Volume I The Crimson Covenant: The Moonlit Blood
ACT I THE BLOOD COFFIN GUILD
Chapter 2 The Heart of Steel
The battle was not yet over. Although their captain had retreated before the impossible speed of Bálint Várhegyi, nearly two dozen Baalanian warriors still occupied the southern half of Kisfenyő. Smoke drifted between shattered cottages as flames spread from roof to roof. Burning beams collapsed into the streets, showering the village with sparks.
The cries of frightened villagers echoed everywhere.
"Help!"
"My son is still inside!"
"The barn is collapsing!"
Near the center of the village stood the old stone well, where several children huddled together. Their faces were blackened with soot, tears streaking clean lines down their cheeks. Some clung to one another, while others stared silently at the burning homes around them. They had nowhere left to run. One of the Baalanian soldiers noticed them.
He raised his curved sword.
"No witnesses."
The children screamed.
Before the soldier could take another step
THUD.
A massive iron-shod boot landed between him and the children. The ground trembled. The soldier blinked. Someone was standing there. He looked younger than expected. Perhaps sixteen years old. Yet he was already taller than most grown men. Zoltán Várhegyi possessed the same striking blond hair as his older brother, though his was slightly longer and less carefully kept, falling across his forehead in unruly strands. His bright blue eyes held none of Bálint's cold reserve. Instead, they reflected warmth, concern, and an almost childlike kindness. him carrying A war axefar too big for his small childlike appearance hinted at extraordinary strength. Unlike Bálint's lean, agile build, Zoltán small yet the solid frame of someone born to carry impossible burdens. Years of training had given him powerful arms and a sturdy physique without sacrificing his youthful appearance. He wore a long dark traveling coat reinforced with leather shoulder guards, a black-colored tunic beneath, heavy black trousers, and thick black riding boots splattered with mud from the journey. Around his waist hung a simple leather belt holding pouches and supplies rather than trophies. He looked far too small, far too young to be able to fight, but appearances can be deceiving. Resting across his shoulder was an enormous weapon. A war axe. It looked absurd in his hands. The haft alone stood nearly as tall as he was. Its broad silver blade shimmered with faint blue runes carved deep into the metal. Black steel reinforced the back of the axe, while its center bore the ancient crest of House Várhegyi a silver wolf beneath a black eclipse. The weapon's name was whispered among those few who knew of it. Égzúzó. Sky Breaker.
The Baalanian soldier frowned.
"...Move."
Zoltán looked down at the terrified children clutching his coat.
Then back at the soldier.
"I'm sorry."
His voice was gentle.
"But I can't."
The soldier laughed.
"Then die with them."
He charged.
The curved blade slashed toward Zoltán's neck.
CLANG!
The sword struck. It stopped. The soldier stared. His blade had connected perfectly... Yet it refused to move any farther. It was as though he had struck solid stone. Zoltán hadn't even raised his weapon. He simply stood there. The children hiding behind him peeked around his legs. One little boy tugged carefully at his sleeve.
"Are... are you okay?"
Zoltán smiled.
"I'm alright."
He gently patted the boy's head.
"Stay behind me."
More Baalanian warriors rushed forward. Five. Then ten. Their commander barked orders.
"Kill him!"
Steel flashed. Spears thrust. Axes swung. The attacks crashed into Zoltán from every direction. Zoltán is shorter then his brother, and also looked and is younger but he is more durable, physically stronger. Despite looking young and fragile he is immensely strong and durable. He endured them all. His bloodline the ancient, diluted gift inherited from the impossible union between an Ancient Vampire and a human had awakened differently from his brother's. Where Bálint inherited supernatural speed... Zoltán had inherited overwhelming strength. His small body absorbed the impacts. His bones refused to break. His body endured blows that would have crushed ordinary knights. One spear snapped against his shoulder. Another sword bent slightly after striking his forearm guards.
The Baalanians hesitated.
"What is he?"
Zoltán sighed.
"I really..."
"...don't like fighting."
His fingers tightened around Sky Breaker's haft. The blue runes carved into the axe began glowing. A deep hum echoed through the weapon. The earth itself seemed to vibrate. The Baalanians instinctively stepped backward. The axe... Was becoming heavier. The magic hidden within Sky Breaker responded only to its master. With every heartbeat, the weapon's weight multiplied. To anyone else, it would have become impossible to lift. To any outsider he looked like a small blond kid carrying an impossibly large axe. To Zoltán... It felt perfectly natural. He lowered the axe. Then swung.
The world exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
The axe never struck a person.
Instead... It struck the stone barricade the raiders had built across the main road. The enchanted blade shattered the barricade in a single blow. Thousands of stones erupted into the air. The shockwave raced through the street. Wagons overturned. Spears flew from soldiers' hands. The ground cracked in a line stretching nearly twenty meters. The Baalanian warriors were hurled backward as though struck by a charging giant. Several landed unconscious. Others fled in panic. The children behind him stared with wide eyes. One little girl whispered,
"He broke the road..."
A desperate cry echoed from farther down the street.
"Help!"
Zoltán turned. One of the burning cottages had collapsed. Its roof trapped several villagers beneath enormous wooden beams. Flames rapidly spread around them. Without hesitation, Zoltán ran. The surviving Baalanians attempted to block his path. He simply brushed past them. Men twice his size tumbled aside like leaves before the wind. Reaching the burning home, he planted Sky Breaker into the ground. The weapon stood upright like a monument. He crouched beneath the collapsed roof. Placed both hands beneath an enormous support beam. And lifted. The beam weighed several tons. His boots sank into the earth. Slowly... The entire roof rose. The trapped family crawled free. An elderly man stumbled as smoke filled his lungs. Before he could fall Zoltán caught him gently.
"There you go."
The old man looked up in disbelief.
"You..."
"You're just a boy..."
Zoltán smiled sheepishly.
"My brother says I eat too much."
The old man laughed despite everything. Elsewhere in the village, more frightened children began running toward him instead of away. They instinctively gathered behind the enormous blond teenager. Some held his coat. Others clung to his arm. He never complained. Instead, he quietly guided them toward safety. To the children... He didn't look like a warrior. He looked like someone who would never let anything happen to them.
One final Baalanian officer, furious at the retreat, raised a crossbow toward the crowd.
"Cowards!"
"If I can't have the relic"
He never finished.
Zoltán stepped between the bolt and the villagers.
THUNK.
The quarrel struck his shoulder. It barely pierced his coat.
He calmly pulled it free.
"...That wasn't very nice."
The officer turned pale.
Moments later, Sky Breaker's broad blade rested against the ground before him.
The officer threw down his weapon.
"I surrender!"
Zoltán nodded.
"Thank you."
"I didn't want to hurt you."
As the last surviving raiders fled into the forest after their captain, silence gradually settled over Kisfenyő. The villagers looked upon the towering blond youth with new eyes. At first, they had feared him because of his impossible strength. Now they understood. He had never swung his axe at a helpless person. He had shielded children with his own body. He had broken stone instead of bones. He had lifted houses instead of taking lives.
One little girl hugged his leg.
"Thank you, big brother."
Zoltán's face turned bright red.
"I-I'm not that old..."
The children giggled. For the first time since the attack began... Laughter returned to Kisfenyő. Watching from across the ruined square, Bálint allowed himself the faintest smile. His younger brother had always possessed the stronger heart.
And sometimes...
That was far more important than strength alone.
