“We need warriors,” Holger stated bluntly as Alexander Stahl discarded his sweaty graduation garb. The ceremony had been hot and afterwards Alex had found himself cornered by the paladin who once trained him to slay monsters. Alex had been avoiding discussions about his future, but Holger’s plea made Alex’s eyes flicker toward the broadsword mounted on the wall. Beneath its polished gleam hung a photograph of three friends: Anne, Richard and himself. Anne’s arms stretched around both men, her head laying on Richard’s shoulder. For five years, they had been Alex’s family and Alex would be Richard’s best man at their wedding in June.
“War is coming. The Phantom Realm has an army of wraiths.”
Alex’s head jerked back. “That many? How is that possible?”
“We don’t know,” Holger said solemnly. “But you know what happens if they cross the Veil.”
Initial encounters with supernatural forces often drove people insane. To protect his friends, Alex kept that part of his life secret, but discretion would be impossible with sorcerous armies crossing into this world. The apocalypse would plunge the world into madness.
Alex retrieved his discarded robe and began folding it. “Fine. I’ll fight.”
The paladin grinned victoriously. “Pack quickly. You’ll join your regiment soon.”
“I’ll come mid-June.”
“A month?” An indignant scowl replaced Holger’s smile. “Fighting might start any day!”
“I have other commitments,” Alex replied sharply.
Silence hung in the air, cold, fierce, until Holger relented. “Very well. Mid-June.” He turned to leave but stopped at the door. “Even without the war, your life will be very different from theirs. You will drift apart.”
“I know,” Alex stated. As Holger closed the door, Alex removed the picture from the wall and folded it into his robe. Then he turned and stared at his reflection in the blade.