11/22 Red wolf moon
"So, I have been asleep during five years" Looking at his body he could still feel a sharp pain, but apart from that he was surprisingly fine.
"Technically almost five, but yes it has been quite a long time. We dragged you away from the river, but you were already unconscious" Yuri said
"We are currently in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the Alliance. Our plan was to bring you to Balthus´s home and wait for the end of the conflict, but the movement of the Alliance´s troops was faster than expected" Hapi continued. "The borders of the Alliance are patrolled and closed and we are in the middle of this forest. However, before we take a decision about what to do from now own, I want to make sure that you are alright. Can you follow me?"
"Ok" he answered as he stood up by his own feet.
He was welcomed by a chilly air, but he had grown used to it. The area where they were was covered by trees and he didn´t sense any humans or monsters nearby.
"Don´t worry, this place is safe. Constance and I made sure to place spells to dissuade unwanted visitors"
"I see, that´s good to know. Do you know any news about the war?"
"There is no clear winner for now. All I know is that to the west battles are still taking place, but the east has been silent as of lately. I think this place will be good to check it" Hapi muttered as she checked her surroundings before looking at him.
"Byleth, please try to release a spell"
He closed his eyes and focused on the area in front of him as he prepared to release a basic fire spell, but what come from his hand wasn´t a typical fireball but a blue one, the area of impact freezing and shattering in the split of a second.
"I see, then that confirms that something has changed within you. That´s one of the side effects that the curse had on you. It is really interesting since the elemental spells that most people learn are based on fire or wind and in some cases the control of water or even thunder. Ice is an unstable kind of magic that usually lacks the strength to overcome fire-based spells, but yours is a bit different to the usual spells I´ve seen in my life" Hapi said as she observed the area of impact. "It´s difficult to explain, but the source of your power is strangely unnatural. It is something I can´t identify as white magic, dark magic or even black magic…it is something more ancient, yet unnatural"
"Then I shouldn´t employ such spells until we know up to what extent my body has been affected"
"That would be the most advisable thing to do…It is enough with me being cursed. If something happened to you because of freeing yourself of that spell everything would be a mess" Hapi said as she stood up again, preparing to leave. "Now we should return with the others, we must discuss what to do from now on"
Following her, he couldn´t avoid wondering about the wellbeing of his students. If 5 years had passed by now some of them could be…no, it wasn´t the time to think about something like that. He needed to reunite with them as soon as possible, but he needed to be cautious about the next steps to take, he thought as he started to check his sword hilt.
"Hapi, where is the sword?" he asked, alarmed.
"That was something we wanted to discuss with you" Yuri said at the entrance of the gate, with him he could see Constance and Balthus, although Constance was avoiding the sunlight.
"We didn´t find it with you, perhaps it ended in the bottom of the river and it is already in the deeps of the sea" Balthus suggested.
"No, it can´t be. I can feel that it hasn´t been lost"
"Can you feel it? That is another unnatural skill, I dare to say"
"Yes, it is difficult to explain, but I sense that it is still around…in some other place…Do you have any idea which place could it be?"
"Well, a group of bandits has been causing havoc in these lands for quite a while. The Alliance sent some battalions but they were massacred. Since then, the area is avoided and most merchants prefer crossing the forested areas even under the risk of attacks from giant wolves" Yuri said.
"Where are they?"
"To the west of the lands of Gloucester. They have taken control of an abandoned fortification nearby and they are using the place to attack the surrounding areas. I´ve heard that they have some deals with one of the minor nobles of the area"
"Then that will be the place where we have to go first"
"Wait a second, you haven´t completely recovered yet and we don´t even know if the sword is there. Don´t you think that we should…?"
"Come on, Hapi. We can´t stay here until the war ends, if the Professor says that the sword is there, I believe him"
"It´s not a matter of believing on his words" Constance sighed. "But looking at both of you, I already know that you have already made up your mind. At least let me take a parasol with me. I must admit that the shining sun above us affects me badly"
"I would have preferred something more relaxed to do, but I already know that you don´t like to lose your time" Yuri laughed. "We´ll accompany you and in the meantime we´ll continue to explain to you what has been happening during all these years. I hope you can endure with the talk"
"I will"
"You barely talk at all, Professor. More than a conversation it´s going to be a succession of monologues. That makes me…"
"Don´t do that here!"
