S2:CH7

A couple of days have passed, and Kindred was now leaving the Sovereign University of Vendeaux as a professor of Politics and Philosophy. With it, he waved his final goodbyes to the Head Scholar, Lady Dawn of Sitia. As they walked towards the University gates, the doors were opened by the university's servants. Kindred then spoke as they both got outside the university walls.

"I guess we shall end this now milady. I'll be missing our talks of Vonturian politics, and the like..."

Kindred smiled, but received the small laugh from the Head Scholar. "Oh please. We knew that our relationship will not work out. Which is why we never took it seriously, remember?" She then said. They both chuckled after that, then looked at each other. "Thank you Sir Osiris, you made me realize that there can be men who can be intellectuals as well."

"Karthusians...." The general said, as they both laughed at this. "Alright then. I'll be taking my leave."

As they both shook their hands and and went on with their ways, Morticia was waiting for the two to finally end their conversation. She then saw a faun near her who seemed to be studying plants.

"Miss. Aren't you supposed to be inside the university?" She asked. the faun then looked towards her in a puzzling look. She had black hair, and her horns resembled a ram, but was creatively embroidered with flower designs. Her skin was light especially now when the sun is at it's peak in the spring season. She was wearing a light blue garment, a bit different from the fashion of Karthus, but expected from scholars in the university. As it was sometimes normal to see students challenging the status quo of fashion in the kingdom. She had a goat tail, which was swaying a bit back and forth as she was studying plants earlier, and now she looked at the red advisor with confusion and a bit of anxiousness.

"Oh umm..." She struggled for her words as she then realized who she was talking to. Although she did not care that much about the politics that ensued in Karthus, she still knew that this person was one of the more known generals in the kingdom, and with that thought, she now thought even more if she was in trouble. 

"Don't worry miss, it's just him being himself. No need to be nervous. I'm Morticia by the way." the advisor said.

"I'm Vivian. Vivian Eldevoir." The researcher replied. "I heard you were the general?" She asked.

"Well yes." Kindred replied. "We are actually preparing to be in a meeting tomorrow. Which is why I came to the university to bid my farewell to my students. And I would say the same to you."

"Oh I..." She wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say. But suddenly, Morticia's voice was then heard...

"Kindred." she said. "She's not a student."

With that fact, the general then looked at the researcher, then at Morticia. As a smile slowly formed around Kindred, she was met with Morticia's glare.

"No."

She sternly said to the general as she knew what this smile meant. But Kindred laughed at her reaction as he had enjoyed teasing her about this issue. "Don't worry. I am merely a general asking for directions." He said to Morticia, who had a look of suspicion on Kindred, which made him laugh even more.

"Well then." He said. "I guess maybe it would be nice if we-"

As Kindred was talking, he then noticed the Red Blood Regiment moving towards him. This was now a reason to bail. And as duty has called him and his advisor, he had to go.

"If we meet in another time." He continued. As the girl nodded, he then faced his men for their last day of training in Karthus. As he went on to give them their final words, and words of encouragement for the new Karthusian recruits, he then went home. And as he closed the door of his house, there he got to take a deep breath, and speak.

"Crescentia...."

Kindred whispered, then walked upstairs to go to his bedroom. The sight revealed Ichikari, all covered in bandages. Her left arm was cut cleanly off. Her right hand had completely regenerated. Puzzling at this thought, he wondered why her body healed unequally. She had both arms cut off by the Evangel, yet she was now here having one arm cut cleanly while the other was completely regenerated through her healing powers as The Primal Shifter. The question then was why would she do this?

She only looked at the ceiling as her body rested upon the general's bed. Her expression blank, as if trying to wait for the inevitable punishment she would receive for her crimes against the people. Particularly, The Selyrian Alliance. Particularly, The Kingdom of Ravena and Karthus.

But realistically, it's about House Magrin and the Royal Family.

Kindred entered the room, he looked at her in worry and sadness. He remembered the days when they would train together, and the months that followed in helping the people, now gone within just weeks of betrayal, and almost a year of preparation. For him, there was nothing he could do. For him, there was nothing.

Kindred then sat down on the edge of the door frame, slowly looking at the drawers on his room, as he thought how these events even took place. He looked towards his right, facing Ichikari at the bed. He then spoke...

"Why."

That simple word that came out of his mouth was enough to ask many questions to her. It evoked a sense of anguish, guilt, frustration, and disturbance. Yet Ichikari never looked back at him

"Why continue? Why do this? Why go on with a war that only leads to bloodshed?" He began to ask.

It was as if there was no person to speak to, as Ichikari only looked blankly at the ceiling. Slowly, she looked at him. Her eyes showed him something, and it was a message. A message too long and too elaborate, yet specific.

And a message that is too late...

Kindred, looking at her eyes, began to see what she meant. He went back. And he whispered...

"No. Don't do this."

As he said this, she slowly looked away from him again. In a moment of silence, he then sighed. In a moment of despair, he then accepted her outcome. She has accepted her fate. And she knew what was her consequence. He had no choice but to move out of the room, and of the house. He needed a place to figure out and plan for tomorrow, as his comrades were waiting for him.

As the door closed in his house, Ichikari slowly closed her eyes. Then a tear ran down from her cheek. She knew that this action that she was thinking would leave massive consequences. But she would not need to care.

"Ma'am..."

A feminine voice suddenly called out. As Ichikari's eyes suddenly widened, she suddenly looked to her left to see Ebony, standing in the door. It was as if she snuck in, and wanted to tell her something.

