The sounds of war, with thundering noises shaking the earth, spread across the entire kingdom. The army of the Dravion Kingdom clashed like storms as they advanced toward the besieged walls. Both sides suffered heavy losses, with hundreds of men fighting each other at every moment. The kingdom's finest soldiers were being crushed under the enemy's boots. Steel-armored warriors' shields cracked; arrows filled the air, and spears were hurled through the darkness. Blood and dirt made the grim atmosphere of the war even heavier.
Ari was at the front lines of the battle. Behind his warriors, he watched the fight unfold as a leader, giving them courage. The victories they had achieved so far were just another step for him. As sweet as the peace brought by a victory was, every life lost was just as bitter. Ari deeply felt the weight of leadership. Every loss tightened his heart a little more, but the war continued. His kingdom's survival was at stake.
The king was issuing commands to the leaders of his army, both on the walls and deep within the camp. The course of the war had felt like a heavy burden since the beginning. But just as Ari began to believe all was lost, the momentum of the battle suddenly shifted.
The horns began to sound. A long and terrifying noise rose toward the sky. This was not just a signal, but a harbinger of an even greater threat. They realized that the enemy army had a unit of unprecedented size. A new army appeared before the Dravion Kingdom, like dark clouds. All eyes were on this new force.
This new army would change the course of the battle entirely. The soldiers of the Dravion Kingdom were facing a strength they had never expected. The sound of the horns marked a second blow against Dravion. The initial goal of the war had actually been to wear down Ari and his kingdom's strength. It had all been a game. Now, this war was nothing more than a strategy to buy time.
When Ari saw this new threat, fear flashed in his eyes. But there was nothing left to lose. Just when he thought he had won, the appearance of this massive army had turned all his plans upside down. Defending his kingdom had become a matter of life and death.
The sound of the horns blew once more, this time closer and stronger. Many warriors, witnessing this extraordinary power, were struck with fear. The enemy had brought together all their forces to create a unit that was beyond anything they could have imagined. As the battle progressed, Ari was forced to pause and reorganize his forces. Even though he had been on the brink of victory, the enemy's move once again showed how fragile everything really was.
Amidst all the chaos, Lari's state of mind began to reflect on the battle. This was an incredibly difficult test, and Lari had started to feel the war in a completely different way. He was no longer just a leader; he had to be a hero. With his magical powers, he took his place on the battlefield as someone who could change the outcome of the war.
While the battle raged on in one direction, in another, a new threat was unleashing its darkest power. Ari and Lari were facing a force they had never anticipated. This would remain both a war for the kingdom and a personal battle, etched deep into history.
Taking one more step forward, a determined glint appeared in Ari's eyes. Defending his kingdom, at any cost, was his duty. But it was clear this war would demand much more from him than he had ever imagined.
Ari's gaze was fixed on Lari. The fate of the entire battle now depended on him. The sheer size of the enemy army had gradually erased the hope within Ari. The kingdom's survival now relied on Lari's power and the curse he carried.
Ari's voice trembled with resolve: "Lari, summon the curse. Destroy this army. We have no other choice. The kingdom is about to fall, only your power can stop this catastrophe."
Lari saw deep concern and hope in Ari's eyes. Thousands of thoughts raced through his mind, but he had no clear idea how to fully harness the power of his curse. Desperately shaking his head, he said, "I don't know how... I don't know how to control this power, this curse, Ari..." His voice was shaky and uncertain.
As Ari's heart tightened, something suddenly changed in the terrifying, grim atmosphere. The tension in the air suddenly intensified. It felt as though the end was near. And just at that moment, something unexpected happened.
A darkness appeared in the sky. As everyone turned to look, the enemy army also stopped in stunned silence for a moment. Everyone who sensed the sudden shift in the atmosphere realized that a new threat had emerged. From that eerie void, Thanar's dark silhouette emerged.
Thanar's voice echoed once again, this time deep and threatening: "Ari... I can help Lari. I can guide his power and make him destroy the enemy army. But remember, every help comes at a cost. The cost for you and him is..."
Ari's eyes widened. At this moment, when Lari couldn't even dare to call upon his curse, Thanar's sudden appearance made everything a step more dangerous. Ari managed to swallow the words before speaking: "Help... But I won't accept you again, Thanar. This must be a one-time deal."
Thanar, instead of smiling, simply tilted his head. He then looked directly at Lari. "You can only use this power by invoking your curse. But remember, everything has a price. Keep that in mind."
Lari stepped forward, unsure of what to do. "I have to do this... I have no choice, do I?" he said, his voice filled with fear and uncertainty. But within him, a sense of power was beginning to awaken. A dark aura began to slowly spread from Lari's body. The curse, the power that belonged to him, was finally starting to awaken. As his eyes filled with deep darkness, he could feel that to summon this terrifying power, he had to give everything.
