City Knightfall did not welcome visitors.
It tested them.
The gates were slabs of reinforced steel and stone. They were etched with ward lines that hummed faintly as Elowen passed through. The guards did not shout. They watched. Hands rested on weapons that were used.
No wasted movement. No fear.
Inside, the city showed its order.
Everything cost money.
Stone streets were fitted so tightly that no dust settled. Buildings were tall and close. Lower floors were reinforced. Upper floors were narrow and defensible. Shops were clean and stocked. Guards were present, but only to enforce contracts, not to intimidate.
Nobles walked without escort.
Merchant families traded openly.
Patrols moved in rotation.
At night, a dragon patrolled the sky. Wolves ran the streets below.
Everything was taxed. Everything was accounted for.
Elowen noticed the control.
Knightfall was safe because it was organized. It was controlled by one man.
They moved through inner gates. The air thinned. The wind sharpened. The city fell behind.
At the top stood Fort Knightfall.
A fortress built on the mountain.
It was not decorative. It was practical.
At the summit was an open training platform. The stone was scarred and cracked. The damage was not old. It was from repeated impact.
Daniel stood there.
He had no armor. No banners. No guards.
He wore dark combat clothes. Sleeves rolled up. Boots planted firmly.
In his hands was a sword.
It was dense and dark. Air pressed toward it. Elowen felt it.
Daniel finished a swing. The weapon rested against the stone. The impact made a subtle tremor.
He looked up.
His eyes went straight to her sword.
The great sword on her back.
He studied it.
"Well," he said. "That is not for show."
Elowen nodded.
"It is not for show."
"I can tell," he said. "You don't carry that unless you've used it."
She met his eyes.
"And you do not train alone here unless you are bored."
He smiled.
"Fair. I was hoping for something interesting."
Her escort stopped far behind. This meeting was private.
Elowen explained the portals. The miasma. The retreat. The soldiers' fear. She stated facts. She gave no drama. She asked for nothing.
Daniel listened.
When she finished, he nodded.
"I get it," he said. "Hell does not care about courage. Only pressure."
He glanced at her sword.
"Before we discuss alliances," he said, "I want a spar."
Her knights stiffened.
Elowen paused.
"This is not protocol," she said.
"Name it," Daniel said calmly.
She studied him.
He looked relaxed, but nothing about him was careless. His presence pressed outward.
She felt a challenge.
One step. Interest.
She exhaled.
"One exchange," she said. "No killing."
Daniel smiled.
"Of course."
She unstrapped the great sword.
It touched the stone. The platform cracked slightly under its weight.
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Family blade?" he asked.
"Yes."
She planted her feet.
Closed her eyes.
Placed her hand on the hilt.
"Vameeon," she said.
The runes glowed faintly.
"Hide my command. Grant me your strength."
The sword pulsed. The air tightened.
Elowen moved.
She stepped forward and swung.
It was direct. Powerful. Controlled.
Daniel drew Scarlune.
Steel met steel.
The clash rang across the platform. Shock ran through her arms and into the stone. Daniel slid back slightly, deliberate.
He smiled.
"Good," he said.
They exchanged strikes.
He did not overpower her. He did not yield. He matched her force. Each impact traveled through the platform and her arms. Her sword amplified her strength. His blade redirected force efficiently.
She pressed harder. Faster.
Daniel shifted.
He adjusted his grip. He activated Gravial.
A small fraction.
The world pressed downward.
Elowen felt it. Her knees buckled. Stone cracked under her boots. Her sword screamed. Gravity forced her strike into the stone inches from Daniel's feet.
He stopped the effect immediately.
She dropped to one knee.
Not broken. Not injured. Alive.
Daniel stepped back.
"That is enough," he said.
Elowen looked up.
She understood.
This man was a monster.
Not because of cruelty.
Every ounce of his strength was controlled. Measured. Real.
No wonder the city was safe. No wonder banners stood.
He extended a hand.
She took it.
As he helped her stand, he nodded.
"We will talk alliances seriously," he said.
She met his gaze.
"I expected nothing less."
Wind snapped red banners behind them.
Below, Knightfall slept safely.
Elowen Caelrith realized something.
She had met the man the world already feared.
He did not perform. He did not show off. He commanded respect because he deserved it.
And now she understood why.