"Ebony..."

Crescentia's first words echoed throughout the room. It was still quiet, but loud enough for the fox lady's name to be fully heard. However, it was interrupted by the girl's words.

"I came here to tell you something."

Crescentia rested still in the bed. As the fox lady went closer to her, Ichikari stopped her by saying “It’s time, Ebony.”

The fox stopped, as her eyes slowly watered, and as Crescentia raised her hand to show that it was now fully healed. Now was the time to do one last thing for her clan.

“Ebony.” She called.

“Crescentia.” Ebony called her back, wanting to say something. As if it was to stop her.

“I must do this.” The clan leader fired back.

“Mother, please!”

She stopped…

Crescentia fell silent, looking at the fox who called her something different, or someone more than that. She looked at the fox’s eyes, slowly tearing up. Ebony then ran towards Ichikari and kneeled to hold her hand. She said…

“Please. Ever since you’ve taken care of me in the clan, you’ve been like a mother to me. The Royal Army killed my mother. Beheaded her and…” She spoke, but her emotions overtook her, as she cried. Shortly after, she then said…

“I don’t want the same thing to happen again…”

Crescentia looked at her, and felt something. It had the same guilty feeling she had when she turned against the Red Blood Regiment. When she looked away from her, all she could think of was what her future action would mean for her, her clan, and for Ebony. Slowly, she used her right arm to sit up straight from the bed. And as she looked straight at the walls of Kindred’s room, she took a deep breath, inhaling one of her last breaths she may take for a long while. As she exhaled, she then spoke again.

“Starting now, you will hold a new responsibility. Something even bigger than this.” Ebony was silent upon hearing this, all while still looking at her. As the winds seemed to change its course, she continued to speak.

“You will be the new leader of the clan.”

Ebony stepped back. She didn’t know what to say. As her eyes shifted to Crescentia’s newly healed hand, and her eyes, her tears of sadness turned into tears of disbelief. She could barely move and couldn’t even try to form her words properly.

“Ebony. I’m proud of you.”

As Kindred listened outside his door, he knew that it was also time. He then left the door open. As he looked at someone on top of his house, he nodded at the person guarding the house.

Lady Ailyn…

-----

Thomas looked at a void. His eyes felt heavy. As he forced his eyes to focus on this murky visual, the void of darkness revealed an outline of someone familiar. As she went closer to it, it was similar to her younger sister, Laura, looking at him with a smile.

“Come on, you sleepy head! Let’s go have an adventure in the forest today!”

His environment, slowly shifted to a place of which he has indeed seen before. It was his house. And before he could do anything, the one who was smiling at him earlier, suddenly dashed outside of their house. He sighed, but saw Laura's bed to the left side of the room. While his bed was on the right side, he then felt happy that he was home again. In between the two, there was a small bed-side table with a vase containing one white lily which the light gazed upon through the window just above.

Thomas groaned as he got out of the bed, not harmed in any way of course. He moves toward the clothes hung up on the opposite side of the room. He picks his clothes out and exchanges his sleep clothing for his normal clothing. He then walked out of the room, and saw that he was in his house again. And as he got to the main entrance of the house, he got outside, closing the door behind him.

The outside was filled with your typical villagers singing songs and playing instruments. It was highly unlikely that Karthus would have this environment, considering how intellectual the people are, they would usually be reading books, drinking coffee, or just having intellectual conversations with their friends. Perhaps there was a festival of some sort. 

Perhaps there was something else...

“Where did she go?…” He asked himself.

The world fell silent, as if that was the answer to his question. As he turned around, he saw Karthus empty, with some houses being abandoned and in rubish. The singing, dancing and every-day life disappeared oh so suddenly. Thomas looks around him, now more frantically.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” He called out, only to be answered with silence. As he turned around to continue searching for his sister, he then heard the first sound right after the change of scenery.

“It took you long enough.”

A voice popped right out of thin air. Hearing this, he immediately knew who it was. “Laura?” Thomas asked.

The amount of knights, lords, generals, dukes, and other military figures surrounded the town square where everyone gathered for the meeting. There was the Order of The Holy Knights, who believed that the Clan of Aeryth were far too dangerous to be kept alive, and that these 'heretics' needed to be purged. There was also The White Knights Regiment, who were now the champions of Karthus, and one of the main regiments of the Karthusian Royal Army. Even the Ravenian Royal Navy was present in this instance.

As the delegates met and greeted each other, Kindred then called the men to follow him and meet in the war room. As they got to form, several soldiers were already ironing their swords, cleaning their armor, or just saying goodbye to their fellowmen. And as they would arrive in the castle, with the Golden Eagle Guard giving their most sturdy salute, Kindred ordered his men to stand down and be dismissed. Many things are indeed going to happen today. And one of them was Thomas.

Thomas arrived near the castle on the roof of a house. He took a breath in, then he rand and leaped off the roof, clinging onto the edge of the castle wall. He pulled himself up as he sat and watched his comrades from above. They seem to be sorting out their weapons at the blacksmith.

“Hey! What are you doing down there?” He yelled down to them as he stood proudly on the castle edge..

Sir Jim looked up at him with a concerned and uneasy look. “Wanna go down here?” He asked Thomas.

“It’s pretty easy to get up here, surprised you ADULTS can’t even climb a small wall like this.” He answers with a smug face, ignoring his question. Sir Leon, one of the newer recruits, now gazed up, spotting Thomas. “HAH?! THE HELL DID THAT KID JUST SAY?!” He shouted.

