The ballista started firing from the warship, shredding four of Noah’s men immediately, while the knights charged in a trained formation, ensuing chaos between the sailors. 

‘Element of surprise my butt’. Noah charged forward towards Cain immediately, starting off with a faint vertical slash, and switching to a horizontal one.

Two knights jumped in to defend their commander, caught off guard, both of their heads rolled right off. Noah’s speed was lightning fast, his eyes glinting gold, and oozing of rage. He noticed Ian being escorted back to the warship while parrying the strikes of a third knight, and decided to let him go.

As he finished off the knight with a thrust, he glanced at Tammer and found him ducking under a horizontal swing of the mysterious black knight, ‘Tammer is a good swordsman, he can hold his ground,’ he thought to himself.

 Noah looked around for the other men. they were in a perilous state, they were under ballista fire, dying too fast, and Valoran swordsmanship was clearly superior to their swordsmanship.

Noah found Cain dislodging his red spear from the corpse of one of his dead crewmates, and this time he made sure to rush him with swifter steps, and more precision, but Cain was ready for him.

As the sword and lance clashed, sparks erupted like fireflies, and each clash lit up their faces, Cain’s smile never wavered, his eyes fixed on him. Noah started feeling desperate as the duel kept going, his men needed him now more than ever. The clock was on his opponent’s side.

A cry from Adam stopped Noah’s sword at a crucial parry, which Cain immediately took advantage of to knock the sword out of his hand. Tammer’s sword arm was cut from the shoulder and laid on the ground, and to Noah’s horror, the black knight’s armor was not even scratched. His black halberd was drenched red, the impact of his strikes had the ship dented from every impact. Adam was crying, yet he stood between the black knight and Tammer’s knocked down body protectively.

Noah kicked away Cain’s spear that was aiming at his neck, rushing over to intercept the black knight with fierce momentum. He kicked him hard on the chest, grabbed his halberd with one hand while punching his shoulder with the second one.

Noah’s leg throbbed from the power of the kick and his knuckle was bleeding from how hard the shoulder guard was. Meanwhile, his opponent didn’t budge, his gaze was empty of emotion. “I wish no harm on you or your child young lord.” He spoke with monotone, sounding almost unhuman. He grabbed Noah from his wrist and slammed him to the floor, knocking the air out of him, and immediately subduing him.

Cain’s voice rang aloud as the one sided battle came to an end, with a resounding ballista shot that signaled the death of his last crewmates. “To think even a Bloodwyne would be this easily subdued by Euron the Dread, you really live up to your reputation, you monster.”

Noah glanced over him to look at Tammer, he found him releasing a life boat at the edge of the deck with Adam in it, Tammer was in pain and clearly struggling with only one arm, blood pooling at his feet. So Noah needed to keep the attention on himself, allowing Tammer to take Adam to the shore. ‘I’m sure he’s going to be safe in Aram, that town has peaceful people.’

Cain followed Noah’s gaze, his smile widening even further. This time his javelin throw wouldn’t miss, and given Tammer’s condition, his man wouldn’t be able to react. Noah’s throat felt dry, his mind went into panic. ‘This shouldn’t be happening!’

As Cain was about to lunch his spear, a club struck him from behind, planting his face in the deck of the ship. The attacker looked to be a woman, her face hidden by a veil, concealing her identity. But Noah recognized his wife, she looked the same as when they first met, fierce but graceful, and for the first time in this battle, he felt a kind of relief knowing she’s safe.

Tammer fell into the boat with Adam, as the last rope was cut off, dropping him with Adam to the sea below. “Row Adam.” His voice echoing with a tremble from below the ship. 

Now Noah only needed to get his wife to follow them. He kicked off the ground and delivered a kick to the Black Dread’s face visor, his wife following up with a club strike to the back of his head. Euron was barely shaken, but his grip loosened, that gave Noah enough time to grab his wife by her hand and slip away from their aggressors.

As they reached the edge of the deck, a spear came whistling, imbedding itself in Lilly’s back. She fell to her knees, blood coming out of her covered mouth. Noah felt horrified, dread completely taking over. He fell to his knees putting his wife in a tight hug.

His wife’s voice came out weak, blood gushing from her mouth as she spoke. “Go Noah…. Adam needs you, please…. just move… please Noah, take care of our boy.”

 Despite her dire condition, she was urging him to leave her. Noah’s head felt light, a nauseating whirl of grief and helplessness taking over his senses, his wife’s body was getting colder by every passing moment, her warmth slipping away. Pain clawed at him as he struggled with the unbearable truth. ‘I can’t save her.’ Tears blurred his vision, as the future he envisioned with her was blurring through his eyes. The memories cut his breath like a chokehold, the shared laughter, the quite moments by the lake. Her once vibrant green eyes, now dimming as they struggled to meet his gaze.

Then he looked at himself. His leather armor was smeared with blood, and with a metallic stench of death. a crushing despair seeped through him, as his heart’s pulse kept accelerating.

Around him, the bodies of his men lay scattered like fallen leaves, he realized as he looked around for help. Their lifeless bodies, a haunting testament to their loyalty and courage. Their Blood soaked the ground, echoing their silent screams.

He tasted iron in his dry throat. His voice cracked as he whispered his wife's name desperatly. “Stay with me… please,” he begged, clutching her closer, as if an embrace could defy death’s grasp. Her hand, colder than he could bear and weaker than he’s used to, brushed his cheek in a final act of comfort, a silent farewell. He felt right then and there that the weight of her loss would leave an ache that would never heal.

Cain’s shadow crept closer, like the tide swallowing the shore. Another spear was in his hand, glinting under the moonlight. Noah shivered from the scene, he didn’t want to believe his wife was beyond saving. Her breath was slowing down, as her body felt colder by the moment.

Cain tore Noah away from his wife, gripping his hair and hurling him to the side, his spear pierced Noah’s thigh, pinning him to the ground. “Stay down. Final warning, I’ve had enough of your games.” He grabbed Lilly by the shoulder and took a knife out of his belt. “Now watch.” He slid the knife under her head, then cut her throat, cutting with it her last breath short, the light in her eyes completely flickering out.

Noah’s cry shattered the stillness, raw and broken, echoing across the indifferent skies. Tears traced paths down his blood-streaked face, falling onto her pale and lifeless face. Despair swallowed whatever will he had left to fight. He couldn’t even conger rage, his emotions an unidentifiable mess. He cried until his voice gave out, as knights closed around him in an encirclement, as if the world itself was closing in against him.

End of Prologue