded militias. Fires spread across wheat fields and barns. It wasn't a battle—it was chaos.
Rebellion had erupted.
---
A group of imperial troops pressed in on a boy no older than twelve, who swung a wooden staff with panicked defiance.
Aelric didn't wait.
> [System Triggered – Combat Instinct Surge]
[Adrenaline Response: Focus Boost – +15% Reaction Time]
He vaulted from the saddle mid-gallop.
The Blade of the Oathsworn sang as it cleared the sheath.
Clang. Slice.
Three soldiers down in seconds.
The boy scrambled back, stunned. "Wh-who are you?"
Aelric stood between him and the empire's blade, cloak fluttering behind him.
"No one," he said. "Yet."
---
Lyria struck from the trees—bolts of mana arcing like lightning. Caelum crashed into the line like a knight of old, scattering the imperial formation.
Within minutes, the imperials were retreating.
But they had left behind devastation.
Aelric looked across the field. Dozens dead. Civilians among them. No flags. No leaders. Just desperation.
"This isn't a rebellion," he said. "It's a slaughter."
---
They found a farmhouse still standing and turned it into a triage point. Lyria worked quickly to stabilize the wounded. Caelum barked orders like a commander reborn.
Aelric moved among the people.
Some stared. Some whispered.
One man, missing an eye, grabbed his hand.
"You've got his look," he rasped. "Kaelen Vaelion. The Lion of the Vale."
Aelric froze.
"How do you know that name?"
"I was a soldier. Under his command. Thought the line died with him."
Aelric gripped his sword.
"Not yet."
---
That night, as fires burned on distant hills, survivors gathered. Farmers, mages, broken knights, healers.
They asked Aelric one question:
> "Will you lead us?"
He stood on the farmhouse steps, wind tugging at his cloak.
"I won't promise you survival," he said. "Or victory. But I will give you a cause. Not one of thrones and crowns—but of freedom."
He raised the Blade of the Oathsworn.
"And I will not stop until the monsters—beast and man alike—are driven from this continent."
---
> [System Notification: Legacy Milestone – First Rally]
You have inspired a group of rebels. Morale Increased.
Leadership Trait Unlocked: Silver Command – Allies fight with +10% efficiency under your banner.
---
Far north, behind the marble walls of the Fifth Empire, an empress turned from the window.
"The heir raises a banner."
Her advisor shivered. "Should we crush it now?"
She smiled.
"No. Let it grow."
> "Then we'll cut it down where the world can see."