Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Preparing

Aiden thought for a moment.

“Enough to work efficiently, but not so many that it slows movement. Take guards with you too.”

Graveknit stepped forward.

“I will organize them.”

Aiden nodded.

“Do that.”

—-

Back in Virel City, the atmosphere had completely changed.

The city that once carried a steady rhythm of life now felt heavy, like it was holding its breath.

At the highest point of the inner district, Caelus stood alone on a wide stone balcony, overlooking everything beneath him. From here, he could see the main streets, the outer walls, even the distant gates where people once came and went freely.

Now, everything felt… restrained.

Quiet, but not peaceful.

Below him, the streets were filled with people, but there was no energy in their movements. Citizens gathered in small groups, whispering, arguing, some even shouting in frustration. Guards were stationed everywhere, far more than usual, their presence firm and unyielding.

The lockdown had changed everything.

No one was allowed to leave.

And everyone knew why.

Caelus narrowed his eyes slightly, watching as a small commotion broke out near one of the inner checkpoints.

“We can’t stay here!” a man shouted, his voice desperate. “Half the forces are gone! What happens when those things come here?”

A guard stepped forward, blocking his path.

“No one leaves the city,” the guard said firmly. “Those are orders.”

“Orders?” another voice cut in, sharp and angry. “Orders won’t save us if those monsters show up!”

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

Fear.

Doubt.

It was growing.

Caelus exhaled slowly.

“…It’s already starting.”

Behind him, footsteps approached.

The footsteps were uneven.

Heavy.

Dragging.

Caelus didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

Only the faint sound of boots scraping against stone.

Then Rhett stepped into view.

He looked nothing like before.

His armor was still damaged, streaked with dried blood that had long since darkened. His movements were slower, not from injury alone, but from something deeper, something that weighed on every step he took.

His eyes had changed.

The fire in them was still there, but it was different now.

Colder.

Hollow.

Caelus finally turned, his gaze settling on him.

“…Oh.”

He looked him up and down once, taking in the state he was in.

Caelus said. “Rhett… you’re okay now?”

The question hung in the air for a moment.

Rhett stopped a few steps away.

His hand tightened slightly around the weapon he carried, knuckles whitening under the strain.

“…No.”

His voice was quiet, and flat.

“I’m not.”

Silence followed.

The noise from the city below felt distant, like it didn’t belong here.

Rhett lifted his head slowly, his eyes meeting Caelus’.

“And I never will be.”

There was no hesitation in his words.

Caelus frowned slightly, his expression tightening.

“Sorry for your loss,” he said, his tone sharper. “But, we don’t have the luxury to mourned for now.”

Rhett didn’t react to the warning.

His gaze drifted past Caelus, out toward the city, but it was clear he wasn’t really seeing it.

His mind was somewhere else.

Back there.

On that battlefield.

“I’ll get revenge,” Rhett said quietly.

His voice didn’t rise, but something in it changed.

It carried weight now.

A heaviness that pressed into the air around them.

“For Lira.”

The name alone made the silence deeper.

Caelus didn’t interrupt this time.

He just watched.

Rhett’s grip tightened further, his arm trembling slightly before going still again.

“If they come here…” he continued, his voice dropping lower, steadier, like something had settled inside him.

His eyes hardened.

“I’ll make sure they go back to the hell they came from.”

Caelus held his gaze for a moment longer, then let out a slow breath.

He turned back toward the city, resting his arms lightly on the stone railing.

“Then don’t die before that happens.”

Rhett didn’t answer.

But he didn’t look away either

—-

The next day, the air inside the meeting hall felt colder than usual.

Not because of the weather, but because of who was gathered inside.

Aiden stood at the head of a long stone table, one hand resting lightly on its surface. His expression was calm, but his eyes carried that same sharp focus that never seemed to fade. Behind him, faint necromantic energy drifted like mist, barely visible unless you looked closely.

In front of him stood three of his subordinates.

Graveknit was the first to catch the eye. Beside him stood Carrion. On the other side was Durnak.

Aiden broke the silence.

“Durnak, what’s the progress on the armor and weapons for the undead army?”

Durnak stepped forward, its heavy limbs making a dull sound against the stone floor. When it spoke, its voice was rough, like stone grinding against stone.

“It is going well, my lord. Once the supplies arrived from the mine, we used them immediately. So far, fifty undead have already been equipped.”

Aiden gave a small nod. “That’s faster than I expected.”

He paused for a moment, as if weighing something in his mind, then slowly turned his gaze toward Carrion.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop even further.

“If two hundred undead are fully equipped,” Aiden said, his voice calm but firm, “I want you ready.”

Carrion didn’t respond right away. Its hollow eyes stared at Aiden, silent, waiting.

Aiden continued, his tone turning colder.

“We’re going to attack the human city that dared to strike us.”

The words settled heavily in the room.

Graveknit’s bone fragments shifted with a faint rattling sound, as if reacting to the tension. Durnak remained still, but the faint glow in its cracks pulsed slightly brighter.

Carrion finally moved.

It lowered its head just a fraction, a gesture that carried more weight than words.

“It will be done, my lord.” it said, its voice deep and steady.

Aiden’s lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile.

“Good.”

He straightened, his presence pressing down on all of them.

“Then we don’t wait any longer than necessary. Prepare everything. Once we’re ready, we march.”

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