General Kitchiner, of the Red army, was celebrating 55 years of age. He was past his prime. His fighting and hunting days were behind him. Now he only rode for leisure. He left Terrouge as a young army recruit 35 years ago, traveling from land to land and across battlefields, fighting and killing in the name of his king. He first set foot on Khentii 20 years ago. He was a senior lieutenant at that time, sent to Khentii to hose down a small uprising before it metastasized. He was handpicked by the king for this mission. He was still young back then. Decisive and excessively unforgiving. He saw black and white, ones and zeros, and acted on it without forethought. That attitude was what got him to where he was at that time, and he had no intention on changing it. He crushed the rebellion instantly. Mercilessly executing the leaders in the central square, earning himself the title "The lizard hunter" in the Red king's court, and being anointed governor of the region. Si
The air above Darkhen is getting heavy. Hearts are fearful and lungs are suffocating. The city feels like a cooking pot and fire is brewing under it. The night is shaping up and a full moon is nigh. Something is going on below the surface. Idir is walking back home. His encounter with Manong and Freda lingering in his mind. He did not believe in the existence of such people. Such incredibly powerful people with supernatural prowess. He is a soldier of the common folk. He was taught to reject such ideas and trust in tangible gunpowder. But now he saw, and what he saw changed him. He enters his house and finds his grandmother sitting at the table, praying. He sits facing her and they exchange looks. She can read his eyes and see faith. "You saw something" she says, and smiles with a tired face. He does not reply. He was not listening as his heart is elsewhere. He can not shake it off. This feeling that something big is cooking. A permanent change in the power dynamics of his