Chapter 2504: Story 2505: The Badge of the First Marshal

The black steel badge felt strangely warm in Victoria Kane’s hand.

Its weight was far greater than an ordinary sheriff’s badge, as though it carried the burden of generations. The crowned symbol engraved upon its surface shimmered faintly beneath the morning sun before fading once more.

Around her, Dusthaven had fallen silent.

The fires still crackled through broken buildings while exhausted survivors searched the ruins for family members and friends. Smoke drifted into the clear sky, carrying the bitter smell of burned timber and gunpowder.

Cole Mercer slowly approached.

"You think the Crimson Rider left it for you?"

Victoria turned the badge over.

The back was scratched with faded words.

Honor Never Dies.

Before she could read anything else, the letters vanished as if they had never existed.

Father Gabriel Ward stepped closer, his expression filled with both awe and concern.

"That badge has not been seen for over a hundred years."

Victoria looked at him.

"Who was the First Marshal?"

The old priest gazed toward the distant mountains.

"Long before this land became a wasteland, there was a lawman named Gideon Black."

"He united scattered settlements and defended innocent people against a plague that nearly destroyed civilization."

Cole frowned.

"I thought Gideon Black was only a legend."

Father Gabriel slowly shook his head.

"No."

"He was real."

"And he fought the Hollow King himself."

The survivors standing nearby fell silent as they listened.

The priest continued.

"When the Hollow King could not be defeated, Gideon and his companions imprisoned him beneath the Whispering Canyon."

"They forged sacred seals that chained his greatest servants beneath the desert."

Father Gabriel looked directly at Victoria.

"But legends say the Marshal never returned."

A cold breeze swept through the ruined settlement.

Suddenly the badge vibrated in Victoria’s hand.

A low humming sound echoed from inside the metal.

Without warning, a brilliant crimson beam shot toward the western horizon.

Everyone stared in astonishment.

The light lasted only a few seconds before disappearing.

Cole unfolded his weathered map.

His face became serious.

"It pointed here."

He placed his finger on a location marked deep within the mountains.

"Blackstone Ridge."

Father Gabriel inhaled sharply.

"The Marshal’s fortress..."

"So it still exists," Cole whispered.

Before anyone could speak again, hurried footsteps echoed through the street.

A teenage boy wearing a scout’s cloak ran toward them, struggling to catch his breath.

"Captain!"

Cole recognized him immediately.

"Lucas!"

The young scout nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

His face was covered in dust, and a deep cut crossed his left arm.

"I came from Blackstone Ridge."

Victoria helped him remain standing.

"What happened?"

Lucas swallowed nervously.

"The old fortress has been opened."

Cole’s eyes widened.

"By whom?"

Lucas looked toward the empty desert where the Crimson Rider had disappeared.

"I don’t know."

"But I saw someone riding a crimson horse."

"He wasn’t alone."

Victoria felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Who was with him?"

Lucas hesitated before answering.

"Dozens of armored riders."

"They weren’t alive."

"They weren’t dead either."

Father Gabriel tightened his grip on his silver cross.

"The Hollow Guard..."

The priest’s voice trembled.

"The King’s ancient cavalry has awakened."

A distant war horn echoed across the western frontier.

Every survivor instinctively looked toward the mountains.

Far beyond the smoke of Dusthaven, dark figures could be seen riding along the ridges beneath gathering storm clouds.

Victoria fastened the black steel badge to her belt and climbed onto Midnight.

She looked at Cole, Father Gabriel, and Lucas with quiet determination.

"If Blackstone Ridge holds the answers..."

"We ride there before the Hollow King reaches it."

Without another word, the four survivors left the shattered remains of Dusthaven behind, unaware that their journey was leading them toward a fortress where the greatest secret of the zombie apocalypse had waited in silence for more than a century.