Chapter 6.
"The Paladins have been gathering in Shadow Lake Neagh and Shadow Blago." Resza's voice carried clearly across the room. "They're going to make a push towards Shadow Tara. What we need to do is have the Fomors on the south of Tara and Humans in Corrib Valley with a mixture of Fomor and Human in Tara itself incase they break through our defenses."
"Will the Human recruits be in this?" A commander asked.
"As much as I do not want them to be, they're close to graduation. I think they can be at in Tara."
"The Fomor recruits will be on the front lines," Lebbeaus said as he studied the map. "They gain the most experience that way."
"You do what you want but if my son dies, your head will be off." Resza said without looking at the incubus General.
Lebbeaus rolled his eyes as the meeting continued.
"Cichol," Resza rose from her kneel. "I need Riuyuki by me in this battle."
"He can handle himself."
"My lord I cannot be at my best if I'm worrying about him."
"Yes, you can be. You used to be when you thought he was dead. You will fight without him by you."
"Then I'll order my army to surrender."
The throne room was silent. "You'll what?"
"You heard me," Resza said. "I'll order my army to surrender. The North is the quickest route to the castle. If I order them to surrender, the Paladins have immediate access."
"If you did so you would be put to death."
"I don't fear the True Death. Give me my son. I'll defend you with my life."
Cichol waved her off, annoyed with her. "Just go. Riuyuki will be by you."
Resza walked the front lines of the Tara defense. "I purposely made the Corrib Valley defense a bit sparse," she spoke to both Trentis and Riuyuki. "I want their spirits crushed when they get here."
"How much longer til they get through?" Riuyuki asked.
"Perhaps an hour or two. Get ready!" Resza called out to the army. "Archers, prepare your arrows! Get your armor together and your swords sharpened, I want the Paladins to be colored red by their own blood!"
The army cheered and Riuyuki swallowed his disgust. Resza caught his look. "I do what I have to, Riuyuki."
The half incubus nodded slowly. "It's very difficult to see."
Resza hugged him. "Blame Morrighan for this."
It was only a half hour later when the archers began to fire upon the first Paladins making their way from the valley. Resza waited til most of the army was finished struggling through the valley before ordering the Dark Knights to charge. The air became full of bloodthirsty yells from veterans and recruits alike as they rushed towards their enemy. Resza, Riuyuki, and Trentis were part of the second wave as they ran with the army. Both Resza's and Trentis's blades were slick with blood as they defended each other from the Paladins, some of which had looks of surprise as they saw the fabled Human General fighting alongside her army. Riuyuki followed behind them only pausing to heal Dark Knights who had a few minor wounds. "Do you think they have their General with them?" Resza panted as she scanned around them.
Her eye caught his appearance at the same time as Riuyuki saw. "That's...Father?" Riuyuki's face was heartbroken and shocked. "He was dead! Nao told me he couldn't come back!"
Resza's sword shook. "We need to-"
Trentis blocked Kyotaro's sword. "Hello, Resza." Kyotaro said.
His dark blue eyes, once so warm, were now cold and calculating. Resza shook off the shock as best as she could and forced herself to see him as nothing but the enemy. Her lips tightened and she ducked under Trentis's blade to stab at Kyotaro, but the Champion caught it on his gauntlet. "I see you've remarried." He shoved both of them off.
"Yeah, because you died!" Resza rushed at him again.
Their swords clanged together as they fought. Resza could see Kyotaro's form was off as she watched him. "You just had to see Morrighan that day, didn't you?!" She yelled.
"The Goddess knew what was best. It's unfortunate you didn't see it that way."
Resza backed off as Trentis came up behind Kyotaro. He sensed this and jumped to the side, but Trentis's sword cut into Kyotaro's feathered wing. Resza reached forward and grabbed his head as he was turning away to ram the upper metal of her greave into Kyo's face. The Champion called out to Riuyuki, but the boy stood there with a stony face. "You're not Father." The boy said.
"I know he isn't." Resza panted as they watched this false Kyotaro struggle to his feet. "His form is off."
He looked down Resza's blade as it was pointed in his face. "Who are you?! Why do you take on General Kyotaro's form?!"
The man gave a breathless laugh as he came to one knee and wiped the blood from his eye. "You're too smart for your own good. Resza."
She saw the twitch of his eye to his left. Resza made a move to stop him, but there was a flash of light and Morrighan herself had grabbed onto Trentis's throat and flew into the air with the incubus. "Tell your Dark Knights to surrender or else I'll kill him. I'll flood him with Light just like I did with your son! Do it!" The Goddess of War and Revenge screamed at Resza.
Resza's mind went blank. She saw Trentis struggling and yelling at her to keep fighting. "You Gods always think you can control whomever you want, don't you?" Resza threw her sword to the ground. "Release my husband so I can finally kill you."
"You're not going to surrender?"
"Never."
Trentis's scream of pain shook Resza to her core. She felt the Darkness fuel her rage and form the armor around her as she ran toward the Goddess and leapt into the air. Resza wrapped her arms around Morrighan's waist. Her gauntlet's sharpened tips dug into the Goddess's skin as Resza climbed and took Morrighan's hands that were at Trentis's throat and forehead. With Darkness fueled strength, she tore Morrighan away from her husband. She didn't even look to see where Trentis had landed, all Resza could feel was the years of anger and sadness as the Darkness formed a blade in her hand. Resza swung around to Morrighan's back. The Goddess struggled as Resza grabbed onto one of the wings and stabbed into the shoulder blade. "I'll make you fucking suffer as I have, you damn bitch!" Resza screamed as they fell.
She felt the wing tear off completely as they hit the ground and the Darkness overtook her mind, causing her vision to go black.