Here are the results of the government poll! Thanks to all who voted!

What sort of government should Nagarea have after the war?

Republic: 7

Queendom: 1

Federation: 2

less radicalized Theocracy: 0

Kingdom: 0

Other: 1

Chapter Ten: Part One

…

…

…

…Strange.

His body felt paralyzed, an exhaustion so deep that he didn't have the energy to open his eyes. He was helpless…but he didn't feel scared.

"Daunte…"

Strength returned to him then, and he opened his eyes. He was outside and the air was chilly. The sky above him was a black void. He sat up slowly and looked at his surroundings. He was surrounded by a green expansive plain.

He was at Winter Hill.

"No." the soothing voice silenced the dark sickness of grief and dread before it filled him. "None of that. Don't think about it in this moment…"

Daunte left to his left, following where the voice was coming from. He naturally recoiled when he saw the robes of a High Cleric, though the person was facing away from him. He swallowed thickly as he struggled to find his voice. "…Who are you?" He asked quietly.

"I don't have much time," came the response Daunte realized the speaker was a woman.. "I am too far away, but the Rune made a brief link between us."

His senses cleared and his stomach dropped as he suddenly realized that he recognized the voice. He swallowed again as tears stung his eyes. "…Mom?"

The speaker turned around, revealing Phoebe's gentle expression. "Hello, Daunte."

"MOM!" Daunte scrambled across the grass towards her and clung to her tight. He burst into tears as she accepted his embrace. She felt so familiar, so safe…all at once he felt like a helpless child all over again as he cried into her shoulder. "Mom…Mom! I-I'm so sorry!"

"Why are you sorry?" Phoebe's voice was so calm and serene. "I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you."

Daunte shook his head against her shoulder. "I…I should've done more! I-I should've protected you, protected Arin! I…I'm such a failure, Mom! So many people have died because of me!"

"Shh." Phoebe rubbed the back of his head comfortingly. "Don't apologize. Looking after me was not your responsibility. It was never your responsibility. As I said, the one who needs to apologize is me."

"What?" Daunte leaned back to look at her. His vision was blurry from tears.

"I forced Arin and you to be directly involved in the affairs of the Liberation Army," Phoebe said, her tone mournful and her expression sad. "I should have been a mother to you both, raised you in a safe environment. Instead I became a revolutionary, and I the needs of my two children became secondary."

"B-But Mom, you needed to lead the Liberation Army!" Daunte protested. "Someone had to fight against the Holy Army and you did!"

"I did," Phoebe agreed. "And I failed. My failure led to hundreds of men and women who fought for me to die senselessly. My failure ruined your life, ruined Arin's life, and robbed you both of your innocence. I…" she choked on a sob and pressed a hand to her mouth. "The horrors you both have experienced because of me…I cannot believe I achieved paradise in death when I have HURT you both so much! I am so sorry Daunte! I'm sorry I failed you both so greatly!"

"Mom…" it was now Daunte's turn to give comfort. He clung to her as she trembled and sobbed. "Mom, I don't blame you for any of this. You tried to change this country for the better, for Arin and mine's sake. A-And I know how hard it is to be leader. To have the lives of thousands of people weighing you down while you try to protect them all and cannot…" Tears stung his eyes again. "I know failure," he said feelingly. "And how painful it is. I-I let the Liberation Army down, Mom. I let everyone die…"

Phoebe shook her head and cupped his face in her hands. "Never say you are a failure ever again," she admonished him gently. "You are a greater leader, even greater than I."

Daunte's eyes widened. "What? That can't be!"

"It is true," Phoebe insisted. "You have sacrificed everything for your people. Even the very essence of your life. There is no one who can say that you are a failure when you are full of passion and perseverance."

"But…the soldiers. Winter Hill—"

"Everything will be all right," Phoebe reassured him. "The Rune of Restoration reached for me for a reason. You are at rest but you need to return. They are waiting for you."

"Waiting for me…?" Daunte looked at his surroundings. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"This is very different from normal slumber," Phoebe said. "You were not ready before, but you are ready now. Go, now. Your brother and father are waiting for you."

