the war between the two lions

with the rear mostly secure and their backs to safe territory the army marched forward with extreme brutality. Legions of spectral forces hammered at the defenses of each town and city constantly taking territory. Eventually the red mane legion mobilized and fought back stopping them halfway in caelid. Each fight was fierce, warrior against warrior, foot soldier against foot soldier, dragons against dragons. each death added to the number of specters which only led to a slow and bloody war of attrition as the meat grinder that was war only intensified.

" SOULESS LION, FACE ME IF YOU DARE" a large red-haired man yelled out as he wielded two curved great swords riding upon a majestic steed. Behind him stood his army, a legion of battle-hardened warriors and knights, within their numbers several trolls and dragons stood, eager for combat. Across them, a spectral legion stood in silence, dragons and warriors in large numbers stood, alongside trolls and several crystalline beasts at the fore front. from within their ranks a flaming lioness appeared with a warrior at her back wielding silver like armor and halberd encrusted with glint stone appeared.

" STAR SCOURGE RADAHN, RELEASE YOUR CONTROL AND LET THE STARS FLOW FREELY, IF YOU DO SO MY LEGION WILL LEAVE, OTHERWISE PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR FANGS RIPPED FROM YOUR MAW" Leonel yelled out as mana gathered around him and his size grew to match Radahn, fur and ears upon his head forming a crystalline like mane, a slowly swishing tail appeared from his tail bone alongside it all. Radahn only stared at him before thrusting his sword forward and letting out a battle cry. "CUT THEM DOWN, IN THE NAME OF CARIA" Leonel yelled out as the two armies met in between.

Spectral swords met spiked iron shields, iron spears met spectral shields, halberd met Great swords. the war of two lions had begun and only one would be victor. "Tell me boy, why fight me and my men? for something I did long before you were born?" Radahn asked as he struck forward with his swords all while gravitational magic tore the area around him apart. "You hold back the stars, the future and past of Caria, your home, you betray it with such simplicity all for an idol and order that cares not for you aside from what you represent, a traitor to your home" he said as he met the great swords with strong kicks and swipes of his halberd, glint stone formed around him and impaled unfortunate soldiers foolish enough to dare interfere in the fight of gods.

"THEN FALL TO MY SWORDS FOOLISH KNIGHT" Radahn said as he slammed his swords down fusing them with jagged stones increasing their weight and lethality. "As if" Leonel said before he too slammed his halberd into the ground and pulled it out revealing a glimmering razor-sharp halberd twice the size of before as the two armaments clashed at the center. Four full hours passed as the spectral army remained unrelenting, their numbers only increasing. Before them the red manes only grew weary, their numbers dwindled, something Radahn clearly noticed.

A strong kick to a well-guarded form sent Leonel flying into several spectral soldiers before he got up and sent glint stone shards flying back. " We will meet again soulless lion, of that I'm sure" Radahn said as raised a wall before the two armies and pulled his forces back. the spectral soldiers screamed out in victory, " PRIDE, PRIDE, PRIDE" they howled out, yet Leonel only seemed annoyed. "Oleg, pull the forces back and reinforce our advance, I'm going to go and meditate on this battle" he said.

Oleg did as instructed; the spectral legion retreated and began to build fortifications upon the new front. forces headed for the towns and cities now under their control so as to better establish a foot hold. Leonel hopped atop Sarabi and headed for a nearby peak then sat down, within his mind the battle replayed. Every mistake, every flaw, he inspected it thoroughly, constantly creating new ways to combat the red lion. time passed as he sat there, two days in fact. The front continued to be volatile as the two armies clashed in small skirmishes' with no leaders in sight.

Leonel stood up, around him the generals awaited his order. He raised his head and looked towards the sky. There he could see a colossal shadow overtake the skies, it came closer and closer then slammed onto the nearby hill decimating it revealing a large grey elder dragon. upon the skies several hundred dragons showed themselves as they flew above them ready to fight should it be needed. " Tell me child.... do you plan to burn my den to the ground? the other boy respected my wishes and kept from the dragon barrow, yet you intrude?" a deep yet feminine voice sounded out.

"Elder dragon Greyoll, I apologize for this but if I am to save my home then Radahn must fall, i will pull my forces back but only if you do not choose sides" he said as he stood before the mountain sized dragon. "You dare threaten me boy? all it would take would be a simple breath and your undead legion burns" she threatened as her maw approached him coming up to simple inches away from his face. "Both you and I know that I can easily escape you, and we both know that it would only take me a couple of years to reach your level, the level of placidusax, should you interfere then you will force me to eradicate your race Greyoll" he said.

