I suffered a knee injury this past week. Luckily I wrote most of this chapter before said injury, but updates might end up slowing down for awhile due to this. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I'm giving another trigger warning for this chapter for dark content.

Part Eight

What? What? What's going on?

The air felt thick and hot. Daunte couldn't breathe. He tried to open his eyes; he strained with all his might, but couldn't get them open. He thought he saw the light of the Rune of Restoration behind his closed eyelids, but it was then replaced with darkness. His body felt paralyzed. What's going on? What happened?

"How do you feel?"

The familiar voice sent a sharp cold through Daunte's body. He tried opening his eyes yet again and this time it worked. He was in a brightly lit hallway, and he saw two people before him. One was seated on a bench and one was standing, but Daunte recognized them both and took a couple of steps back in fear.

"'How do I feel'?" Sloan Faakhir was seated. His Sheikh hood was pushed back and his face…he looked angry, but it wasn't the murderous rage Daunte was used it. It was raw, ugly, and pained. His teeth were clenched as he shook his head. "My Lady, there are no words that could possibly describe what I'm feeling."

"You are angry," the Matron told him, her tone but…comforting? "But you feel helpless."

"Of course I feel helpless!" Sloan burst out, jumping to his feet. "Over a hundred people were burned alive! Men, women, and children died! All they did was go to Chapel to pray, and those bastard New Dawn terrorists killed them!"

New Dawn? Daunte gasped, his mouth hanging open in shock. Oh no…

"You do not need to feel helpless," the Matron told him. "Kõrkus is Sheikh Keha Hale's domain, not yours. This is not your burden to bear, Sloan."

The Kõrkus Massacre! Roen's father! He set a Chapel on fire with a Rage Rune! They're talking about the Massacre!

"I s-saw the bodies, my Lady," Sloan said. His words were slurred as though he were fighting back tears. "I went there—all of the Sheikhs went there, you know that! And I saw—my Lady, I have seen terrible things. Monstrous things. I-I thought I could stomach anything, but…"

"It was the children, wasn't it?" the Matron said softly. "The corpses of those choir children. You are not the only one who was affected by them. I personally witnessed multiple grown men weep when they saw those poor children."

"That could have been Esther and Ciana," Sloan murmured, collapsing back onto the bench. "My girls, they—they attend services at Chapel too. Tidur loves to sing in the choir. Have you heard her sing, my Lady?"

"She has a very moving and tender voice," the Matron responded.

"I-I can't shake the feeling," Sloan confessed. "This fear I feel, that something like that could happen to my family. That they could be—taken from me and I would be unable to stop it from happening."

Sloan stretched out his arms before him, staring down at his hands. "I've worked so hard to build my body to be strong. Strong for my family and strong for my soldiers who serve under me. I—can't let that happen again. Not to my family. Not to my soldiers. But how I prevent this from ever happening again, when I couldn't prevent it from happening in the first place?"

Daunte tried to close his own mouth but it remained gaping. This is the same Sloan who saved Tidur from an unwanted marriage. Who prevented Adalgiso from committing suicide. This is not the man with the uncontrollable rage and bloodlust.

The Matron moved closer, standing directly in front of Sloan. Daunte moved so that he could see them properly and he saw her grab his gloved right hand in her own gloved hand. "You are strong Sloan, but you're not strong enough to face the adversaries who challenge Nagar. Who threaten your family. If you remain as you are now, then history will repeat itself and more people will die. New Dawn has been embolden by their—success—in this horrible act. They will do it again."

"Tell me," Sloan said quietly. "My Lady, please tell me what I can do. How do I stop them from ever doing this again?"

The Matron hummed softly, and then turned Sloan's hand over so that the back of his hand was facing up. "Do you still have a rune on this hand, Sloan?"

Daunte stiffened. A rune?

"I-I had a Titan Rune equipped, but you told me to take it off," Sloan said, looking up at her. "I had it removed before coming to the capital. My Lady, do you have a stronger rune I can use?"

The Matron's eyes narrowed slightly. Daunte thought she was smiling under her hood. "Yes. I have an extremely powerful rune that will increase your strength tenfold. You can even summon monsters with this rune. No foe will ever stand a chance against you."

Daunte gasped, but Sloan's brow lifted in confusion. "I've never heard of such a rune before. Something with so much power…is it a stable rune?"

"Oh yes," the Matron responded blithely. "So long as you wear this rune, you will never be weak again."

"W-What is the rune called?"

