Authors note:
Happy new year out there and my best wishes for the new year, may you master all the trials that you may encounter.

And note to self: NEVER write drunk or else you could find sentences like "Kamui took an crossbow that shoot burning rabid hamster of doom on crack." True story xD

36. Phantoms of the past

Kamui dodged an incoming attack and, with a single slash, beheaded the bandit. "That´s the last one" he called out. The others were already dead or had surrendered. "What´s the situation?" "Thank you" a tall man said to him. Kamui smiled at him "Refin, what are you doing here?" " Me and my men were told to escort this caravan, but i didn´t knew you would be with them" Refin laughed. "Escort mission? The Knights of the White Dragon degraded to a simply caravan guard?" "Lord Belond told us that those merchant carry something important, so i had no other choice." Refin sighed. "Belond? How i hate this guy. For a simple escort mission he should send normal soldier but not the Knights of the White Dragon." "Maybe you shouldn´t say it out loud, Kamui." "Why not? Everyone already know that i am not that fond of aristocrates." "And that´s the reason why you are always in trouble." Kamui smirked at him. "I guess it can not be helped." Refin laughed. "Haha i guess you are right, but now come, we escort those merchants to Revinia and then i invite you to a drink."

The entire hall was silent while Kamui was thinking. Then he began "Bridgette, isn´t the Melafy basin similiar?" A blonde woman, clad in armor, began speaking "But, my king, the Melafy basin is property of our kingdom, so.." "That was not what i was asking." Bridgette fell to one knee and bowed deeply. "Please forgive me, my king, i forgot my position. Yes, the Melafy basin is similiar." "Very well. I have decided. If the northern clans instantly cease battle, they should get the property over the Melafy basin." A noble began shouting "Why should we pay for the pity disputes..." but he couldn´t continue. Bridgette kicked him in the stomach and forced him to the ground. "You dare to disrepect the order of the king?!" "Bridgette, enough" Kamui shouted. "That is enough for today, all of you, leave, all but you Bridgette, i wish to speak with you." Only Kamui and Bridgette were in the hall. Kamui began smirking. "That was a great kick Bridgette, your never cease to amaze me." Bridgette turned red. "Thank you, my king." Kamui saw that she was fidgetting. "Speak freely. I wish to know what my head-general is thinking." "Yes, my king" she said, still nervous. "The way the noble reacted was indeed despicable, but he has a point. Why do we always gave away our land to finish battles? And more, why don´t we just conquer the others? You are strong, my king, your country and your soldiers are strong aswell." "Don´t forget my amazing head-general." Bridgette turned red again. "Th...thank you, my king. Within three years we could conquer all of the northern kingdoms, so why do we wait?" Kamui sighed. "Tell me Bridgette, why should we do that?" "Well, we could increase the size of our kingdom, our influence. We could gain prosperity and power." "You sound just like those nobles, Bridgette." Kamui began somewhat sad. "Yes, we could gain all of those things, but it would be paid with blood and the lifes of innocent. If you conquer, you will never bring peace, only destruction and hate. Tell me, Bridgette, does our kingdom suffer?" "Of course not, my king. The people love you, since you became our king we gained prosperety, no one suffers, no one hungers. People already call you a truly legendary king..." " Eventough i am an foreigner?" "Yes, my king. Despite those born in royality you, my king, were once a foreigner, but you became king because of your hard work, not because of your heritage." "Bridgette, why do you follow me?" "My king?" "You are one of my most loyal soldiers, together with you sister Adelheid, but why are you so loyal? What did i do to earn someone as great as you?" Bridgette turned crimson. "Thank you my king. I can not speak for my sister, but i know exactly why i follow you. It was a battle long ago, i was just some low ranked officer, nobody worth mentioning. I got almost killed, but a foreigner saved me. You were just a mercenary, my king, but then i saw you on the battlefield. Your power, your leadership, your courage. I saw the fire in your eyes, that you would never let us down, never give up. In this moment i knew, you were the one i could call king, i would follow you, even against the entire world, where ever you would go, i would follow."She told this story with a warm smile on her face. "Against the entire world." Kamui mumbled to himself then he looked at her, sadly. "Tell me, Bridgette, do you want to hear the tale of my life before, the tale of the one called Godslayer?"

