Day 175 / Reunion

Garret's heart trembled as he listened to 'Annika's' story. For a moment he had hope that things weren't as bad as they seemed, but when he heard the details of her transformation, his shoulders slumped, and he realized nothing would ever be the same again.

Though 'Annika' tried to downplay the forcefulness of her conversion, what she said didn't do much to change Garret's thoughts on the matter. In his heart, he knew he should have been infuriated at what Eri had done, but… after what he'd seen and done himself, he couldn't quite bring himself to blame her. Had The Order not used similar deception when they killed the slime queen? Thinking back to the sadistic arachne and what he'd heard of her late partner, he remembered their soldiers had tortured monsters and incubi to death too… as he tried to push the uncharacteristic sympathy from his mind, Garret shivered. Maybe he was still in shock from what he'd heard, but he didn't want to believe what 'Annika' was telling him. There had to be a mistake, he just needed to know what.

"So… You're a monster now…"

'Annika' nodded somberly.

"Yes… I'm a wyvern."

"Show me."

His partner looked up at him, hesitating for a moment, before snuffing out the magic fueling the illusion. Cracks appeared in the air, and as they shattered, 'Annika's' green eyes shift to yellow, and her wings and claws materialized. Finally seeing her true form, Garret reached up with a trembling hand to touch the scale on her cheek. A tear ran from his eye as he realized it was all true. Annika… His partner… was no longer human.

"D-did it hurt?"

'Annika' smiled warmly as she reached up with her own claw to gently cup his hand on her cheek.

"No, Garret, it felt wonderful. Everything is so different from what we were taught."

She was gone. The woman he loved no longer existed. She was dead, replaced by this… thing. … But why was she was acting so familiar? She didn't rush to attack him, she was trying to talk things out just like they always had. Was this really the end?

"I-I'm sorry… I'm so fucking sorry, Annika."

Leaning forward, Garret hugged her again, as tightly as he was able. The tears came faster now, and his ragged breaths betrayed how close he was to breaking down.

"I should have done more… I should have pulled back! If I'd ordered us to run in the beginning, you wouldn't have been…"

"Shh… It's ok, Garret… There's nothing to apologize for."

With surprising tenderness for her vicious claws, 'Annika' held him against her and gently stroked his back.

"If anything, I'm glad for what happened. Because of it, I've found a better life for us."

Garret didn't say anything. He just sobbed into her shoulder and clung to her. Through this, 'Annika' supported him, falling silent and motionless, aside from the occasional, reassuring pat on his back.

"Come join me, Garret. There's a place waiting for us in a city of gentle people, far from war and violence."

After a few minutes, Garret dried his tears, then took a step back and looked into 'Annika's' concerned, yellow eyes. He couldn't believe it… Though every fiber of his being wanted to trust her, 'Annika' was a monster. How could he trust a monster?

"I… I can't… Annika, you saw what happened to Catherine… you saw what those dark elves did to their slaves… How could you want to be a part of something like that?"

'Annika's' expression dropped and she glumly hung her head.

"What happened to them was terrible… I agree. I never want to see that happen to anyone again, but Eri's people aren't like that. There, I've only met kind, generous souls. They're no different than you or I, and with them, we can build a better life. I know we can."

He couldn't listen to her… she was corrupted. She'd say anything to get him on her side now, it didn't matter that she was once his partner. That woman was long gone. Now, she was his enemy…

"Fly away, Annika… I love you. I love you so much, but there's no way we could ever be together now. Just get out of here… Go somewhere far away and be safe. If you do that, then… I'll be alright."

He couldn't raise a hand against her. Just thinking of having to kill his partner set Garret's heart racing, and he didn't know if he'd be able to even control his magic. Instead, he tried to scare her off, but 'Annika' was persistent.

"Garret? Please?"

She tried to step closer, but Garret stepped away.

"You're planning on leaving anyways, what difference does it make if it's with me, or on your own? And how can you live with The Order? Garret, y-… we killed children! Babies! All those peaceful, farming families… did they pose a threat to anyone!? How did killing them help The Order? Help you?!"

'Annika' pleaded with him, her desperation clearly audible, but was careful not to point fingers or accuse. Her tact didn't matter, though, Garret knew fully well that he had been the one killing those children. While she tried to appeal to his better nature, paradoxically, that just made him harden his heart even further. She was right… It had been a terrible crusade. He'd killed so many people. But the things he'd seen,… the things he'd done… they were all for the sake of mankind!

