After walking a bit further, the stranger indicated an area surrounded by trees, about two meters below the forest level. They decided it would be the campsite and began signaling the rest of the group by blowing their whistles. It took the remaining members of the group about ten minutes to locate the sound and reach the campsite.

Flarka sat on a log, pondering the mysterious events that had occurred in the past half hour, trying to grasp the underlying reason behind it all. As the group arrived at the new campsite and the injured were dismounted from their horses, as the camp was being set up, he showed no reaction to any sound or development around him. He did not turn his head or move from his spot. No one could guess what he was thinking or what was going on in his mind at that moment.

No bonfire was lit that day, and no meat was cooked to avoid spreading strong odors. Fear gripped the entire group. It was as if fear had commanded them not to speak, and anyone who dared to mumble or make a sound would be punished immediately. The fear seemed to stand guard over the group, ready to suppress any disruption. The silence and tension in the camp increased, and only one person dared to break the silence and speak up.

"I apologize, we didn't introduce ourselves or ask who you are. My name is Flarka. Sitting next to me is my sister Flavia. Kierra, Rhadam, and Marek are leading the group and accompanying me. What is your name?"
"I must say, I have never seen a self-proclaimed king before. What they say about you seems true," the stranger chuckled and continued speaking.

"My name is Sakha. As I mentioned, something is happening, and if we don't take precautions as soon as possible, it will be too late for everything. That creature didn't accidentally end up here. You need to enhance security at the southern borders and be prepared for a large-scale war."

"If we don't take precautions? Who do you think you are, giving advice to the king? So, if we don't take precautions, huh? Who told you that you are important enough to make decisions on behalf of this country? And what's with all this mysterious talk? What are we supposed to take precautions against?"

"If you ask one question at a time, it will be easier for me to answer, my young friend," Sakha replied calmly. Then he continued speaking. "I believe the dragons are stirring. That's why I suspected it and came here to observe and warn you. But I'm afraid even if we take action now, it might already be too late."

Mentioning dragons shocked everyone present. Flarka didn't believe this statement. He stood up and looked fiercely at Sakha as he began to speak.

"I think I introduced myself wrong at first. You saved my life, and you received your reward for it. Your posture and swordsmanship indicate that you are not a wandering traveler. That's why I brought you with me. But I don't care where you came from or who you are. I am the king of this country, and I deal with matters concerning this country. So, you have been following me for days, and now, in the midst of an attack by a creature that should be on the other side of the country, you mysteriously appear and ask me to arm the whole country against dragon attacks, is that right? Tell me one sentence that should save your life right now."

"I spent the last ten years studying the movements of these creatures. I traveled to all countries one by one. I examined everything written about these creatures, all the research, even the fabricated tales told to scare children. They all have one common point. About 1000 years ago, when the dragons broke through the Earth's crust, they made a pact with these creatures. They can live on Earth as they wish as long as they serve the dragons. The dragons are preparing to act again. Normally, shouldn't the ice caps in the ocean have melted by now? Shouldn't spring have arrived in these months?"

"So what? Should I assume that dragons will attack just because spring arrived one month late this year? I've heard enough of this nonsense," he said and turned around to walk away. Sakha tried his luck once again.

"Listen. Beasts rarely cross their own borders. Besides, they don't engage in trade with foreigners. When I first saw this whistle, they told me that wild animals have started roaming the area lately and that they carry it with them for self-protection. When was the last time wild animals ventured this far west? Look at this leopard we saw today. These animals are not acting to terrorize; they are searching for new habitats for themselves. Because a threat is approaching from the south. You've seen how exhausted the leopard is; it must have traveled all the way here without rest. I'm telling the truth. You are under a great threat. We all are."

As he finished speaking, Sakha looked at Flarka, waiting for a response. Flarka continued walking away, and Kierra reached for his sword. However, Sakha kicked the hilt of his sword as he was about to draw it, causing him to fall to the ground. This sudden move surprised everyone, but Sakha swiftly rendered the soldiers in the group helpless. Rhadam, Marek, and Kierra drew their swords and surrounded Sakha. Flarka stood at the entrance of his tent, curious about what would happen, while Flavia held her bow, unable to decide what to do.

The first move was made by Kierra. Then Rhadam and Marek also launched their attacks almost simultaneously. However, Sakha's moves were very fluid, evading all the attacks. After a short while, Sakha was the only one left standing, and she hadn't even drawn her sword yet.

Kierra got up and attacked again. Rhadam and Marek also launched another attack. This time, their strikes were more accurate and started to show results. While fighting Kierra, Sakha managed to block Rhadam's attack near his face but couldn't prevent the kick from Kierra, causing him to fall to the ground. As soon as he hit the ground, he dodged Marek's sword, kicked Rhadam's knees, making him fall, and sprang to his feet before Kierra could make another move. He struck Kierra's shoulder with the tip of her still sheathed sword, causing Kierra to drop his sword and collapse to the ground. Without losing momentum, Sakha attacked Marek, rendering both Rhadam and Marek incapacitated at the same time.

At that moment, Flavia drew her bow, released an arrow, and Sakha caught the arrow in the air, making eye contact with Flavia. Although Sakha's eyes briefly flickered with fire, it quickly subsided, but that momentary change in his eyes was enough to quell the fighting spirit within Flavia. Sensing this, the warrior turned back to Flarka.

Without bothering to respond, Flarka drew his sword and ordered everyone not to interfere as he launched his attack. When their swords clashed, Sakha still held his sword in its sheath.

"I haven't gone mad enough to draw my sword against a country's king yet. If you don't accept my help, let me go. I didn't come here to fight."

Sakha recoiled from the kick's impact but eventually, his patience must have run out because he angrily drew his sword and attacked. Flarka responded with the same speed. They struck their swords against each other so forcefully that the sound of the collision momentarily deafened Flarka. As the fight progressed, both sides accelerated their pace. Soon, their movements became unpredictable, as if they could anticipate each other's actions. Both sides gained speed as the fight progressed. Then they kicked each other simultaneously and were thrown back, but their swords reunited a second later. The clash of their swords echoed through the forest. As the fight continued, the stranger made a sudden move with his sword. Flarka, relying on his strong reflexes, countered the move and immediately delivered a kick to her opponent's neck, but his own attack was blocked this time. The fight grew faster every second, and it became increasingly difficult to track their moves. Sakha's face had taken on a wild expression. It was clear that he derived pleasure from the fight. Flarka made a risky move by lunging forward, aiming to surprise her opponent and force her to retreat. And she succeeded. Taken aback by his opponent's reckless movement, Sakha momentarily withdrew, leaving himself vulnerable. But at the last moment, he threw himself backward and, as he got up, received a powerful kick to his neck. However, it didn't take his long to recover and launch a counterattack. This time, he used his sheathed sword as a secondary weapon, and it was his turn to catch his opponent off guard. Running towards his opponent in a zigzag pattern, Sakha suddenly leaped to the left and struck a powerful blow to Flarka's sword. Although he didn't manage to make his drop the sword, the impact caused his opponent's arm to open, leaving his body unprotected. Sakha delivered a strong blow with his sheath and somersaulted forward, putting some distance between him and his opponent, and assumed a new attack position. As if they had prearranged it, both sides straightened up and sheathed their swords.

Flarka smiled and said, "Let's rest tonight. Tomorrow, when we return to the capital, we'll discuss in detail how to secure the southern borders." He then headed towards his tent without responding to the dissatisfaction from the group. Sakha was left to spend the night by the fire amidst the hateful stares of a camp full of men.