The Will of Ethania.

The useless item had even sitting in Kai's soul, unsummoned since the first time he saw the white bead.

The whole time Kai thought it was useless, the description even said it had no uses after all. What was the point of lingering on an item that had no value?

Looking back, maybe revealing he had this to Failure could have changed something, maybe invigorate him or give him a small boost. Sadly, at the time, Kai was in his phase of not trusting the charismatic man so the thought had slipped his mind.

But just because an item did not have any uses did not mean that it wasn't useful.

An example would be John and petunias. A simple flower that grew in a small corner of the Dome, yet they managed to bring the burly man an uncanny level of peace, they reminded him of his daughter after all.

It could be a mental thing, and mentality was just as important to one's strength as high stats, strong skills or an overpowered innate ability.

And Kai was about to learn how true that statement was.

Confused, Failure cast his glance down to the small bead that sat it Kai's palm, his eyes gleaming with a spark of something. Not expecting anything major, Failure took a closer look and...

His lower lip trembled.

"Is... is that?"

"Yep" Kai grinned proudly as he extended his hand, offering the bead to Failure. "You couldn't have broken your promise because Ethania's will is still here, uncorrupted and safe."

A faint green hand emerged from the bark of the Mother Tree, reaching out for the bead in Kai's hand. Just as Failure's fingers were about to connect with the bead, his hand passed through the white ball, then promptly passed through Kai's own hand.

Unfazed by the fact he couldn't actually touch the bead, Failure glanced at Kai's face, confusion evident on his expression.

"... How?"

"I haven't a clue." Kai sighed as she softly shook his head. He then lifted his hand up, giving Failure a better look at the bead.

"After I finished reading the diary, I found this in the back of it. The description said something about an unknown god taking away her memories and storing them in this bead, that's all I know."

Failure's eyes widened slightly as some semblance of colour returned to his face. He looked as if he had thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years worth of questions lifted off his shoulders. He looked like a new man, a glint of newfound life appearing in the depths of his beautiful green eyes.

"So that's why she acted so odd before..."

Failure stopped his sentence there as he winced. Kai assumed he just didn't want to remember the past and what had happened, but that was perfectly fine.

Not many wanted to face the past after all, they would much rather hide in the present.

"So you didn't fail." Kai began, wanting to see that indescribable spark in Failure's eyes once more.

"Ethania's will is still safe, you succeeded. Failure, you basically bested a God!

Like, you creating this forest, surviving all by yourself, raising Aldred to be the wolf he is today, offering all these beasts a safe space to grow and develop, and to top it all off, doing so while holding back a wave of abominations, everything you've done since the beginning of this damned forest has indirectly led to the protection of Ethania.

So you haven't broken your promise, you haven't failed your knightly duty, you done it so perfectly that you didn't even realise you had done it.

That itself is incredible, goddammit, Failure, you're incredible.

You protected this entire forest, you protected Ethania, you won!

But you still have a duty. If Aldred dies, everyone dies, the forest is destroyed, and with it, Ethania's will.

So Failure, whatever madman plan you've been plotting to get your revenge, do it, you fucking deserve some damn revenge."

Life returned to Failure's green eyes, the dark colour looking like a tree that's blooming new life. The bags that clung to the space under Failure's eyes vanished slightly, but mostly still remained.

And the sound Kai was hoping to hear was heard, the noise echoing throughout the forest.

Failure laughed.

He laughed as loudly as he could, his voice getting carried far and wide. Every bit of pain, every bit of guilt, every bit of sorrow, every bit of every dreadful emotion he had felt since Ethania's death was let out in one exhilarating bout of laughter.

Unaware of what was actually going on, any beast and human who heard Failure laugh thought that he was laughing because Aldred was winning, maybe even because they were winning.

Failure's laugh fuelled them with energy, the arms that had grown tired swiging their blades or drawing their bowstrings gained more power.

The battered bodies of those holding the shields on the frontlines felt themselves swell with energy as they continued to tank blow after blow from anything that hit them.

