Hi readers, for this chapter I have a little warning: an OC is being introduced here, although you won't know much about this person yet, in about two more chapters, if my memory isn't failing me.

Read and Review! :D

.

.

.

Chapter 6: Wolfram's POV

We have been riding for one day and one night now, we only stopped for a few hours to sleep and eat, and now dawn is approaching once again. My soldiers have been well trained and they can resist this kind of traveling very well. When I travel with Yuuri it always takes twice as much to get anywhere.

I have been asking myself if I should have said goodbye to Yuuri... well, I did say it, he was just sleeping and doesn't know... I'm blushing a little remembering what I did, so I fasten my pace for my soldiers not to notice.

That reminds me, this time I bring water wielders with me, as well as two soldiers that can dispel hojutsu, just in case. I have learned through my mistakes, this time I'm really prepared.

~ O ~

The situation is actually worse than we thought. Yesterday, the villagers had to evacuate because of the smoke. The line between our territory and the neighbour's country here is almost nonexistent. I knew that in the portion of the road where the imaginary line is, there are usually only a couple of soldiers, because of our commercial relationships with the humans, products have to be inventoried before they pass from one side to the other. Right now, this village has become an extent to their battlefield.

The houses are covered in ashes and the air is almost unbreathable. It's because of the new armaments the humans have been developing with their so called science. They have used herbs and other substances to create bombs and weapons that pollude the soils and kill you without even seeing who's attacking you.

As far as we can tell from here, aside from this weapons, there are no soldiers in sight in the battlefield, just regular man, even elderly men who don't even know how to properly hold a sword. If we were to fight them one on one, it wouldn't be a challenge, but we must be careful with them, and we also have to be on the lookout for any hojutsu users, this might be mazoku land, but we are too close to the border to take the chance.

I order the water wielders to start putting out the fire in some of the houses and the earth wielders to be ready to form a barrier using the already ruined soil, if we needed to drastically separate our lands. Fire and wind wielders will come with me to fight them out, we just need to make them back off enough for the village to be safe. Meanwhile those who can dispel magic are to find a higher ground from where they can look for any hojutsu users.

We protect ourselves from the smoke with masks provided by Anissina. That woman does something right every once in awhile, thanks Shinou.

As we walk through the roads of the village we found a dreadful scenario. Dead bodies everywhere, even a few little children, all obviously mazoku. Some of them look like they died on their sleep, and others just look frozen on the spot. Is this what their weapons do? My blood is boiling, why did they had to bring their conflict into our ground? Why are they slaughtering our people with their cowardly weapons that don't distinguish between a woman, a child or a grown man?

"Your Excellency, I can see a large group ahead!" one of my underlings yells. There isn't a very big scandal in matter of noise, but for some reason, probably the poisonous substance in the air, our ears are ringing. Have the humans been fighting in this conditions all along?

We reach the far end on the village and we found the battleground. My eyes are suddenly wide open. As far as you can see, all there is is fire and destruction, the human village can be seen from here, and it's already just ruins, an enormous black cloud is forming in the sky and the entire place in going down in flames. The ashes are led here by the wind and make it difficult to see, the smoke that is at ground level seems to be of a sickly looking green color and it makes my skin feel like it's burning.

"Wind wielders, we can't do anything in this conditions, disperse the smoke!" I yell and they do as I command, after a few failed attempts, they manage to disperse it enough for us to be able to normally see and hear again, but my heart shrinks when I see that the smoke reached the trees at the beginning of the forest. The leaves lose their lively green color, some of them dry completely and fall to the ground.

"May Shinou help us" I mutter to myself.

~ O ~

After over four days we have managed to save what was left of the village, and the conflict on the other side of the border seems to be about to reach its end. I don't know what faction will come out victorious in their battle, but for what I see, none of them has many people left alive, and their village is completely destroyed.

We may have to think of the possibility of relocating all the people who survived, this land is far too dangerous and the soil is ruined, nothing will grow on it for at least five years. I have decided we will stay here one more night to assure the safety of the next village that is not very far away. In any case, their battle seems to have ended. A few dead bodies have ended up in our territory so I arrange for one of my trusted soldiers to go negotiate their return. I have no problem with giving them back, but I'm not allowing any human to set a foot on this land to get them.

I set my tent and after sending a pigeon with a letter to brother and Yuuri I get ready for sleeping. It has been a rough week and I'm exhausted, I can't wait to come back home and sleep next to Yuuri.

I've dreamt about him every night. I'm not sure exactly when I fell for that wimp. But it doesn't matter, a long time ago I decided I would always be by his side, even if he never loves me back. I'll protect him from this world, I'll protect him even if it costs me my life. I will not let him live something like what I have seen this past few days.

I lay down and close my eyes.

Besides, to be completely honest, the way Yuuri is acting lately, maybe I still have a little chance.

I let a small smile form on my lips, no one is watching anyways.

~ O ~

I wake up when I hear a noise coming from outside my tent. I can smell the scent of blood. I grab my sword and step outside carefully. Nothing could have prepared me for what I see.

All my soldiers are frozen on the spot, looking like they have been hypnotised, even those who sould dispel hojutsu are in such a state. The ones who were strong enough to resist are dead on the floor next to my tent, their bodies massacred, looking like they exploded from the inside and now lying on pools of blood.

I bring my hand to my mouth and cover it when I see Johan, my second in command, there on the floor with no eyes and a severed left arm. He has a wife... and a newborn...

Who did this!?

"Oh my, you must be a really strong one" I hear a female voice coming from behind me. I turn around and I see her, I can see the shadow of two men behind her. I grab my sword and acquire a defense stance.

"If you didn't succumbed to any of my tricks, then that probably means you are the one I'm looking for" she says and laughs. I call upon my fire under my breath and form a small ball of it in my hand.

For a moment the fire lets me see her with clarity. My jaw drops. She has jet black hair, just like Yuuri's and eyes of a dark purple that seem to be burning with hatred. She is tall and has a voluptuous body. She is dressed entirely in black, with a long tight dress with a high neck but no sleeves. Who is this woman who dresses in the Maou's color and shares his hair color?

I throw the fireball at her and she doesn't even try to avoid it. It actually disappears in front of her, like a barrier of a really strong power is protecting her, but I sense no marioku and no hojutsu coming from her.

She chants something in a language I can't understand and my vision becomes blurry.

"Now, now Wolfram von Bielefeld, play nice with me for a bit"

That is the last thing I hear before falling to the ground.