Every war breeds ambition. Every battlefield whispers promises of glory. But few men have ever listened as closely—or with as much hunger—as General Richard Harland.
The Soldier Who Refused to Fade
Harland was not born into power. He rose through the British ranks on cunning and iron discipline, a soldier who studied every tactic and every failure. But beneath his polished uniform and calm command burned a fear he never spoke aloud: the fear of being forgotten. To him, death was not the greatest enemy. Oblivion was.
He saw the American Revolution not as a rebellion to crush but as an opportunity. War breaks the world open, and Harland learned early that in the cracks of chaos, strange forces whisper.
The First Rumors of the Veil
Historians tell of Harland’s mysterious journeys before the Saratoga campaign—nights spent with scholars, explorers, and secretive societies obsessed with life beyond death. His journals, those few pages that survived, hint at “rivers of shadow” and “veils between the ages.” Some believe he uncovered texts older than the empire itself, maps pointing to places where reality thins.
By the time Harland returned to the colonies, he was more than a general. He was a man searching for a key—a way to rewrite his ending.
The Pact with Darkness
Some whisper Harland did not just find knowledge. He struck a bargain. The blue ghost flames that now burn in his presence are no natural fire; they are said to be pieces of the Hollowing’s hunger, given willingly… or taken. Whatever the truth, Harland learned to wield shadow like a weapon. He no longer saw war as a struggle for nations, but as fuel for a much older power.
A Legacy of Fear
Men follow generals for victory; they followed Harland because he promised more than life. He promised power that would not die when their hearts stopped beating. Many of his most loyal soldiers vanished after bloody battles, their names erased, their bodies never found.
What Harland seeks is not conquest—it is escape. Escape from time, from death, from the fate of every man who ever led an army and was forgotten by it.
Harland’s obsession shapes every shadow in The Last Patriot. He is not simply an enemy commander; he is a man who has bargained with something ancient and dangerous. And when men bargain with darkness, it is not only they who pay the price.