Haider’s Sun Eagle soared through the air as the Knight stood atop it. The cold, cloudy wind never penetrated his armor, so he remained comfortably warm.
The knight himself stared down at the terrain, admiring the beauty of the region.
Carinthia was one of the kingdom’s largest cities, despite being located in what many would call the countryside.
The reason was simple. The land was rich with resources, and more importantly, one of the most powerful Dukes in the kingdom had made his ho there.
Anyone who knew Charles Venton from his army days also knew his famous nickna. The Lion of the South. He had once been a ruthless commander, feared by every opponent he faced, even fellow nobles.
At a point in his life, Haider admired him. Now?
The lion had grown weak. And here Haider was, cleaning up the man’s ss.
Haider shook his head and spoke to the beast through their ntal link.
’Wait here, Ernie.’
’Okay.’
Ernie could only speak in short, simple words. It did not make for much of a conversation, but Haider found him a far better companion than most humans.
They drifted over the forest. From where he flew, it looked like a shattered mosaic of cracked ground and splintered trees.
He could see the vague figure of the Sky Tyrant, still thrashing in its restraints. Small, ant-like figures moved about below, scrambling to make sure the other Esoteric Beasts did not escape in the chaos.
Farther past them, gleaming figures closed in on the Tyrant. Gold Knights. Duke Venton’s n. They were sent to deal with a disaster that could have been prevente.
A small spark of competition lit in Haider’s eyes. He leapt off the eagle.
SWISH.
His armored body plumted, weight dragging him down fast. He whispered a short Hymn under his breath, and a brilliant golden glow surrounding him like a protective shell.
It was a Hymn of Minor Protection, a buffer for the impact of his fall.
At the sa ti, he called upon his Gift.
Not every Knight bore a Gift. All legal Knights drew their strength from Sol. The god granted them slivers of His power, re fragnts of an ocean. To ordinary humans, even those fragnts were overwhelming.
For Haider, that power strengthened his body and allowed him to wield Hymns with greater force. Priests, by contrast, relied solely on Hymns. Every miracle they perford was an act of worship to Sol.
Gifts, however, were rarer. They were unique blessings given by Sol Himself, revealed only to those specially chosen.
Most Knights in the Empire had no Gift. Fighting them often felt repetitive a f predictable. It was why Haider craved hunting mages instead.
Every mage was different. Different spells, talismans, summons. They were endlessly creative.
Dangerous, yes, but fun. Which made it even sweeter when he dragged them in chains and watched as they were set afla at his blade.
His red eyes glead.
’How blasphemous of ,’ he thought grimly. ’To admire mages, even in their destruction. I must repent.’
CRACK.
The Gift’s awakening burst through him like a hundred locks unsealing at once. A divine na of Sol, hidden behind those gates, flared awake within him.
He considered Morning Glow, but he was not here to kill. He was here to restrain. This was why he turned to his Gift.
And for this task, it was perfectly suited.
BOOM.
He landed before the Sky Tyrant with explosive force. The already unstable ground trembled, but he had chosen the one solid spot in the clearing. The Hymn he chanted from before fortified his body.
The impact startled everyone present, including the massive bird, which froze as it sensed his aura. Perhaps at its peak, his arrival would have been laughable. But it was not at its peak.
Haider’s voice rang out, deep and commanding.
"Solar Verdict: Judgent Chains."
RUMBLE... RUMBLE...
Light burst from his body like the sun itself, forming massive chains that shot forward and wrapped the Sky Tyrant.
CLINK!
The radiant bindings rattled as the beast strained against both the old iron restraints and these new ones of light.
It’s resistance was futile.
SHRIEEEK!
The Sky Tyrant’s cry split the air, outraged at being denied freedom after clawing so close to it.
"You’re not going anywhere, beast. Calm yourself."
Of course, it did not. The Tyrant embodied its na, it was the sovereign of the sky and the mountains, a ruler unchallenged in its domain. Submission was a foreign concept to it.
But slowly, the fight grew draining. Its golden eyes glared at Haider. Then, with a final heave, it stilled.
It closed its eyes.
’How strange...’ Haider thought. It had all happened in a blink, as though nothing at all had happened.
A Gold Knight stopped behind him, offering a handshake. Haider accepted, though inwardly he sneered.
What sha, that a man blessed by Sol would serve another man instead of his god.
The knight seed to sense the disdain but said nothing.
"Thank you for handling this. The Venton family is in your debt."
"A simple matter," Haider replied curtly.
"New chains are being delivered. We still do not know how it awakened, but..." The knight hesitated. "We found multiple bodies."
"Bodies?"
The man nodded. "Three were guards –Bronze Knights assigned to the nagerie. They were killed by so kind of corruption. The fourth was also a guard, but he was the corrupted one. The plague took him."
Haider narrowed his eyes. "And how did that one die?"
"He was stabbed. Right through the neck."
Haider stepped back and scanned the clearing again. The bodies did not match the injuries of a wild beast. They had marks of corruption, dark sars around wounds and signs of festering that spread beyond normal decay. Their skins had already gone cold and obtained a strange tint.
As for the energy itself, it was the exact sa one they had discovered in the forest a few days ago, where the body was completely unrecognizable.
’The killer; Burning Man, har apparently stopped the summoning, but it looks like he failed.’
"Secure the site," Haider said. "Keep the chains intact. Do not touch the bodies. Send for dics and a report to the Church. If there is a cause, we need it contained."
"Understood," the Gold Knight replied. He barked orders and n moved to obey.
The Knights closed off the periter and a small team began to carry out the injured. Others prepared new chains and instrunts for analysis.
This was far stranger than he had expected.
’Ernie!’
He called and in a split second the Sun Eagle swooped down to grab him.
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