Part 2 –

 

20 years ago, a traveller passed through the borders of Colight. An outlandish appearance defined them as a danger to those that watched on from the safety of their village walls. What they saw was a disease that that had wandered into the sacred lands of Colight from the filth that was the Katho Region.

Like a stray dog, she roamed the Minor Plains with no obvious goal. Her head was raised to the horizon, yet none could see it underneath the overgrowth of moss that smothered her head. This was simply the colour of her hair. A strange, oddly luscious green that deeply complemented the grime and smothered filth that clung to her body almost as if it were a part of her.

What she carried was no more than a chipped blade and an emblem of exquisite artisan make. The emblem glistened like a jewel in under the fond light, shimmering in her palms as she roamed the land for days on end in seemingly another world. Though Colight neighboured Katho, the scent of death disappeared almost entirely.

Was this the doing of the Gods of this Region? The Children of Balance?

She didn’t know.

The young girl could only walk in a single direction in the hope of finding the place called Farshard – as her acquaintance, Calin, had pointed her. Calin had a peculiar origin. She was born as the daughter of a Hero from Colight, so she was told. Whether it was true or not mattered little to a nameless runt like herself.

What she cared for the most was to deliver the emblem for this person.

The girl had lost more homes than the years she had roamed Katho. Equally by the gruesome nature of Katho, and by her own hands. Her morals were strained and beaten. Katho was a breeding ground for monsters in human flesh. The atrocities she witnessed and committed were unforgivable to the world – but even so, they were no more than a part of her life.

There was no shame in wanting to live.

This was what she believed.

After restless days and nights of wandering, the starved woman eventually reached the mouth of a silent forest. She hadn’t noticed it before. It appeared almost as if it had sprung into existence.

Naivety was far from her defining trait. Alarmed by the sudden disparity, the girl clutched onto her blade and held it close. In her offhand she held her fingers in a ‘click’ like motion, ready to flick flames into the forest at a moment’s notice.

Though she held her ground and warily cast her eyes around her like an owl – she seemingly fell deeper into the forest. It was as if it swallowed her deeper from its maw to its stomach.

It felt alive. Incomprehensibly alive. The girl who was ill attuned with the greater magical world beyond the visceral brutality of Katho’s lands was rendered confused. The tip of her blade waved from direction to direction to hallucinations of rustles.

Her fighting instincts drove her to perceive these nothings as threats, for she should have been attacked by something by now. Yet nothing happened. Not even the trees swayed, for there was no wind in this bizarre world.

Suddenly – the world caught alight.

The trees morphed into homes. Into houses. Into the families and friends she had once loved. Everything burnt down at the seams as they screamed and cried out her name in endless torment.

“Elise.”

“Margaret.”

“Samantha.”

“Arai.”

“Alissa.”

“Bailey.”

So many different names were called, but they all undoubtably belonged to her. Each one was derived of a different home; spoken by many she had come to call family. But one by one each home had fallen to the savagery of Katho, and in turn, so did her names.

When another home was found she began anew, hence the different names that were wailed through the flames. There were tens of different names.

The young woman was forced to remember each beginning and end. The days that seemingly passed in the mere seconds that elapsed around her was enough to physical rend the mind of a human.

The girl did not know how to react. Her blade slipped as she tried to save them, but her efforts proved futile. Upon reaching for the flames the world was dragged away, leaving her in a spatial prison that nearly shattered her mind.

The mental anguish went beyond the physical and psychological. It directly attacked her soul. A flame hotter than any metal branding tool or molten slag was ignited underneath her feet as she squirmed on the ground like a flailing worm.

Somehow she felt as though this wasn’t the first time she had witnessed a vision like this.

Her hair was soiled, appearing like stringy moss as it was caught in the various roots beneath her. What was left of her clothing was torn apart, leaving her nearly stark naked. The only things she wore at this point were her scars and tattered skin from the endless violence of Katho.

