The trip back was beautiful, but I didn’t dare land in that god-forsaken forest. I don’t exactly know what happened, but even the spectral bears were moving oddly. It looked as though they were converging toward the Castle of Damnation.

  “It is the oddest thing I have ever seen…” I mulled my thoughts over in my head constantly until I finally made groundfall in the Holy City.

  As usual, the city looked lit in golden lights, the streets all different hues of shining amber. The stones that were used to line the streets were all hand-picked by our court priests and mages to reflect the purity of this beautiful city.

  We are an untouchable gift from the god Murak… or so I thought before now. Whatever that man is, it’s nothing short of a pure monster. I don’t even know if our combined efforts could get rid of him.

  As I slid off my dragon and made my way into the white dome structure that is our headquarters, I couldn’t stop thinking about that meeting… his aura. It was pure evil, it contradicted everything we know as holy. Yet– there’s nothing we can do about it. The sheer magnitude of his power trumps anything that we have.

  “At least, at least he took the forest. That damned hell of a place, as long as he has dominion there he shouldn’t come to use seeking vengeance. Yeah… we just need to stay out of the forest…” I felt like I was losing my mind as I kept whispering to myself.

  “General Rojan!” A soldier barked, standing a salute. The volume of his greeting brought me back to reality.

  “What is it, corporal?” I said, with that red eyed demon still fresh on my mind. “I’m busy, so make it quick.”

  “Sir! Admiral Levante is waiting for you in the debriefing room!” The soldier saluted once more, then walked off down an adjacent hallway.

  Oh, that’s right. I have to report my findings… shit.

  How am I supposed to report THIS?

  I turned the corner, the hallway brightly lit by magic candles. Before I came to headquarters, I always dreaded the way this place looked. The marble floor gave me something to look at, with all of its swirls and designs.

  Now, I don’t even think about it. I hardly ever even look at the floor anymore, unless something like this happens.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Like this… this has never happened.

  “General Rojan! Welcome, welcome! Come on in, take a seat and let me know what happened on your trip!” Admiral Levante said, sitting in his chair. His white hair hung low around his shoulders, despite the common etiquette of the military here to stay clean cut. I guess it’s a bonus to being one of the senior military leaders in the kingdom, he can pretty much do as he pleases.

  “Sir!” I said, offering a salute before taking a seat.

  The table was ornate, as many times as I have seen it, it never stops amazing me at the craftsmanship. Dark wood edges, with a lighter finish in the middle. Gemstones and gold inlay throughout the tabletop made this look like it was a very important room. Which it was, I just never have heard anything worth noting in here. Until now.

  “So what did you find out about the Castle of Damnation and the man who lives there?” The admiral said, staring at me.

  “Well, sir… He accepted the offer of the forest as his domain. That said, I don’t know if our present plans will work the way we want them to.” I said, trying not to make eye contact.

  The admiral, even though he is older and acts freely, is still a very intimidating person. His aura isn’t something I would say is weak either. In fact, he is extremely powerful. That’s how he obtained his position.

  “How so? You don’t think we can send a platoon to take him out when he isn’t expecting it?” The admiral said, removing his hat and sitting it on the table.

  “Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think the combined forces of our entire military can guarantee victory against him.” I blurted the words out, this wasn’t something I had even thought possible. Much less something that I would want to report on.

  “Truly?” The admiral started smiling. “So he’s stronger than I am, general?”

  Ah hell… I can’t lie and I can’t tell the truth either…

  “I believe–” I gulped, even though my throat was dry, “I believe this man might be the Paladin of Damnation. His aura made even our dragons uncomfortable. Not to mention, he practically slaughtered Bartholemus’ dragon.”

  The admiral sat back, pressing his finger to his chin. After some time being lost in thought, he finally spoke. “So we should try being friends with this abomination?”

  Agh…

  “That isn’t my call to make, sir. I will say that he doesn't seem the type to needlessly fight if it isn’t required. That being said, I can’t say for sure.”

  “Understood, that will be all general.” The admiral said, waving me off.

  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. His aura is almost oppressing… I genuinely hope that he makes a good call. If they send me out there to fight him, I am going to die. At least let me get my affairs in order before sentencing me to something like that.

  After the debriefing, I was told to gather the lawmakers and return to the Castle of Damnation to coronate the new king of the domain. For now, it looks like we are playing our cards close to our chest.

  I just don’t think we could pull a hand that can win against him… if anything… he’s the devil.