"I—WHAT?!" Daunte cried out, his head snapped around to look at her. "What did you say?!"

"I must return, but please know that I love you and I believe fully in your success."

"Mom, WAIT!" Daunte reached for Phoebe but her body had become transparent and his hands passed through her. He gaped at her fading form with wide eyes. "You said that Dad—Is he—"

But Phoebe had no further words for him and she faded onto the wind.

—

Daunte's eyes snapped open and he gasped shortly. He recognized the ceiling of his bedroom, and the covers tucked snugly around him. He was in his own bed at HQ.

He sat up slowly, his body feeling heavily and boneless. He blinked in confusion as thick bangs fell into his cloud, touching his cheekbones and obstructing his vision. He lifted a hand to brush them away, but he was bothered by his long it took him to lift his arm. He finally pushed the bangs back and ran a hand through his hair. Even his hair felt a little longer. Daunte glanced towards his window. It was most likely midday, but the particles hitting the window made him stiffen.

It's…snowing?

Daunte looked down at his lap, his mangled fingers curled into the sheets. "…How long have I been asleep?" He wondered aloud.

"Hmm."

Daunte glanced up and his eyes widened. Yuber was looming over him at his bedside, his heterochromatic eyes still cold and unfeeling. Daunte gaped at him in shock. He…He's still here?

"So," Yuber said. "You're alive, then." And without waiting for Daunte's reply he teleported away.

Daunte stared at the spot where Yuber had just been standing. …Yuber stayed? Even after my Army fell and I failed? He stayed while I was asleep, for however long it was?

"You were not ready before, but you are ready now. Go, now. Your brother and father are waiting for you."

"I wasn't ready, but I am now?" He mused aloud, his tone still soft. But then his heart began to slam against the wall of his chest as he remembered those last words. Arin…and Dad are waiting for me? That's what Mom said. But didn't Dad die when the Holy Army defeated Mom's Army?

…But if that was her ghost I encountered…if it was truly her…then she WOULD know if Dad was dead. Since she referred to him as being alive, then…

Daunte felt his throat tighten, but he lifted his head to look towards the ceiling. "…My father's alive," he said.

There was a frantic scratch at the adjoining door, following by several barks. "Kibbeh, stop!" Arin scolded on the other side of the door. "What's gotten into you?"

Daunte felt tears sting his eyes again when he heard his little brother's voice. He swallowed and tried to shout, but attempting to speak above a whisper made him aware of the dryness in his throat and he began coughing violently.

"W-What was that?!" Arin exclaimed from his room. He fumbled for the door handle as Daunte tried to get his cough under control. The door opened just a little and Kibbeh rushed into the room barking. The dog looked slightly bigger but he still scrambled to get into Daunte's bed, jumping against him and quickly licking his face. Kibbeh immediately began whimpering as he licked and sniffed Daunte and Daunte hugged him with one arm as he tried to clear his throat.

The door opened fully and Arin quickly entered the room. "Kibbeh, what's wr—AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Arin's piercing scream rattled in Daunte's ears and he looked up at his little brother. The boy had fallen backwards against the doorframe, hands pressed against his cheeks as he screamed, staring wide-eyed at Daunte. Daunte straightened where he sat, swallowing to make sure he was comfortable speaking. "Arin," he said quietly.

Arin let out a loud wail and launched himself from the door. He jumped into Daunte's bed and threw his arms around his shoulders and hanging onto him for dear life. Arin was crying so hard that he was screaming his sobs, and Kibbeh reacted to the boy's crying by trying to jump up onto him.

Daunte held onto his little brother, rubbing his back comfortingly as he sat there stunned. The last time he had seen Arin cry this hard was when their parents—their mother—was killed. He was too shocked to form words in the moment.

The door leading to the hallway flew open, and Caesar ran inside the room. "Arin, what—OH! OHHHH!" he shouted, falling backwards into the doorframe. His eyes went wide and he slapped a hand over his mouth. Daunte was about to greet him when he saw the faces of the two people who followed Caesar into the room. Daunte felt his own scream of shock in his own throat and he burst into tears.

"DAUNTE!" Roen shouted, rushing towards him.