But none of her past pain – even when combined – could compare to the soul-wrenching agony that was inflicted upon her as she watched vast memories of countless villages, towns and homes being reduced to nothing but blackened rubble.

Yet despite her anguish – She managed to remain conscious throughout the entire ordeal…

Much to the surprise of the being that observed the event with overt bemusement. This was because the girl had miraculously managed to struggle against the [Mark of Desire].

No. It was simpler than that. Where the [Mark of Desire] sought to recalibrate one’s heart; it could only do so much when a person’s desires were already refined.

What the girl carried in her heart was not a wish or a dream. It was a tangible reality that she aspired to reach. But the girl never could.

Never in a place like Katho.

She believed Colight to be much the same. The stalking eyes of the villages she passed only confirmed this. However, not once had the scent of death lingered in the air of these vast plains.

It was clean. So beautifully clean.

Why did this sudden thought appear at the forefront of her mind? The young woman wished to know as the pain suddenly dulled. The world froze as if the ebbs of time had ceased all for the sake of the being that emerged.

A pair of crimson orbs stared back at her from seemingly everywhere and nowhere. It existed in equal parts where she looked as it did all around her. When she thought she had finally caught a glimpse of the being’s visage, a voice spoke from behind.

“You’ve come a long way from home, haven’t you?”

The woman was physically incapable of speaking. The agony, still fresh in the depths of her soul only allowed her to grimace as she felt the presence of the entity loom over her from behind.

Yet she did not fear it. The entity slowly moved into her vision, appearing like a Goddess amongst the flames around her. An immeasurable sense of awe blossomed from the recesses of her heart, despite the shadowy appearance of this entity. She was so dark that the girl imagined the spiralling cosmos within her near silhouette-like appearance.

A sparkle emerged in her green eyes like the explosion of a single firework, as if the flames surrounding her had suddenly converged into a single point as they disappeared to nothingness.

“Fear not young one. I’ve been waiting for you. Since the destined Beginning, all to the fated End.” The entity spoke tantalisingly, almost sounding hypnotic. “I am the Overlord of Desire – the 5^th daughter of Despair. I know what you seek. I know what you were. I offer you the gateway to become what will.”

The girl had only heard of legends about the mysteries of Colight. That it was where the malevolent Goddesses – the Children of Balance – existed; where the Spirit of Balance roamed and executed all that disobeyed the order of the Goddesses it served; and was the very place were the forsaken Exrenity were born.

But there was another legend that circulated as of recent. One that plucked the strings of curiosity more than any ancient God or cursed spirit.

It was an Overlord.

The girl could not answer. Pressure of unimaginable proportions kept her on her knees. Her feeble mind could barely comprehend the image of this being that assaulted all five of her senses just by existing.

Yet she did not relent.

Her desires were too true to be overruled by the Overlord of Desire’s powers. However –

While the girl was far from naïve, it was impossible for her to reject its proposal. Not because she was afraid. Rather – it was because she believed that the only way forward to achieve her goal, which had faltered time and time again, could finally be achieved with the aid of this… angelic-like entity.

This was the power of Desire. She was a master at manipulation. The hearts of the living were no more than a gateway to their soul. Unbeknownst to the girl was that she could have easily rejected the Overlord of Desire, for her desires were untainted.

The girl wondered for a moment. These fleeting thoughts did not belong to the current girl, however. Rather, these thoughts belonged her future self. She wondered if at that moment, if she had only rejected Desire’s hand, which slowly reached out for her, would have the calamity occurred?

She didn’t know if she made the right choice by taking its hand. But whatever the outcome was – she could only hope it would allow her to live the peaceful life she gruellingly aspired.

But she knew that in order to achieve peace – blood must first spill; a rite that she was already used to.

“If everything is a pain – and if the world can only take from you – and if you desire to protect – then shall we make a deal –

– Oh, young Anoma?”