….
These last days have been getting even colder, but he felt nothing as he patrolled the walls of the monastery. Time had passed since its fall, but he could see the marks of the battle on its walls.
"I killed many, but no one was able to give me the death I wish" He had been hoping to end his existence for quite some time, but every time he entered the battlefield his senses were numbed, the smell of blood turning him into the monster he had been for many years. The only one who could possibly bring an end to his days was that man…but he had disappeared. The disappointment he had felt since then was unbearable. No matter how many people he killed, no matter how many skulls crushed in his path, no one was brave enough to face him, they were scared of the monster they had in front of them, of the…
"Emile, what are you doing in the middle of the walls? You are going to catch a cold, please take this"
"Mercedes…why have you come here?"
"I´m your sister, it is only natural that I worry about your well-being Emile"
"Stop calling me by that name…now I´m just…"
"No matter how much time passes you will always be Emile to me" Mercedes said with a wide smile. During these years she had cut her long hair, but her face remained the same. Her personality had always been gentle, always worrying about the wellbeing of others, but that had no purpose on him. He was a monster that deserved nothing.
"Do as you please then, but try not to disturb me. I will be leaving in a short while"
"You were nicer when you were younger" Mercedes sighed. "Don´t you understand how much time I´ve been searching for you? Since that day when you left us"
"I won´t be talking with you about that matter"
"I hope that one day you talk about it with me as we used to do in the past. Don´t you remember the talks we had when we were younger? Your smile…"
"The boy you are talking about is dead, I killed him. I have killed many that deserved it and many that not, but I killed them all nevertheless. No matter what you say, that won´t ever change. I´m a monster, a monster that will continue to kill until someday gets killed. Kill or be killed that´s the only thing that matters on this world. The past will never come back, only the present matters" he said, although he felt his heart heavy as he said those words. "I will be leaving them; you should leave as well. The wind is freezing up here and even the most used to it could fall ill" he said as he left her behind, his eyes hidden under the helmet he used to hide his remorse and shame from the rest of the world.
….
11/24
"Today is unusually cold"
"Do you really think so? We are in the north in the middle of a war. A bit of snow won´t be changing the fact that we must stay here to protect the border"
It has been weeks since he had arrived there, but it felt as if years had passed since his arrival. As a young man of the kingdom, he had been battling in countless battles. He still had many things to learn, but even now his heart was filled with doubts. Somewhere in another place some of his classmates might be wondering about the same thing. He wanted to bring justice to those who had brought doom to his former family, but at the same time he didn´t want to betray the trust of his friends. No matter what he did someone would get hurt in the process.
"I´m still too weak" he thought filled with remorse. "How can I continue going forward when I don´t even know what I should do?"
"Boy, are you wondering about something?"
"Eh, no sir!"
"I told you I´m not a knight, just an official. If I were a knight, I would be wearing a shiny armor and ladies would fall in love with me…but my armor is rusty and the only lady that obeys me is this sword" the man laughed as he patted his back.
"Sorry, I forgot about it"
"No worries…although now even the knights don´t have the time to enjoy the pleasures of life. This war is bringing all of us to the limit. That imperial scum wants to kill us all, don´t forget that"
"Yes…"
Some of his companions had already been ascended to generals, but he had chosen to follow his own path. He had been fighting in different places, keeping his identity hidden just in case someone would be suspicious about him. Everything for the sake of knowing the truth.
He was about to say something, when he sensed something off in the distance.
"To the ground!" he shouted as a spell impacted with the wall, debris falling on them.
"They are attacking us!"
"Curse them, don´t let them take the fort, protect the area with your lives!" the commander roared as he used his sword to slay one of the attackers. It was a masked man, but there were too many of them.