"Oh, nothing bad." The Matron pressed her index finger against the center of his hand. "It's called the Black Rune."

"Black Rune," Daunte said aloud. He looked towards the ceiling before looking back at Sloan and the Matron again. "W-Where I have heard—"

"The Black Rune—or Conqueror Rune, as it's also called—makes you act possessed. Based upon the actions of the two people it was attached to during the Gate Rune War, it robs you of your humanity. You're incapable of feeling regret or remorse, and you actually delight in the suffering you inflict on others. The two people who were under the power of this rune did horrible, horrible things…things they would not have done had they not been under the influence of the Rune."

Daunte gasped, and slapped a hand over his mouth as he stared at Sloan and the Matron in horror. "Black Rune," Sloan echoed. After a moment he shrugged. "That's a pretty simple sounding rune. If it will make me stronger to protect my family and innocent people, then I'm honored to have it."

Black Rune. Conqueror Rune. Is this…Is this why—

The image in front of him changed to a battle. He saw Holy Army forces battling a group wearing pale yellow robes. Daunte vaguely remembered that the members of New Dawn wore yellow robes. Both sides were shouting battle cries and fighting fiercely. Daunte recognized Sloan and Adalgiso standing back to back as they fought off the New Dawn terrorists.

Daunte quickly realized that Sloan's forces were greatly outnumbered.

A New Dawn member slashed his sword at Adalgiso, and the older man cried out as blood spurted into the air from his left shoulder. "NO!" Sloan shouted, lunging at the man. Sloan swung his own sword, and Daunte watched his right hand glow—

Sloan's sword struck the New Dawn member, but to Daunte's horror the khanda sliced straight down the soldier's body, from his shoulder to his navel. And when Sloan kicked the soldier away his body splattered into several pieces. Sloan didn't pause; he lunged for the next New Dawn member and not only decapitated him, but also severed his right arm with a single swing.

One of Sloan's soldiers was healing Adalgiso with a Water Rune, but the older soldier didn't seem to notice. He held his hand to his wounded soldier and gaped in horror as Sloan carved his way through New Dawn. His own soldiers stopped fighting, just standing and watching with mouths hanging open. New Dawn began to flee and Sloan chased them down, continuing to slay as many members as he could. By the end his Sheikh whites were covered in blood and he was surrounded by dead bodies.

Adalgiso slowly approached Sloan where he stood, his head bent forward and his breathing deep and guttural. "A-Are you all right, Sheikh?" He asked quietly.

Sloan raised his head and looked at him, and Daunte's stomach turned at the serene calm in his expression. "I'm fine," he answered plainly.

The scene changed again, and Daunte heard laughter. Before him he saw Sloan and Tidur sitting on separate couches in a sitting room facing each other. Sloan was reading a newspaper and Tidur was crocheting. Daunte recognized Esther and Ciana's voices in the laughter from the other room. Tidur did not react to the laughter, but Daunte saw Sloan twitching violently. Whatever they were laughing about, Ciana's voice rose in volume until she was almost screaming with laughter.

Sloan suddenly threw down his paper and stomped out of the room. "Sloan?" Tidur called after him.

Sloan reached one of the closed doors in the hallway and kicked it open, one of the hinges coming loose. Esther and Ciana were seated at a small table near the window—from the bear and rabbit plush toys in other chairs at the table, Daunte had to guess they were having a tea time. Esther looked to be about ten and Ciana looked like a toddler. The sisters screamed at Sloan's explosive arrival and grabbed each other in a hug as their father stormed into the room. "SHUUUUUUUUUT UP!" He hollered at the top of his voice. His body was tense and his eyes were hard and glaring at the two girls. "I TOLD YOU TWO TO SHUT UP! WHY ARE YOU BOTH NOT LISTENING TO ME?! ARE YOU STUPID?!"

Esther and Ciana began to cry and clung to each other as Sloan stood in the center of the room, his whole body trembling with rage. Tidur raced into the room and grabbed his arm. "Sloan!" She cried out. "What's gotten into you?!"

Sloan let out a loud gasp, and the anger left his expression. He blinked in confusion and quickly rubbed a hand over his face. Esther and Ciana were still loudly sobbing, and Tidur rushed to their side to comfort them. After a moment Sloan spoke in a quiet voice. "…I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

The scene changed again, and Daunte suddenly heard screaming. He then saw Sloan, Adalgiso, and several Holy Army soldiers standing in a living room. A woman lay dead on the floor. Daunte was so horrified to see this that he barely noticed that every piece of furniture in the room was broken.