* * *

“ANOMA!”

Ectarod’s voice resounded like a lion’s roar. It permeated through the bones of all present, causing even the severely injured to snap upright in fright. Though it was his voice that deafened the world, he was not the one who pinned Anoma against the cracked walls.

The honour belonged to Calin. Her throat was strangled in the firm grip of Calin’s frozen gauntlets. The cracks of the wall grinded and dribbled with dust as she painfully resisted the overwhelming urge to pummel her straight through these weakened walls.

“You told us NO ONE was here! You made us all believe that there was no one left inside of Palvel. Anoma… ANOMA! Just who are these people!? Did you know!? Did you lie to us!? ANSWER ME!” Calin’s voice nearly ripped as she tore into Anoma with uncharacteristic vice.

Had it not been for the innocent people of Palvel present, she would have undoubtable fought her amongst the blazing swarms of Undead. No amount of fear could ever begin to outweigh the agony of betrayal that sawed at her spirit.

Anoma was, after all – the closest person in her entire life. A decade was spent shoulder to shoulder in the bleakest depths of Katho all for the sake of survival. However, Anoma’s aspirations and dreams were not as simple as hers. The girl with the green eyes only saw a world dyed in blood and flames, wishing for a place where she’d never have to witness the sight of devastation ever again.

This was the Anoma that Calin knew. The girl that she had named so long ago. An anomaly, given her strange hair and eyes; and her desire to achieve what was right in a world that was so unbelievably wrong. The hypocrisy was damning. Laughable, even. Because her aspirations could only be followed by further dying the world in the colour she so despised.

But Calin could not laugh. Not now. Not anymore. Not in the presence of a monster. Calin was one who adored the crimson woes of the world. But what unfolded in Palvel was not something comparable to the redness of flames or the devastation she dearly adored.

It was far more sinister than she could possibly imagine.

“… what’s wrong with you Anoma? Why won’t you talk!? Say something! ANOMA –!”

Khalis drove the handle of his monumental war-hammer right beside the head of the unflinching woman.

“You’re going to tell us everything you know… you made us reap so many innocent lives with our own two hands.” Khalis spoke in an agonised growl. The stains on his hands only grew with each hour that was spent here.

It was first the death of Lizen, and now the countless innocent that they had damned to the flame. There was only so much that a man could forgive himself for… even if it was all out of his control.

And more so when it was the decision of a single person.

“Did you know? Tell us – Did you know!?” Calin snapped once more as Ectarod took a stance before her with the Taniawort siblings.

His presence, no matter how much it dominated her vision, gathered little reaction from her. She gave a grazing glance to the three of them, then to the people of their division, and then – to the citizens of Palvel.

Only then did Anoma finally speak.

“Would have any of us set foot into Palvel if we knew?”

Khalis’ face hideously contorted.

“Knew what!? That there were people still in here!? Is that why you made us burn them all alive!? Without ever trying to save them!? We had airships dammit!”

“Our airships would have seen them! They would have seen everyone! So why didn’t they Anoma!?” Calin lashed out, nearly ready to scorch the side of Anoma’s face just to get her to speak.

Ectarod on the other hand watched on with immense disappointment. His aura was thick enough to cut from the air. He had seen countless wars and conflicts in his lifetime, and during these he had watched how Anoma climbed the ranks before ultimately becoming the Guildmaster of Colight.

For now, he kept his mouth shut and chose to instead wait for Anoma to unravel the very nature of their battle in Palvel.

While the innocent lives were a disaster alone – Ectarod was far more concerned about the orb and the strange [Barrier] that enclosed the entire city.

“What were you trying to achieve by sending us all here to burn down the city if you knew people were still inside? Why couldn’t you have told us?” Calin clutched onto Anoma’s shoulders, her voice trailing off as she slumped forward, her head nearly sunken into green-haired woman’s chest. “I would have fought. You know me. You know us all dammit… so then why did you choose to lie?”

