Chapter One

Our swords collided against each other, sending shockwaves in multiple directions. The leaves on trees and bushes rustled loudly, as the strong gust of wind spread out. Anima, the Life Force energy, was released from both our weapons. Unleashing their fury to overpower the other, causing another blast which sent us flying back several metres. My body twisted in mid-air before I regained my balance and landed on my feet, lifting my weapon back into combat position. A visible purplish, bright aura surrounded me and the edge of my sword.

There was a rift of Anima in the sky, it seemed to be absorbing the energy of whatever it was able to reach out to. It drained my body and that of nearly anything in its shadow.

My hands, wrapped in leathery gauntles, intensified the grip around the two-handed broadsword which I called the Daemorius, or Spirit Assassin in our tongue. It spanned a length of about 1.40m. There was no crossguard, just one giant hunk of metal, a cleaver. Its hilt was long enough to provide enough maneuvering room for hands to adjust to the situation. Just the inner side of the blade was sharpened, while the other side displayed razor-like jags.

"It is already too late. The gates will soon be opened and Inanis will fully consume us all."

The voice of my opponent was heavily distorted and I grunted in dismay, as I peered over to him with contempt.

"Well, in that case I gotta' make sure that I send ya' there first, before anythin' nasty gets outta' there, huh", I mocked him.

"Such an arrogant brat. What possible odds do you possess? You will not be able to stop the inevitable end of this world."

My opponent wore a full black-steel plated armor and was about twice my height. His helmet covered his entire face and two spiral long horns emerged from his scalp. Several steel spikes were attached to his entire full-body protection. His sword was even longer than mine and a black Anima aura surrounded him and his weapon. It was twisted and sent shivers down my spines by just looking upon it.

"It is time. I shall send you to the abyss", the raspy, distorted voice said.

His ginormous sword was lifted above his head while dark energy manifested and multiplied in size. Even creating a black hole like state, absorbing the Life Force energy out of every being and object.Trees began to wilt and stones simply began vanishing piece by piece, all transforming into tiny pure Anima particles. The earth quaked as my own purplish Anima started to build up.

"Bring it on", I sneered and brought my sword into another pose.

I slowly swung it from the front to the back on my right side, before small, purple orbs began to float towards the metallic surface. But my energy didn't absorb other objects

His channeling of Anima had ended.

"Contralux", his demonic voice said.

The tip of his large evil sword was pointed directly at me, before he released a black, arched beam that disintegrated everything in its path.

My Daemorius glowed in such a brightness, from all the energy storing for my final magical attack.

"Lunascindo!", I cried out with every fiber of my vocal chords.

The edge, which was loaded with a severe amount of my own Anima, released a purplish beam, caused by a harsh diagonal swing. The beam swiftly changed its form into a crescent moon.

Both of the magical attacks collided and caused an explosion of an unimaginable scale. I covered my eyes with my arm and quite rapidly, my vision went blank.

 

My heavy eyelids slowly opened.

The first thing I managed to identify was a visage staring into the void. There were several bloodstains scattered across the face. Throughout the blurry vision I finally began to realize, that it was a young woman. Her attire was torn and shabby.  It struck me that she was dead.

Was it a dream I had, or a memory?

The foul stench of dried blood and smoke rising from blazing fires, made me feel slightly ill. Frequently, there were dull but intense noises near my position. My body even picked up vibrations from the impacts through the earth. My visual angle was restricted, probably blocked by bodies or just due to the fact that I was lying on my stomach.

“We are advancing to gathering point Beta, follow me men!” an itchy voice yelled in the distance, which I failed to recognize.

Advancing? Gathering point? My thoughts echoed within my mind.

Heavy steps passed by, to my left and right.

I suddenly felt a strong pain coming from the side of my torso, before my body started rolling down a grassy hill. There was nothing I could do to prevent it, for some reason. Someone must have tripped over me, I thought to myself. I noticed changes to my view of the scenery, as soon as I stopped rolling. What I saw made me cringe on the inside.

Arrows, glowing projectiles and giant stone bricks were raining across the fields. Two distinct, massive  crowds were clashing into each other down below. One side had a bluish toned coloring, in the midst of their masses, and the other red. Screams and faint clanking fulfilled the otherwise peaceful night.

The three moons glared a crimson red and the burning fire in the background prevented me from seeing the faint light of the stars. Vague silhouettes of forests and mountains were only barely perceivable.

My gaze lowered to a footpath next to me. Three figures approached from the right side. Two of them seemed to be carrying heavy plated protective gear. My unmoving body was noticed as the person in the middle stopped, before turning to face me. His facial features displayed mild surprise as he pointed towards my direction.