The archers were shooting at the enemy, but the blizzard was making it difficult to locate their enemies. One of the mysterious attackers was approaching from behind one of his comrades. Without thinking it twice he attacked him with his sword, blood staining the snow.
"Thank you…" But there were already more enemies approaching them. They were still holding the watchtowers and the main entrance to the fort, if they could continue like this, they could be able to survive the attack.
"But who they were? If they were Imperial troops, why didn´t they have a visible sigil on their clothes?"
He was wondering about it, when a roar froze his blood. Then an explosion happened, shattering the gates at the main entrance.
"Don´t let them in!" the commander shouted, but it was too late. A giant creature effortlessly destroyed the gates, stone and wood pillars falling on some of the troops. The archers were shooting arrows at their new enemy, but in an instant, they were engulfed in fire. Looking at the beast before him, he knew that there was nothing they could do to defeat it. He was trembling, so focused on the monster before him, he didn´t notice the enemy approaching him.
"You idiot! Pay attention to your surroundings!" The commander shouted as he cut the head off of his attacker. "This battle is not over yet, prepare the ballistae, we´ll send that abomination back to hell! You, prepare the artillery!"
"Yes, commander!"
He ran toward one of the watchtowers, as he arrived to the top, he could see that more monsters were starting to appear, but the commander had ordered him to take care of the ballistae.
More soldiers were already at the top, holding a giant projectile. He did the same with the one to his right. With the aid of one of the other soldiers he aimed at one of the beasts.
"Fire!"
The projectile pierced through the neck of one of the beasts which roared in anguish as it fell to the ground. Other projectiles were falling upon their enemy, killing or heavily injuring the creatures at the gates of the fort.
Another beast had already appeared at the gates, it was smaller, but he could feel an intimidating aura coming from it.
"Kill it!"
His eyes were focused on the beast as he released the giant projectiles, the wind howling like a madman. The giant arrows were almost on it, when it raised its shield, stopping the attack.
"How the hell…" muttered one of the soldiers. The creature was looking at them, its crimson eyes shining in the middle of the darkness. He could see a gloaming light raising from its body.
"Prepare another one! Kill that bastard" roared a voice, but it was too late. He felt an intense pain as the tower collapsed, hit by an explosion. He could only hear the cries of other men as he fell to the ground and everything was covered in darkness.
…..
"Hey, you…can you hear me?"
He felt as if his body had just been beaten up, his head about to explode, but he was still breathing.
"What happened?" he asked, around him there were some other soldiers. All of them appeared to be exhausted, some of them injured, but alive.
"They attacked us, we were holding our ground, but them those things appeared. We killed many but they kept appearing, accompanied by those men. Our commander at least sent that bastard to hell before it died"
"Where are we?"
"We are still at the fort; we are the last ones. The battle hasn´t ended yet, but at least there aren´t any of those monsters around anymore. However, we´ve lost, we need to inform the rest of the troops of this attack. We are just thirty, some of us are injured, but if we could break through the enemy lines and head north, we might be able to arrive to the other fort before dawn. This cursed blizzard must have aided them to get to this place without being noticed. "Can you stand by your own and hold a sword?"
"Yes, sir"
"In that case prepare to use it, we need to arrive to the other fort. If at least one of us survives the rest of the troops will be able to prepare a counterattack. We won´t let those cowards take advantage of the suffering of our people" The soldier in front of him said as he prepared his battle axe.
"Let´s kill those bastards!" he shouted as he kicked the door, smashing his axe in the head of one of their enemies. They were received by different spells, but they didn´t stop as they killed one enemy after another. They were approaching the main gates, red snow surrounding the bodies of the fallen. Adjusting his sword belt, he sliced the head off of one of his attackers as they walked through the main entrance, a freezing wind coming from the west.
"Curse this weather, they must be using magic or something" muttered one of the soldiers as they continued running away. A few minutes later, the only thing they could hear was the wind and the sound of their own footsteps. They couldn´t see the fortress behind them, but they knew they were heading in the correct direction.