Suddenly, with an explosion of sound, an energy wave spread around Lari. The soldiers at the front of the enemy lines froze, unable to move for a moment. Then, a massive dark cloud covered the entire battlefield. Thanar stepped back and stood aside. Lari had accepted his help, but since he couldn't fully control what was happening, the effect of the curse only lasted for a short time.
Lari's power began to slowly annihilate the enemy army. As the air darkened, massive bursts of light destroyed the enemies one by one on the battlefield. In an instant, it seemed like the tide of the war had completely changed. The enemy ranks began to break apart rapidly. The kingdom's army could now see victory.
But at that very moment, something unexpected happened. A horn sounded, echoing across the battlefield. Within seconds, a powerful sound and force strong enough to match that enormous army could be heard coming from the walls. Another part of the enemy army, moving at an incredible speed, was advancing toward the castle. Though many of the kingdom's soldiers were affected by Lari's power, the enemy was still pushing forward.
In that moment, Ari's eyes widened in horror. As he turned to look for a response, the enemy army had already breached the castle walls. The battle was being lost. Though Lari's power had briefly destroyed the enemies, the true threat still remained behind. The kingdom had reached the end of this war.
Thanar faded into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness. It didn't take long for Ari to realize everything was coming to an end. Lari, filled with fear and shock, slowly sank to the ground. His eyes were clouded by the weight of the curse.
The sounds from inside mixed with a brief moment of silence. The kingdom had lost the war. The enemy army had completely breached the castle, and many people had been taken prisoner. Ari approached Lari with one last hope, but Lari's dark power had now become nothing but a burden. As the kingdom fell, Ari and Lari were left behind as the last remnants of a vanished people.
After the castle was besieged, Ari and Lari had turned into almost ghost-like figures, consumed by the brutality and dominance of the enemy's army. Their kingdom was destroyed, their people captured. Everything had happened so quickly. All that remained was fear, hopelessness, and pain.
As the enemy soldiers walked around with the pride of victory, they brought Ari and Lari out into the square, binding them before the people. The people watched them with eyes filled with sorrow. The kingdom's last two important figures, the last two hopes, were now weak and imprisoned. As Ari glanced one last time at his people, Lari's eyes held both shock and a sense of acceptance. But both had surrendered.
The merciless soldiers dragged the king and the army commander in front of the people, mocking the fear in their eyes. Then, one by one, they decapitated them. The severed heads rolled like nails, falling before the eyes of the people. This brutality was not just the end of something it was the symbol of a new beginning.
The enemy commander, with calmness, stepped into the crowd and spoke proudly: "From this day forward, you are subjects of the Zarathar Kingdom. Your king Zarathar is now your ruler. These lands, these people, this castle now belong to the Zarathar Kingdom. There will be no resistance. You will be made slaves."
Ari and Lari, with their hands and feet bound, could only look at each other as they heard these words. The sovereignty of the Zarathar Kingdom seemed like the end of everything. Ari, once a free and honorable ruler, was now a prisoner. Likewise, Lari, burdened with the curse he had carried for years, was now reduced to a mere slave.
The enemy soldiers, under orders, began to separate those who could be used for labor. Ari and Lari were among them. As the people of the kingdom faced their final blow, one by one, they were taken away to be sent as slaves to the Zarathar Kingdom. Now, with their arms and legs chained, in pain, they would be handed over to their new masters.
When they were locked in a cell, Ari and Lari were left alone. The silence filled the walls of the cell, and Ari's eyes were filled with despair and loneliness. After a while, Lari turned to Ari with sadness.
"Thanar," Lari said, his voice filled with fear and uncertainty. "How could we have trusted him like that? We thought he was helping us, but…"
Ari took a deep breath. "Maybe it was all just an illusion. Maybe when we trusted him, we had already lost. Has this curse ended? Or are we just part of another beginning?"
As the darkness in the cell deepened, another question formed in Ari's mind: Was Thanar still a legend? Or had the curse truly come to an end?
Ari's question hung in the air, falling into an emptiness where no answer could be found. Suddenly, a sound reached their ears: a whisper of sorrow... But the source of the voice couldn't be located. Only the sound of the storm outside grew louder, darkening the night even more.
And so, one morning, as they set out toward the Zarathar Kingdom, the only thought on Ari and Lari's minds was the fear and uncertainty that trapped them, walking forward without knowing what would happen.
In the midst of pain, slavery, and the unknown, both of them carried only one question within: Had everything truly ended? Or had that dark moment begun, the one where everything might one day return?