He rushed forward, trying to climb the bricks of the wall, but failed. His eyes gleamed, and his body was slowly reaching the molten steal that the blacksmith was using.

“Need help?” Sir Kai asked him, looking concerned. But Leon didn't answer and continued to try climbing. He almost got hold of an unpolished rock, but ultimately slipped, almost falling into the molten liquid. He hacked, managing to place his palms on the edge to keep himself from falling. He loudly asked...

“HOW’D YOU GET UP THERE?! YOU A MONKEY OR SOMETHING?!”

“Oh, you know, practice…” Thomas tells him, “Sometimes it’s necessary after a successful wallet inspection.” His display of maximum agility ended when a crowd of people rushed towards the entrance of the castle, asking for questions about the war. As he saw Kindred in the middle of it, he drew his sword and jabbed it to the walls of the castle, and used it as a friction device to make his landing even more gentle. After that, he joined the crowd.

The remaining people in the forge looked at Thomas as he hurriedly ran towards the officers. As he almost got inside however, he was then stopped by the Town Watch. But with this, he saw them in a state of strictness. As he would soon discover, Former General Pekka had died, while General Lucille had returned to Hreinngar, leaving the regiment by itself, which meant that the investigation for his sister was halted.

"Everyone. Please. Calm down, and we will come back to you. The generals are just about to start their meeting."

Lady Ellen said loudly. And with this, she then nodded to the officers that it is time to get inside. Kindred lead the visitors, General Kiro along with his trusted officer Ailyn was there, General Rulleek of the Golden Eagle Guard was there, General Harkstone from the Order of the Holy Knights was present, as well as General Durinus from the White Knights. Sadly, from all of the Selyrian Alliance, there was no representative of Hreinngar in the meeting. Instead, someone in green uniform, whose uniform was unfamiliar to others, arrived in the hall.

"Heard you need some help?"

As the delegates of this new coalition sat down, the meeting had begun. Kindred knew that their time was limited, so he cut to the chase.

"We will now be attacking Ravena"

The red general said. And in this instance, sparked some whispers around the table. They have been planning for this ever since the Ravenians arrived in Karthus. But they just could not believe what all of these points have culminated into. However, what they did not think about, was the amount of political tension that this would bring. Precisely, as the Black Valkyrie Regiment and The Order of the Holy Knights were in the same table, along with The Golden Eagle Guard, this meant that there were still vendettas left unchecked. And this made Kindred speak more.

"I know we all here have our own set of things to say to the other regiments." He said. "But the fate of the lives of thousands of Ravenians are at stake. The vast amounts of innocents purged are a testament as to what would, and will happen, if we stand here and do not unite to fight back."

The other members fell silent, and all they could do was listen, as they wished they had something to say, but it was evident that they needed a better plan than politicking each other. Finally, Nathaniel spoke.

"My forces have successfully encircled the land. But we still need a better timeframe to deal with this. In this case, we would need more forces."

"Unbelievable." Sir Tarrick, from the Golden Eagle Guard, replied. "You want us to give military aid to Republicans? And what next, do you want us to overthrow the Monarchy now?"

"Silence, guardian." General Rulleek stated. Being a new face in the Karthusian Royal Army, he was also a new mind to the Golden Eagle Guard. "Let him speak."

"He's right." Kindred said. "Everyone here disagrees with everyone. But our goal here is to work together to defeat the Clan of Aeryth."

Tarrick went silent for a bit. Then sighed. And said..

"Fine."

"General." the man continued speaking. He was wearing a white armor, with a hood that had spikes on top. He wasn't from the White Knights Regiment. He was from somewhere more informal.

"Lord William." Kindred answered. Kindred had talks with him before creating this new alliance. As this new face introduced himself, he was accompanied by someone in a similar uniform.

"General Kindred, this is my most trusted general named Rico." He said.

As the two nodded, they got to the meeting table and continued their discussion. The doors opened again however, revealing someone who will lead them in this war, accompanied surprisingly by Lieutenant Gold of the Red Blood Regiment.

"Strange." Kindred whispered to himself. But as the generals would soon continue to talk, Morticia would follow up saying...

"Now that the Iron Legion is here, wouldn't it be logical to give them the responsibility of the mission to guard the borders of Ravena?"

The rest of the men nodded. And as the discussion would then continue, something felt off about the situation. It's as if someone was preparing for this moment.

And that someone was watching them...

"Halt." Kindred spoke. The room felt silent, and the generals looked at him in a puzzled face. He then looked at the door, and heard footsteps from afar. As the footsteps grew louder and louder, the halls ppened to the sound of Golden Eagle Guards following her. It was non-other than Queen Aria, who would inherit the throne of Ravena when this war would be over. But this was not the reason why Kindred told everyone to be quiet.

Something else was happening...

"Greetings, Generals." The queen said. But the soldiers were all to fixated on the feeling of dread that the warnings of the Red General was saying. Kindred looked at Ailyn and Kiro, who also knew what was going on. As assassins, they know when an attack is going on. The problem is where this would come about.

A soldier from the Order of the Holy Knights then arrived and whispered something to General Harkstone. And this seemed that there was something important that he needed to quickly stand up and give Kindred his farewells before hurriedly leaving.

General Rulleek then reached to his sword and went close to the queen. As Gold would arrive to see the meeting, a sudden burst from the Royal Door sounded. And a large raven entered the castle. The rest of the generals disperesed and tried to fight the creature. But it seemed to not move anymore. As the soldiers put their weapons down, they had their puzzled faces. 