Then he looked up, and he saw a man wearing New Dawn's robes standing at the back of the room in front of a large window. He was holding a boy directly in front of himself. The child couldn't have been older than twelve, and he was crying and struggling.

"Don't think you've won!" the man in yellow shouted, struggling to hold the child in front of himself. "You false believers of Nagar! You'll never win!"

"Papa!" The boy wailed. "Papa, let me go!"

"You disgusting pig!" Adalgiso spat at him. "Leading New Dawn in killing innocent people wasn't enough for you?! You're willing to sacrifice your own son to save your own skin?!"

"I'm needed!" the leader of New Dawn shouted. "I HAVE to live to make this country a better place! Blood needs to be shed for victory! Nagar teaches that!"

"Nagar doesn't teach in the mass slaughter of His own believers!" Adalgiso shouted back at him.

"You don't understand," New Dawn's leader snapped at him. "None of you will ever understand! That is why you WILL fail in the end!"

"Enough of this," Sloan said coldly, and lunged forward. Daunte saw his hand glow again and he screamed in realization of what was happening. "NO!"

Sloan stabbed the boy straight through his chest. He buried the khanda all the way to its hilt, and Daunte watched the sword's blade reappear through the back of New Dawn's leader. The boy was dead in an instant, but New Dawn's leader spat up blood and made horrible gurgling noises. Sloan pulled the sword free and Daunte saw the wound in the leader's center abdomen. He collapsed to the floor, still emitted horrible noises. He did not die quickly nor easily; it was an uncomfortably long time of standing there watching him drown in his own blood.

Daunte knew that this man had been a monster. He knew that New Dawn had killed indiscriminately in pursuit of their radical views. Many people had suffered because of them, and the Liberation Army had not found allies easily because people associated them with New Dawn. But he took no pleasure in watching him slowly die. When he finally did, he couldn't help but feel relieved to see an end to his suffering.

Adalgiso had knelt beside the boy, his fingers to his neck. He looked up at Sloan. "Sheikh…he's dead."

"So be it," Sloan said coldly, calmly cleaning his sword. "Had he not died here then he would've been sent to the Dark Chasm under Original Sin. Where he probably would've died anyways. New Dawn is now gone. I'll make the report to the High Clerics."

Adalgiso had a look of horror on his face that remained even after the image faded. Daunte let out a shaky breath as he suddenly heard Tidur's voice. "Sloan!"

The scene changed again. Sloan was sitting at a desk writing. Tidur breezed in holding a soup spoon in one hand and her hand directly underneath it. "Sloan, I've tried a new seasoning with the albondigas I'm making for dinner tonight. Would you like to taste it?"

Sloan grunted without looking up. Tidur came to his side and held the spoon next to him. "Make sure to blow on it," she said gently. "It's—"

Sloan leaned up and closed his mouth around the spoon. His eyes widened and he made a strangled noise before launching to his feet. "HOT!" He slapped the spoon out of Tidur's hand, sending the spoon flying. The force of slap made Tidur sprawl against his desk on top of his paperwork. She looked stunned, but before she could react or say anything, Sloan grabbed her arm—"GET OFF, THE INK ISN'T DRY!"—and he threw her to the floor.

"Stop!" Daunte shouted, but he knew they couldn't hear him.

"LOOK!" Sloan snapped, snatching up his papers and shaking them at Tidur. "You smudged my report, you stupid bitch! Now I have to rewrite the whole damn thing!" He threw the papers at her and they fluttered around her.

Tidur sat up, though Daunte saw that she was in pain, and she gathered the papers with trembling. "I-I," she stammered quietly, ducking her head. "I'm sorry—"

"You must think my job is so easy," Sloan snapped at her. "You live without a care or responsibility! All you have EVER done is take advantage of me!"

"L-Let me help you," Tidur pleaded softly. She shuffled the paperwork and her face brightened. "O-Oh—look Sloan! It's not all ruined! Just the one page is smudged! You can—"

"Are you contradicting me?!" Sloan hollered.

Tidur looked at him in confusion, and…fear. "What?"

"I'll teach you to not disrespect me EVER AGAIN!" Sloan swung his fist back and Daunte hollered as he punched her in the side of the head. The single blow knocked Tidur unconscious, sending her sprawling facedown on the floor.

Sloan knelt down beside her and raised his fist again, but the scream at the door gave him pause. "MOMMY!"