“… what else did you want me to do? What else could I have done? Are you trying to convince me that the Undead are not a threat to us all?” Anoma spoke through clenched teeth, finally succumbing to the pressure of countless judging gazes. “If it weren’t for Palvel then Truebirth would have been the staging ground for this insanity. The Undead are a threat that must be destroyed at all costs. No matter the sacrifice. You already know this.”

“But to make us kill innocent –!” Khalis grunted but was immediately ceased by the arm of the Pathfist King.

“If you truly did wish to vanquish the Undead then we would have razed the city with airships alone. You valued their lives more than you’re willing to admit. But it makes no sense for you to decide to burn it all down ourselves.”

Ectarod spoke, becoming the voice of reason within this dire time. Indeed – Anoma did not order any primitive strikes against Palvel. It was odd and entirely uncharacteristic of the Guildmaster who knew war like the back of her hand.

But no one questioned her. And how could they when she was not only the Guildmaster, but also the Queen of Truebirth?

“Unless you wanted us all to be here.” He added, causing a number of voices to arise within the tower. “You needed a great number of people present in Palvel. The dark beam. The orb. The [Barrier]. What does it all mean? Anoma… what does victory here look like to you if we were never destined to win against the Undead?”

Anoma’s eyes flared all of a sudden. Ectarod read her as easily as an open book. The woman who was regarded as the ‘ice Queen’ of Truebirth finally displayed her cracks for all to see – undermining the 20 years of trust she had painstakingly built across the kingdoms of Colight.

“Tch. This was never our fight in the first place.” Anoma painfully admitted. “I rallied you all here because that is what our Gods willed. Do you think I wanted this? Look at me when I talk to you, Calin! For the last 25 years did I ever look like the person who would betray their closest friends on a whim!?”

She exploded with a roar of anguish, finally cracking at the seams.

Anoma’s expression sharply shifted. Her brows furrowed in frustration as she grinded her teeth with immeasurable vice. The crackling of metal rung as her gauntlets nearly shattered in her iron grip.

“I’ve despised them from the very beginning. But you all admire them like they’re infallible. You sent me here to Colight in hopes of finding peace! But all I was ever found was a future of war! An ultimatum that led me to trust it against my better judgement! They gave us false hope with the Exrenity! And now with the Spirit of Balance! You want a plan going forward!? Here it is – survive! Survive until all of this ends... Now I question whether our kingdoms will be safe anymore.”

Anoma panted as the room fell silent. None could believe what they heard. Many tried to refute it, to declare it as impossible but their reality forced them to admit that regardless of what occurs here – there was no guarantee that their homes were safe. Even the Greater Knights were left shocked at the revelation, only now realising the true capacity of this calamity.

She slammed a fist into the wall behind her, cracking it further as it wavered to the sheer weight of the tower it held. Fearing an imminent collapse, a group of Greater Knights move in to swiftly apprehend her, capturing her arms by her back as blades were brought straight to her throat.

Her status as the Queen and Guildmaster meant nothing to them anymore.

“Victory is in the eyes of our Gods. Not us. We’re fighting in their footsteps, and we’re being trampled as we speak. We were brought here to witness it. To fuel that orb with despair.”

“Witness what!?” Khalis demanded.

“Calamity… that’s how vague our Gods are. That’s all I know. I won’t apologise. I know what must be done. And how I must atone when this all… subsides. How funny…”

“You – you think this is funny!?” One of the Greater Knights erupted in fury.

“Tch. I’d be laughing if weren’t so despicable. Survive. From the bottom of my heart – you must all survive.” She sincerely ordered.

“Keep her in check.” Ectarod commanded to the Greater Knights. “Anoma… you mentioned a staging ground. And that orb consumes despair. For what exactly?”

“I don’t know. We were promised to survive. I was promised that Truebirth and Pathfist would remain. But now I question it.” Anoma solemnly spoke.