Felicity screamed and started crying, following Roen. Both of his best friends crawled into his bed and smashed both Daunte and Arin in their arms, crying into his ears. Daunte let Arin go (though Arin still clung to them) and pushed Roen and Felicity away. He leaned forward, his fingers rubbing their cheeks and grabbing at their shoulders as his own sobs rose in volume. "It…It's you?!" he sputtered, looking between them. "Y-You both are—you're alive?!"

Roen and Felicity didn't respond to him, instead grabbing him again in a tight hug. The four of them sat together in a huddle, crying loudly and clinging so tight that it was clear that each of them was afraid the other would fade away if they let go.

They're alive! THEY'RE ALIVE! But how?!

"Welcome back to us, Lord Daunte," Caesar said shakily, approaching the bed slowly. "You had us concerned there for a while. As you can see…" he gestured to Roen and Felicity. "There is a lot we need to fill you in on."

Someone else appeared at the open door, and Daunte choked on another sob when he recognized Varnaz. The memory of the state of Varnaz's dead body resurfaced in his mind, but he could see that the older's man face was fully intact. "L-Lord Daunte!" He shouted, his dark eyes widening. "You're awake!"

"As you can see he's very overwhelmed," Caesar said, turning to face him. "We'll need to send word to call everyone back, but in the meantime Lord Daunte needs to be taken care of."

"O-Of course," Varnaz said. He turned to go but then stopped. Then he hurried into the room and threw himself on the floor, kneeling in kowtow before Daunte's bed. "Lord Daunte, I am so grateful to have you back! We are all so grateful!"

Daunte stared at him stunned, wondering briefly how anyone could be happy with him after his failure as leader cost so many lives. But he is here. Roen and Felicity are here. How…?

Daunte gasped and raised his right hand and stared at the Rune of Restoration. The Rune! Did it—was I finally able to unlock its revival spell?!

"You clearly need food and a proper rest," Caesar said, helping Varnaz off the floor. "And I mean sleep and not the coma that you have been in. I'll send word for Yasaka to make you a hearty meal."

Coma? Daunte looked at him. His mouth opened and closed silently for a long moment. Caesar took the opportunity to answer his unspoken question. "Lady Leknaat sought us out on the battlefield and told us you had collapsed. We found you here, in bed, but there was nothing that we could do to wake you. Lady Leknaat said that you had overexerted yourself with the True Rune again, though she didn't explain the extent of your overexertion—"

"Daunte," Roen whispered, getting his attention. "Daunte, you saved us. You used the Rune of Restoration to bring everyone back to life."

Daunte gasped, his eyes widening again. He…remembered faintly his plea to the Rune of Restoration, and the sorrow and grief that had filled his being. The weight of it had been so great that he thought he would die from it. He looked at Caesar. "I…I revived everyone?"

"Yes," Varnaz confirmed for him and he smiled brightly. "You brought back to life all of our allies." He chuckled softly. "You even revived some soldiers of the Holy Army! Not all of them, sure, the Sheikhs who died on the battlefield remained dead. But the power you exerted…Lord Daunte, you revived over 200,000 people."

Daunte gasped throatily but Caesar spoke again. "Lady Leknaat said that your body and life force needed to rest and that when both were healed you would wake up." He gestured to Daunte. "Now that you are awake, it's clear that you healed from the exertion. But we will still take things slowly for now. You need to build your strength back up and we don't need to worry about the Holy Army coming after us for now. They still think we've lost most of our forces, and thus far we've been successful at keeping up the ruse."

Daunte wanted to know how they managed to hide the fact that 200,000 people were revived from the dead, but a more pressing question came to his mind. "H…How long was I in a coma?" He asked quietly.

Caesar smiled sadly. "Three months."

Many allies had remained at Liberation Army HQ while they waited for Daunte to awake from his coma, but others had gone home in the interim. The Falenans had all returned to Falena, the Wingers went back to Peak's Edge, and the Elves returned to their forest. Soldiers who had died on the battlefield returned to their families but were carefully hidden from the Holy Army and they had put up the pretenses of grieving.

