Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece

The Red Commander stood at the edge of the pass. His burning sword casting flickering shadows across the rocks.

He didn't move. Just stood there like a statue wrapped in fire, his blade glowing with heat that shimmered in the air.

The morning light bent and twisted around him. The red armor covering his body looked darker than the others. Edged in gold and pulsing with faint runes.

Behind him. The Red Legion began to pull back, slowly forming a wide half-circle.

Their weapons stayed raised. Their breathing was heavy. But none of them made a move without his signal.

Kyle stood near the front of the Black Legion's defenses. His boots planted in blood-soaked earth.

Zalrielle hung low in his grip. Its icy blade crackling with quiet energy. Every inch of his body ached.

His muscles screamed, his wounds throbbed. But his eyes stayed locked on the burning man at the far end of the pass.

The Red Commander hadn't made a sound. Not a word. Not a shout.

He didn't need to.

Just his presence alone was enough to freeze the battlefield.

Then—

A scream tore through the silence.

Kyle's head snapped to the left.

The sound didn't come from the Red Legion.

It came from the side. The ridge.

At the base of the rocky slope, two Red Knights were fighting. But not against the Black Legion.

Two figures. One man, one woman, were surrounded. Five, maybe six knights had turned on them. Weapons flashing in the rising sun.

The woman, with short swords, dark hair, slammed her knee into an attacker's gut and shoved him away.

The man. A lean figure with a long halberd. Swung wildly, keeping the others back with messy, desperate strikes.

Kyle stared.

They weren't like the others. Their movements were off. Untrained. Or maybe... unfamiliar?

They fought like they had no idea what they were doing in this place.

Just like us.

Cedric must've realized it too. Because without warning. He broke formation and ran toward them.

"Cedric—!" Kyle hissed. Too late.

A few Red Knights peeled off from the circle. Heading straight for him.

Kyle cursed under his breath. "Cover him!"

Cassian didn't need to be told twice. Fire exploded around his arms as he took off running.

Serena darted forward. Glaive humming with static.

Eleanora vanished, slipping into shadow and reappearing mid-run ahead of them.

Kyle drew in a sharp breath and triggered [Lightning Step].

Blue-white light flared at his feet—

—and he flashed across the battlefield. Reappearing just as a Red Knight raised his sword to strike the scarred halberd wielder.

Kyle's sword met the attack mid-swing. Steel rang out. He shoved the enemy back and pivoted, slamming Zalrielle into the knight's side.

Frost spread instantly from the wound, freezing metal and flesh alike. The knight dropped with a grunt.

The man with the halberd stumbled back. "What the fuck—?"

"No time," Kyle snapped. "Move!"

A knight rushed the woman next. She parried fast. But was too slow to counter.

Then—

A black tendril snaked out from the ground.

It wrapped around the knight's ankle, yanked hard, and dropped him face-first.

Eleanora stepped from the shadows behind him and drove her estoc into the back of his neck. The body stilled instantly.

The woman stumbled back, breathing hard. Her blade still up. "Okay, what the hell is happening?"

Serena answered with lightning.

She spun her glaive in a full arc, sending a crackling burst forward.

It hit two more knights in the chest. They convulsed, armor sparking. before collapsing.

Cassian arrived a second later, heat rolling off his body in waves.

One knight turned. Cassian caught his helmet in one hand and squeezed.

Metal groaned and melted around the man's skull before Cassian drove a burning fist into his gut.

The scream didn't last long.

Cedric held the line. His light sword flashing. He moved with smooth, brutal precision.

He didn't speak. Just fought. Just protected the two strangers like they were his own.

In seconds, the skirmish was over.

All the Red Knights were down.

Silence fell.

The two strangers stood still, panting.

The woman was short, with sharp features and dark eyes. Her armor was smeared with blood and dust, but modern. Sleek, lightweight, clearly not from this world.

The man was taller, thinner, with a jagged scar cutting from his cheekbone to his jaw. He gripped his halberd like it was the only thing keeping him grounded.

Kyle raised his sword. Not fully lowering it.

"Who are you?" he asked, breathing hard.

The woman opened her mouth. "I—I don't know—"

"We just woke up here," the man cut in. "Like five minutes ago. One second we were in another place. Next we're on a battlefield getting attacked by everyone."

Kyle's eyes narrowed. That story was too familiar.