“For 20 years…” Khalis grumbled.

“Since I first set foot into Colight my fate had already been sealed. All for the sake of protecting our homes. This calamity would have taken place in Truebirth had it not been for me.”

“… how gallant of you…” Ectarod spoke from the throat with a deep, half-sarcastic tone. “This is more difficult than I imagined. Khalis. Calin. Leave her be. You will be held fully accountable for everything that transpired here. I hope you are ready to face your consequences… even if the Gods do not will it.”

“I’ve already prepared myself for it. Long, long ago. But first – survive long enough to see it. Calin… I see. I wouldn’t want to look at myself either.”

“… and that’s why you hated mirrors.” Calin choked.

“Exactly.” Anoma softly smiled as she fell into the darkness behind her eyelids – imagining a world free from the madness of theirs.

* * *

“There’s so many here…” Haiyoto uttered underneath his breath, sharing the same gnawing sentiments as Gruggur who could barely contain his shock.

He carefully placed the sleeping Amy down on a vacant bale of hay beside others who were similarly unconscious. Some of these people were unfortunately locked in an eternal slumber, long deceased before any of them had arrived.

The stench of death was as intoxicating here as it was outside.

“So it seems…” Was all he could manage to say without his demeanour breaking.

“Here. Are you hurt?” One of the healers of their division asked quietly in the corner towards a young man, whose arm was wrapped in crimson-soaked bandages. “Don’t worry. I’m a healer. See?” She showed him, and those around small particles of light emanating from a finger, causing their eyes to sparkle with fragments of hope.

“I suppose none of you know what is happening outside either?” An old man spoke. “Aside from… the Undead.”

“If we did then we wouldn’t have come. Curses… we were all brought here with false promises.” A grey-armoured knight admitted. “That thing… what was it? Oh, Greater Knights, do any of you know?”

“We’re as surprised as you are. I don’t believe there is a single person who knows that that thing was.” Khalis slowly answered. “However… it killed fifteen in a single swoop, and we didn’t even manage to catch a single glimpse of its form. That was likely one of those Undead.”

“Those? What are those!?” A man blurted out.

“I don’t know. It was one of the eight Undead we watched escort the orb from a fissure northeast of the city. Its speed wasn’t something we could see with the naked eye. I’m sorry if it sounds so hopeless, but this is the sort of enemy we’re up against. Not the measly lesser Undead. But something more evil. It is no wonder we haven’t found them until now.”

“Is all hope really lost?”

“Not when we’re still standing.” Khalis affirmed, as did the other Greater Knights who deeply nodded in agreement. “We must apologise for our sudden appearance. This is the safest place we could find. Healers. Please – help anyone you can.”

“How long are we going to stay here for? Won’t the Undead break in given enough time?” A young man asked in a cowardly voice.

“There is regrettably not much else we can do other than to hold this place down.” It pained Khalis to admit this cruel fact.

However –

“What about the others?” Someone asked.

“Others?” A Greater Knight questioned.

“We’re… we’re not the only ones hiding away from the Undead. Thousands of us must still be alive! Our families. Our friends. They’re all still out there!” A woman shrieked, clutching onto the gauntlet of Khalis as she nearly toppled over. “The Undead only appeared yesterday! There’s a chance that there’s more survivors!”

“That’s right! The Undead only arrived since yesterday!”

This shocked Khalis. While he was already aware that there were potentially more survivors in Palvel given the revelation, what he and the others did not know was that the Undead were only here since yesterday…

And not from the weeks prior as they’ve been told.

“Tch… how can you believe we’ll survive out there any longer than them.” An Adventurer scoffed in defeat. “We’re not saviours. We came to raze this city down… what the hell are we still doing here?”

“Enough.” Another urged, sickened by their murders. “Please… don’t say anymore. Enough of this nightmare already.”

