Musa was awakened by a beautiful melody.

Her head hurt, and as she wondered how she had gotten here, everything came back to her.

Alfea. The attack.

She had to get back!

Quickly, she got to her feet and looked around. She was standing in a clearing. Through the trees, she could make out the outlines of a small village.

"...this is... Melody," she said in surprise. Apparently, Faragonda had brought her here.

Musa gritted her teeth. Her friends were in danger. But she had no choice. She was here for a reason.

"...then I'll look for this guardian...", she muttered, looking around.

"...hmm... If I were a guardian... Where would I hide?" she wondered.

Probably in a place few people had seen. Or a place the locals avoided. Was there such a place in Melody?

Musa decided to ask the village inhabitants.

But as she approached, she saw people running toward her—screaming and in a hurry.

"Hey, what's going on here?!" Musa asked, but the people ignored her. Someone knocked her over, and only when she got up did she recognize a figure in the air.

It was a young woman with green eyes and blood-red hair. She wore strange armor with a horned helmet, and her angel-like wings were black.

"Where is she?! Tell me where she IS!" the stranger shouted, hurling a fireball at the ground with each word.

"Hey, calm down!" Musa blurted out, and just as she was about to transform, the stranger approached curiously.

Musa noticed uneasily that she carried a beastly-looking axe.

The stranger examined her: "...you... YOU!"

Her green eyes gleamed with joy: "You have that aura! You've seen Lady Dakeria, haven't you?"

Musa was a little perplexed.

On the other hand, this girl didn't seem so threatening anymore.

"Who are you?" Musa replied with a counter-question.

"My name is Sharai. So? You've seen her, right?"

"...right. She attacked me and my friends."

Sharai's smile vanished: "Lady Dakeria would never attack anyone without reason!"

Musa shook her head: "Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"

Sharai became quiet."...no... Something must be wrong... I have to see her! Take me to her!" she said suddenly.

"...um... Sorry, I have something to do here...", Musa said.

Sharai crossed her arms: "Hmpf!... fine. I'll help you with whatever it is, and THEN you take me to her!"

Musa considered it. It was definitely dangerous for Sharai to stay here. However, she didn't particularly like having her along either... After all, this was supposed to be a secret mission. On the other hand, if Musa left her here, Sharai would probably set all of Melody on fire. Besides, she seemed to know a lot about their new enemy.

"Alright. But you stop burning everything down."

Sharai sighed but nodded.

She transformed back. Now she wore tattered leather gear, fastened with many linen strips and thick hemp ropes.

Her blood-red hair was shoulder-length and braided on one side.

"So? Who are you looking for?" she asked.

"Um... that's none of your business," Musa said uncertainly.

She felt like she was traveling with a ticking time bomb. Hopefully, the guardian would show up somehow.

"Hmpf! ...Fine," Sharai said, crossing her tattooed, tanned arms.

"How about you tell me about Dakeria in the meantime? We had quite different experiences with her," Musa suggested.

Sharai's eyes suddenly seemed to glow with a fanatical light: "Oh, Lady Dakeria is fantastic! The greatest warlord Val'garath has ever seen! Well, and also the first."

"Val'garath?"

"Val'garath. The westernmost continent of my world. Well, actually more of a city-state. The realm of warriors and shield maidens!" Sharai said.

"...and you and Dakeria come from there?"

"Lady Dakeria? Oh no—she comes from... another place," Sharai smiled mysteriously.

The smile vanished from her face, and she continued in a serious voice:"She just appeared one day. You have to know... Val'garath, especially our capital, Talruin, had always been... somewhat... backward... when it came to laws. For example, a woman wasn't allowed to leave the house without a male escort. We were forbidden to go to war, to even be seen outside." Sharai kicked a stone with her boot.

She took a deep breath and continued: "It was worse for those perceived as imperfect. People who lost a leg in the mine, for example. Or... people who... found people of the same sex... attractive... But the worst was for the mages. Magic in any form was forbidden in Talruin. For all other... transgressions... one still had the chance to... 'serve' in the brothel... But as a mage, you were tortured and locked away. Only since Lady Dakeria appeared has all that changed."

Musa listened intently."And how did she do that?" she wanted to know.

"Well. You have to know, she was only there to visit an old friend—who, as it happened, was none other than Prince Xerxes himself! So she overpowered the soldiers and sneaked into the palace. Once she was with Prince Xerxes, she was safe, as she was under his protection.

