Amidst the cold country of Glacia where evil and corruption continues to grow, a young swordsman named Arth, from the small village of Frostwood, wants nothing more than to help his poor village that's suffering under the hands of the nobles. On his journey, he finds himself entering a rebel guild called Forgotten Winter—a group of talented assassins who has only one goal; to eliminate the source of evil and corruption in the country—that is … to overthrow the King. But when Arth discovers the game-changing truth about him … about the King … about who the real enemy is … He has to learn how to unleash the hidden power he has within himself, because he's the only one now who can save his country from annihilation.ATTENTION: My book had been selected ... and Goodnovel will create an AUDIOBOOK from it … We're currently working on it now … so please stay tuned!
Lihat lebih banyakDisclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This story is not affiliated with any institutions mentioned in the chapters.
Please be advised that this story contains mature themes such as violence and strong language that are not suitable for very young audiences. Read at your own risk.
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A grand adventure was about to unfold to a young swordsman from a humble village called Frostwood. He had come of age. And it was his most awaited day in his whole eighteen years of existence.
Galloping on a horse was a young man named Arth. His ocean-blue eyes were gently kissed by the afternoon sun rays, making his eye color more pure and vibrant. The strong blowing of the north wind let his hair, as black as the darkest night, dance with the cold breeze. He was dressed with a long, blue coat that covered his fair skin, reaching down to his knees.
“Finally,” Arth bit his lower lip in excitement. Chills ran down through his whole body, giving him a mix feeling of freedom and uncertainty. He just had left from his home, Frostwood Village, to enter a competition in Casterfall City. It was held every three years to search for the most skilled and talented warriors all across Glacia.
"Let's go buddy," Arth told his horse and they went full speed ahead. The huge city of Casterfall was located in the far north of Frostwood Village and it would take about one and a half day to get there riding on a horse. As they traveled north, the wind became colder than ever. Arth already expected this, now that he was going to the depths of the cold country.
As they reached the top of a snowy hill, the big city was finally seen ahead. The side of Arth’s lips suddenly rose and his eyes widened in excitement.
“Casterfall City,” Arth blinked his blue eyes a couple of times. "It's bigger than I ever imagined!" he whispered to himself.
As they went near, he was amazed of the highly-built stone walls of the city. There was a moat or a body of cold water that surrounded Casterfall. Silver armored knights with white capes flying on their back were marching, guarding at their positions behind the crenellations on top of the walls. They had shining helms, each having a blue plume, also known as a feather, on top.
“Those elegant armors are killing me,” Arth shook his head in awe. He jumped off his horse and dragged its rope as he walked on the wide wooden drawbridge across the cold body of moat. There were two armed knights guarding the gatehouse. One of them raised a hand, signaling Arth to stop.
"Another warrior for the competition?" the knight asked with one brow raised. He scanned Arth from head to toe, gazing at his blue cloak that covered his whole body.
"Yes, sir," Arth replied politely and bowed a little. Wait... why am I bowing my head? He's not a lord or a king, he thought, then quickly straightened his body. That’s embarrassing.
"You can find the registration in the Standard Knight Academy," the knight gestured his hand towards the left direction.
"Thank you, sir."
The two knights nodded and let Arth pass. He started walking through the gatehouse with his horse while looking around. The road was made of cobblestone covered with dirt and snow. Both sides of the tunnel had arrow loops where Arth saw armed archers guarding behind those holes. He could hear some armors clanking and footsteps marching. Those were probably coming from the walkways above the walls.
As Arth went out of the big tunnel towards the inner gate, his lips slightly parted in amazement, seeing the high structures and towers on the city. There were a lot of people seen even from the entrance. The smell of the air was completely different from what Arth had been used to from his village. There was a combination of husk and thick scent. It was not as fresh as the air in Frostwood because of the difference in the population. He raised his head looking up to the cloudy skies and realized that snow had already stopped falling.
Arth walked towards the left direction where the knight told him. While looking around, his eyes were suddenly caught by the Upper Ring at the center of the city. There stood the Keep where the Lord of Casterfall was living. The magnificent structure was elevated from the ground level and there were huge staircases as a way towards the Keep.
“Woah,” Arth took a pause as he saw a weapon shop. Looking through the glass window, several swords and armors were displayed. They screamed with elegance and power with their unique designs and marks. He stepped near the windows and looked closer. When he saw the prices, his jaws dropped in shock.
“Two-thousand gold pieces?!” Arth whispered loudly. It was already a fortune, having that kind of amount. And what he had was only a few silver coins as living expenses, enough for a couple of weeks. Growing up from his village, the only source of his income was harvesting woods. Frostwood was the only village in the north that supplies woods for different villages, cities, and the kingdom capital itself. He could work for his whole life, chopping trees, yet he would still be unable to generate such an amount.