"Please. No." Someone whispered. But it was quickly followed by someone exiting the Raven's body. Lunging herself forward. And in a flash, ran towards the queen, and stabbed her. It was Ichikari, her hand now fully healed, and her position on the royalty emphasized the room like the spotlight of the moon beaming against her and her victim.

Everyone stopped moving. Even the Golden Eagle Guard. The Karthusians especially could not believe this was happening. For the first time, royal blood was spilled in the Royal Palace. This shock would quickly stop, as General Rulleek pulled her away, Morticia suddenly kicked her downwards and got her axe ready. Her eyes filled with rage, as she was prepared to kill her once and for all.

"I will not let her escape!" Morticia said, observing Ichikari in an escaping attempt. Although her stamina wasn't of great help, Morticia ran towards her, pushing through some of the seated soldiers that were at the meeting. Mort' seeing this, quickly tackled her to the ground. While pushing her dagger onto her neck, up to a point that it doesn't cut through. The whole room fell silent with this. The Golden Eagle Guard general, Rulleek, then ordered two of his soldiers to get hold of Ichikari, and escort her somewhere else. 

Morticia then, letting go of Ichikari to be handled by the rest of the soldiers, walked up to Kindred. "It is the outcome that we must judge." Kindred fell silent, hearing Morticia's words. Then, after this silence, he then replied...

"You are aware that there are two ways this can go." 

Morticia looked at him, then continued by saying. "Either we let her go and the regiments lose their trust in us, or we end this... for good."

Kindred then lifted his head to look at Morticia, "And I suppose you know the consequences of each of our choices here." He said.

"Yes." Morticia let out unhesitatingly, looking at Kindred. Following this, Kindred just nodded and said, "Very well. In this instance, it is your call."

"RUN!" 

Ichikari yelled at the stairs before facing Morticia. But as their eyes met, the blade of the advisor's axe had already crossed the clan leader's neck. A moment of silence filled the room, then someone screamed.

"NO!"

"Ebony." Morticia mumbled, as the stairs of the castle loudly thumped with the arrival of Ebony charging at her mother's killer. She then let her claws out and started attacking Morticia, who was clearly shocked by her arrival. she lifted up her axe to swing it at Ebony, only for the axe’s blade to be met with her claw-blades. As Morticia looked up from the axe to Ebony, she realised how anguished Ebony was from her leader’s death. Ebony, without hesitation, would use this moment of distraction to twist Morticia’s arm forcing her to let go of the axe. With this, Morticia was only left with a dagger to protect herself. Morticia withdrew her dagger, pointing it at Ebony. She subsequently swung her dagger across Ebony, aiming for her throat, but rather hitting her face instead as Ebony dodged the attack. To Ebony’s fortune, her mask broke the attack, with a slight crack as a result. The shapeshifter placed her hand on the mask, to feel the crack the attack caused. Which caused her annoyance to elevate. This mask was the only thing left after her mothers’ death, the only piece that she could at least get hold of. It meant a lot to her. The two fought for a short while, with Ebony clearly having the upper hand, but as her rage faded, she realized that the generals were ready to fight her. She was outnumbered, and outmatched.

She hurriedly shapeshifted into her owl form, flying through the window exit. Kindred then rushed up to Morticia. "It was ebony." She let out, "The one that kidnapped me. Her soldiers killed Uri on her command." She then shifted her eyes to Kindred, who was more concerned about Mort’s wounds. “Morticia, you’re bleeding.” Kindred said, as he took off her scarf to place it on the cut trying to stop the bleeding Morticia took the scarf from him, her shift of personality showing as she placed the scarf down. 

“Kindred, she won't stay silent about this. She will be after you, and the rest." 

"We can't do anything about it now." He interrupted as he saw Ichikari’s body in the room, slight tears started forming onto his eyes. He then looked at her with his eyes all filled with water. He then said...

"This will be one of your first lessons in Politics, Morticia. Every major choice you take, will never be retaken."

After tending to her wounds, he then walked away from her. Morticia, however, never felt or experienced what she was feeling right now. She knew that Ichikari's execution would have strong consequences. And now it was time to move on and plan for future attacks, making ready for revenge attempts by the Aeryth clan. She started moving away from the site, thinking about how much more danger she put Kindred and her comrades in, her urge to go after Ebony became stronger. 

It was now a game played by two skilled and determined soldiers who are seeking each other's deaths...

-----

Ebony flew out the castle and saw a whole battalion of White Knights using bows to hunt her down. An alarm had sounded, and the shapeshifters came out of their houses in Karthus. All of them were then being purged by all of the White Knights, the Order of the Holy Knights, as well as the assassins of the Black Valkyrie Regiment. Sometimes, it did not even matter if they were even affiliated with the Clan of Aeryth anymore. If you were a shapeshifter, you will be killed. Ebony watched in horror as she saw her kind getting massacred from below. But the arrows from the White Knight archers were too many to go down. She could escape right now and glide into a higher altitude, to safely head to her new throne on Ravena. But as she looked at the moon, then looked at the people being genocided down below, she knew she had to make a choice.

And it was to go down...

