Nathan returned to the battlefield as the sun began sinking behind the western hills.
The empty field where he had fought Shiina was far behind him now. He had moved quickly despite the wounds across his shoulder, side, and thigh. Blood had dried beneath his torn clothes, and the poison mark near his neck still burned faintly from the strain of releasing so much power.
But he could not rest.
Not while Norihiro remained alive.
The distant sounds of battle reached him before the battlefield came into view.
Steel striking steel.
War horns.
The cries of wounded men.
And beneath it all, the continuous roar of soldiers fighting because neither side had yet accepted defeat.
Nathan slowed near a ridge overlooking the western field.
The battle had changed during his absence.
Norihiro's soldiers were losing.