Fighting himself once more, Garret tried to justify his actions. He wasn't butchering monsters, he was protecting humans! Those children would have grown up to attack The Order. Those farming families would have had their own kids eventually, and their daughters would have lured men away. Peaceful mamono like that butterfly girl… they all emitted demonic energy. Just them being alive gave strength to the monsters in some tiny way, so he had to kill them! Even if one monster was insignificant, it still had to be done!

More importantly, though… if he gave up now… if he surrendered to 'Annika' and fled The Order… If he joined the mamono and left everything behind… Then what had all this been for? All the suffering he'd caused? All the tauntings of his nightmares? If he didn't help end the war… if he gave up on the greater good… Then what kind of monster would that make him? All his sins, all the evil he'd done… everything would have been for nothing!

"Guards! Guards!"

Fleeing that possibility, Garret shouted for his men. He had to scare her off. He had to get 'Annika' out of here before she said something that would really break him. As the soldiers ran out from behind the building, Garret scrambled backwards, drawing his own sword.

"Get out of here, Annika! I don't want to fight you, but I'll kill you if I must!"

A chill ran down 'Annika's' spine as she saw the sword and spearmen running towards them. She was so stupid! He was paranoid even on the best days, of course he'd have brought help! … And that help was here to kill her… Damn it, was he really this far gone? Had he swallowed The Order's lies so fully he was willing to fight his lover? Seeing the soldiers and the inevitable confrontation, 'Annika' made a final, tearful plea.

"Garret, please! Is there nothing I can say?!"

Before he could answer 'Annika' heard the tell-tale hiss of an arrow. With her supernatural speed, she twisted and snatched it out of the air, glaring in the direction it'd came.

"Run, Garret! That's not Annika, that's a monster!"

Rick. It was that ranger. Garret's… one of their friends. She knew he'd helped Garret before, but now of all times, he decided to show up?! The tramp of boots behind him signaled he'd brought his own troops as well… Still poised for combat, 'Annika's' eyes flicked between the two groups, before focusing back on her lover. Five soldiers with Garret and six with Rick… There was no way Garret would join her with his friend and The Order's troops pressuring him, but if she got rid of them… Even if he was too indoctrinated, she could force him to join her. She knew he loved her deep inside, he was just caught up in The Order's lies. She'd cut him free herself, and he would thank her for it. It would be just like what Eri had done.

Eleven men? She wiped her tears and cracked a smile. They should have brought more.

He should have brought more… The soldiers rushed to attack, but as they closed in, Garret's partner suddenly shot forward on a blast of energy. The resulting sonic boom stunned Garret and nearly ruptured everyone's eardrums, but the worst was yet to come. By the time they regained their bearings, 'Annika' had already grabbed a soldier, and flown into the air.

Like the succubi they'd fought before, she threw the woman and let gravity take care of the rest before diving back down. Unlike those monsters, though, 'Annika' was moving so quickly Garret could barely keep eyes on her, much less hit her with a spell. Neither bow nor spear proved to be of use, either. What was he supposed to do here… Annika… Seeing her diving at soldier after soldier, slashing them with her claws or throwing them from a height without hesitation,… Garret's heart dropped. She was gone. She was really gone… his Annika would never have considered killing humans… He had to stop this. He had to think of something.

'Annika's' vision went red as her claws cut through a man's metal armour and sprayed the area with blood. Though she tried to just incapacitate them, there was only so much she could do. She aimed for debilitating, but non-lethal strikes. She dropped the soldiers from relatively low altitudes. She tried to avoid killing her former colleagues, but their numbers necessitated her speed, and that speed made controlled attacks difficult.

Her heart ached as she banked towards Rick, but she knew she had no choice. It was kill or be killed, and if she wanted to save Garret, it had to be this way. The ranger drew his bow, and for a brief second, she could have sworn the arrow sparked. That turned out to be nothing, though, as when he let it fly, she smashed it from the air without difficulty. Seeing this, Rick froze in shock, his eyes flicking to the sky for an instant before he tried to move. That delay let 'Annika' catch him, the force of her impact cracking ribs, and like all the rest, she dropped him from a height that would shatter bones. "Sorry, Rick…", 'Annika' muttered as she swooped down for another attack.

Fire flashed as a spell sailed by her, and 'Annika' adjusted her trajectory. Diving down towards Garret, she baited another spell out of him, rolling away at the last second. He couldn't keep this up forever. If she exhausted him, she could catch him safely.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK! How was he supposed to stop her?! Garret picked out that she was avoiding attacking him directly, but even when he tried to leverage that, she was just too fast and strong. Even if he stood right beside another (now shaking) soldier, trying to protect them through proximity, she could just stun them with a sonic boom, then nab them at full speed. Though he gave it his all, throwing spell after spell, it only took a few minutes before only the two of them remained… and he was running out of energy.