As Arth continued walking, he noticed some people looking at him as he passed by. Seriously, their eyes are creeping me out, he thought. He slowly looked down, wondering why those people were watching him as if he was wearing some kind of a weird costume.
“Is this the Standard Knight Academy?” Arth whispered as he arrived at the opened gates leading towards a high building. “Yeah, it probably is,” he answered to himself before entering the gates. It was already filled with young warriors like him and there were some desks in front of the high building. He approached towards the last desk where a woman about the age of fifties was writing something on it.
While walking, Arth suddenly heard some warriors whispering. “He’s going to Lady Olivia,” one said.
“Oh no, poor him,” the other replied. “He’s dead.”
Arth furrowed his brows in confusion, but he just ignored them and asked the old lady at the desk. "Uh…Excuse me, ma'am. Is this the registration for the competition?"
“I told you, you brats should-“ The old woman stopped when she raised her head and looked at him. She tilted her head as her right eyebrow rose, surveying Arth's body covered with cloak.
Arth just smiled nervously. Seriously, why are they all looking at my cloak? Is there a problem with it? he wondered, shaking his head. The people here are scaring me.
When the old lady looked at Arth's face, her eyes widened. "Those blue eyes," she said with furrowed brows. "Where are you from, young man?"
"Frostwood village," he answered as he tried to touch his eyes, wondering what was wrong with it.
"Oh, I thought you're from Crown Galacer,"
"The kingdom capital?" Arth asked.
The lady nodded. "I never saw someone with blue eyes before, it's probably my lucky day!" she laughed out while shaking her head.
Arth's eyebrows stormed in confusion. Okay, now I believe she's a creep.
"What's your name?" the lady asked him as she took one paper on her desk.
"Arth,"
"Last name?"
"Can't you just put my first name only?"
The lady raised her brow, "Why? Where are your parents?"
"Because they’re dead?" Arth said matter-of-factly.
The old woman's mouth formed an 'O'. "So who raised you?"
"Chief Gregor Doran and Sarah Doran from Frostwood,"
She nodded and wrote something on the paper. "Okay, that would be... five silver coins," she gave Arth a number tag with a sling to put on his neck.
After paying for the registration fee, Arth wore the sling tag. He was number ‘eighteen,’ which made him a bit confused. He saw crowds of warriors but only eighteen registered in the competition. He realized that they were probably squires or students in the Academy.
"The competition will start later at one o'clock in the afternoon. There's a warriors' lounge on the third door of this building. You can rest there and get ready for later. We'll just call all of you about thirty minutes before the time," the lady explained.
Arth thanked the woman before walking away. He left his black horse at the stables on the right side of the building and went inside the academy, seeing many young men like him. They were dressed with different color coding of coats with white garments underneath.
The hallway was a lot warmer than Arth thought since it was crowded with people. The competing voices of the students were just too loud for his ears. Some were playing on the hall, some students were teasing each other, while some were laughing out loud with their group of friends. Arth never thought that academies like this would be so noisy… and wild. His eyes searched for the third door as he walked. Upon entering, he saw more warriors inside, who seemed to be his fellow competitors. There were about twenty beds on the room and some were sleeping while others were stretching up.
The warriors turned their heads to Arth as he stepped inside the lounge. He just looked down while walking slowly towards the vacant bed on the far end of the room. He immediately lied down on the soft bed, letting out a big breath before closing his eyes. He needed to rest a little before the competition since he had a very long travel. But the good thing is … he got here early.