Esther ran into the room, falling to her knees at Tidur's other side. She appeared to be a similar age as to the previous memory. She pressed her hands to Tidur's back and frantically shook her. "Mommy! Mommy, wake up! Please, Mommy!"

Tidur did not respond. Sloan sat there and said and did nothing. Ciana had also slowly entered the room, clutching a blue rabbit plush toy to her. She was looking at her mother and crying loudly. Esther was also crying, almost screaming as she continued shaking Tidur. She looked at Sloan. "W-Why won't she wake up?! Why?!"

"…What is this?"

Daunte stiffened in shock. He heard Sloan's voice, but the Sloan in the memory playing in front of him said nothing. Daunte looked around him, and jumped when he saw Sloan Faakhir standing to his left. The man was in his full Sheikh garbs, including his hood, but Daunte saw that his eyes were wide as he watched the scene before them. H-How long has he been standing here?!

"What is this?" The Sloan beside Daunte repeated himself, his eyes still looking forward. "Wh-What…What's going on?"

"SHUT UP!" The Sloan in the memory hollered. Esther screamed, jumping back slightly. Ciana ran for the open door and hid behind it. "Your mother is fine, LOOK!"

The Sloan in the memory grabbed Tidur by her arm and hoisted her up. He shook her violently in his arms, and her head rolled in such a way that Daunte was almost concerned he would break her neck. "Tidur! Wake up!" Memory-Sloan shouted.

Tidur moaned, and her eyes opened partially. They looked glazed over, but Sloan looked up and glared at Esther before unceremoniously letting Tidur go and allowing her to fall back to the floor. "There, you see?! She's fine!"

Esther sat there, her expression sad and helpless. Ciana peered at them from around the door, her eyes also wide and sad.

"What is this?" The Sloan beside Daunte repeated again. "I-Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"You don't remember this?" Daunte asked him.

Sloan turned to look at him, his gaze becoming perplexed. "…Who are you?" Sloan asked.

Daunte felt a cold stab of shock and—fear fill his body. "Y-You don't know me?" Daunte asked in shock.

"Am I supposed to?" Sloan responded.

Daunte swallowed thickly, but before he could respond the scene changed again, and this time they heard screams. A Holy Army soldier lay dead on the floor and Adalgiso was kneeling beside him. From their surroundings, Daunte had to guess the setting was Sloan's Garrison. Other Holy Army soldiers were pressed against the walls of the room. Most of them looked scared but others were…laughing.

"W-What?!" Adalgiso shouted, a note of fear in the older man's voice. "What happened?! What did he do?!"

Daunte realized that he was directing his question at Memory-Sloan, who stood before them with blood on his sword. "He talked back to me," Sloan snapped. "No one talks back to a Sheikh!"

The images came at them both quickly, each more brutal than the next. Daunte and Sloan watched as the Sloan in the memories hurt and kill the people around him. They watched as Sloan's abuse towards his family escalated. They watched him use the Black Rune to enhance his strength and even summon monsters to kill people. Every time he used the Rune (and oh, he used it very often) Sloan's emotions and mental stability worsened.

Daunte kept glancing between the memories and Sloan, but the man himself looked frozen in horror at what they were witnessing. After a few memories he shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Wha—I-I don't understand! What are we witnessing?! Mirages?! Memories?!"

Daunte himself did not know until they saw the memory that he had personally witnessed when he touched Tidur's hand. The memory of when Sloan gave Tidur the scar on her face. It was then he knew that what they were witnessing was definitely memories.

If these are memories, then the first one—that memory of the Matron offering Sloan the Black Rune! That was real as well! T-Then that means…

"No!" Sloan shouted as the Memory-Sloan began beating Tidur up in front of them. "This isn't real! I-I would NEVER do this to Tidur! She's my wife! The mother of my children! I love her more than I love my own life! This isn't real!"

Daunte looked at him and found his voice. "These…are real."

"No, they're not!" Sloan shouted, and Daunte reflexively jumped when he heard Sloan's raised voice. Sloan turned to face him, but did not immediately attack him. "This isn't real! I would remember if this was real!"

"This IS real!" Daunte insisted, gesturing to the horrible scene before them. "I saw this exact memory from Tidur's perspective! This actually happened! And if this actually happened, then everything else actually happened!"

Sloan laughed, but it was a painful and hollow sound. "A-Am I—Am I expected to believe that I've laid my hands on my own wife in violence?! That I killed my own soldiers for the slightest issues?! I would think I would remember such awful events if I DID do it!"