"Garret, please! I love you! I can't bear to let you go again!"

"Shut up! Don't speak to me in that voice!"

Now alone, 'Annika' called out to him, hovering in the air, and Garret replied with a spell. Then she dove at him, forcing him to cast again, to no avail as she easily dodged.

"You don't have to do this!"

"You're not her! You're dead… You're DEAD!"

'Annika's' eyes widened as she realized what he was saying.

"I'm not, Garret! I'm me! I'm the same person you loved and still do love! Can't you see that?!"

She wasn't. There was no way! Annika wouldn't have let go of The Order so easily. Annika would have stayed. Annika would have supported him. Seeing him preparing another spell, 'Annika' cried out in desperation.

"DAMN IT, GARRET!"

"FUCK YOU, 'ANNIKA'!"

Another volley of attacks lead to another increase in fatigue. Though his situation was rapidly becoming untenable, Garret stood his ground and tried to reassure himself. He had to kill her. She'd been corrupted. A monster was controlling her body. But it was fine… he'd save her. He'd release her from its clutches!

"Don't worry, Annika… "

Flapping her wings and hovering once more, 'Annika' prepared another attack as tears ran down her face. He was too far gone. He was so tied down by The Order's lies that he couldn't see his chance for a better life… She didn't want to attack him! She hated the thought of hurting him, but… But she had to save him! She'd break those chains! She'd show him the truth!

"I'm sorry Garret!

As the two launched another set of all-out attacks, they screamed their promises to each other over the howls of wind and magic.

"I'LL SET YOU FREE!" / "I'LL SET YOU FREE!"

He was close! She could feel it! As Garret slumped from overexertion, 'Annika' allowed herself to hope. He was out of energy. If she kept this up, he'd be hers! She grinned, then landed and started to walk towards him. One more spell… two more spells… he didn't have much more in him! Once he used them, she'd catch him as he fell, and they'd finally be able to restart their lives together!

He was done… every trick he'd tried… every soldier he brought… everything had been used up, and now that perversion of his partner was coming for him… Garret dropped to a knee as he tried to conserve his last bits of energy. She was too fast… too powerful… He channeled the remaining sliver of power from Catherine's crystal to steady himself, but that would only buy him a few more seconds… no matter what he did, 'Annika' would take him. … Him… She wanted him…

One final gambit formed in Garret's mind as he focused on that thought. He was all that mattered to her. That might be her one weakness. That might be his only shot… Conjuring a flaming spear ahead of him, Garret pointed at 'Annika', then took a deep breath and slowly rotated it, trying to swallow his fear. 'Annika' first looked puzzled at the movement of the spell, but that confusion turned to horror as she realized what he was about to do.

"I… won't… let… you…"

When the spear was pointed at his heart, Garret let it go. 'Annika' screamed, and another sonic boom deafened him as she surged forwards, tackling him out of danger with millimeters to spare. Bones cracked and Garret found the wind driven out of him as she nearly crushed him with her impact, but somehow his plan worked. A miracle of timing and precision, he managed to use his last bit of focus to fire a second spear from his other hand just before they collided.

The pair tumbled across the dirt as 'Annika' hit him, then lost control as the spell pierced her hide. When they rolled to a stop, with 'Annika' laying on top, Garret got to see exactly what he'd done. His spear had gone through her ribs, then burnt a hole out of her opposite shoulder, piercing every vital organ in its path. He froze as he tried to take stock of the situation. That wound… there was no way that wasn't lethal.

"Why, Annika… Why didn't you run? Why did it have to come to this?"

Struggling to speak as her injuries took their toll, 'Annika' collapsed, weakly clutching at Garret.

"Damn it, Garret… you know… why… None of this would have… happened… if you'd just… stopped…"

And then she was gone. The light faded from her eyes, her grip loosened, and 'Annika's' body fell limp. Sliding out from under the cooling corpse, Garret weakly pushed himself upright. He'd done it… He'd survived… He'd won...

… By God, he'd just killed Annika…

The true cost of his victory crashed down on Garret, threatening to drown him. He dropped to his knees and screamed, clutching at his late partner. Crying her name over and over again, Garret flipped her onto her back and tried in vain to find some sign of life. Sobbing himself hoarse, he cradled her body. She was gone… the woman he loved, who'd supported him through his darkest hours… He'd never see her face again. He'd never hear her speak. No more romantic evenings or passionate escapades awaited them… Now she was just another loved-one, lost to the war forever.