Caesar sent the word that Daunte had woken up, and within week everyone had returned. During that week Daunte did as he was told and rebuilt his strength. He felt lethargic and weak most of the time, but copious amounts of food and frequent trips to the bathhouse helped make him feel better. But the time the Falenans returned to HQ he had enough energy to spar with Jantu. He also spent a lot of time with Roen, Felicity, Arin, and Lysander. Gunther even goaded him to try alcohol for the first time, and Daunte didn't like it at all.

Futch and Sharon returned, and it was shocking to see Hero, James, and Xi An with a fully rebuilt skyship. Suna was alive and well again but Sharon seemed to avoid being around Futch. She didn't address Futch by name and often glared at him. Daunte was distressed to see such animosity between them when they had been good friends and comrades before.

Even with having Suna back, it must have been traumatizing to lose her in the first place.

It was…surreal for him, to see the allies whose bodies he had seen dead on the battlefield, alive and fully healed. And to his great shock no one held him with any contempt for his gross incompetence as leader. Rather, there seemed to be a reverence towards him from his allies. It made him uncomfortable, as he felt he didn't deserve the adulation.

They died because of me, but yet they're happy to see me?!

"DAUNTE!" Surya shouted from his boat, running forward and hugging him. "You're alive!"

"I—" Daunte began, but then he saw Mokuren running behind Surya and also hug him. "Lord Daunte, I'm so glad to see you!"

"I-I'm glad to see you both as well."

"We're here and ready to fight for you as before," Israfil said, saluting.

Daunte was about to respond to him when he heard Chinmaya shout from the mouth of the cave. "Lord Daunte, please come! Defectors from the Holy Army have arrived!"

"Defectors?!" Freyr said, making a face. "Can we trust them?!"

"If they're the ones who died at Winter Hill, then yes," Surya said.

Daunte took the lift up with the Falenans and he gasped when he saw the courtyard filled with men and women of varying ages in plain clothes. He stood there stunned for a moment and was startled when someone shouted, "Lord Daunte!"

The defectors turned and when they saw Daunte most of them rushed forward and prostrated themselves before Daunte. Overlapping respectful voices greeted him.

"Lord Daunte."

"I swear my sword to you."

"Thank you for saving me."

"The Holy Army killed me!"

"I will do anything to ensure your success!"

"Lord Daunte!"

Daunte gasped as he recognized the boy hurrying towards him. He recognized his rust-colored hair and golden eyes. He was not dressed in a silver Holy Army uniform though; he was dressed in a matching golden sharwall and mraxani with a black kras underneath. Daunte knew who he was. He was the boy whose body he sat beside on the battlefield.

"Lord Daunte," the boy said again, grabbing Daunte's sleeve. "My name is Brennus and I beg of you to be allowed to join the Liberation Army. What the Holy Army has done…" he shook his and tears sprung to his eyes. "It was so awful, Lord Daunte!"

Daunte nodded. "I-If you want to join I welcome you." He looked out over the large group of people. "All of you are welcome—"

The defectors began cheering, jumping up and hugging each other.

"Okay, good!" Chinmaya cheered, grabbing Daunte's other arm. "Our allies have all returned! Would you be up for a meeting in the war room, Lord Daunte?"

Daunte nodded, though his stomach twisted in discomfort. "I'm ready."

In the war room Caesar stood to Daunte's right and Chinmaya stood to Daunte's left. Before him stood Oboro, Varnaz, Gunther, Allise, Surya, Keiran, Mihr, Tamara, Israfil, Oisin, Sloan, Adalgiso, Georg, Lorik, Eamon, Brennus, and River (who was not looking at Daunte). Daunte was absolutely overwhelmed to see all of them together again, and he took a moment to compose himself before he spoke. "Everyone," he said. "I am so sorry for what I—"

"Don't," Allise said, raising her hand. "You have nothing to apologize for Lord Daunte, because what happened wasn't your fault."

"But—" Daunte protested.

"She is right, my Lord," Oboro said, stepping forward. "You were not the cause of the massacre at Winter Hill. It was this." He held up a small vial with clear liquid inside.

Daunte made a face when he saw the vial, nostalgia washing over him. "That looks…I've seen that before."