She looked around Talruin... And visited the prisons. That's where I first met her."

"So you're a mage?"Sharai ignored this question with a nervous twitch of her eye.

Instead, she continued: "At first, I despised her. She was free, I was not. But Lady Dakeria was not someone who kicked a person already down. She promised us that we would all get out of here.

Later I learned that on her first attempt, she was banished from the city. But she managed to come back and became Talruin's healer. She seemed quite important to Prince Xerxes... She managed to persuade him, and even King Arvid, to change the old laws. She kept her word... But even then, I still didn't trust her.

Xerxes trusted her. But that changed after Xerxes' engagement to another woman. Xerxes seemed... strange. He tortured Dakeria after she spoke out against the engagement and had her locked up. But she escaped."Sharai swallowed.

Dark memories resurfaced, "...a war was brewing. A war that Xerxes' fiancée had started. All the men were sent to the front... many lost their lives. Including my father and my brothers."

"I'm sorry," Musa said sympathetically.

Sharai shook her head and tried to pull herself together, "Xerxes' fiancée was captured. That seemed to wake him up, and he himself set out to find Lady Dakeria.

But when they returned... The enemy had almost completely taken over the land. Lady Dakeria was the one who came up with the plan. They were outnumbered by ten thousand to one. Dakeria focused on using her magic to free the least guarded people first—the imperfect and the sick. Then the mages and those who... well, the former prisoners!

At first, no one wanted to join them, not even me. Xerxes betrayed us! Locked us up for what we are!... Lady Dakeria, on the other hand, tried to understand us.

That was... the first time someone listened to us.

She wanted us to fight for what still mattered to us. Our friends. Our families. She said, 'Valgarath only falls when the last shield shatters'. We were not defeated yet. There was still hope.

Dakeria's strategy was simple. She used our respective strengths. Many of the imperfect knew the old mine shafts and showed us a way to enter the city unnoticed. Among them was a mechanic from Zhaun who made weapons for them, specifically adapted to them.

The mages helped the others set traps. The plan was to sink the enemy's supply ships. To cut off their supplies, to force them to leave the city once they ran out of provisions.

And each of us learned from Lady Dakeria how to tend to a wounded person. It was important to her that we didn't only care for our own people.

In the end, we were all just humans. She constantly reminded us of that. But I didn't listen.

It was I who didn't stick to the plan.

Together with my friend Vayu, I snuck out—we wanted to blow up one of their camps along with the soldiers—and were surrounded by an army. Vayu died in my arms..."Sharai paused for a moment. Then—"...I was surrounded and alone. Suddenly... A shadow appeared on the horizon. Lady Dakeria came to me. She threw me my axe, but I could barely stand. Then she drew her sword.

She fought alone against this overwhelming force... After three opponents... her eyes began to glow with a demonic light. She pointed her hand at them... And tore their souls from them... she didn't speak as she dragged me back to our camp. But I could feel her anger and disappointment. And yet she had saved me.

Without her, I wouldn't be alive."

"That sounds so different from what I've seen of her," Musa said.

"...with Dakeria in our midst, we regained our homeland. Xerxes' fiancée—who had made him obedient with a potion—was personally killed by him. Xerxes himself appointed Lady Dakeria as Warlord. And I was honored to serve as one of her Valkyries, her chosen warriors."

"But why is your Lady Dakeria here?" Musa asked.

"I'm not sure. Prince Xerxes eventually went mad. He imprisoned Lady Dakeria, fearing she might leave him. But she escaped and fled. I've been searching for her ever since."

Musa pondered: "So the Dakeria I met attacked me and my friends for no reason, until she was chased away by some strange guy."

Sharai was silent. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth: "...that... can't be..."

Musa gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "...Chin up. We'll find out what happened to your Lady Dakeria... Alright?"

Sharai nodded.

Suddenly, Musa heard a voice in her head.

'Well done, Musa... I actually had a different test for you, but you've shown that you can set aside your prejudices and listen to others, even if you don't agree with them... I bestow upon you the power of Portix... Use it wisely... And keep an eye on this Valkyrie...'

Musa nodded slightly.

"Come on, Sharai. We're going to Alfea. My friends might be able to tell you more about Dakeria's attack," she said.

Sharai became suspicious: "I thought you had someone to find here..."

"Oh... that's not sooooo important! Come on!"