The banners of Rhazgord billowed in the twilight breeze as the army reached Sorbaj, the city cradled in the shadow of mighty Mount Rhaz. Dust curled around their boots, the scent of blood and distant fire still clinging to their armor. The weight of war pressed upon them, unseen yet suffocating, a ghost that refused to be cast aside. Sanguinar Sakhaar Tiamat was not in the city. He had recently left the city to prevent another demon attack. All the work he had to do was left to Carvus and his uncle Valerius. So as soon as Corvus entered the city, he headed for the big building in the center of the city. The only thing special about this building was that it was bigger than the other buildings in the city and made of red rock. This building was called the Red Mansion. This was where Sanguinar ruled his country and lived with his family. The sculptors Corvus had brought with him were horrified by the ugliness of the building. How could a king live in such a ugly place?

  The first order of business was to take Sanguinar's share of the spoils of the last war. It was not obligatory to pay tribute to Sanguinar, but it was disrespectful not to. Valerius disliked this sort of thing, so he left it to his nephew and fled. After Corvus had settled the sculptors in their quarters, he went to the throne room. Several Sharazir had already arrived to pay their tribute. They were the leaders of the soldiers who were with Corvus in the city of Rax.

  There were three Sharazirs in the room. One of them was a woman and each of them had more than three thousand soldiers under their command. All three were relatives of Corvus. Each of them shared the surname Tiamat. They came here as soon as they entered the city because they wanted to show their loyalty to Sakhaar.

  The first to come forward was the only woman in the room. Kaelyra Tiamat, cousin of Corvus and daughter of Valerius. She was also the second most powerful woman in the city. Kaelyra, who had to bring with her the share that her father Valerius was supposed to pay, was holding a large, beautifully inlaid axe. She gave it to Corvus.

  “This axe is a gift from me to our Sanguinar. It was made by the best blacksmiths in the City of Rax.” Kaelyra could not take her eyes off her gift. “I also offer a third of my own loot as tribute, as always.” Kaelyra rolled her eyes and continued. This caused Corvus to laugh slightly.

  “And of course I bring the tribute of my father Valerius.”

  Following Kaelyra, the other Sharazirs presented their tribute and left the room. Within a few hours, all but two of the ten Sharazirs who had traveled to the city of Rax had paid their tribute. There were only two who did not pay tribute. One of them was Torin Ogon, who had lost many soldiers in the war with the demons. The Ogon family was one of the leading families in the city of Sorbaj, though not as prominent as the Tiamates. The decades-long rivalry between Torin Ogon and Valerius Tiamat had caused tension between the two families. This was why Valerius had placed Torin and his soldiers in the most dangerous position in the last war. Torin used this as an excuse and refused to pay tribute.

  The other person who refused to pay tribute was Varek Nabuk. Varek Nabuk had no excuse. The only reason he didn't pay tribute was that he had no respect for the Tiamat family. The Nabuk family was one of the three most powerful families in the city and they had been fighting the Tiamat family for the position of Sanguinar for centuries.

  It took Corvus hours to report and approve all the tributes, but he had a lot to do. A lot had happened in his and his father's absence, and he had to find out about it and solve the problems. And of course the Tiamat elders would help him.

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  It took Corvus two weeks to finish all the work and it was time to start his own plans. Neratius had sketched some statues and was waiting for Corvus' opinion. They had never seen the king of Rhazgord before, so they had to rely on their imagination and what they had heard. They had just entered the room to tell Corvus their ideas when Kaelyra entered the room and called Corvus with a wave of her hand. Corvus knew from Kaelyra's look that the situation was serious. Knowing his cousin's anger, Corvus quickly followed her. They left the Red Mansion and headed towards Mount Rhaz.

  Along the way, Kaelyra did not say a word. This was because Kaelyra knew herself so well. Kaelyra didn't know how to keep quiet when she was angry. Whatever it was, she didn't want to talk about it in the Red Mansion. They stopped on a hill where they had often gone as children and could see the whole city.

  Kaelyra grabbed Corvus by the shoulders, her grip tight enough to bruise. Her emerald eyes, ablaze with fury, searched his face for something—anything.

  “You will be Sanguinar, Corvus! Do you not see it? Do you not feel it?” she hissed, her voice trembling with more than just anger.

  “They are waiting for you! Watching you! And yet you spend your time chasing dreams of statues and books while our warriors wonder if you have already lost your fire!”

  Corvus said nothing, his expression unreadable. Kaelyra exhaled sharply, loosening her grip. For a moment, her voice softened, barely above a whisper.

  “I do not say this to hurt you, cousin. I say this because I believe in you. But belief is not enough. You must make them believe too.”

  She was angry because Corvus had spent time with Neratius and his men on his way back from the city of Rax instead of taking care of his soldiers. And now, as soon as they had finished, he had gone back to Neratius instead of going back to his soldiers. Corvus remained silent. "Everyone is talking about you!" her voice softened a little. "Not only did you talk meaningless things to men called sculptors instead of taking care of your soldiers along the way, but you were learning Adler language instead of training!" Corvus' stare did not change in the slightest. Kaelyra's anger gave way to compassion.

  Kaelyra’s anger flickered, replaced by something softer. Concern. Fear. Love. She placed a hand on Corvus’ arm, her grip no longer bruising, but pleading. “I am not your enemy, Corvus,” she murmured.

  “But if you keep walking this path, you may find yourself with none left to stand beside you.”

  Corvus knew what Kaelyra meant. He felt the weight of her words settle upon his shoulders like a mantle he wasn’t sure he was ready to bear. His father’s name, the future of Rhazgord, the whispers of doubt—it was all crashing down upon him.

  For a moment, his lips parted, a retort forming on his tongue. But instead, he clenched his jaw and turned away.

  Kaelyra’s voice cracked as she called after him, but Corvus did not turn back. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. The whispers of doubt had grown into a storm, and there was only one way to silence a storm. Kaleyra was running after him, asking him where he was going, telling him to stop. But Corvus did not listen to Kaelyra. He went to the most crowded part of the city and started shouting with all his might.

  Corvus planted his feet firmly, his voice a thunderous roar that cut through the marketplace din.

  “I am Corvus Tiamat! And I did not know Rhazgord had grown so weak that its warriors whisper like frightened children instead of speaking with steel!”

  The gathered crowd stiffened. Murmurs spread like wildfire. Some exchanged uncertain glances, others clenched their fists.

  “You say I have gone soft? That I am no warrior?”

  Corvus spread his arms wide, his sharp gaze sweeping over the assembly.

  “Then prove it. If you have the courage to call me weak, then meet me at the outskirts of Rhaz by sunset. Or hold your tongue forever!”

  For a moment, there was silence. Then, like a storm breaking over the mountains, the crowd erupted. Some voices rose in anger, others in bloodlust. The challenge had been spoken, and in Rhazgord, there was only one answer to such words.

  Steel. Blood. Victory.

  There were many in the crowd who would have attacked Corvus had it not been for Kaelyra, who was standing right behind Corvus, and the other Tiamats who heard the noise and came over. The whole city was talking about Corvus and Corvus had challenged them all.

  As Corvus made his way to Mount Rhaz, the chaos he created spread through the city like wildfire. All the while a large convoy led by a young man was approaching the city.

  And that’s another chapter done! If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much. The world of “The Fall of Everything!” is vast and full of details, so if there's something you're curious about, I'd love to explain it in more depth. Your thoughts can also influence the story—whether it’s something you’d like to see more of or a question you want answered, feel free to share it in the comments! Your feedback is incredibly important to me and helps shape the story. The next chapter is coming soon, so stay tuned!

  [EDITED]