"Yes," Gunther said. "The group of soldiers who ambushed you that I saved you from ingested that."

Daunte gasped in horror. "Raging Nostrum," he wheezed.

"Indeed it is," Oboro said grimly. "This little vial was given to almost the entire Holy Army to drink during the battle."

"M-Most of us didn't really know what it was," Brennus spoke up, wringing his hands slightly. "T-They—our commanders told us soldiers that this was a new weapon that would make us stronger. W-We had all heard rumors about this—that." He gestured to the vial. "B-But I didn't think that it was that. For one thing it's a different color than what I had heard it to be."

"That is because this Raging Nostrum is a purified form, very potent and very powerful," Oboro said. "And the dose that the soldiers were given who dug overground were given an even purer version of Raging Nostrum. Thicker in texture and dark silver color. It altered their bodies in such a way that could dig underground with their bare hands without tools or need for air. Sadly, we do not have that version of Raging Nostrum, as the three units that were given it ingested it completely."

"We didn't know," Brennus said pleadingly. "We honestly did not know that it was Raging Nostrum. Most of us would have never have taken it had we known. I didn't take it when I saw what it was doing to my allies! I…" he hugged his arms and looked away. "They…tricked us," he said quietly. "The High Clerics. They tricked us into taking a drug they knew would ultimately kill us…"

Daunte stared at him stunned. "The Theocracy…gave all of you Raging Nostrum?" He asked numbly. "They sacrificed their own standing Army to stop us?!"

"That they did," Keiran said grimly. "The only reason that they were not successful was because of you, Lord Daunte. Your use of the Rune of Restoration not only revived the Liberation Army, but Holy Army soldiers. The Rune itself seemed to distinguish between victim and perpetrator on the Holy Army side, as not all of them were revived."

"I gave the Theocracy everything," Brennus burst out, tears spilling down his cheeks. "I'm the only one working in my family, you know?! I've had to work HARD ever since my dad broke his back! I sacrificed so much for my family and my country and for what?! For the government that's supposed to protect me to chew me up and spit me out like I meant nothing to them?! M-My own commanding officer killed me! He slew me when I refused to take Raging Nostrum!" he pressed a hand to his face. "I-I…I never felt so worthless in my life before I woke up on that battlefield after I died! I never felt like I was less than nothing before that moment! I—how could they do this to us?!"

"They did it because they don't care about anything but themselves and gaining power," Oboro said grimly. "That is how the upper management of Nether Gate has always been. It was something I clashed with them over when I was part of their ranks—"

"YOU were with those butchers?!" Brennus hollered, raising his hand.

"Please don't be angry at Oboro," Daunte said, raising a hand. "He's proven himself to be an invaluable ally. He wants to stop these people just as much as I do. Maybe even more than I do. You can trust him."

Brennus relaxed and looked at Daunte, sniffling loudly and wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "I want to stop them," he said harshly. "I want to make them pay for what they did to me! What they did to us! Dying like that…I still have nightmares about it! I pledge my sword to you, and I will not stop fighting until the High Clerics are gone."

"We can be rest assured with one thing," Oboro spoke up then. "What happened at Winter Hill will not happen again."

"You are certain?" Sloan asked him.

"He's right," Caesar said. "The resources the High Clerics had to use to create such a high quantity of pure Raging Nostrum had to have been costly. They were clearly hoping to wipe us out by sacrificing their own soldiers. To get the same amount of resources to replicate this could take years, possibly decades, which they don't have. Furthermore, any soldier who is currently in Holy Army service would have no doubt heard the rumors of the massacre at Winter Hill and would not be so trusting of the Holy Army providing a vial of liquid as a "weapon". We can be assured that moving forward, any war battles we have against the Holy Army will have minimal uses of Raging Nostrum. Not anything on the scale that we experienced three months ago."

"Even if this is the fault of the Holy Army," Daunte said. "I still failed you all. If needed I will resign my post, and—"

"No," Tamara said, stepping forward. "We don't blame you for this failure. You are the best leader we could ask for. What you have done for us—" her voice broke off and she looked away. "Brennus was not wrong. Dying was traumatizing, but you brought us back. You used so much of your own energy that reviving us all to full health put you into a coma."

