The Moonatorians growled vigorously, a rising chorus of anticipation, tearing at their shields to create a crushing, rhythmic sound. They anticipated the coming showdown, their king, Hedromus, and the two monarchs radiating an outpouring of fighting spirit, a duel of destinies. Their intense pride swelled within Hedromus, his belly jiggling to the rhythmic growls, and clamor of the Moonatorians. And the normal soldiers of Moonatoria, cheered relentlessly, like they were betting on a cockfight, oblivious to the grandeur of the tragedy, unfolding before them.
After a few minutes of duel, the two monarch was exhausted, watching those Moonatorians soldiers shouting mockingly. King's wife, a huntress, his only love, now she's trembling and panting. His memory, fragmenting in a happy dinner, with my wife and my son...what are these all mean...? Is this called, the last recall of life?
Flashback
At the palace, where king Cerceux was at the dinner table with his family. Xerxez thought he would be scolded, but when the eggs he brought as gifts were served, a steaming bowl full of eggs was placed between them. His king and queen parents, who had initially frowned, suddenly brightened.
"Mmmm, these eggs... where did you get them? They're absolutely delicious!" The Queen didn't just fill her plate; she almost emptied the bowl, her eyes wide with pleasure, almost ecstasy. "Especially this green one!" Crack!
"Next time you escape your guards, perhaps, bring more eggs home, my son." The King's tone had a hint of teasing, but the boy just smiled, watching his parents eat their meal.
"My King, don't encourage him!" The Queen's face, however, was transformed by pure joy, her words barely audible due to her mouth full of food. "But Xerxez, my boy... don't try to escape without our permission. It's dangerous out there."
"That only proves my son is brave. He inherited it from me," the King laughed, rubbing his side where the Queen had elbowed him. "But perhaps his gift-bringing and intelligence he inherited from you, my dear Queen."
"Speaking of daring, do you remember your Father's stories, my King?" The Queen said, picking up a red egg the size of a quail's.
"hehee," the boy joyfully listening, he know his grandpa storytelling is very interesting, he can dub a character voice to make it real.
"He always said the forest had eyes watching over the forest when he was young. Different eyes than the birds Xerxez sees now." Crack!
The King nodded, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Indeed. He swore he once saw the shadow of a terrifying giant Corvus birds, though those haven't been seen for generations. He said their feathers were as black as the deepest abyss." He glanced at Xerxez, who was still smiling at the praise for his eggs. "Even for a young prince, a robin's nest is enough adventure."
"Remember, Xerxez, our world is dangerous, even with the palace walls," the Queen added, a slightly serious look returning to her eyes as she finished her red egg. "There are stories... and not all of them are just stories for children."
The boy realize the reason why he didn't know that grandpa story about that giant bird in the forest. Nevertheless, birds are not actually scary on his side. He said on his mind. Hehe, If they hide their nest, I will find it.
"Or next time you hunt, bring Matheros with you." The king said, drying his lips using the white handkerchief. The boy just nodded and smiled.
END OF FLASHBACK
I wish, whoever god listening above and seen us, please have mercy to my son, let him survive, let him escape!
Yet, the grizzly bear still stood infront of them. A predatory smile etched on his fur-feathered cheek.
GRAWWRRRR!!!
The monstrous Hedromus, towering in his ursine terror, descended upon the monarchs of Thallerion. His claws tore the air with brutal force, each strike a storm of destruction. King Thallerion, though battered and bleeding, stood like a tower of defiance. His blade, once shining in glory, now bore cracks and scars, yet still it rose to parry the beast's savage lunges. Each clash rang like thunder, sparks flying, the very stones beneath them trembling.
Behind him, the Queen fought with unyielding grace. Her bow bent and sang, arrows flying in relentless succession. Each shaft whispered vengeance as it cut the air, striking Hedromus's thick hide. Wounds opened across the beast's flesh, dark blood steaming against the cold air of battle. Yet still he advanced.
Then, the battlefield changed. A roar split the heavens as fire erupted around Hedromus. It did not consume him—no, it crowned him. Flames wrapped his form in an infernal mantle, his claws glowing like molten iron fresh from the forge. Every touch scorched, every swipe left trails of ash and ruin.
He rose to his full height, his monstrous voice filling the night."This time, I veil not my words in the tongue of old. Nay, hear me plain, monarchs of Thallerion, and know the true meaning of pain!"
His hulking frame twisted, shrinking, reshaping. In moments he stood before them in human form—though even then, he was monstrous. His movements were heavy, deliberate, radiating cruel strength.
The Queen's eyes, cold and defiant, fixed upon him. "Wicked, infested soul… it is only the Constellar's power that spares you. Strip it away, and my arrows would already rest in your cursed flesh."
Hedromus's laughter erupted, cruel and derisive. His mind seethed with scorn. Look at them—two worms wriggling in the dust, clinging to courage they do not possess. Do they truly believe they can stand against me?
"Forsaken souls! Even together, your blows are nothing more than ticklish scratches upon my hide!"
He flung his arms wide, fire dancing across his skin."I am Hedromus, King of Moonatoria—the Ursa of flame! Touch me, and you will burn! Three and forty kings have fallen beneath my ember-forged claws, six and thirty queens, and a hundred and three and thirty princes and princesses. All devoured! All erased! And yet you dare stand against me? Hahaha!"
