Asher, clad in a black cloak for the first time in a long while, could be seen in a plain snowfield before several corpses wrapped with white bandages.
Alex and Sirius were kept on stacked stones. At one corner, were Nero and his mother. And behind were all the commanders, generals, nobles, and officials.
Baron Flameheart, General Alec, Mage Commander Aquila, Titled Knight Moses, Head Maid Cynthia, and Regent Kelvin were all behind.
They just arrived and watched as Asher took the torch, approached the stone platform, and lit it up.
As the flames blazed, Asher's eyes moistened. 'I could have been stronger.'
A thought lingered in his heart as he watched the black smoke rise up to the clouds. Soldiers went about with torches, setting ablaze the King Swordsmen.
Some officials were afraid this would make some people, especially the family members of his soldiers, lose faith in their lord.
"This is the first time I have seen him in all black." Baron Flameheart said as he gazed at the man standing before the flames.
Alec stood there, his expression stoic as usual, like a man that felt no pain, but the flames of his brother's corpse reflected in his eyes.
Memories of how they trained together, became the sword and shield twins, and eventually began to serve Asher flashed through his eyes.
They dreamed of standing by their lord when he had reached the peak.
Aquila breathed out white mist. She wasn't the only one with several words inside but unable to speak.
Another beauty, though black-haired, was going through the same experience. Eritrea bit her lips hard, feeling rage in her heart.
After watching the flames for a while, Asher turned, and his eyes widened a bit when he saw Kelvin.
Kelvin quickly closed the gap and embraced Asher. He gently patted Asher's back without uttering a word.
Some hours later, after everything was done, Asher stood in his study looking through the window at the full view of Ashkelon.
Sitting in the room with him were Kelvin and Sapphira.
"With his mother." Kelvin replied softly.
"I actually agree with your proposal. You need to go somewhere where you can recover and maybe return with advantages for the county."
Asher glanced at him. "What about you?"
He turned to Sapphira. "I agree. It would be best if you were far away from that desolate beast in the Ash Mountains."
Asher frowned. "What do you mean?"
"According to Nero, the beast wants you."
"Then I will pay it a visit."
Creases formed on her forehead. "You want to fight that beast?"
"No. I want to kill whatever threatens me and my people."
Both Kelvin and Sapphira frowned at the raw killing intent spilling out of Asher.
On one of the snow-capped mountains, a white, furry ape leaned against the rough wall, looking at the forest below like it was lord over all.
Its eyes were filled with authority, but all of a sudden, it noticed a different force, dangerously powerful, heading for it at an unbelievable speed.
Before the giant ape could stand, the talons of a huge peregrine falcon latched onto its shoulders so fast that the ape couldn't follow.
In the next moment, the giant ape was thrown into the air. This gave the ape the chance to see what attached it.
A huge black peregrine falcon with a beak darker than night, a gray tuft above its head giving it a dignified look, and talons curved like actual scythes!
Those talons looked like additional metal was added onto it, but that wasn't the case.
This dignified peregrine falcon, bigger than anything it had ever seen before, had a pair of glowing white eyes brimming with rage.
Almost instantly, the peregrine falcon appeared before the ape, and its claws sank into its flesh, ripping through the thick hide the ape was proud of.
The falcon dealt the final blow with its beak and allowed the corpse of this powerful mythical beast to fall from the sky.
The sky was its domain. Killing the ape in the air was both calculative and decisive!
Snow rose up as the ape crashed into the ground. The peregrine falcon landed soon after, looking down at what remained of the ape.
It spread out its wings, revealing its torso in all its glory. If one looked closely, they would see flickers of lightning on the body of the beast.
Snow rose up, and some trees bent so much that they almost broke due to the wind released from the peregrine falcon's wings as it shot into the sky.
In mere hours, this magnificent bird hovered around Ashkelon's four mountains. Folding its wings, it dived through the cave-like pathway, right through the frontline soldiers.
The wind swept them off the path.
When the falcon emerged in the underground space, it unfurled its wings.
Aquila, Cynthia, Sapphira, and Kelvin stood in the courtyard. Their hair flew backward as the peregrine falcon landed and a crimson light blasted out.
A man garbed in black with a black coat, which has black fur padding, walked out of the dying crimson light, holding onto his sheathed sword, Euodias.
"I have killed the beast. Go harvest whatever you can from its corpse."
Sapphira and the other girls were startled. Firstly, Asher's new form came out of the blue, and Asher didn't seem interested in explaining as it was obvious he was still in pain.
His emotionless expression said it all.
What they didn't know was that his talent allowed him to harness the talent of his predecessors, and this was the first time Asher used it.
Or rather... Duke Atticus Ashbourne revealed another secret, which resulted in this magnificent beast form they all witnessed a while ago.
"Moses. Tell Simon to pack his bags. We leave for the Winter stronghold tomorrow."
"Yes, my lord." Moses bowed.
"My lord, take Cynthia with you." Sapphira offered with a smile. Looking at that smile, Asher felt like something sharp pierced his heart.
At that moment he felt like wrapping his arms around her, but Sapphira would erase the scars and shadows he allowed around him.
He didn't want to be fixed by her sacredness and purity.
"Then prepare. From tomorrow, the domain is in your hands and that of Kelvin Salvatore. Fortify the borders against Count William and his allies."
"We hear and obey your final orders, Your Lordship!"
All of them went on one knee and bowed, with Sapphira taking the lead.
Kelvin looked at the undeniable beauty and his lordship, who couldn't take his eyes off her, and sighed.
They obviously yearned for each other, but pain and responsibilities stood like a mighty wall in between them.