The Fall of Everything [Rewrite]

As Corvus' new army filled the streets, their footsteps echoing through the city, they came face to face with soldiers from the north. As the two groups looked at each other, the tension hanging in the air became almost palpable. The black flag in Corvus' hand drew the attention of all the soldiers. They were the ones who should have been standing behind the flag, but they had been sent north on a false alarm. Their faces were a mixture of surprise and anger. Tanar was nowhere to be seen. The man in charge of the city should have been the first to respond to the Black Flag, but he was nowhere to be seen.
A young man stepped forward, more erect and authoritative than the others. There was both fear and defiance in his eyes. A whisper spread among the soldiers; this young man's name was Rasur, Tanar's eldest son. As he stood in front of Corvus, angry voices rose from the crowd.
"Bastard of traitor!" someone shouted from the crowd. The voices echoed in Rasur's ears and suddenly his face filled with gloom. But he ignored the insults and spoke, keeping his eyes on Corvus.
"I am Rasur, son of Tanar Laraz! We have gathered in the north at your call, but I see that you have been busy raising an army! I would like to know why you are doing this, where my father is, and why the people of my city insult me!" he said, his voice hard and defiant. He knew that his father had gone to Corvus' camp some time ago. He also knew that Tanar was working in secret with masked men. Now, looking at the scene in front of him, he knew things were not going well. He was ready for bad news, but anger and fear were growing inside him. One hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, like a lightning bolt ready to strike at any moment, waiting to strike Corvus a few meters in front of him.
As Corvus lifted his foot to take a step towards him, Rasur suddenly felt a crushing weight on his chest. It was as if gravity had increased dozens of times, pulling his body to the ground. In a moment of confusion, he fell to his knees, trying to understand what had happened. Desperately he raised his head and the sight froze his soul: Corvus' eyes were glowing blood red. These eyes were the terrifying power that was the ancient symbol of the Tiamats; legends say that a Tiamat's eyes could look into the souls of her enemies and bring them to their knees. Clearly the legend was true.
As Corvus' eyes burned with fire, the pressure Rasur felt inside him became unbearable. It wasn't just a physical weight; it was like a burden on his soul, on his will. Corvus' power came from the Lightstones and Tiamat blood he had consumed over the years. The Lightstones had given him not only physical strength, but also strengthened his family's ability to radiate an aura of dominance around him. At that moment, Rasur thought that Corvus was not a human being, but a demon that had descended to earth. His body trembled with fear and he was afraid to blink.
Corvus stopped right in front of Rasur. The pressure on the young man increased exponentially as he approached him with silent, shadowy steps. Rasur could hardly breathe anymore. His eyes were glazed, but he still did not let go of his sword. Corvus stood directly in front of Rasur and thrust his spear into the ground. It was as if it had the force to split the earth in two; the earth trembled slightly under the weight of the spear.
"Your father... chose treason! And he will be judged according to the laws of Rhazgord!" Corvus said, his voice echoing through the crowd with every word. Corvus' voice exploded like a storm in Rasur's ears. The young man understood the meaning of these words, but he could not suppress the fear in his heart. At that moment, Rasur's eyes began to well up with tears, but they were not tears of sadness, but a reflection of the terrible pressure and helplessness inside him.
Just then, from the back ranks of the crowd gathered behind Corvus came the sound of screaming. Enemy forces that had been hiding in the city for months had used the narrowness of the street to attack the people Corvus had gathered. As Corvus involuntarily turned around to see what had happened, two arrows flew from the crowd behind Corvus and from the side of Rasur's soldiers. Corvus sensed danger as soon as he heard the sound of the arrows from the bow. The first arrow was aimed directly at him, but the second arrow was aimed at Rasur. Faced with this deadly threat in a matter of seconds, Corvus had only a moment's hesitation. Saving himself and causing Rasur's death would involve thousands in a bloody battle. But if he decided to protect Rasur, he would risk his own life. The moment of decision was approaching, time was running fast, but Corvus did not hesitate.
Without a moment's thought, he turned around and dodged an arrow aimed at Rasur. He managed to stop the first arrow with his sword, but the second arrow hit him. With a deep pain, he felt the arrow lodge in his back. Corvus' face showed a flash of pain, but his eyes were too determined to reflect it. At that moment, voices from both groups filled the air like exploding gunpowder.
"Traitors have attacked Corvus! Attack!" came an angry cry from one side of the crowd. At the same moment, another voice echoed from among Rasur's men: "First they wrongfully arrested Tanar, then they attacked Rasur! Revenge!" Both sides were on the brink of war, chaos could erupt at any moment.
But Corvus, in a last ditch effort, found strength in the blood seeping from his wounds and shouted: "The enemy is here and he is trying to turn us against each other! Everyone, hold your swords!" His voice echoed through the crowd like a command in the middle of a storm. With these words, Bahoz was able to stop his people. The people gathered under the Black Flag paused, if only for a moment. But the soldiers on the other side were about to attack, and there was already an attack from unknown enemies in the rear ranks. Corvus' voice did not stop them. His tired body could take no more and he fell to his knees, but he still tried to stand upright. The arrow hadn't hit anything vital, so he shouldn't have been in such bad shape. As he tried to figure out what was wrong, he saw his blood dripping on the floor. The blood had turned black. This meant he had been poisoned.
Rasur felt a deep convulsion when he saw the scene before him. The moment of decision had come. Either he would choose betrayal, like his father Tanar, and fight against the Rhazgord, destroying his own people, or he would follow the call of the Black Flag and stand with the people of Bahoz, in whom he had been born and raised. His eyes fell on the bloodied body of Corvus on his knees. This man, who had seemed like an invincible demon just moments before, now seemed to be succumbing to death. But he was not giving up, he was still trying to stand.