Garret didn't move from that spot all night. Even when a group of soldiers, attracted by the sounds of fighting, arrived and began helping the wounded, he refused to budge. What did it matter anymore, anyways? Annika was gone.

Day 179

Why…? How could this have happened? The nagging thoughts never went away. When Garret locked himself in his house, when he half-heartedly ate his meals, and when he brushed off Aisha and Eric's concern… Whenever he was alone, he couldn't stop himself from crying. What was he supposed to do now? His lover was gone. The one person he felt close enough to confide in… So long as he had her, he could fight forever, but now? Now where would he go?

Hopelessness turned to anger as Garret lashed out at his circumstances. Where had his Goddess been?! She'd saved him before! She'd protected him from the matango and guarded his soul. Why couldn't she have done the same for Annika?! She'd said it was impossible to save a woman, but was he supposed to believe that?! When she created the fucking universe?!

"Why, God?! Why didn't you help her?!"

Locked away in his room, screaming fury at his deity made Garret feel better for a moment, but the realization that he was treading into dangerous territory meant guilt followed soon after. No… There had to have been a reason. She'd helped him so much, he had to be blaming the wrong person. The real culprits were those monsters! They were the ones responsible for all this! If they hadn't kidnapped her… if they hadn't desecrated her body… if they hadn't pulled the wool over her eyes with pleasant words and fake kindness… Annika would still be here.

It was the mamono! It was all their fault! Every one of them! Even the 'friendly' ones! Deep within his mind, he remembered he'd met someone who came to a similar conclusion, but he pushed the thoughts of that man's fate aside. Blaming the mamono gave him a purpose, and suddenly Garret found he had the desire to laugh. Damn monsters… He'd kill them all! He'd show them! He'd get them back! Nobody fucked with him! Nobody! And then… he'd… he'd save the world. He'd protect everyone! Once the monsters were dead, no one would ever have to go through something like this again!

"Just watch me, Annika… We'll end this war. We'll kill every last one of them! No one will have to fight their friends again!"

It was this conviction that steadied Garret and drove him out of isolation, causing him to volunteer for patrols and purges even when not assigned. At an isolated farmhouse, Garret was the first to crash through the door, giving its family no time to react as he cut them apart with sword and spell. Later, a cluster of mamono in the forest met their end in a similar fashion, when Garret launched himself into combat with an enthusiasm his soldiers almost found disquieting. On another day, their squad found a lost succubus child who'd been separated from her parents, but where others would have hesitated, Garret forced his magic. His work was cut out for him, and everything was so simple now. He couldn't let any of these monsters live.

That night, Eri stepped away from the miniature scrying pool set up in her wagon and collapsed onto a chair, gutted. Her daughter… after she failed to return and had been missing for a day or two, Eri decided to scry Annika. Sadly, the only thing that greeted her was an image of a corpse. So she hadn't made it after all… Eri just hoped she'd managed to meet her lover one last time before she'd been killed. To have died apart from him was a fate too cruel. After she composed herself, Eri pushed the wagon's cover-flap back, stepped out, then took flight. There were people who would want to know what happened.

"Ah, Eri! Good evening! Want some stew?"

Eri glumly stared at the ground as she landed beside Don.

"No, Don, sorry... Is Kyou around?"

"Yes, I'm here."

The fox woman crawled out of her tent shortly thereafter.

"Is something wrong?"

Eri just sighed.

"Annika is dead."

That brought shocked, pained expressions to the faces of the pair.

"No… What happened?"

"I don't know exactly, but I scryed her an hour ago. It seems she was killed by The Order."

"Damn zealots… Why can't they see? How many more friends are they going to take from us?"

Frustrated, Don slammed a fist against a crate.

"I don't know, Don… I'm sorry."

How many… How many indeed? When Eri eventually left the two alone and flew silently back to her wagon, she pondered this. At least she'd managed to get her people out… but The Order would come for them again. She had to find some way to stop them. This slaughter couldn't be allowed to continue.

Day 182

A week after he'd laid to rest the twisted remains of his friend, Garret found himself summoned before Lukas and Brynhild. As he stepped into their office, he noticed both of them looked tired and overworked from the mountain of paperwork and reports laid before them. When he saluted, the two stood up to greet him, with Lukas supporting himself on a crutch. Before they could tend to the matter of his summons, though, Garret brought that up.

"Are you alright, sir?"

Lukas nodded, before sitting back down.

"I'll be fine, I'm just recovering from fighting that lilim."

"Really? That was weeks ago."

The man made a sheepish, half smile.

