SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant-Chapter 392: The Fall of the Thal’zar [VI]

Trafalgar noticed it before she said anything.

Aubrelle stood still near the entrance of the structure, rain trailing from her cloak, her posture calm but distant. The white blindfold still covered her eyes, unmoved by the storm, yet her attention was clearly elsewhere, drawn far beyond the broken ground ahead or the soldiers moving through the downpour.

Pipin.

The pale bird circled high above the battlefield, a silent shape cutting through rain and cloud, feeding its vision back to her.

Trafalgar watched her for a moment, then spoke.

"What are you seeing right now?"

Aubrelle didn’t hesitate, and she didn’t soften her answer.

"Chaos," she said quietly.

A pause.

"Blood."

Another breath.

"Death."

That was all.

Her voice carried no panic, no drama—just a flat, steady truth. That was the state of the front as a whole, stretched across rain-soaked ground and collapsing lines.

Trafalgar crossed his arms slowly, letting the words settle.

Then she continued.

"I can see one of your brothers."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"One of them?" he asked. "Which one?"

The question carried more weight than it sounded like. Trafalgar had more than one brother fighting in this war, scattered across different fronts, each with their own reputation and way of surviving battles like this.

Aubrelle shifted her stance as Pipin adjusted course overhead, focusing in.

"I don’t know his name," she said. "But I can describe him."

Aubrelle took a slow breath, steadying herself as Pipin adjusted his path overhead. Though the blindfold hid her eyes completely, her focus was unmistakable, attention narrowing through shared sight as she followed a single figure moving through the chaos.

"He has dark blond hair," she said. "Short. Cropped close."

She paused, tracking him as he advanced.

"He’s big. Not just tall but built like a warrior. Broad shoulders. Heavy movements." Another moment passed. "His style is rough. Direct. He doesn’t talk much, if at all."

Trafalgar remained silent, listening.

"He’s carrying a greatsword," Aubrelle continued. "A large one. He swings it like it’s an extension of his own body." There was the faintest shift in her posture. "And he looks like he’s enjoying himself."

Trafalgar’s expression didn’t change, but something clicked into place. ’That matches the rumors,’ he thought. ’No doubt about it.’

"...That’s Helgar," he said aloud.

Aubrelle tilted her head slightly. "Helgar?"

Garrika frowned. "Helgar?" she repeated. "That doesn’t ring a bell. I only know the Morgains with S-rank talent."

Trafalgar glanced toward her.

"He’s the third heir," he explained. "Not as famous as the others. Not as flashy, either." He crossed his arms again, gaze distant. "But he’s known for commanding battles. For keeping his people alive."

Aubrelle remained still, listening.

"I’ve never seen him fight in person," Trafalgar added. "But what you’re describing lines up with everything I’ve heard."

There was a brief silence as the rain drummed against stone and distant clashes echoed through the air.

"So he’s doing well?" Aubrelle asked.

"Yes," Trafalgar replied. "If that’s Helgar, then his front is stable."

Trafalgar shifted his stance slightly, rain tapping against the obsidian plates of his armor as he turned back toward Aubrelle.

"Do you see anything else?" he asked.

There was a brief pause.

Aubrelle’s head tilted almost imperceptibly as Pipin adjusted his flight path high above, widening the angle of shared sight. Though the blindfold hid her eyes, the change in her posture was immediate, her shoulders tightening.

"Yes," she said. "I can see my father."

Trafalgar’s attention sharpened.

"And Elenara au Sylvanel," Aubrelle continued, her voice steady but more focused now. "She’s there too."

A heartbeat passed.

"...And Valttair du Morgain."

All three.

"They’re entering the castle," Aubrelle said. "Together."

Trafalgar didn’t need to ask what that meant. He could already picture it—the convergence of power, intent, and history collapsing inward. Those three were not commanders meant to linger at the edges of a war. When they moved, the battlefield shifted with them.

The real chaos was about to begin.

"When those monsters clash inside," he said quietly, more to himself than to anyone else, "nothing outside will stay calm."

Aubrelle nodded once.

Trafalgar exhaled, slow and controlled, then made his decision.

"I’ll warn Karon," he said. "We need to be ready."

He turned without waiting for a reply, stepping back out into the rain. The downpour hadn’t eased at all, water running along the edges of his black armor as he moved. Behind him, Aubrelle remained still, Pipin circling higher as the castle swallowed the figures below.

Inside those walls, the war was about to change shape. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The rain hit harder once Trafalgar left the partial shelter behind.

It drummed against his black armor in a steady rhythm, water sliding along obsidian plates as he moved through the secured zone. Mud pulled at his boots, but he didn’t slow, Maledicta resting at his side, his posture already set for what was coming next.

Karon turned before Trafalgar was close enough to speak, sharp elven ears catching his approach through the rain and distant noise of battle. He was standing near the edge of the cleared area, cloak darkened by water, attention split between the perimeter and the sky beyond.

Trafalgar stopped a few steps away.

"How does it look?" he asked directly. "If another wave hits us, are we ready?"

Karon exhaled slowly.

"For now, everything is stable," he replied. "Formations are holding, and the escape routes are under control." His expression tightened slightly. "But we can’t afford to relax."

Trafalgar didn’t interrupt.

"When my mother faces Kaedor," Karon continued, voice lower now, "it won’t be clean. The clash inside the castle will be violent enough to shake everything around it."

He glanced toward the looming structure in the distance.

"That kind of impact always spills outward."

Trafalgar nodded once.

"I was thinking the same," he said. "When my father confronts Icarus, we’ll be the ones paying the price out here."

Rain ran down the visor of his helmet as he lifted his gaze toward the castle walls.

Karon’s jaw set.

"That’s why we need to stay focused so that nothing catches us off guard," he said. "Whatever comes out of that place, we deal with it."

Trafalgar met his eyes. "Yes, I was thinking the same thing." he replied.