Every beast howled, growled, cried or even squeaked in response, that all thought they were winning.

Sadly, Failure did not think the same.

"Kai..." Failure spoke, a somber sadness evident in his tone. He even left out the 'my dear' that Kai had gown so used to.

"Thank you, I really cannot thank you enough for what you've given me. Truly, everything I've given you seemes so insignificant in comparison. If I could give you more, I would, if I could make us win, I would, but...

We've already lost."

Kai's face paled as his hand that was still gripping tightly onto his revolting blade trembled.

Lost? What does he mean lost? How could they have lost? There had to be something, Failure had to have something planned, he knew everything, right?

"What... do you mean?" Kai swallowed.

Failure sighed, dissapointed as his whole body emerged from the Mother Tree. He basked in a soft green glow, like a spirit. Then, Kai realised something.

He could see through Failure's body, spotting the impenetrable bark of the Mother Tree through the glowing man's stomach.

"I have no tricks, my final gamble was on Aldred, he was the only one who stood any chance against the Demon after all.

But while Aldred is strong, two full moon abominations are too much, even for him-"

"But you're strong!" Kai cut in. "You created this whole forest, you control it, surely you can do something-"

"Kai..." Failure said softly, as if to comfort the panicking boy. "I'm weak, I have none of the the strength that you seem to think I have.

I mean, look at me."

Failure turned his body and extended his hand towards the Mother Tree, giving Kai a better look rather than making him see through his intangible body.

"I'm being corroded, my strength constantly being sapped, even as we speak."

Failure winced slightly, emphasising the point.

"I've learned to resist it slightly over the last couple hundred of years, but that doesn't make the sensation any more pleasant.

You went through the minor attacks on your soul, imagine those attacks but they're everywhere. Mind, soul, body, nerves, will, HP regeneration, Mana regeneration, the effects of all my skills, anything and everything I posses is corroded without discrimination.

And that's not to mention the moon. I'm sentient after all, and control every tree. The moon's light shines down on everything below, every tree present, and I feel it all. Every tree cries out in agony constantly, so I bear the pain. If I don't, gaps appear, the same as the one you ended up under. Sorry about that by the way, I was... tired."

Kai's heart was in turmoil. He was hurting, why?

But no matter what, his pain was like a drop in the ocean in comparison to Failure's.

He had do abandon his family, lose the one he had sworn to protect,  be subject to horrible torture that was created by the one who killed the one who he was meant to protect, and to top it all off, be corroded by possibly the strongest thing or being in the universe, all at once.

And yet, despite all the pain, despite all the harrowing things he had gone through, despite all the shit he had endured, Failure continued to smile.

He smiled through everything.

Kai wanted to be like that.

Strength wasn't how hard you could punch. Strength wasn't how much of something you could kill before it killed you. Strength wasn't being able to have the power to dictate other people.

Strength was being able to smile through pain, to not give in to anything. To keep a smile throughout everything, that was strength.

Kai wanted to be able to smile like Failure had.

"There has to be something, there has to-"

"Kai" Failure cut him off got what felt like the hundredth time today. He wore a soft smile on his weary face. Even if he was about to die in the next few minutes, Failure would not stop smiling.

"I don't even posses a body, the corroding has stolen everything I once had, I have-"

"That's it!" Kai exclaimed as he practically hopped off the ground as an idea popped into his head.

"You're a spirit or some shit, right? You're glowing, so I am right. You can posses me! You'll have a temporary body, you'll get your stats and skills back because you'll be away from the corroding for a few moments. It's perfect, we can win-"

Failure chuckled softly at Kai's useless excitement, the dark truth was well known in his mind.

"Kai, if I were to posses you using your innate ability, you would die instantly. I am a much higher level, a much stronger being. It would be a miracle if you even lasted a second before your soul collapsed."

Kai's ears rang rapidly. His heart rate and breathing both picked up as he trembled. He couldn't heat anything, he was focused on something Failure had said.

A miracle...