"Yes, well, you know how it feels. Using that much divine energy in one go… It's just like what happened with your demon energy back on that mountain. I was given holy power, but now I'm paying the price."

He paused and shuffled some papers around, eventually producing a document that had Garret's name at the top.

"… But I'm not the person we should be discussing here. What about you, Mr. Fax? I'm sorry for taking so long to address this, but, uh… you lost your partner. And none of the priests have seen you come to them to talk about it. Are you alright?"

Once again, Garret donned the mask he'd become all too familiar with and replied with a steady voice.

"Yes."

Brynhild didn't say anything, but Lukas didn't buy it. He frowned and stared at Garret for a while.

"I'm not sure I believe that."

He glanced over Garret's file again, before putting it back on a stack.

"I understand wanting to be strong, but… I think you should grieve while you have the chance. We'll process the paperwork and release you from your duties. You can collect a pension and take all the time you need."

"With respect, sir, that's not necessary. I'm fine, and I plan on staying in the army."

Lukas shook his head as he denied the request.

"I think it'd be better if you took some time off. Getting away from war for a bit will do you good."

He paused for a moment, before adding "I'm sorry you lost her.".

Almost without thinking, Garret snapped back with the response he'd learned so many months ago.

"Don't be. We didn't get along."

That comment received a much more severe look from Lukas. It was a lie. Garret knew it, and if Brynhild told Lukas, he'd know it too. For a moment, he wondered if that remark had ruined any chance he had, but before Lukas could open his mouth, the valkyrie came to the rescue.

"If Fax says he's fine, I think we should believe him."

Their hero started at this, and glanced questioningly at the woman.

"I'll take responsibility if anything happens. Trust me."

Now it was Garret's turn to incredulously stare at her. Brynhild going along with a lie like that… what was she up to? Ultimately, though, it didn't matter. Lukas sighed, and tossed his file back onto its original pile.

"You're sure about this?"

"Completely, sir."

When Garret replied without hesitation, Lukas leaned back, glanced once more at Brynhild, then shrugged in resignation.

"… Then I suppose that settles it. You'll likely be commanding a patrol group when you receive your assignment tomorrow, so be prepared for that. Dismissed."

Garret stepped out of the office and into the empty hall. After shutting the door, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he reopened them, his gaze spoke of deadly intent. He knew what he had to do. Driven by his anger and hatred, over the next few years, Garret would kill a lot of mamono… but revenge, like all hot-headed emotions, was destined to cool someday. Eventually, he was led back to that unwelcome question: What good were all his atrocities doing? Like the many times before, he shoved it from his mind, knowing his entire world relied upon it. If he gave up on the greater good, and his slaughter became pointless… that'd make him evil without compare. And he was no monster. He couldn't be.

Right?

Author's Notes: Finally. After almost three fucking years, I got to write the scene that inspired this whole story – a scene of two lovers forced to fight each other because of the horrible nature of this war. I finally got to kill Annika. I'm so happy.

Ok, putting my sadistic nature towards fictional characters aside, this should have been consistent with the tone of the story so far. I'm a big believer of the idea that people should be able to predict major outcomes (in broad strokes) before you write them, and since some people managed that around chapter 20, I'd like to think I succeeded.

Writing quality is a different story. This was a hard chapter to write. There's enough ham in the final confrontation to supply a large dinner, but I really wanted to reinforce the idea of both sides thinking that they're doing the right thing and are actually helping the other person. I think this (and some of Garret's internal thoughts) are a bit too on the nose, but… well… whatever. It's passable. Maybe.

Speaking of Garret, this dude is a really fucking flawed character. He sort of has to be this way, because if he wasn't, you'd have already seen this story. MC is part of faction X, faction X does terrible things and the MC defects. MC is part of faction X, but meets a plucky lass from faction Y and defects. MC is part of faction X, until faction X does something to his family and he defects. How many times have you seen this play out in literature and media? It's so overdone that it's become routine and boring. That's one of the reasons I wrote this story. How many times do you get the tale of a character staying the course, and exploring the justifications he'd have to make to keep going in the face of such horrible things? Not very often. Of course, this is fanfic, and my first one at that. I fully expect this to be cringe and poorly done, but if it's cringe, at least it's a unique cringe.

Alright, with this chapter finished, we're at the end of Act 2. I'm going to be on hiatus again for like… at least 2 months, because it turns out I'm moving to another continent for work again. All the lovely bureaucracy and paperwork is going to take its toll, so I don't expect to have much time for writing. At least it's not a cliff hanger this time, and rest assured, I will return to write the final act. Thank you all for reading and...

Until next time, Sayonara!