Just then, something unexpected happened. Corvus quickly drew his two black swords and plunged them into the ground. These swords gave him a foothold to stand on. His weak body stood up as if by force of will. His legs trembled, his wounds leaked blood, but Corvus did not give up. He did not surrender to death. He stood on his guard and turned to face the Bahoz fighters, ready to fight with the last of his strength.
This scene touched Rasur's heart deeply. Corvus' sacrifice was not because he loved Rasur, but so that the Rhazgorites would not be tricked by the enemy and slaughter each other. This determination gave Rasur a strength he could not have imagined. In an instant he stood up and turned to his men. If he hesitated a second longer, he would not be able to stop the two groups from attacking each other. He shouted with all his might:
"Stop! I will not draw the sword on my own people, no matter what!"
His voice was so strong that even Rasur was surprised at the echo of his own voice. Even the soldiers, who until that moment had been eager to fight, suddenly paused. After a breath of silence, Rasur shouted again: "To the last drop of our blood! We will obey the call of the Black Flag!" and added: "In return, I ask that my father not be executed until the truth of the matter is revealed!"
Corvus was surprised. He thought Rasur would also choose betrayal. But he had no time to be surprised any longer. He nodded his head and approved Rasur's request. The warriors hesitated a moment longer, but then joined Rasur and took the same oath. The chaos in the crowd was just beginning to give way to calm when, to Rasur's relief, three black-masked assassins burst out of the crowd. Both were moving towards Corvus with deadly speed. Rasur and Corvus were the first to realize the danger.
With his last remaining strength, Corvus rebuilt the pressure around him. The leading assassin hesitated for a moment under this pressure and was forced to retreat. But the assassins behind him were not going to stop. Corvus tried to stop the attack by swinging his two black swords in a crescent, but his weak legs could not hold him up. He fell to the ground, but he had created a barrier in the direction he had swung his swords.
One of the assassins could not avoid Corvus' swords, but when the other assassin dodged Corvus' thrust and lunged at Corvus to make the finishing move, Rasur intervened with a swift thrust. The two assassins locked eyes. A silent agreement seemed to have formed between them; they were planning a simultaneous attack. Only then did they realize that they were being quickly surrounded.
"Protect Corvus!" one of them shouted.
"Protect Rasur!" came a voice from another group.
Under the call of the Black Flag and the shadow of betrayal, both sides had finally seen the enemy and decided to act together. Moments of fear and betrayal on the battlefield were now giving way to unity and determination.
When Bahoz's warriors and his people formed a wall of steel around Corvus and Rasur, there was no escape for the assassins. As the ferocious energy in the crowd came down like a storm on the assassins, the men in dark masks realized that they could no longer reach Corvus. They had no hope; they had to flee.
But they did not achieve their goal. In that brief interval, Corvus had used the power of the Lightstone to lessen the effects of the poison. Corvus' aura was everywhere in an instant. Everyone within twenty feet of Corvus fell to their knees. Those who were not strong enough had already fainted. Rasur was the strongest fighter in Bahoz, but even he could barely breathe. When he barely turned his head to look at Corvus, he was horrified. Corvus' face was like a lion's, mad with rage. It was impossible to tell whether Corvus was conscious or not. His eyes were shining in all their majesty and his veins were bulging as if they were about to burst.
The assassins, their backs to Corvus, were trying to understand what had happened. They had used the Lightstone before and fought people who had empowered themselves with it. But they had never felt what they were feeling now. Even though they couldn't see Corvus, they could feel his gaze. Their relentless training and instincts told them only one thing: "Run!"
One of the assassins was gathering his strength to flee when he was startled to see something falling in front of him. It was the head of the other assassin standing right next to him. Corvus grabbed the assassin by the scruff of the neck, not even allowing him to be terrified.
"Just one of you needs to live!"
That was the last thing the assassin heard before he fainted.
While this was happening, the two thousand soldiers who had been attacking the people with the assassins suddenly stopped their attack and rushed into the streets of the city. Their first plan had failed. Now it was time for the second plan. They would wage a guerrilla war in the city and keep it in chaos until their main army arrived.
Corvus took a deep breath. Pain wracked his body and his consciousness was blurred. The arrow wound in his back had taken a heavy toll. However, the gamble had been won. Bahoz's soldiers had rallied under the Black Flag and spoiled the enemy's game. This unity, which Corvus had achieved with a last ditch effort, had changed the fate of the battle. Nevertheless, his strength was now exhausted. His eyelids became heavy as lead. With each breath, he seemed to get further away from the world. And finally he closed his eyes. As his consciousness slipped into darkness, the last thing he heard were Rasur's orders.
Rasur's voice brought order to the chaos on the battlefield:
"Arrest anyone in the city who is not from Rhazgord! Kill those who resist without mercy!"
The command echoed like a battle trumpet. Bahoz's warriors mobilized on that order. Each of them spread out through the streets of the city, taking narrow alleys and corners to hunt down the enemy. At Rasur's command, chaos gave way to disciplined movement. The streets slowly fell into the silence of death, only the echoes of steel armor and heavy footsteps could be heard.
Meanwhile, the thousand or so soldiers guarding Corvus and Rasur moved swiftly towards the entrance to the city. Tanar's mansion contained the Lightstone, which could save Corvus' life. But the biggest challenge on this road was the narrow and dark streets. Enemies could be lurking around every corner, waiting for them. The streets were like a labyrinth; danger lurked at every step.
Another option was to go back to Corvus' camp outside the city. This was a safer route because the road to the camp was made up of wide avenues. They could safely carry Corvus back to his camp without having to go through narrow streets. Rasur had chosen this option. They moved towards Corvus' camp, taking the assassin Corvus had knocked unconscious with them.