"In all my years I didn´t expect to face something like that. Those creatures…it is something I´ve never seen. If we don´t inform the main armies, a slaughter of innocents will take place" The leader of their group said as they went deeper into the forested area. The wind was gentler there, but everyone was alert. The enemy was still nearby and they could have prepared an ambush against them. Even the slightest of sounds could be a threat.
However, as he walked deeper into the forest, something was still bothering him. "All of them were wearing masks, we couldn´t see their faces…are they demons?" he wondered while he followed them, when he was pushed to the ground.
"Watch out!" shouted a voice as one of the trees exploded, branches engulfed in flames falling to the ground.
"Curse it!" he shouted as he stopped a dagger with his sword. More masked figures appearing around in the forest.
"They are trying to block us all, continue marching forward no matter the cost!" roared their new leader as he avoided another attack.
"RUN NOW, RETREAT!"
The silent forest had turned into a masquerade of blood and death, the cries of some of his companions piercing his ears as he continued running. He could feel their presence a few meters away from him, he wanted to avenge his fallen brothers, yet they were too many.
"We will be crossing through the frozen lake! Do we still have a magic caster to spare?"
"I know some basic spells, sir" a man to his right said.
"Then melt the ice behind us as soon as we start crossing the lake!" their leader shouted as he avoided a dagger aimed at his head.
Suddenly the sea of trees came to an end, a ghastly surface extending in front of them.
"The lake, don´t hesitate, keep running!"
The surface was slippery, but their shoes were prepared to face such conditions, such was the nature of the north. The remaining men were already in the middle of the lake when the first attackers started to appear behind them"
"Fire now!"
A medium size fireball impacted in the surface of the ice, the fire and the explosion shattering the area as the first enemy troops started to appear, some of them tried to erect a magic barrier, but they sank in silence to their deaths.
"They don´t even cry as they die, they must be demons" muttered a soldier he didn´t know as they approached the other side of the lake.
…..
"The fort is on sight, we did it…we must"
"Sir, the fort is on fire!"
It was true. Flames were raising from the watchtowers and the main gates had been destroyed, but the worst thing were the bodies.
Butchered, burned, gutted, quartered. Death´s stench was filling his head, making him fall on his knees. Someone next to him was already throwing up and he couldn´t really blame him, he couldn´t believe what was in front of him.
"What has happened? Who could do something like this?"
"Sir, there are only bodies of our men, but none of the enemy. How could that happen?"
"That´s something easy to answer, I did it alone" said a voice from the gates of the destroyed fort.
It was a woman, her voluptuous body contrasting with the look on her face. She wasn´t wearing any armor, a pair of daggers on her hands. He didn´t know why, but he couldn´t avoid shivering at the look of it.
"You, bastard…did you really kill all these good men? Why...Why someone would commit such slaughter?"
"Isn´t it obvious, I just wanted to entertain myself and the kingdom knights proved to be worth of their name. A pity that they didn´t last for too long. I just wanted to play a bit more" she laughed. "I was about to leave this place, but what do we have here? A group of proudful warriors willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of vengeance, how lovely…that must really be love, isn´t it?" The woman giggled.
"You whore…die!" shouted a soldier as he charged at her with his lance. His lance was about to hit her, when she appeared behind him.
"You should now your own limits, my dear…but you are so warm…thank you for your kindness" the woman said as she pulled her hand out of the man´s back. Opening her hand, she revealed to them a still beating heart.
"I hope you can provide to me more entertainment than this poor soul"
"Defensive positions now! Keep calm, focus on her movements"
"A leader must protect his fellow soldiers even at a times of certain death. I will make sure to kill of them before I kill you…to allow you taste true despair" The woman said before slowly starting to approach them, her hands starting to glow.
And then they were engulfed in a dark mist, he couldn´t even see the hand in front of him, but he could hear them, the screams of people dying in despair.
"Don´t stand like that, you idiot!" roared a voice as he was pushed to the ground, but the snow wasn´t cold, it was strangely warm, a sticky thing in his hand. He then realized he was touching the guts of one of his fellow companions. The mist had disappeared and he could see everything that had happened, the slaughter that had just happened around him, limbs without an owner scatter all around, the smell of death filling his head, making him unable to think about anything else.