He kneeled beside me, while the pair in the background stepped closer. The coloring of their armor was optically well balanced between silver and blue. A beautiful reflection of the moonlight shined upon my face, being caused by the steel parts of their set.

The man on the left had an unnatural body height and held an axe, comparable to an average human body in size. The kneeling man carried a silver toned longsword, sheathed on his belt. A golden lion’s head was the shape of his sword’s pummel.

Another person followed the both of them. A young woman wearing a noble corset, covered in robes. She held a rod with some impressive embellishments in her right hand.

The crouched man eyed me before speaking.

“My name is Jeik Staeger. I am the Lieutenant of the Second Ysoldian Task Force. What may thee name be?” he asked with an annoying intonation. The woman next to him face palmed. He grunted and peered over his shoulder, shrugging at her.

“What?”

She waved him off and nodded towards me. Jeik Staeger turned back to me.

I took a deep breath and attempted to speak, resulting in failure. It literally felt as if a knot tied my throat tightly together. 

“He’s most likely under Mesmerism”, the young woman said.
“Are you able to reverse it, Kiria?” Staeger looked up to her. 

Her long blonde hair gleamed as she nodded. Her sky-blue eyes flicked across my face and body, before her facial features changed, pointing her rod at my face afterwards. A white orb manifested at the tip, then a thin beam penetrated the skin of my throat. It burned briefly, as if swallowing a piece of burning coal. It caused me to gasp for air, followed by intense coughing.

“Now. Let us try this again. What is your name?”, Jeik Staeger said, while his face moved closer

“Do you always introduce yourself that way?”, I suddenly busted out loudly, causing them to show signs of relief. Jeik raised a brow at me, mildly annoyed.

“I … don’t know my name.” I said quietly and frowned in confusion.

The Lieutenant glanced at me, clearly expressing his bewilderment. His stare wandered to my top until it fixated a spot on the left side of my chest.

“Bray”, he mumbled, “your name is Bray.”

I followed his eyes to the name tag which was sewed on. The name Bray was written in well readable Sensylai letters, the basic language.

It was in that moment, when I realized that my attire and the dead woman's from earlier were identical.

“Might be a bad concussion. Would explain his loss of memory”, Kiria said.
“What? No way! I can clearly remember that-“ 

I cut off in the middle of the phrase, attempting to recall anything. I was only to be confronted by the void coming from my memories. The only thing that might've been a memory, was the vision from earlier. I didn't feel like sharing it, though. A gap opened up between my lips, while staring back at her.

“Can you walk?” Kiria sighed, before asking with a heartwarming smile on her face.

Astonished, I peered into her eyes. Just her smile was sufficient enough to replenish my soul in a soothing manner. Nevertheless, my body still remained in an impossible condition to move. I barely managed to shake my head slightly.

"Xodin, prepare this boy for transportation."

Jeik rose to his feet, dusting off the fabrics of his armor set.

The overly sized man nodded. His large hands grabbed me and swung me up to his shoulders, letting my body rest across them. On his level of height, I noticed that Xodin was perhaps two meters tall. Or perhaps even exceeding my estimation.

"Very well, then. I believe we are falling behind in our schedule. We must regroup at the gathering point. Let us depart", Staeger said.

Both of them replied with a nod as the group started to move.

They transported me downhill of the footpath until we reached the base of the mighty hill. The scenery changed from the mountain area, where I regained my consciousness, to dry steppes where a great battle took place.

This must’ve been the field of the skirmish, which caught my subliminal attention. My eyes picked up countless corpses and arrows, which were scattered across the entire field. The stench of rot and ashes invaded my olfactory nerves and I nearly hurled. Our journey continued away from the lying dead.

"Have any lost memories returned to you?"

I raised my head and stared at the young noble woman who smiled back at me.

The entire vision from that odd battle was replayed inside my mind. Again, I felt that it was irrelevant for sharing, since it might've been a dream.

I bit my lips and shook my head in disappointment.
“Nnnhh. It’s no good. Can’t remember a thing.”

She sighed and tapped my hanging arm. I followed her with my eyes while she caught up with their Lieutenant, using quick but elegant steps.

Jeik Staeger seemed older than her and taller by a head. His black shoulder-length hair swung as he peered at Kiria. The tall man carrying me, Xodin, appeared to be even older than the Lieutenant. He was bald and his skin tone was darker. Solely his appearance was ensuring an effective intimidation.

Minutes, even hours passed until the moving group was brought to a halt. Out of the corner of my eyes, I spotted robed figures holding the same kind of rod, like Kiria. They were patching up injured soldiers using the same healing energy, which was used on me earlier. Fear and dread was literally written on their faces. We arrived at the gathering point. It was crowded, hectic and surrounded by tents and camps.