"But that was my duty," Daunte said. "I had to bring you all back. Regardless of the war none of you deserved to die. I was happy to make any sacrifice needed to bring you all back."

"It was a sacrifice indeed."

Daunte relaxed when he saw the familiar glow and Leknaat appeared beside him. "Lady Leknaat, thank you," he breathed. "I wouldn't have unlocked the third spell and saved everyone without you."

"It was by your own power that you made the Rune of Restoration stronger," Leknaat said. "But I must tell you what this means. Before you used the Rune, I had warned you that reviving everyone would require power greater than the Rune was capable of giving."

"You did," Daunte said, nodding. "And I didn't care. It was worth it."

"It was worth it," Leknaat said. "But now I must tell you the price you have to pay for this."

A cold chill shook Daunte's body. He swallowed thickly, unable to look at anyone other than Leknaat. "…Go on," he said softly.

"The Rune of Restoration revived approximately 272,403 people," Leknaat said. "The Rune took from your life force to fulfill your request to revive these people. The end result was your three-month comatose state. Three months…ten years for each month."

Ten years? Daunte almost said the words out loud, but Leknaat's next revelation froze his throat.

"You have lost 30 years of your life."

Gasps and cries of shock and horror filled the war room. "If the Rune of Restoration ever leaves you," Leknaat continued calmly. "Then you will live a life 30 years shorter than you would have prior to using the spell. Furthermore, if you ever use the Rune of Restoration on such a scale again…then you will die. Even if the Rune is still attached to you."

"L-Lord Daunte lost 30 years of his life to save us?!" Gunther shouted, his face pale. "30 YEARS?!"

Daunte was stunned, and his heart slammed hard against the wall of his chest. 30 years…he swallowed hard and looked at his allies. They looked horrified. Even Caesar. Some of them were even crying. He inhaled sharply, then exhaled. Then…a feeling of calm came over him.

"30 years," Daunte said, nodding as he looked at Leknaat. "Does this…apply to the people who were revived as well?"

"No," Leknaat said, shaking her head. "This will not impede them living long lives. This only applies to you, Lord Daunte."

"…Okay," Daunte said slowly. "I understand. That's fine."

"But Daunte—" Surya blurted out.

"It's fine," Daunte insisted, waving his hand. "It was worth it. It brought you all back to life. I can deal with it."

"I—" Chinmaya began.

"But," Daunte interjected. "I don't want this information to leave this room. I don't want our allies or enemies to know. And I DON'T want my brother finding out about this. Is that understood?"

Everyone murmured their acknowledgements.

"I say this now so that everyone understands," Leknaat said. "And so that we may work harder so that you do not use the Rune on such a scale ever again. I regret deeply though that I was not clear with telling you what the consequences were for using the Rune in such a way."

"It's not your fault," Daunte said. "You tried to tell me what those consequences were and I didn't listen. But again, it doesn't matter to me. My life will be 30 years shorter when the Rune leaves me?" He shrugged. "That just means I need to make every day count is all."

Leknaat smiled sadly. "I admire your strength, Lord Daunte. You make the Tenkai Stars proud."

"I think," Caesar said. "That we've had enough bad news for today. I'd say let's call this meeting to a close and get quarters ready for our new allies. The Falenans have also traveled a great distance. Let's relax and then tomorrow we'll discuss what we do next."

"We'll need to tread carefully," Keiran said. "So far we've been successful at hiding the mass revivals from the Holy Army. Now that Lord Daunte is awake, they're going to find out that our plan was a failure."

"To be honest," Oboro said. "The Holy Army probably already knows."

"We'll be ready for them," Daunte promised, forcing a smile. It will be okay. I won't worry about my lifespan, it's not important right now. But for what's important right now…

"Oboro," Daunte said as the war room emptied. He saw Surya lingering at the door. "I have another job for you."

"Oh, so soon Lord Daunte?" Oboro teased. "How can I help you?"

Daunte held him some bits. "I want you to find someone for me."

"Oh, more allies?"

"No." Daunte shook his head. "My father."