A few meters away from him he could see his commander, heavily injured, but still breathing.
"Saving in the last second one of the young ones. Sacrificing yourself like that is so lovely! I wished I could be loved like that by my children"
"You are a witch, a demon with human skin" The injured man said as he spat on her, but that only made her laugh.
"You are so interesting. Even in your last moments you are willing to defy me…a powerless bug like you can´t even lick the tip of my shoes…or perhaps you could" she said as she crushed his skull with her own feet.
"No!" he shouted as he helped himself with his sword.
"Are you going to attack me to avenge your friends…how lovely of you…but do you really think that you can defeat me?" the woman laughed. "Why not accepting defeat, I could forgive your life…if you ask for mercy and lick my shoes…they got so dirty after crushing his skull…"
"I won´t abandon them, I will get rid of you!" he shouted as he prepared his sword to attack the devil in front of him.
"Pride…your pride makes you so dumb and lovely" she smiled as the sword shattered before touching her skin, a light explosion sending him to the ground.
"Kill me already!"
"Why though? Killing someone that is asking for it, won´t entertain me…and you are so young…even if I killed all these men I´m still a lady in the bottom of my heart. Besides, green eyes with innocent faces are my type" she said as she started to approach him.
There was no option then, even if he had to die without honor… he thought as he bit his tongue, but the moment blood started to fill his mouth it suddenly disappeared.
"Oh, so stubborn…" she giggled. "I have changed my plans…I´ll be keeping you as my new toy" the woman said as she cherished his hair, making him shiver. He couldn´t avoid crying, realizing that that was a fate worse than death, the world around him covered in darkness.
…
"I see that you were having fun, Cornelia. I think I told you to be more discreet. The imperial army kills its enemies it doesn´t slaughter them like animals"
"I must admit that I got too excited, but being isolated for too long is so boring." Cornelia smiled as she yawned.
"Don´t lie, you are rooming freely across the land since your captors are already under your spell. Anyway, this should be enough to accelerate the events. News of this slaughter will extend through the entire Kingdom and a new counterattack will take place. To avenge those who died today"
"I see, so your objective is to make the Kingdom clash again against the Empire. However, this will probably cause rebellions in the territories controlled by the Empire"
"That´s none of my business. Let them clash against each other. Our final enemy is covered by the Kingdom´s cape, but if that disappears that will mark the beginning of the end of this farce. Have you already used the power I have placed upon you?" he asked as he looked at the bracelet, she was keeping in one of her arms.
"Yes, and I must admit that it is amazing. How sweet of you for thinking about me, being able to take every shape must have been a difficult task" she giggled as her form started to change, her height shrieking as her eyes turned purple. "Do I look like our blessed emperor?"
"An exact copy, although your personality is too flamboyant. You should try practicing it, the day I´ll need your new talent will eventually come, until then I advise you to be weary of your own whereabouts"
"You have always been so serious, but the knights and the king are far more boring" she sighed as her form changed again, her chest growing wide as his eyes turned blue. "If I told them to run to their deaths under this disguise all knights would follow me without a doubt. Loyalty is a beautiful thing, don´t you think? If someone was so loyal to me…"
"Enough of your nonsense, don´t try to commit a stupidity. If the archbishop discovers you, your death won´t be a pleasurable thing. You should already return to your place. Even if you have slaved the minds of your guardians, the shield of Faerghus won´t certainly fall for such little trick"
"That man is more worried about doing the right thing than anything else. He has even forgotten his own son. I could hear their last discussion from my room. And since that day no one knows where he could have gone"
"Interesting, although I don´t know how it can be used. I´ll contact you later, until then don´t do anything you could regret. I´ll be merciless"
"You have always been so charming. You haven´t changed a bit in all these years"
"Do you really think so? I think that both of us have changed, we aren´t the ones we used to be, but this is not the time not the place to talk about a past that won´t return. Leave this place"
"Understood, my lord" she bowed before disappearing.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone. Stay healthy and safe. See you next year!