"She's here!" Sir Jim sounded as he was leading a squad of Red Blood Regiment scouts to protect some civilians being targeted by the clan. Artemis was with her sister in the town square, using her bow to fire at the enemies pushing through. The scene was in chaos. Houses were in flames, different cavalry units from the Holy Knights were being dispersed all around the city. Assassins jumped from building to building, as they hunted down each enemy of the enemy soldiers one by one. Civilians scattered around the area, and more and more, it was getting hard to know who and where the true enemies are. Artemis had her back against Aida's and they fired their bows on their line of visions. Each had their backs on each other, as they shot their arrows more and more. But the more they killed, the more they had to retreat to the tree at the middle of the square to get a better vision, and high ground. Suddenly...

"I'm out of arrows." Aida said.

Artmeis did not hesitate to give her arrows to Aida. She counted ten left, as she gave half of it to her sister. 5 arrows for 5 enemies, she had to make it count. Suddenly, as a house in front of them crumbled, they all looked around and saw that they were the only 2 remaining in the flaming Town Square.

"Where is Jim's squad?" Artemis asked Aida. But Aida only replied "I don't know!"

Suddenly, 2 animals got out of the fallen crumbled building. One was an ox and another one was a small pigeon.  Artemis aimed her bow at them. But the ox transformed into a young man. And instead of the clan uniform, he was wearing a civilian outfit. He then  said..

"Please! We're not one of them! We ask for protection! Please help my grandmother!"

But then the sound of horses came around. A squad of knights jumped out of the flames, wearing gray and purple. And as the ox man saw this, he panicked and ran as he carried the pigeon who seemed to have its wings broken. But as he tried to run, his head was then cut off. Artemis looked in horror, as the knights got to them. 

"Sir Arcadius at your service. We're about to meet General Harkstone on the Western Entrance."

The two sisters looked at them, and Artemis saw the pigeon, still unconscious. "He was a civilian!" She said in anger. But Arcadius only yelled at her saying "He was a heretic! This world must be cleansed from them!"

The pigeon moved, and the knights suddenly looked towards where it is. Artemis then looked at the knights who were now walking towards the animal. "We will leave when we secure this place. Now go!" Artemis said, and Arcadius nodded before leaving with his men. Aida seemed to be puzzled, and said...

"They could be helping us right now. But now we just have 1 helping us..."

Artemis was surprised at what she said. She then pulled an arrow as he saw that there was indeed a knight staying and looking at the pigeon.

"Your squad has advanced." She said.

"Our general said to kill all heretics. And I will kill all heretics."

Meanwhile, as Gold and the officers finally arrived at the scene, they saw Captain John ordering the soldiers to finally get to better ground to protect more civilians. And as Jim arrived to regroup with the Scout Division, John asked...

"Where are Aida and Artemis?"

Jim looked around, but saw nothing. "They must've stayed near the Town Square to-" 

As Jim uttered his explanation, Gold suddenly dashed forward and ran through the flames. "Gold wait!" Kai shouted, but was swiftly ignored by Gold running through the flaming village.

On the Town Square however, more reinforcements from the Clan arrived. The two sisters hid closely behind the tree. Artemis began to grab an arrow, but Aida stopped her gesturing that this would be too risky for both of them. The enemies then moved closer and closer, until they heard the sound of metal clanging from the distance, then the sound of a demon's growl, the sound of roaring embers, and the sound of cuts of flesh and swords. As they peaked to see what was happening, carnage had already occured as they saw Gold standing throughout the fresh corpses.

"Gold?" Artemis asked, and the Lieutenant only nodded. He then went over towards the Northern side of the kingdom, and the two soldiers followed him to regroup.

The night soon followed with all the regiments working together to put the fires out, and to see where the other survivors are. As the cold winds of the early morning had arrived, Artemis looked through the dozens of bodies in every street belonging to both the Clan and the Selyrians. And with this, she also saw civilians dead on the streets, with some still alive but tied up. The captors were knights belonging to the White Knights Regiment, and they were adamant about bringing justice to these people.

"What is happening?" asked Artemis.

"These folks be shifters around here..." His Karthusian slang was evident, but he continued speaking. "Sir Chase, White Knights Regiment."

"Captain Artemis, Red Blood Regiment." She said. "These are civilians."

"Maybe. But that's what them clan members looked like as well." Artemis could not reply, as he was right. The Clan of Aeryth relied on guerilla warfare. And in this dynamic, it was hard to know who the enemy is. All she could do was watch, as the man ordered his men by lifting his hand and slightly waving it, gesturing for their execution. The peasants cried, but stopped when the white blades met with their necks. Artemis's democratic instincts kicked in as she was about to run towards Chase, but someone grabbed her arm to stop her. When she turned around, it was Gold.

She watched the horror as she saw the executions happening, and as Artemis watched in horror, Gold held her shoulder, then said...

"Come."

Artemis widened her eyes, as she finally heard Gold speak. All she could do was follow him towards the castle grounds.

---

Artemis's eyes widened as the pigeon transformed into an elderly woman dressed in a baker's uniform. The knight smirked at them and said, "You and the Red Blood Regiment never try to realize what is needed to save this world." Artmeis then got her bow and fired it beside him. "Don't." She said, which made Aida look back to see her sister getting her bow ready to fire at the knight. Aida asked...

"Artemis, what are you doing?"

"Protecting the people with my life." Artemis answered.

The knight laughed and got his sword out. This made Artemis pull her bow and aim it at the knight's head. The grandmother then awakened and saw that the knight was there. She was then shocked and horrified at the look of an armor clad man about to stike her.

"Please don't!" Artemis yelled. But the man was too occupied with trying to strike the elder. Artemis could not take it, and she tried to focus hard, and chose between the 2. for a few seconds, she had to let go of the bow.