"But you did do it," Daunte said. "I saw it myself!"

"Then why can't I remember?!"

"I don't know! It must be because of the Black Rune!"

"The Black Rune?" Sloan looked down at his right hand. "Her Ladyship said that it would make me strong enough to protect those I care about. I have yet to see its power, though."

Daunte gasped shortly, his eyes going wide. His mouth opened and closed as he sturggled to find the right words to speak. "W-Wha…What year do you think it is?"

Sloan's answer was quick…and shocking. "IS 475."

Daunte's mouth dropped open, but before he could speak Sloan's voice cut through the darkness. "Do you think you can leave me?"

A new image formed before them. Daunte turned to see Memory-Sloan slam Tidur into the wall hard. It looked like they were standing in a bedroom that was in disarray. The force of the impact was so great that Daunte saw a hole forming in the wall underneath Tidur's back. Her face was covered in rivulets of blood, and her hands were clasped around Sloan's wrist.

His hand was around her throat.

"Do you think I will just allow you to walk away from me?" Sloan snapped. He pulled Tidur towards him before slamming her back into the wall again. "Do you think you can take my children away from me? You selfish bitch!"

Tidur couldn't respond. She struggled for breath under his hand. Sloan raised her up high against the wall, leaving her feet dangling. "I told you that if you tried to leave me I would kill you. I told you this, and yet you still think I'll let you walk away?" Sloan shook her slightly. "I don't make promises that I can't keep."

Tidur gagged as she struggled, but before Sloan could say anything the brush end of a broom handle smacked against his back. "STOP IT, DADDY!"

Sloan looked over his shoulder at Esther, who was hitting him rapidly with the broom. She was a little girl facing a giant of a man, so her blows left little impact on Sloan. Daunte swallowed, but his throat was bone dry.

"Stop it, stop it!" Esther shrieked, frantically hitting him. "Leave Mommy alone!"

Daunte saw Ciana standing at the door, hugging her arms and looking on while crying silently. Sloan let Tidur go and she fell to the floor. He rounded upon Esther and wrenched the broom from her hands. With one swift motion he slapped the handle in two over his knee.

Esther turned to run but Sloan lunged at her—"COME HERE!"—and clamped a hand over her right shoulder. "I'll teach you to attack ME, you brat!" he snapped.

He was squeezing her shoulder hard, his fingers digging in tight. Daunte gasped when he saw dots of blood form on the fabric and Esther screamed in pain while she struggled. Ciana looked frozen where she stood, the terror in the little girl's face disturbed Daunte deeply.

The Sloan beside Daunte was breathing gutturally, his body shaking as he watched the horrible scene before. He continued shaking his head back and forth in denial. "No…No, this can't be! I-I would never do this! What man would do this to his family?!" he looked at Daunte, his dark eyes still wide. "Did—are you saying I did this?!"

Daunte stared back at him wordlessly, the words choked in his throat. He…He really doesn't remember. I believe him. The Black Rune, it…it overtook him. It overtook him and turned him into a monster.

Sloan looked away and suddenly shrieked, "NO!"

Daunte turned back to the scene, and to his fright he saw that Sloan had hoisted Esther up by her collar and he swung his fist back to punch her—

A wooden chair was smashed against Sloan's upper back, the bulk of the blow hitting the back of his head. The scene before them immediately swam and became murky. Sloan dropped Esther to the floor and collapsed facedown, his hate-filled eyes glazing over. Behind Sloan stood Tidur, still injured and covered in blood, her trembling hands holding the broken remains of the chair in her hands.

"Esther, Ciana!" Tidur's voice sounded far away as the image slowly faded, no doubt signifying that Sloan had lost consciousness from the blow from the chair. "Come with m—"

The scene abruptly ended, leaving Daunte and Sloan standing in darkness. Sloan hunched forward and slammed his hands against his forehead, digging his fingers into his own hair. He collapsed to his knees. "T—That was me? I-I-I did all of THAT?"

Daunte found his voice. He knew he could lie or continue telling the truth. He knew what the right response was, as difficult as it was. "…Yes."

"No. No, no, no, no, no…" Sloan scratched his fingers down his own face. The gestures removed his face, the nails cutting deep and drawing blood on his cheeks.

"B-But it wasn't your fault," Daunte quickly added, raising his hands slightly. "It was the Black Rune, it—"

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Sloan screamed skyward, and the world around them shattered.

"Lord Daunte!"

