Arcane Warfare: From the Ashes of a Disposable Soldier

 It was a noise that had once felt distant, but now it was unmistakable.

 Alieth was gone. Cedar's eyes narrowed.

 He could hear the mechanical hum of the mana core, the last line of defense for Alieth, finally destroyed. The Imperium's forces had shattered the core, and with it, Alieth had fallen. The aftermath was an explosion so massive that its shockwave reached even their location.

 The shockwaves had already spread far and wide, and now the survivors would be hunted. Imperium higher-ranked soldiers and mages would be given the task of hunting down any who had managed to escape.

 Cedar had not only seen it before but he had been part of it, on the other side of the war. The higher-ups wouldn't care about the innocents who had been left behind, they would be ruthless in their pursuit of anyone who could fight back.

"Alieth... it's truly gone," Ivan murmured. A city with a history spanning hundreds of years has now collapsed under the weight of war.

 Cedar didn't panic. His mind was clear. Cold. Focused.

 He turned to Ivan, who stood beside him, his eyes dark with the same realization. He didn't flinch. The clarity from the Red Eye Fever was still there, cold and sharp, cutting through any hesitation.

 Cedar could hear it all—the Imperium's forces would sweep through Alieth's ruins, hunting any survivors. They wouldn't waste time.

"We don't have time," Cedar said, his voice detached, calm. "The Imperium will be here soon." Ivan didn't argue. He didn't need to. They both understood the truth. Alieth was gone, and with it, their last refuge. Now they were just two survivors in a world that was quickly closing in on them.

"We head south," Cedar said, his voice steady. "There's a fallback position there. Survivors will be regrouping. And in the meantime, we'll figure out more about this 'bloody vessel' and your ancestor. If what Len said is true, we're going to need all the power we can get." Ivan nodded, his face hardening with resolve.

"Agreed. We'll learn what we can and stay ahead of whatever's coming." The shadow of the Old Magic still lingered, and they knew that with every mile, the stakes were getting higher.

 The Hundred Years War was about to change. And he and Ivan were right in the middle of it. They couldn't stay out in the open like this.

 The Imperium had no mercy for those who fought back, and even less for those who could be of use in the war. They would sweep through the area, killing or capturing anyone they could find. Their next move was simple—survive.

 Cedar looked at the road ahead, mentally mapping out the path they would take.

 He was already calculating the risks, considering every possible scenario, every possible danger. In this cold, calculated state, it felt like he was outside of himself, watching everything unfold from a distance.

 The world had become an equation, a series of moves that needed to be made, steps that had to be taken to ensure survival.

"Pack what we can. We leave now," Cedar said. His tone didn't shift, didn't change with the gravity of their situation.

 He was past the stage of shock. His mind had already switched to the next objective.

 Cedar's mind had already begun to plan for future opportunities to maximize the benefits of this focused state while it lasted.

 Ivan didn't argue. He moved with the same quiet precision, gathering what little they could from the few supplies they'd left.

 They didn't have much—just enough to get by for now.

...

 Cedar looked over at Ivan, who was scanning the horizon, his face hard.

 The two had been traveling for days, the weight of the encounter with Len still heavy on their minds. Neither of them said much about it, but they both knew it was part of something much bigger, something that neither of them understood.

 The journey so far had been about survival.

 Alieth had already fallen to the Imperium.

 The war was everywhere now, and Cedar could feel it closing in.

 The Imperium didn't leave loose ends, and their forces would be combing through the wreckage of Alieth soon, looking for anyone left behind.

They couldn't afford to stay still. They had to keep moving.

 After two days on the road, the forest slowly gave way to open plains. The surfboard carried them at a decent speed.

 After continuous hours of travel, the outline of a village appeared on the horizon. Cedar's stomach tightened. He knew what it meant before he even saw the details.

 The village was quiet—too quiet. As they neared, it was obvious it had been abandoned for a while.

 The houses were boarded up, and the streets were empty.

 This place had been caught in the Imperium's sweep, and everyone had fled before them. They dismounted the surfboard and moved cautiously through the village.

 Not a sound reached their ears except for the creaking of old wooden structures swaying in the wind. It was as if the world had emptied out completely, leaving only the remnants of life behind.

 Cedar felt a shiver run through him. It was the kind of place where you could feel the war had already passed through as if the land itself had been drained.

"Looks like they've already gone," Ivan muttered, his eyes darting nervously over the empty streets. "The Imperium's getting close if they've already evacuated out here."

 Cedar nodded. "We don't have much time. We grab what we can and leave before we attract attention. The Imperium's not far behind." They spread out, each of them moving quietly through the village.

 Even though it was abandoned, there were still some supplies left behind: small stashes of canned food, water containers, and some basic tools. It wasn't much, but it was enough to restock for the journey ahead.

 As they moved through the village, Cedar couldn't help but notice the signs of life that had been abruptly interrupted.

 A child's toy left on the street. A chair tipped over as if someone had been in the middle of something when they had to flee. Dishes were half-washed in a sink.

 It was a grim reminder of how quickly the war had swept through everything. This village had been just like any other, filled with people who lived their lives.

 Until the Imperium came.

 Ivan returned with a small pack of supplies, his expression grim. "Found a few things, but it's not much. This place has been emptied out for a while." Cedar glanced at the sky. The sun was starting to dip, casting long shadows over the village. They didn't have much time. The Imperium's forces would be sweeping through soon, and they couldn't afford to be caught here.

"Let's grab what we can and get out of here," Cedar said. "We need to find somewhere safer to rest. This place is too exposed."

 The two of them split up pack the supplies into their bags quickly. Every second counted now.

 Even though the village was silent, the danger was real. The Imperium's forces were close, and staying in one place for too long was a death sentence.

 They decided to split up to gather the necessary supplies and other useful tools. They packed up quickly, working with the urgency of soldiers in a war zone.

 As Cedar finished his part, Ivan's voice broke through the silence, sharp and eager. "Cedar, I found something in the library!"Cedar's heart race.

 Whatever Ivan had found, it could be important. With the war on the horizon, every bit of knowledge they could gather might be the key to surviving what was coming next.