A moment of silence occured, and Ebony showed up with an arrow stuck to her shoulder. She pulled it out instantly and stabbed the knight in his neck. The 2 sisters then got to their position, but Ebony just arrived with a couple more squads of shapeshifters. The two had to hide behind the tree. As Artemis peaked however she saw Ebony picking up the elderly woman. She gasped in shock as the clan she thought were ruthless savages, was suddenly helping civilians.

"We need to find a better route. The Western Entrance is guarded by the Holy Knights. Follow me!"

Her followers went with her, and they advenaced through the Southern Gate.

The sun was rising, and the forests were about to be lit. Ebony rallied her troops and pushed forward as she lead this new group of army she had. Suddenly, she saw a figure from afar.

"Stand aside Evangel. This is not your fight."

Ebony said, while gesturing her people to stand behind her. Her eyes were fixated on this warrior, and her body still weak from the burns she received from the evacuation. Now she is faced with this warrior, armed with 2 blades, and the strength of many soldiers. With this the evangel replied...

"Indeed it isn't. My job here is done, as I have found the honest soul prophecized." She stated with a slight smile on her face, and when the wind blew softly, she continued by saying...

"However, I can still do something for my final act to restore balance..."

that she would show no mercy...

---

"Sire, we've found the source of that fire." Sir Arcadius finally arrived in the West Entrance to meet with General Harkstone. The sun was now about to go up, and everything is going clearer. And with this, the general stated...

"Do not worry, the other Selyrians are taking care of the Clan. No need to emphasize their part in this."

"But that's the point, it wasn't them that started it."

By hearing this, Harkstone then looked at the crusader in violet uniform. And with this, Arcadius moved closer with his horse. They both then turned their heads to the western gate as it opened. And it revealed a figure of a man with dark smoke covering him. Behind this person was several bodies coming from the Holy Knights. The man stood near at the bridge, then suddenly faded away as the sun arrived.

"Arcadius, gather a search party. I have a bad feeling about this."

---

Screams covered the forests, as lightning and explosions wrapped around the path of the Karthusian Forest. Ebony and the Evangel fought ferociously as the sun slowly set up. It was clear that the shapeshifter was losing, and that the Evangel had the upper hand, although both were powerful enough that her allies could not even try to keep up with them.

"Your strength is incredible. But you already lost." The Evangel said.

Ebony struck with her claws, but her opponent was to quick and parried them right away. The Evangel jumped to the side to then stab Ebony's side. But Ebony quickly turned and was lucky enough to jump off. She looked at herself and saw a scratch on her waist. With this, she growled at him.

"Give up. Let this balance be settled without bloodshed."

Ebony looked at her, with eyes filled with fury. A moment of silence settled in the area, and with this, she looked at the people. All were looking at her, hoping to see her as the winner, and hoping to see her as their hope. She looked at her soldiers, all willing to help her. When they stepped forward to try to fight the Evangel provided that all of them were all scared, she lifted her hand gesturing them to stop. Ebony then looked at her, and then said...

"I now know."

The Evangel lifted a brow towards her, and with this, she lowered her swords. As the Fox began to speak, her people then listened.

"I now know the meaning of what your people speak of balance."

Ebony now faced the Evangel, looking at her in a daring glare and walking to the side in an encircling manner. Although she was moving, the Evangel's eyes were still fixated on the shifter. Ebony then continued speaking.

"The way of your balance is by bringing down those who are oppressed, while keeping the ones at the top fat and prosperous. My people have suffered through all this time, and my people have suffered enough." She paused for a while after this, and stopping her movement. She then looked down a bit and said...

"She had suffered enough throughout all this time."

The people looked at both of them, and with the Evangel slowly realizing what is happening, she finally replied.

"This isn't your battle, shifter."

"It isn't. And it will never be. But it was, and still is, a battle for my kind's future. Something you and your people never considered."

"I am not part of them."

"And I do not care."

The silence filled even more. But it was soon followed by the sound of distance claps of horses from afar. Some of the people in the group started screaming. This made Ebony speak again.

"Do you hear that? Those are the screams of the people that you seem to not care of when you wish for balance. Those people who you are fine in abandoning for the sake of order. But it ends here."

As soon as the Evangel heard this, she then dashed forward to try to apprehend Ebony. But the fox was ready, and closed her eyes to pull out a serum. She then injected it to her arm, and this created a massive explosion, of which the Evangel was tossed around.

Mythril opened her eyes, and saw a figure standing in front of her. It was still Ebony, but now her eyes were glowing red, and her body was as dark as the night itself. Smoke began to cover the area, and as the Evangel ran through the smoke to try to attack her, the fox was gone. She then heard some movement behind her, and as she turned around, Ebony was already there about to stab her. Mythril dodged it slightly, but her shoulders were damaged by the fox's claws. As the Evangel looked up again, the Clan leader was gone. An echoed laugh soon followed, and hints of red glowing lights moved quickly around Mythril. She reveled in these visuals, as she was then afraid where to strike.

Or what to strike...

Suddenly, all she could hear was a blurry noise of a blade stabbing someone's flesh. Her vision suddenly went out of focus, and a sharp pained stung her back. When she turned around, it was Ebony looking at her with eyes still glowing fiery red. She looked in front of her to see that her enemy's claws sunk deep and impaled her towards the front. Her sword's gem started to glow, as if signalling her of her fate. But Ebony snatched it and destroyed it with her bare hands.