Daunte's eyes snapped open wide and he gulped for air. His throat and chest felt like they were on fire. He blinked once, and felt moisture leave his eyes. He was crying.

"Lord Daunte." Caesar was leaning over him, his lazy expression gone and full of worry and fear. "Thank the heavens you're awake!"

Daunte's head spun as he sat up. He saw a blur before he felt something slam into him. "Big Brother!"

Arin. His little brother was holding him tight and crying loudly. Daunte rubbed his back comfortingly, though he was momentarily distracted by Kibbeh chewing on the toe of his shoes. "A-Are you okay?" he asked Arin softly.

"Lord Daunte, you're the one who collapsed!" Allise laughed sheepishly. "Why can't you think of yourself for once?!"

"It's why he's the best leader for us," Eamon said softly.

Daunte looked up fully and saw his Army standing before him looking both concerned and relieved. He also saw Adalgiso and the rest of the surviving forces that had been under Sloan's command kneeling on the ground with their hands bound behind their backs. "T…The battle is over?" he asked softly.

"It is my Lord," Gunther said proudly. "We faced down an ambush from four Sheikhs and we won."

"Lord Daunte's awake," Oisin said suddenly. "Now get out of my way and let this be done!"

Let this be done? Daunte wondered. It was then he realized that he was only hugging Arin with his left hand. He looked to his right to see where his right hand was, and he saw it gripping another limp hand.

Sloan Faakhir was lying unconscious beside him.

Daunte quickly let him go, his breathing ragged. He looked up and saw Tidur sitting on the ground two meters away. To his immense relief he saw Ciana was awake. Both Esther and her were clinging to their mother while looking at Sloan. "H-How do you feel, Ciana?" He asked softly.

The little girl shrugged stoically. "Thank you for saving me," she said bluntly.

Oisin stood over Sloan and raised his spear. "Vengeance is mine!" he shouted.

"NO!" Esther cried out.

"WAIT!" Daunte shouted, waving his free hand. "Stop right there, Oisin!"

"Stop?!" Oisin spat. He looked towards Tidur, Esther, and Ciana. After a moment he relaxed. "Oh. Right. I apologize."

"I must tell you—" Daunte said.

"I won't kill the butcher in front of his spawn," Oisin interrupted. He waved his hand. "Can someone get them out of here?"

"Yes," Lorik said softly. "It's best that they not see this."

Liberation Army soldiers grabbed Tidur and her daughters. Both Esther and Ciana immediately struggled. "No!" Esther shouted again.

"Let me go!" Ciana shouted.

"Take your hands off my children!" Tidur shrieked.

"EVERYONE, STOP!" Daunte shouted. The Liberation Army immediately stilled at hearing his command. Daunte let Arin go and checked the back of Sloan's right hand. He let out a sharp breath when he saw bare skin. "The rune is gone," he sighed in relief.

"'Rune'?" Caesar echoed, his brow raised. After a moment his eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. "You don't mean—!"

Daunte saw dark rune shards glittering in the moonlight in the grass. He collected the shards into his hand. "JEANE!" He called out. "Please, someone get Jeane!"

"I am here," the Runemistress spoke up as she smoothly walked over to him. She was smiling her usual alluring smile. "How can I help you, Lord Daunte?"

"Hold out your hand," Daunte said. Jeane complied, and Daunte carefully scooped the rune shards into her hand. "I want you to examine this rune, and tell everyone what it is."

"A broken rune?" Jeane asked, her smile unwavering. "That will be simple for me." Her brow furrowed as she looked at the rune shards closely. She poked at the shards with her forefinger. "Hmm. Yes, this looks familiar. I—"

Jeane's eyes suddenly went wide and she screamed, startling the people around her. She wiped the shards off her hand, and then scrubbed both hands against her skirt. She began shaking from head to toe as she shook her head back and forth. "Oh! Oh no! Oh no…"

"What's wrong?" Varnaz asked, glaring at the grass in front of Jeane. "What was that rune?"

"Lord Daunte, where did you get that rune?!" Jeane exclaimed, her beautiful eyes still wide with fright as she clutched her hand to her chest.

"O-Oh the grass here," Daunte said, gesturing beside Sloan's limp right hand. "T-That rune…it was attached to this man."

Jeane gasped painfully, and her breath drew in quick and sharp. She appeared to be hyperventilating. Caesar stood forward, his face grim as he looked between Jeane and Sloan. "I…believe I can answer for Jeane," he said. He looked at Daunte. "That was the Black Rune, wasn't it?"