Their morale withered to the point where it intoxicated even the sturdiest of White and Black Knights. It sept through the crevasses of their armour like the cold of winter, biting deep into their bones.

None saw the light of hope. Only despair spiralled in their clouded eyes as they looked to the Greater Knights for comfort and reassurance, but ultimately failed to garner a hopeful response.

Not after what they had learned, and what their leader – Anoma – had made them do.

“… Yesterday?” Khalis showed sudden interest. “Anoma… did you –?”

“I didn’t lie about the reports. You know well I’m not their first line of contact.” Anoma quickly responded. However, she momentarily froze, as if debating something internally. “But…”

“But!?”

“Tch. There’s no point in hiding the truth now. It’s likely they were tricked by an illusion. Either that or – every single person in Palvel were driven to hide from our scouts. Whatever it was, it worked in getting you all to believe the Undead had already taken over Palvel.”

“Impossible… are you saying this is the cause of [Illusion] magic!? On such a grand scale!?” Khalis roared but despise how much he wished he could refute Anoma’s words, he knew that she wouldn’t lie… not now, regardless of her treachery.

The Anoma he knew was still present; just beaten down like a lost dog.

“… what do you know Anoma?” He grumbled. “What could have possibly done this?”

“S-she’s right! We were – ah, er – we woke up all of sudden indoors! There was… a strange dream. I think all of us had one.” A young woman exclaimed, coming to the aid of Anoma in a disturbing display of irony.

“That dream… we all saw it.  Before we knew it, we were all huddled in basements and in wine cellars. As for us, we ended up here.” An old woman recalled, causing a number of speculations to emerge as the chatter of a hundred chilled the very air.

“Ended up? Do you mean you woke up here? You can’t recall a thing?” Khalis questioned, eager to unveil this mystery.

“None of us remember a thing other than our dreams… and not all of us woke up. These people here… they all died in their sleep.” Another pointed out the tens of bodies that laid motionless atop scattered hay bales.

It was as if the entire Palvel had fallen to a spell of drowsiness. No one knew why they had all found themselves hiding within the depths of their homes, but once they realised the danger that roamed beyond their doors – they could not help but to believe it was more of a blessing than a curse.

However –

“Is this how the settlements across the Great Plains were wiped out!?” Khalis thought aloud. “[Illusion] magic… on this grand of a scale. I don’t believe it. Could it be [Mind-Altering] magic?”

“That doesn’t exist. The mind cannot be directly manipulated. It can only be led.” Gruggur felt inclined to answer. Despite his overbearingly muscular appearance, he was quite well versed in magical knowledge. Surprising more than most Greater Knights.

[Mind-Altering] magic was quite frankly impossible to achieve on the living. While one could manipulate people in doing their bidding, it was never possible to directly assume control over them purely through magic alone.

Possession and other means of assimilation were perfectly viable as alternatives, however. Mind-invading plant-life along the fogged walls of Vevillen and the Depths were a perfect example of how a being could have their willpower drained, and their consciousness flushed into an empty slate; a husk waiting to be filled with a new mind.

Another species capable of taking control of the mind were the Assimi – a relative of the Succubus that survived through devouring and replacing their victims, often inheriting fragments of their memories, habits, and behavioural characteristics.

Interestingly enough, [Statement] and [Divine Statement] were not considered [Mind-Altering] for the reason that the will of a person was merely being overruled by the commands of a greater being. Their judgement remained unhampered, but they could not assume control of their own bodies.

Unless of course – their Will somehow allowed them to.

Will was different from the soul. While intertwined to varying capacities, Willpower was a beacon that illuminated the person against the dark of the world, whereas the soul was what encapsulated it. In some cases, as with the Colours and the Biomech – a true consciousness will bring about a Will strong enough to supersede the need for a soul.

In other words – the birth of a living being, regardless of its construct. Souls were the most well-known capsules of mana, life and will. But lesser-known ones existed and were far more tangible as well.