Kamui´s wounded body slided along the floor before he could stop himself. "Celica!" Roca and Luna screamed as he was surrounded by his outer circle. "Haha, you are approaching your limits, Godslayer. You will die here." Kamui spit up some blood, but he knew, his enemy was right, there wasn´t much he could do, without help he would find his end here. He didn´t fear dead and the redemption it brings, but he couldn´t allow that the others would come to harm. "Master, please calm down." Suri said as she and the others healed his wounds. "Run." he whisperd. "What?" " I said run, in my condition i am not sure if i can beat him, so run!" Kamui stood up with determinition in his eyes, he may die, but the others would be safe. "No. If you die, we all die here." was the simple answer he got. The others wouldn´t leave his side, talking was useless, he knew that. Kamui began crying, he would never understand how someone like him got so great friends, apostles, lover, family. "Yes" he whisperd as he embraced them "Maybe you will die, that i can´t say for sure, but i am sure of two other facts. I love every single one of you." He cried as did they, with a sad smile upon their faces. "The other fact is, i may die here today, but you will definitly not." "Master, what do..." Ekria began, but couldn´t finish her sentence. "Forced Translocation!" He shouted. Before anyone of them could grasp what he had said they were engulfed in light and transported to safety. Even his inner circle was gone, he was alone. He cried, but he was happy, they would be safe. "I wonder if you would still pray for my happiness, Satia." he whisperd. Then he turned to his still waiting enemy. The ember light in his eyes replaced by gold. "I beg you to heed my call, Scale of Judgement, Libracles." A sword appeared in his hand and his body were engulfed in golden light as he released a tremendous amount of power, awakening all the godly power he commanded. With that much power unleashed, his male form gone, and Libracles in his hands, he looked like the goddess that once owned this body. He was alone, he was exhausted and he was sure, before the day would end, he would be no more. The power of two gods clashed against each other.

Celica sat in the shadow of a tree. The day was sunny and beautiful. Next to him sat a young woman and they were talking. Well, she was talking. He was simply sitting and watching the beautiful woman next to him. Her breathtaking blue eyes, her soft lips, her absolute perfect skin. Then the little creature on her shoulder caught his eyes. What was this again? It was some kind of small dragon, but he wasn´t sure, she once told him what exactly that was, but he hadn´t listen, he was just to captivated by her beauty. "Celica!" "Huh?" "Celica, are you listening?" "Yeah, i am." "So? What i was talking about?" Damn, come on, Celica, think. She sighed. "Sometimes i wonder what you are thinking about." Then she gave him a beautiful smile, oh how he loved that smile, he would do anything to see her smile. "Come, i want to show you something." She stood up and began walking away. He could only stare at her, how she walked so graceful, so beautiful. "Don´t stare at me like that, you pervert." She called out to him laughing before she began running. "I wasn´t staring. And who do you call a pervert? Hey, Satia, wait!"

Kamui kicked the door to the kitchen open and shouted "Hunger!" All the people inside fell into battle stance because of the shock. Then they stared at him dumbfounded and he began to laugh. "Master, please don´t do that again." "Why? Your faces were priceless. I thought it was funny." Then he sat at the table and waited. He watched how the four women inside made something to eat, and he began to smile. Ekria, Marinia, Suri and Saria were his first apostles. After his return they decided they still would stand by his side, despite the danger and difficulties they would have to go trough, almost like before. "Celica, here you are." A beautiful brunette entered the kitchen. "Luna, my dear, hungry?" She smiled at him. "You definitly are, the entire mansion heard you." He smirked at her, but before he could reply another woman called out to him. "Celica? We searched all day for you." A beautiful teal-haired woman entered the room. "Fufu, i am quite popular today, aren´t i, Roca?" Now his outer circle was complete. "Celica, the Miko of Water wants to see." He sighed. "I guess dinner have to wait."