"The Black Rune?!" Silvano exclaimed. He slapped a hand over his mouth and he looked at Sloan with wide eyes.

"Oh no," Viki whimpered, tears stinging her eyes. "Oh no, oh no…"

"I-It is," Daunte confirmed. "T-The Lady Matron, she…" he swallowed hard. "She gave it to Sloan. Roughly three or four years ago."

"Three years ago?!" Jeane gasped. "That man wore the Conqueror Rune for THREE OR FOUR YEARS?!"

"Black Rune? Conqueror Rune?" Keiran asked in confusion. "What is this rune?"

"Wait!" Gunther shouted, pointing to Silvano. "Your dad! He talked about that rune, didn't he?!"

"Y-Yes," Silvano said quietly. "I-It increases the strength of the person who wields it, but the longer they wear it the further they are driven into madness. T-The person who committed genocide against the Toran Elves…he was under the influence of the Black or Conqueror Rune."

"Madness?" Esther whispered. She quickly looked at Tidur. "Mom…is that why Dad changed? He became bad because of a bad rune?"

"I don't give a damn about a rune!" Oisin hollered. "He killed my people and he WILL pay!"

"I don't care either," Lorik said coldly. "You promised me that Sloan Faakhir would die, Lord Daunte. I intend to keep you to that promise."

"Everyone, stand down!" Daunte shouted, waving his hand. "Just wait a mom—"

Sloan suddenly came awake, sitting up and gulping in a loud intake of air. The Liberation Army members jumped back briefly, but in an instant everyone had drawn their weapons. "Lord Daunte, for your safety please get away from him," Varnaz said sharply.

"Sloan," Daunte said, ignoring Varnaz for the moment as he moved to kneel in front of him. Sloan was hunched forward, his hands pulling his mask down and cupping his own throat as he dry-heaved loudly. "Sloan, are you all right?"

The Liberation Army shifted in shock and confusion at hearing their leader asked the Sheikh that. Daunte kept his focus on Sloan though as the man himself pushed back his hood and raised his head. Daunte met his gaze, and he saw clarity in his eyes that he had never seen before. The dark tension was gone from Sloan's face. Daunte knew then that the beast that he had become was gone.

This is the real Sloan Faakhir.

"You," Sloan said to Daunte. His voice different, even. Calm. The inhuman guttural was gone. "I know you, don't I?"

Daunte nodded. "I'm the leader of the Liberation Army. I-I…was there with you when you saw those memories."

"Memories," Sloan echoed. He frowned deeply. "Then…that wasn't a nightmare."

"Sheikh!" Adalgiso called out from where he was knelt in the grass. "Sheikh…is it really you?!"

Sloan looked at Adalgiso. Confusion flickered across his face and he looked back at Daunte. "W-What's going on?"

"You came here to kill us," Oisin spat. "Just like you killed my people! So I'm going to kill YOU now!"

"NO!" Daunte shouted, throwing himself between Sloan and Oisin. "Didn't you hear everything that was just said?! He was possessed by an evil rune! It's not his fault!"

"Not his fault?!" Lorik exclaimed. "I saw the atoricites he committed! He killed children! His hands are soaked in the blood of the innocent!"

"That is what happens when someone wears the Black Rune," Caesar said, moving to stand beside Daunte. "The Black Rune influences a person to—"

"He won't get away with this!" Oisin shrieked. "He killed my people!"

"He killed my parents!" Zander shouted, pushing himself to the front of the crowd. "He must die!"

"And as I said, it was rune that made him do those things!" Daunte shouted. "I saw it in his memories! He accepted the rune after the Kõrkus Massacre to protect people!"

Roen stiffened in shock but Allise stepped forward. "He voluntarily accepted the rune?" she asked. "It wasn't attached to him against his will?"

"Yes," Daunte admitted. "But—"

"Then he's culpable for the atrocities he committed," Allise said coldly, nodding. "I agree with Oisin and Lorik. He should die."

Daunte scrubbed a hand over his face. "Just listen to me! I saw his memories! He didn't know what the power of the rune was!"

"I agree with Allise, Lord Daunte," Gunther said grimly. "Ignorance is not an excuse. Faakhir shouldn't have accepted a rune like that blindly. Only a fool would accept power they don't understand. We cannot excuse his actions."

"Tidur?"