The people gasped, as they never saw this feat of strength before. The crystal shattered in front of everyone, and the Evangel fell to the ground unconscious. For the first time, a person has defeated The Evangel. Someone who was almost as strong as a bunch of soldiers, now slain by the leader of the clan of Aeryth. And if there's any danger present...

Her name would be Ebony...

---

"Sire. We do not wish for any trouble."

"Sire. Stand down. We're taking you into custody."

"Sire! Hands up now!"

"We're being breached!"

"Retreat! Retreat!"

"Please! Sire! Have mercy!"

---

As dawn had arrived, General Harkstone was about to return to the castle to continue the meeting, when he saw some of his men running towards him. 

"Sire. The man from earlier..."

The messenger then fainted on the ground, with a dark smoke exiting his body and into one of his captains. Ellen then looked at the man on the ground, and then said...

"He's gone."

And with this, they went to the castle to meet with the others, and as they announced such incident, it did not take a long time for the regiments to assemble for their first mission as a unified coalition of forces. And as night arrived, they finally fully assembled their forces.

The two prepared their stances, and the regiments created a circle.

"No magic. And no dirty tactics. Just an honorable fight to the death. If you think this will avenge your father's death, then so be it."

Takeshina took out his dark blade in which he spawned using his hands. And with this, they nodded to begin this new combat.

Takeshina struck first with a jump to slash kindred down, but the general turned his body sideways to then get into a position to knee his stomach. Takeshina caught his leg, in which he then decided to stab it with his sword. But Kindred used this moment to use takeshina's arm as a platform for him to jumb up and land on his shoulder, giving Kindred an opening to stab Takeshina's skull. But Takeshina quickly got this move, and immediately tried to slam the general to the ground. Kindred used this perfect time to get his legs free and jump off of Takeshina to then land with a frontflip facing away from the boy. He landed on Takeshinas front, in which he was exposed, but Kindred parried Takeshina's strike by putting his sword on his back, and immediately manouvering to twist his sword to face the teen.

"You've learned a lot. And your fighting style seems to resemble the Black Valkyrie basic trainings."

Kindred spoke, but Takeshina did not reply and only lunged forward to stab him. Kindred then dashed sideways to try to attack his side, but Takeshina lunged even more to dodge his strike. But Kindred knew this so as he finally got to Takeshina's back, he threw his daggers at him. Takeshina was quick enough to parry all the throwing daggers, but as soon as he parried the last one, Kindred was already near him to kick his gut and kick his face as he flew away towards the ground.

However, something seemed to happen within Takeshina. It was as if more black smoke seemed to form. On this note, it seemed that rage filled his mind, and body, and that Kindred was now his biggest target. He took large raspy breaths. And several growls erupted out of his mouth, he then screamed at Kindred who was looking away at him. And then, he pulled out his dark sword again and attempted to stab him from the back. But as he finally got his blade to touch Kindred's armor, he felt a violent force on his side. When he looked at his left, it was Durinus who tackled him to the ground. Feeling cornered and outnumbered, he then turned to his shadow form and ran away.

"No you don't."

The White Knight general said as he ran towards the shadow going up the mountain. 

"Durinus don't!"

Kindred yelled. But Durinus did not listen and instead relied on his instincts. Takeshina suddenly ran out of energy the more he climbed due to his injuries, thus forcing him to return back to his normal state. As Durinus was there, he immediately faced him, and stood up with the final energy he has left. Durinus spoke.

"This ends now, dark one."

As he was about to strike however, an explosion was seen from afar. And whatever it was, it gave Takeshina more power from ever before. The echoes of a fox cry was in the distant air, and Takeshina spoke...

"I sense the power of rage from afar...."

This energy then fueled him to strike Durinus and destroy his armor. The white general fell to the ground and almost to the mountain when he lost balance. But quickly stood up when Takeshina ran towards him with a very grim smile on his face. It was a strength he has never seen before, and it was clear that he needed help.

"Hold on! We're coming!"

As morning arrived, Takeshina escaped, and the body of Durinus layed on the ground. The Selyrians mourned for his death, and the regiments went back to the capital, with a massive loss to the Karthusians.

---

The regiments returned to the capital to rest and make their final preparations. The plans were discussed again by the generals in the war room, and there was no time to mourn for the queen. It was scheduled in a secure place to prevent another attack by the Clan. And this time, only the Golden Eagle Guard officers, parts of the black Valkyrie Regiment, and only the most trusted generals were present in the funeral. After this, all of the soldiers took a day off to rest and prepare for the next day. That left Kindred finally taking some time to be alone with his thoughts in an open field near the walls of the city.

He laid down on the grass and the sun shone on him. It was relaxing for him that after all the chaos that happened, and the work that he had to do for the war. With this, he suddenly heard someone walking towards him. He then said...

"Comrade. Make sure you have your equipment set. You don't want to wake up tomorrow while forgetting your food."

"Eh?"

The sound of a familiar feminine voice replied. As he looked to see who it was, he was surprised to see Vivian. He then got up and talked to her.

"Oh, my apologies. I just thought you were one of my comrades." 

The half-ram did not reply, as she seemed to be a bit nervous that there was actually another person near her vicinity. Kindred saw this and sensed what she felt, so he started off by talking.

"I guess you're researching for plants here."

The girl smiled, and she nodded. With this, Kindred then asked what she was researching about, this drove Vivian to talk about the different plants and animals that she found out during her adventures. This made Kindred talk about his own adventures and the different species he had found back then. It was until they realized that they were now both too close to each other as they smiled on their discussions.