Celica´s blade pierced his enemy´s chest. "Curse...you." His enemy was dead. His blade and clothes were covered in blood, then Celica unleashed a boneshattering roar, before he fell to his knees and began crying. He knew, this was the beginning of the end. He exactly knew what Lapshia would have done, he saw it in a vision. No, the Twins of Destiny showed him. All the bitter truth were revealed to Celica. Lapshia would kidnap one of his apostels and rape her. She would give birth to a child. Lapshia would escape with this child before Celica could rescue his apostle. Then he would battle against Lapshia in his sacred realm. Lapshia would have told Celica the entire truth. The truth that Celica had long forgotten. How he got the body of a goddess. That part of Celica´s on humanity was left behind as he got the goddess´ body, and this humanity formed a body, a body that called himself Lapshia, meaning that the apostle´s child was also Celica´s child. Then Lapshia would merge with the child and Celica would have been forced to kill part of his own humanity and his first born child. But the Twins of Destiny offered him a choice. He could change destiny but in return he would have to be at their mercy, in form of being their champion. He had accepted their condition and killed Lapshia before anything happened, but now he had to pay the price. "We kept our part of the bargain, Godslayer, now keep your´s." Two voices said in unison. "I know, i will." "You shall be nothing more than a weapon for the next two millenias, your will will be not your own, your very soul will bound to a rune, that is the path that you have to walk." "I understand" he replied weakly. "Feel free to bring your apostles with you. They could help you in the battles that will come." Celica thought for a moment "No, this is the path to armageddon, and this path i have to walk alone." "You really wish that? You paid dearly for the safety of those people dear to you, but if you go now, the may never find out what you did for them. They will think of you as an betrayer." He smiled weakly. "That is fine." Haishel left her sword form. "Well, you aren´t alone." "Haishel, please." She smirked at him "Definitly not going to happen, two thousand years of battle by your side, that is just to tempting. And don´t even try to negotiate, i will not leave you." He smiled at her "Thank you, Haishel." Then the Twins began again "So be it." A sword appeared right in front of Celica. "This is Delf. This blade was forged by the gods, ten thousand years he waited for someone worthy of his power, with it you can fight fate itself, as our champion you shall wield it. Fear not, the Demon of Earth may reside in it´s blade. Now go, Godslayer." Celica grabbed the hilt of the sword and he could feel the power that was surging trough this blade and him. Haishel had no problems to enter the blade, she could use her power without interference. "I am Delf and i swear upon my name, i shall never leave your side, partner." A moment later soldiers arrived at the scene. They felt the power that was raging here. "Who are you! What happened here?" they shouted. Celica slowly turned around, and the soldiers gasped. His entire clothing was full of blood, behind him the bloody corpse of Lapshia. Celica gave them a weak smile, he was no longer who he once had been, by accepting the Twin´s offer he protected and betrayed everything that was important him and now he would leave behind everbody that was important to him, probably never returning again. He gave them a weak smile. "My name is Kamui."

The burning anger, the hate, the rage, the bloodlust, the killing intent, Celica could feel all of it. That were his feelings, but weren´t his at the same time. This darkness infested his mind and drove him into a battle against the woman he loved. It was Satia at who he was charging. His lovely and adorable Satia, the woman he was willing to die for, but now he tried to kill her. Celica couldn´t understand this. His body moved, while a part of his mind was screaming to stop, but he was not the one in command. Nothing he tried had any effect, he was getting closer and closer to her, he had to stop himself before he could reach her, he didn´t want do hurt her. She was so close. Again he tried his best to stop himself, but it was to no avail. He trusted his blade forward. Celica begged to all gods that they may stop his body. A last scream, burning agony, before he impaled her on his sword.

His scream echoed through the entire room. He was panting, sweating and his whole body was trembling. Pure terror reflected on his eyes. He was crying, but finally he woke up.

Authors note: Well, this chapter was strange. I hope you all understood it, despite it being so confusing. Yes, Kamui was indeed dreaming, so i tried to write it like that. The parts are not in chronological order, i wanted to show that his mind is still in disorder. But i had to use a little trick to show you where we are in timeline, or else this would be too confusing, especially because i doubt anybody out there knows the story of the IM series. I used "Celica" and "Kamui" to write in different part´s of the timeline, before and after the events around Lapshia. Also i tried to make the language more rought, but i doubt my language was ever refined. I also tried to make the last parts more hectic to show that his mind is agitated.

I wanted to give you bits and pieces of his past, it was time for that. I will write about more part of his past in later chapters, so he get some more depth.

And another important thing. I wanted to keep his lore intact, but i made an exception. The whole Lapshia part actually happend in IM2, but seriously this is so rotten puke-braindead bitch-ass-whore shit. That is exactly the reason for my little enrage in the reviews, i apologize for this again. So i altered it and made it never happen, this is exactly the moment where the story that i thought of for him starts. I hope you forgive my lore rampage.