Daunte looked over his shoulder. Sloan was staring at his wife and daughters with wide eyes. They stared back at him with a mixture of emotions, but none of the three made a move towards him. "…Esther," Sloan said softly, looking at his oldest daughter. "You're wearing a veil. When did you start wearing veils?"

Esther didn't respond. Sloan looked at Ciana. He smiled briefly, but then it dropped back into a frown. "You've grown too, Ciana. But your eyes…"

Ciana's stoic eyes stared back at him. Sloan looked at Daunte and Caesar. "You said…You said I wore the Black Rune for three years? T-Then—The current year is IS 478?"

"Yes," Caesar, looking at Daunte.

"If Sloan Faakhir was possessed by a dark rune," Varnaz said suddenly, and Daunte turned to face him. "Then I sympathize with him. But he's killed countless people, and there is a Death Worm out there also hunting for his head. There must be retribution, Lord Daunte."

Sloan slowly climbed up onto his knees. He held Daunte's gaze. "I-I don't everything that I've done, but—I saw enough with those memories. Do what you must. I will not stop you."

"NO!" Adalgiso hollered. He tried to run towards them but he was effortlessly tackled.

Daunte looked around his Army. The burning in his throat and chest returned. Caesar stepped towards him. "You are the leader, Lord Daunte. The decision must be yours. Will Sloan Faakhir live or die?"

It was difficult. Daunte knew that. Sloan had done many terrible things to the people he called his allies and friends. But he also knew that Sloan would not have done any of those terrible things had he not been wearing the Black Rune.

But those acts had still happened.

Many people are dead because of him. He hurt Tidur and his daughters. He hurt ME. He tried to exterminate the Wingers and he may be responsible for the future extinction of Death Worms in Nagarea. Most of my allies want this man dead, but he is not wholly responsible for what he did? What should I do? Should I execute him to make him pay for what he did and placate my allies? Or…Or should I spare him and give him an opportunity to redeem himself? What is the right decision?

Finding the right answer wasn't easy for Daunte. He was deeply conflicted by what was the right thing to do. Ultimately though, Daunte knew what the right choice was. And it wasn't the easy choice.

"No," he said finally. "I won't kill him."

He was immediately greeted with shouts and screams of anger and outrage. "You BASTARD!" Oisin hollered. He tried to lunge at Daunte but Keiran and Mihr immediately grabbed him. "You filthy stinking human garbage!"

"Lord Daunte, this is NOT what you promised me!" Lorik exclaimed, tears stinging his eyes. "You promised me justice!"

"We should trust in Lord Daunte's judgment," Caesar interjected, raising his hands. "He must know—"

"I cannot accept this," Allise said, shaking her head. "This is too much."

"Daunte this man tried to kill you!" Felicity hollered, jabbing her finger at Sloan. "How could you just forgive him?!"

"It's not like that—" Daunte said, but he was met with more boos and jeers. Everyone was shouting and yelling in angry voices. Other than Caesar, not one person voiced support with his decision. Even Tidur and her daughters were silent.

But Daunte pressed on, trying to explain. "It was the Rune! Please believe me when I tell you this! Just please trust me with this! I didn't make this decision lightly!"

But it seemed the more he spoke, the angrier his allies got. Even Arin looked angry with him. Daunte continued to try and plead his case with his allies, but the voices around him rose to such a degree that he could no longer hear his own voice. After a while, his hands dropped to his eyes and he stared stunned at the angry faces of his Army members.

I can't convince them to believe in me. None of them are listening. They all want Sloan dead, no matter that he was under possession of a rune. Did…Did I make the right call?

He looked at Sloan then, he stared back at him placidly. "It would be in your best interest to execute me," Sloan said softly. "If you don't, you will destroy your Army."

Daunte turned back around to face his angry allies. He ducked his head forward and clenched his teeth, gripping his mangled hands into as tight of fists as he could. They will not listen to me. I cannot convince them to change their minds. I-I…I have failed as a Commander.

"Lord Daunte?" Caesar's voice cut through his morose thoughts. Daunte also realized that his allies had become silent. No one was shouting any longer. He looked up and stared at his allies. His friends. Many of them still looked furious but he also saw concern in many expressions. And…fear.

Daunte felt tears sting his eyes as he stared at his allies. I am a failure. They must know it, too. Then I know what I must do.

Daunte swallowed hard and looked at Caesar. It took a considerable amount of energy to keep his voice steady as he forced the painful words out of his throat.

"Effective immediately, I hereby resign my post as Commander of the Liberation Army."

End of Chapter Eight