One such race were the Crystaloids – a mineral-based race with a crystal heart that contained their very life essence. Though only a legend, it was said that they exist somewhere in the Depths.

Ultimately, what prevented [Mind-Altering] magic from working was Willpower alone, as dictated by the Overlord of Will – the 3^rd apostle of Despair. Willpower was integral for an individual to reign sovereign over themselves…

Even though in reality this could not be further from the truth.

Needless to say, [Mind-Altering] magic was completely out of the question.

“[Illusion]… to encompass a city it must exceed the [Eleventh Tier]. But what sort of monster can do such a thing? Unless –!” Khalis, through countless thoughts that spanned only a single second, managed to come to the only logical conclusion.

The true nature of this magic was [Desire], a fundamental [Fourteenth Tiered] magic for the living.

“Who else do you think can unravel [Illusion] magic to this scale? It’s the Apostle of one of our benevolent Gods.”

“Apostle… Anoma – You don’t mean –!” Ectarod exclaimed all of a sudden, unable to believe the words that left Anoma’s lips.

“We are at the whims of the Overlord of Desire.” Anoma seemingly regretted saying. “For 20 years I’ve been building everything towards this. All because Truebirth became a place for someone like me to belong to.”

“… and this was the outcome you foresaw?” Ectrarod grimaced.

“Even if I did, I don’t think I would have stopped if it meant Truebirth wouldn’t have to become their staging ground.” She painfully admitted. “But I’m uncertain of our future now… and besides, this isn’t the first time we’ve done this. Calin.”

“I can’t believe you. I know I’m not mentally sound. But don’t think I ever enjoyed watching so many people burn.” Calin croaked. “I still have morals… Despite everything we’ve already done. I wouldn’t lie to you. So why did you lie to me?”

Anoma could not muster the strength to speak to the broken Calin. The woman’s voice alone caused her immense pain as she slowly pushed her throat against the sharpened edge of the blade before her, drawing a small dribble of blood.

“Anoma. Why do you look like the same person I met so long ago?” Calin creaked, crushing the blades with a single stomp. “… if you want to die that much, then go and atone. Go… just go. I can’t bear to see you like this. After all these years of watching the small you grow out of that hell – why are you sitting in it again?”

The woman could only stare up into Calin’s crimson eyes without ever uttering a word. But even so – her eyes were never hollow or washed out. Rather, within Anoma’s emerald eyes was a sheen that somehow cut through the darkness. It was not that Anoma had given up. It was simply that she wished for nothing more than for the safety of their homes.

This part of Anoma hadn’t changed.

No… Anoma had never left that hell in the first place.

“Fine then.” Calin, with both hands, grasped onto Anoma’s shoulders and suddenly shoved her into the centre of the room with tremendous force. “You wanted us to come here for temporary respite so you can have time to gauge the situation. You have it now – so go figure something out for us... tch. Until we leave Palvel, you’re still our leader. Even King Ectarod doesn’t have as much experience with the Undead as you. I hate to admit it, but – you’re the only one who has as much of a chance of keeping us alive than anyone else.”

No one refuted this. While they knew Anoma had led them here to their deaths, it was equally as true that she was also their only hope of survival. But this was not all. The Greater Knights, though still shocked by her betrayal, deeply understood the situation she had dug herself into.

For this reason, it became hard to push all the blame onto her. Regardless of this, Anoma would still need to atone for every life that was lost here.

“And don’t believe for a second you’ll be allowed to perish here without being punished.” Ectarod warned. “Regardless, you and I both will embark on any high-risk mission. Neither of us deserve the luxury to relax.”

“I’ve never had that luxury to begin with.” She scoffed, shutting her eyes as she deeply exhaled. “Everyone – for now, keep tending to the injured. These last few hours will be vital for our survival, so I hope for your continued cooperation.”

Whether they liked it or not – They would have to obey her orders to the bitter end.

All for the sake of survival.