Another pair of participants.

Before he could ask anything else. A roar echoed from behind.

Kyle turned back to the pass.

The Red Commander had stepped forward.

Just one step.

But the ground trembled.

His flaming sword dragged against the stone, leaving molten streaks behind him. His eyes burned behind the visor.

Kyle's gut clenched.

They weren't ready for him.

Not now.

"Run!" Kyle shouted.

They ran.

———

The Black Legion's barricade was still holding. But barely.

Archers on the ridge kept firing, arrows slicing through the air and thudding into Red Legion shields.

Some hit their mark. Men dropped, screaming or silent. But most just kept coming. They didn't slow. They didn't stop.

Kyle ran, boots thudding against the rocky ground. His lungs burning with every breath.

The others were close behind. The two new arrivals—Lena and Rook—trying to keep up.

Lena moved fast, her short sword still clutched tightly in her hand.

Rook, though. He was struggling. Blood ran freely down his leg. The gash across his thigh dark and wet. Every step made him stumble.

Cassian appeared beside him and grabbed his arm. "Move your ass!"

"I'm trying!" Rook snapped, limping forward with a grimace.

Behind them. The Red Commander still hadn't moved.

But his soldiers had.

A group broke off from the main formation and started chasing.

Six knights, their red armor streaked with dirt and blood. Their eyes locked onto Kyle and his team like wolves on prey.

Kyle skidded to a halt near the edge of the barricade, turning sharply. "Go! I'll hold them off!"

Serena didn't even hesitate. She stopped beside him and spun her glaive into a ready stance.

Electricity danced up the blade. "Shut up and fight."

Cassian shoved Rook forward toward the safety of the barricade. "You heard him, go!"

Then he turned back. Flames already blooming in his hands. "You're not dying without me, dumbass."

Eleanora didn't say a word. She melted into the shadows. Then reappeared behind the advancing Red Knights like a wraith.

Her blade flicked once. One knight collapsed. A thin line of blood across his throat.

Another turned to react, too slow. Her sword slid into his side, piercing between the plates.

Cedric stayed with Lena, covering her with wide, heavy swings of his sword. He cut down anyone that got too close. Keeping her upright as they neared the barricade.

The enemy was already on Kyle.

Steel crashed against steel.

Kyle ducked the first swing. A heavy downward slash.

Then lunged forward, slicing across the attacker's ribs. Ice exploded from the wound. Crawling up the knight's side.

The man froze mid-step, his joints locking in place. Kyle shoved him backward into the others, knocking two down.

Serena moved like lightning. She spun her glaive in a wide arc, slicing through a knight's chestplate.

Sparks and blood sprayed into the air. She didn't stop. She twisted the glaive and slammed the butt of it into another knight's neck.

He crumpled, gasping. She finished him with a clean slash across the head.

Cassian was a force of chaos.

He grabbed a knight's arm mid-swing. Heat flaring from his skin. The armor began to glow orange.

The knight screamed and tried to pull away. Cassian yanked him close and headbutted him. Bone cracked.

Then Cassian's fist burst into flame as he slammed it through the knight's breastplate. Fire erupting from the man's back.

Eleanora was a ghost in the dark.

She slipped between two knights. One raised his blade. Her estoc darted in first, catching him under the chin. He went still.

The second turned too late. She twisted his arm until it snapped. Then drove her blade clean through his ribs.

Kyle kept fighting.

His arms were heavy. His breath ragged. Every swing felt like it took a year from his life.

But he didn't stop. He couldn't. Every second they held meant the others could get to safety.

A horn echoed again.

That deep, echoing blast that meant retreat.

The Red Knights slowed. Then pulled back.

They didn't break. They didn't panic. They simply stopped fighting. And began walking back toward the pass.

Kyle stared, panting. His blade trembled in his grip.

"What the hell…" he whispered.

Then he saw him.

The Red Commander still hadn't moved far. But he was watching. Standing tall at the edge of the ridge. Burning sword resting across his shoulders.

He didn't chase.

Didn't attack.

Just watched.

Like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Lena collapsed beside Kyle, falling to her knees with a choked breath. Sweat ran down her face. Her sword hand trembled.

"What the hell is this place?" she whispered.

Rook stumbled after her and dropped to the ground, holding his bleeding leg. "Did we travel back in time or something?"

Kyle didn't answer.

———