"Oh I..." Vivian said as she looked away from Kindred while her pale white face reddened. She then moved back a bit, as the general was there to smile back at her. He was happy finally away from the chaos of managing armies and being exposed to politics. And now, it was as if he found someone that he can be happy with. He said...

"We're going away towards The Kingdom of Ravena tomorrow to finally take it back from the Clan of Aeryth."

Vivian heard this, and looked a bit down as if she was hoping that he would stay longer. 

"I'll come back however. And I wish to continue our talks. Hopefully I can show you more about the Trostian Mammoth, and I can learn more about the different effects of the different Karthusian Mushrooms."

Kindred then reached out to his pocket to get his insignia. But as he reached out to it, he was surprised to see it gone. He tried to find it, but failed. "I'm sure I just had it here somewhere." he said.

"What is it?"

"My insignia."

"Oh." She then said. And with that came another word from her. "Who do you usually show it to?"

"People I-" Kindred suddenly stopped after that. Then he stared. It seems like there's a reason why he cannot find it. And maybe this reason is something that he will now learn. And with that, he smiled and said...

"I guess we'll have something new in life now..."

He then held her hands and told her that he will not forget her. And with this, they continued their jokes as they laughed with each other. As the afternoon sun settled down for dusk, someone found them conversing and laughing in the fields. She stopped as she finally saw Kindred being comfortable, curious, and very much without any trace of worry or anxiety. She started to smile, and she was holding something in her hand. She looked at it and it was Kindred's insignia. As she put it in her pocket, she decided to leave the scene along with a small tear in her eye. 

"I'm happy you finally met someone." Morticia said.

---

"Be safe, sister."

General Ailyn said as she gave the order to let her soldiers rest for a bit. One of them was named May P. Lorenzo, who had just finished basic training. She was quick and agile, and her determination to serve House Deschenel was proven ever since she signed up to be an assassin of the Royal Family. But beyond this, she decided to take her break for now and walk up a hill outside of Karthus.

"Hello there miss." a man said.

It was Sir Jim, from the Red Blood Regiment. He was sitting by the tree on top of the hill she was climbing. "Oh hello there, Jim." May replied, with a nice smile on her face. it was refreshing to meet and greet someone from another regiment. Normally, their missions would not permit them to talk with other regiment members unless needed. But it was their day off as they all needed to prepare for the siege. As they both waved at each other,May decided to sit near Jim.

"I was just passing by. I will not bother." She said. But Jim reassured her that her presence is not a problem. "Actually, I was just here singing a song I really like." He said.

"Is that so?" May replied. "May I know what it is?"

As Jim heard that question from may, he began to sing a song that he remembered from his childhood. To his surprise, he noticed that May seemed know what this song is. And he was even more surprised when she started to sing it. They both sang their hearts out until they started to dance to the song.

"This is lovely." he said as he looked at her and chuckled. They then continued to sing again until they accidentally fell and rolled down the hill. Jim laughed as they stopped rolling down with May on top. Looking at their hands, Jim suddenly realized that May was holding his hand. He would have a small blush because of this, but May would not notice as she was laughing, They would try to start singing again, but the recent situation proved a bit too hilarious for them to continue. They would stop and smile as they decide to climb up the hill again.

Along the chaos, Thomas decided to walk up the hill as well. But as he heard the 2 singing, he was puzzled and decided to check it out and hide behind the tree. As he peeked, he was surprised to see Jim with a woman. And with that, he suddenly formed an idea as to what was happening.

"I better not ruin anything." He said.

Another man suddenly appeared and it had seemed to have been following Thomas. It was Vice Admiral Ni Mor from the Ravenian Royal Navy.

"What are you doing here?" Ni mor said as he looked at Thomas who seemed to now be curious again at the two answered by saying "Uhh... spying?"

Ni mor  then looked at the other side of the tree, seeing the two dancing and singing, He then said...

"Ahh that's why you are spying. Well, we should leave them to their business." Thomas would nod and leave the place with Ni mor. As they finally got to the capital again, Jim and May finally stopped to rest a bit.

At the camp, Artemis snuck on the roof while her sister was sleeping. She got out of the camp and managed to escape without the guards noticing. She looked back to see the camp and its people resting. Suddenly...

"Are you sure you're doing this?"

A man spoke, and it was really unfamiliar. When his eyes glowed red, and he lit his own fire as a spark, for them to both see in an instant as to who it was. And in that milisecond, Artemis discovered that it was Gold. And it was at their first instances, that he spoke.

"This army will only kill more civilians. And I do not stand by that." Artemis said.

Hearing this, Gold just sighed. The moon lit them both like a spotlight in a theater. Following this, he then said, "Have I ever told you as to who I am and how did I join the Red Blood Regiment?"

Artemis did not answer, as it was a rhetorical question. Gold began to take off his helmet, and continued with his words.

"I was a Royal Army Guard, and I was a Demon. As a Ravenian, we all know how Demons are treated. But the difference was, my mother and father was exactly that. And they were also distant cousins of the Royal Family. And because of my Royal heritage, I was hidden by the family, and was taught at a young age to hate my own race. When the great demonic purge happened, I was the one who helped command armies to displace, persecute, and even kill my own people. It was only when I met Kindred during the Great Orc War that I changed my views on myself. I felt horrible, and I felt like I would never forgive myself. And I was ashamed that I could not even be proud of my own name anymore. And that is why I do not deserve to be a high ranking officer in this regiment. I simply have killed too many innocents."