King Thallerion's chest heaved, his strength waning, yet his eyes held fast. His sword, battered and dull, was less a weapon now than a cane to hold him upright."We know you, Hedromus," he growled, voice raw with exhaustion. "We know you are nothing but a merciless conqueror."
Hedromus sneered, his tone dripping venom."If my speech offends thee, then come—come hither! I shall rend thee asunder with mine own claws. This am I, my tongue of old and my strength alike, unbroken!"
His gaze cut to the Queen, fire burning in his eyes."And thou—how dare you call me an infested soul? Do you not know who I am? I am the conqueror never once defeated! And still, you mock me?"
The Queen's lips curled, laughter sharp and bitter as broken steel."What then? Do you call yourself a god? Look at you. You are nothing but a bloated tyrant, wallowing in evil."
Hedromus's laughter turned to rage, his voice cracking the night."Enough! Call me not evil!"
Sweat slid down the Queen's cheek, yet she stood unbowed. Her beauty glimmered even in ruin, her presence as fierce as flame. The air carried her scent, sweet and enduring, like perfume steeped a thousand years. Hedromus's great nose flared, savoring it, and beneath the sweetness, he caught it—fear. Sharp, pungent, bitter as trampled hooves.
Ah… the boy. Yes. I wonder… where is he hiding now?
He leaned forward, words low and cruel."Thy little chick… the child of Thallerion. He is of an age with my son, Harthur. Let him learn that this is the final hour—the hour of farewell, steeped in torment."
He planted his colossal legs firm as a sentinel, fire wreathing his body, the earth quaking beneath his stance.
The Queen's voice broke with fury."Lay not a finger upon my son!"
"Any last words?" Hedromus growled. His body twisted once more, sinew and bone snapping as fur surged back across his frame. In an instant, he stood again as the monstrous bear, his roar splitting the heavens. The sound reverberated through stone and marrow alike, a growl that shattered courage.
The monarchs froze, their eyes wide upon the beast. Defeat weighed upon them, yet still they did not kneel.
May our son have crossed the border by now… King Thallerion prayed, his heart a silent cry.
All around them, the shadows deepened. From the gloom emerged the Moonatorian beasts, snarls echoing, their eyes aglow with hunger.
Hedromus's burning gaze fixed on the King."Hmm… those eyes, monarch. What fury and gloom. Is that still the face of a king? No. That is the face of helplessness—pure and wretched."
He lifted his ember-clawed hand, fire dripping like molten blood."You stare upon your inevitable defeat. Nothing more."
Grawwwr!!!!
"Arrggg—we will not let you—aghhh!" the Queen cried, but her defiance was cut short as Hedromus's colossal paw struck her. The bear's punch sent her staggering, ribs cracking under the sheer force.
This is my end…she thought, despair piercing her heart. We cannot defeat him… he is too strong, too powerful…
The legendary sword of Thallerion's king—once a symbol of defiance unbending—melted like frost upon stone beneath the infernal touch of Hedromus's claws. The Queen's arrows, once swift and true, disintegrated into dust before they could pierce his burning hide.
Then the monstrous bear rose higher, its legs lengthening, his bulk standing upright like a man, towering to nearly two meters. His vast shadow spilled over the monarchs, drowning them in his looming presence. Their weary bodies crumpled to the ground, their valor spent, their strength broken. Hedromus, wrapped in fire and fury, stood over them—a colossal shadow of flame and death.
"He is… a Fire-Ursa beast," the King of Thallerion gasped, eyes dimming as he beheld the infernal cloak wreathing the grizzly. Summoning the dregs of his strength, he lashed out with a final, bitter punch. But his body was broken, his limbs heavy with exhaustion. The molten grip of Hedromus's claws seized him, burning into his flesh. He writhed, teeth clenched, but could no longer fight.
The Queen, desperate to shield her husband, drew her bow like a dagger, slashing at the beast's feathered hide. Yet the wood snapped like a brittle twig upon steel. Her weapon was nothing before Hedromus's monstrous frame.
"I warned you—surrender!" Hedromus roared, fangs bared, voice like rolling thunder. "And yet here you are—broken, crawling, waiting for the end! What a pitiful sight. One grip of these molten claws, and your wriggling souls will be torn apart!"
With a terrifying roar that echoed across the battlefield, Hedromus lunged. His massive hands seized the monarchs' throats, his claws searing deep, choking them in brutal, merciless force. They struggled like birds ensnared, thrashing helplessly, until the beast's incandescent claws pierced through flesh.
Blood gushed in torrents, crimson rivers staining their crowns, drenching their bodies. The battlefield drank their life. And then—silence.
Hedromus released them, his breath steadying as his grip loosened.
"Haaah… they are dead."
Their bodies stiffened, flesh paling into the chill of death, time freezing them into relics of defeat. Hedromus whispered in triumph, his voice heavy with dark pride:
"Aye—reckon them well. The Forty-Fourth king and the Thirty-Seventh queen… both are now dust beneath my claws."
He raised his fiery arms and bellowed: "Hear me, Moonatoria! I, King Hedromus, proclaim my conquest! Forty-four kings have fallen! Thirty-seven queens have perished by my hand!"
The Moonatorian horde erupted. Warriors growled fiendishly, their cries a chorus of steel and fang. Swords clashed upon shields, the air filled with the cacophony of their savage triumph.