It was a grand festive night for the entire kingdom capital to celebrate the crowning of the new king. Arth had never been to a big celebration before, seeing lots and lots of people. He was seated at the dais of the Great Hall with tons of food on his own table. It was too much at least for him, so he just sighed and then sipped on his wine, looking around. The other three kings had already returned to their regions right after the ceremony had ended earlier, as they still had other responsibilities to attend to.Now that more people were present, the air had become warmer, filled with loud chats and laughs from the nobles and lords while they drank their liquor. The live music played by the talented musicians had made the Great Hall much noisier.“So this is what a feast is like,” Arth shook his head, watching a drunk noble dance over the table while his fellows laughed and clapped their hands, “It’s &
“How is it, My Prince?” The dressmaker lowered his chin, his eyes looking over his glasses.“It looks wonderful, sir. Thank you,” Arth said as he surveyed himself in front of the mirror. He wore a knee-length blue tunic of golden beadings. Beneath it was his white inner garment with two buttons undone to reveal his chest, tucked in his straight-cut black trousers.“Are you certain you do not want any jewelry, Your Highness? It’ll make you look more glamorous in the ceremony later,” the man said. “We have five boxes for you to choose from … some fine gold necklaces and diamond rings—”“It’s all good.” Arth smiled at the dressmaker and then looked again at the mirror as a servant was oiling his newly-cut black hair.The door of the dressing room suddenly opened.Looking through the mi
Arth cried and screamed from the pain … as the cold, rough earth was crushing his body in between. He exerted his arms, pushing both sides to prevent the ground from squeezing him, but hopeless it was … as it only made him bleed more, caused by the sharp stones against his skin.“Have no worries, for I shall take good care of your lands and—”Dethnar’s voice stopped as well as the ground, then followed by the demon cursing.“What’s … happening … now …?” Arth’s eyes fell heavier, but he still kept his consciousness.“You’re … a … demon …?! What are you?!” Dethnar spoke again from above, his voice shaking and mad. “You traitor! You are one of us … and yet—”“And you are a fool …”Arth
“The Demon King had ordered me to initiate the war by destroying the Power Crystal in the North,” Dethnar said, dark-blue flames covering his entire demon form. “This undead army of mine is just the beginning. After getting rid of the crystal I can now—”“I never asked for you to babble about your stupid plans, demon,” Arth cut him off. “You won’t be able to execute any of that. Now that you’re separated from Lucas, I can finally eliminate you from our world.”“Eliminate me?” Dethnar smiled wider in amusement. “You think you can beat me in my true form? You can’t even make a scratch.”“We’ll see,” Arth replied, then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.‘This is it, father,’he thought.‘I’ll show them the true power of our
Draphiron’s wings created a powerful gust of wind on the high tower as its claws held on to the pillars, and then lowered its long neck for Arth to climb down. The dragon’s remaining alar, in the form of a blue spirit, had helped him reach Crown Galacer in a short time.“Thanks, Draphiron … thank you, father,” Arth whispered, rubbing the dragon’s neck before he jumped off and landed on the floor. The blue spirit slowly dissolved into strings of alar, flying away from the tower, then they all compressed together and finally exploded in the skies like fireworks.Arth turned around, studying the situation now. The first thing he saw was the cracked Power Crystal … with tiny fragments scattered on the floor. Nearly destroyed it was … that Divine Knight must’ve stopped the demon before it could shatter the crystal. Kael did his job well enough, holding off the demon befo
After rushing out of the dungeon, Kael led the whole group inside the citadel, sneaking, as they did not want to catch the attention of the ghouls scurrying on the palace grounds … and the undead beasts flying above.A symphony of darkness and silence welcomed them … and it was a bit strange as to why Kael found no ghouls inside.The armory was located on the third floor of the citadel, so they had to use the wide staircases. As they made their climb, they tried to keep the silence, but Kael was annoyed by the Chief’s son who kept on whispering to Gregor. Had Gregor not taught his son how to keep his mouth shut?When they reached the armory, Gregor and his son quickly got their swords back. “Where are we going now?” the Chief asked Kael as they stepped out of the armory.“The throne room,” Kael replied. They got back to the staircases and clim
“Are you sure about this? What if they attack Cold Hills?” Tristan asked as they rode their horses, the west gate of the kingdom capital rising from their view ahead. It was a half-day journey from Cold Hills after they spotted the blue beam piercing through the skies, coming from the far north.“Don’t worry,” Kael replied. “Our village will be fine. The winterbird from the citadel said that the enemies were only attacking straight towards the capital.”As they reached the western gatehouse, Kael could still see the destroyed portcullis he had caused by the explosion two days ago. He raised his head to the top of the curtain walls and found no knights on watch anymoreThe fort bell kept on ringing, like repeating thunder amidst the dark clouds; the alarm for evacuation. The skies had already turned dark … wind blowing hard against his face, carrying the scent
“No …” Once again he burst into tears, leaning his forehead on the cold floor.“I failed … all because of me … all because of my stupidity!”Arth could no longer see any hope of saving Glacia. His body was too exhausted, worn out to go after Lucas and stop him. He could not even stand a chance now that Lucas had the sword and the power of its curse. No one could stop him now. And even if there was someone, Arth was already tired of hoping.“So all of our efforts are wasted … our accomplishments with the team … with Alice … all are wasted for his selfish ambitions?!” Arth said to himself as he hit his own forehead against the floor. “Alice died for nothing …
“Watch out, boss!” Arth yelled.But before the claw of the dragon could strike, Lucas made a high jump to dodge. He waved his sword to land a quick slash, aiming at the beast’s head, but then it ducked and spun its enormous body, swinging its huge tail to strike him. Lucas couldn’t move, as he’s still on air, so he had no other choice but to block the tail with his arms crossed.The direct hit blasted Lucas away, slamming him against the stone wall, only to fall on the floor, coughing blood, leaving the wall cracked.Arth held his sword tighter. Despite its enormous size, Draphiron was undeniably fast.Even Arth himself couldn’t possibly react in time had he been in Lucas’ situation earlier.“Why does it keep on attacking us?!” Arth shouted.No … Why would it keep on attacking only Lucas? Not Arth … or J
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