She snorted sending the stones around him crashing behind him before pulling away from him. "Do not enter the dragon barrow, and I will keep my offspring in line, what placidusax does to you is not of my concern when he learns of this war" she said before taking off sending stone and trees flying. he watched her go as sweat trickled down his back, truthfully, he was not wrong, within a couple of years he would indeed reach the power of gods but what she could do to those he loved meanwhile... he shook his head and focused on the task ahead. "Mobilize the forces, we march forward" he said.

thousands of boots stomped upon the golden desserts and dunes of caelid, two armies again met at the middle. two lions of different colors stood before other; both knew that this battle would decide the fate of caelid. no words were spoken, the two armies rushed towards each other, blade drew blood, arrow tasted grey matter. a halberd met the armored shoulder of a red maned man. two swords clashed against glint stone and an armored foot which sent the blades to the side allowing for several more strikes to be dealt.

Radahn will admit it, the boy before him was a demigod, the only way a mortal being could reach the level of demigods was through magic not his body. the only question remained, who birthed him? why was he without family? was he his long-lost little brother? or was he the son of a different god? who else reached the status of God aside from Marika his... father yet second mother. He did not know but what he did know is that he met his equal, his undoing as he felt a halberd pierce deep into his gut, he fell onto the floor and looked up fighting back the pain.

Leonel looked down at the defeated demigod, the demigod who would never reach his prime simply due to standing in his way. "I am sorry, but your father will bring chaos to this land, my home will suffer greatly due to such a decision, I cannot allow it" he said as he looked down at the confused general. before Radahn respond a sudden sound startled everyone. the shattering of glass, the sound reverberated all over the battlefield, all over caelid, all over the lands.

Leonel looked up to the skies with horrified eyes "I... was too late, the Elden ring was shattered" he said as he felt a new energy form within him much to his confusion. he could feel it, a rune, a circle with a single line upon its top right appeared within him as a large amount of energy entered him. "The rune of the unborn? but how? why" is all he said as he felt his body slowly change. "So, you were a demigod... mother did mention of her miscarriage, seems like you were strong enough to survive" Radahn said as his body grew in size at a rapid speed.

He watched his newfound little brother change; he grew slightly nearing seven feet in height. The glint stone dragon spirit in the distance suddenly screamed out as it turned into energy and rushed into him. He squirmed and grunted in pain before raising his head to the sky and howling in pain as two glint stone like wings protruded from his back showing off their majesty as blood dripped down the glint stone scales. all across his body scales formed at his sides making sure to not hamper him. his helmet fell off revealing scales upon his cheeks as his eyes turned into blue slits resembling a dragon.

suddenly a lion's roar was heard as silver like hair rapidly formed upon his head quickly forming a lion like mane. from his back two tails sprouted, a long reptile like glint stone tail and a furry tail with a silver like tip resembling a dagger on the other side. from below his arms two illusory arms formed, scaled in their entirety resembling draconic hands. he fell to his knees as intense amounts of mana rushed to him from their surroundings. around the battlefield glint stone began to form in large amounts.

the spectral legion around them began to show changes as well, from their backs dragon like wings sprouted alongside a lion's tail as they too joined their lord in the howling which will always be remembered in caelid as the howl of the draconic specters. Radahn finished growing as he stood before the now transformed Leonel who simply snatched his halberd and looked to him with an inexplicable look. " I will leave, unlike you I care for my loved one's brother, now... now that I know, I will protect her, be wary of Malenia and her scarlet rot" is all he said before taking to the skies, the legion disappearing around him leaving caelid entirely.

His eyes filled with pain and worry as he zoomed towards liurnia at breakneck speed, the wars of the shattering would soon happen, and he needed to master himself all while dealing with his... inheritance as the newfound royal prince of liurnia. "Mother, I have two now huh?" he said as he flew towards the land of the resplendent moon. he stopped suddenly, "the lion's den, Apollo is there but Godrick still has a full army and will very likely vie for it, Oleg" he said as the champion appeared next to him wings flapping. "Go with the legion and evacuate the lion's den, move them all to liurnia then take the legion and reinforce our borders that's an order" he said.

Oleg simply bowed and took off as thousands of draconic warriors appeared around him.