A Ghost's Wish [MxM]

59. Four Generals

Dorbei had always found himself standing at the pinnacle of the Ravagers. He wasn't a mindless brute or a bloodthirsty berserker. He was a tactician with powerful magic. He was always a step ahead of his opponents, and Yonsu greatly valued him. He knew that Yonsu asked him to meet with the Ghost because he knew how to manipulate others.

He was assured that the Ghost was soft-hearted and would gladly die for his compatriots. Yonsu's stories painted a picture of their victory because the Ghost had many sentimental weaknesses. 

But this Ghost was not the fool he had expected. This Ghost lived up to his name—a haunting reaper with a scythe made from the souls of the dead.

Prey...

Dorbei felt a shiver creep up his spine. One of the greatest Ravagers nearly cowed in front of the Ghost.

Oliver told him he wasn't his prey, as if he was unworthy. But if that was the case, why did he still feel hunted?

His eyes shifted to the Dragon King, and his initial fear was dwarfed by the new terror that flooded him. Oliver's anger could freeze your very blood... but the dragon's rage was a cursed symphony of fire.

He became conflicted. Everything inside of him was telling him to flee. If he ran, he might live a little longer. But he was the devoted apostle of his King, and he could not move his feet. 

Devoted... but why?

Suddenly, Dorbei was angry at Yonsu—his King, his sovereign, his people's savior—was nothing more than a calamity. He whispered pretty words of soaring in the sky... but man has no place in the sky that belongs to moonlight's swords and dragons. 

Perhaps in another life, the Ravagers were successful. However, they will never succeed when these two men are allied together.

He suddenly broke from the illusion Yonsu had long cast over him... the Ravagers were doomed.

The memories Yonsu had transcribed... the prophecies that gave them hope.

"The Oracle said..." he murmured. 

"Oracle?" Draco chuckled. "Prophecies are speculation at best; their meaning is based on half-guesses and shoddy interpretation. Open your eyes to the reality we live in now, Ravager." 

Dorbei frowned and closed his eyes. "We will kill your Bierzean soldiers first... Slaughter them and stick their heads on spikes to decorate the walls of Bierze."

His words were not a threat but a defeated confession.

The Oliver Kardos in front of him was not the one from Yonsu's stories. This man before him was so much more than the one he expected. 

"You were a fool to say that," Draco growled.

Dorbei nodded. "Tell me, Ghost... was everything he told us a lie?"

Oliver understood what he meant. Dorbei was questioning everything Yonsu had told him.

Dorbei turned to Draco. "Was there a time when I stood triumphantly in the ruins of Rucrea?" He then laughed with melancholy. "What a site that would be to behold."

Draco growled, "You will never see it." 

His spear flashed towards Dorbei's head, but the air surrounding the Ravager trembled with wild magic, stopping Draco's spear.

Draco sneered at the magic. "What did you implant in your body?"

Dorbei smirked and opened his shirt, revealing a jagged scar over his chest. "You may have gotten a dragon's heart, Ghost, but I also took a magical creature's heart."