We entered a structure made of canvas. Folding cots were carefully positioned for maximum space usage. It most likely appeared to be a medical tent.
Xodin placed me on soft and comfortable surface and the three of them eyed me quietly.

"Rest, young man! Thou shall be safe here", Staeger said while placing a hand on his chest, using the same awkward intonations as earlier in the night.

I rolled my eyes.

“Will you stop this old-Sensylai nonsense?”, Kiria snapped at him, although it seemed more in a playful manner.

My vast exhaustion mixed with the bed's comfortableness. All the voices dullled and I fell asleep.

My track of time was brought to an absolute standstill. It was still in the dead of the night when I next opened my eyes. However, it felt as if it wasn’t the same day prior to my long sleep. I felt more or less replenished and even managed to sit up.

Despite the pitch black darkness was I able to watch the busy men rushing around from the ajar opened medical tent. Patrols were marching through, doctors and other assistants made haste to their designated destinations.

I supported my arms on the folding cot and got up with a rough push. The smell of ash in the air was still fairly present, likely carried over by the wind from the battlefield.

My curiosity took the better of me. The urge to explore the gathering point and what laid around the camp forced me to take an action.

I cunningly moved between the impressively lined up camp formations, until I stumbled upon a tent which was measured to be slightly larger and taller than the others. I heard voices, all speaking simultaneously in panic. 

“...what is the meaning of this? Kiria has been left behind? How dare you leave my dearly beloved behind, Lieutenant Staeger?”

I froze and started to eavesdrop. My hands were still shaking from the earlier fatigue.

"We were surrounded, my prince. She decided to act as a decoy, giving us the opportunity to succeed our mission", a voice tried to explain which I instantly recognized as the Lieutenant’s.

“She did not give us an opportunity to intervene."
"Do not pester me such petty excuses! She is my future wife! It is unforgivable, that you just left her all alone. I'll have you both hanging from the gallows!"

I felt my pulse rapidly rise.

"My liege, it was due to their effort, that the enemy was forced to retreat from the frontlines”, a fourth voice said, which was unknown to me.

“Do I look like I give a damn? I want my precious Kiria! Assemble your men and march to the Hraygnan outpost. Bring her back, that is an order!”

There was a short silence, before a sigh was heard.

“As you decree, my lord.”
“Failure will not be accepted. Am I clear?”

I suspected a nod in response from the outranked soldiers, since there was nothing to be heard afterwards.

The entrance of the tent roughly fluttered to the side and the prince nearly collided with me. He was tall, wearing a blue silken cape and a silvery garment. His long curly blonde hair reached down to his shoulders.

“Out of my way, scum”, he said and glared at me.

My heart was racing.

I was about to verbally assault him, though I was pulled inside by a hand grabbing my collar. Jeik stared me down and indicated me to shut up. I glared back, though I followed my intuition and remained silent. The prince frowned at the Lieutenant. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he strolled off.

Jeik's face was pale and the sight of his worried expression managed to reduce my rage. His grip around my collar loosened as I shook him off, rolling my shoulders.

"And who might that be, Lieutenant?”, the Head Captain said and frowned.

His hair was snow white, silky and also very long. Only one eye of his pair darted into mine. The other was covered by an eyepatch. A long blue cape hung over his back, almost reaching the ground. A shiny chest guard was attached to his body with the same golden lion’s head as the crest, similar to Jeik Staeger’s sword pummel.

His shoulder plates were large and slanted. It was obvious, that he was an incredibly experienced veteran. Solely judging him by the scars he bore, his posture and his aura in general.

"This is Bray, the only survivor of the fifth Hraygnan execution caravan this year. It was ambushed by our forces during the recent assault at the Gattiken Fields. Unfortunately, we failed to rescue the rest of the prisoners.” Jeik explained.

"The only survivor of what, now?!", I exclaimed.
“Silence."

The highest present officer shot a fearsome look at me.

Before I could ask any more questions, he approached me. There was only half an arm’s length between us when he stopped. Suddenly I felt a strange sensation pulsating from him, while he stared me down with his unblinking, storm cloud colored eye. I blankly met his gaze.

“Intriguing”, he said and struck his chin. "Who are you?"
"I-I don’t know, sir"

All the sudden he drew his adorned sword out of his sheath. I flinched.

“Do not try to deceive me.”
"W-whoa, hold on! I ain’t your enemy. I don’t remember a thing…!”

The Head Captain lunged outward with his sword. I shielded myself with my arms. He feinted a step towards me, before a strong gust of wind blew past me.A razor sharp, thin and cold metallic edge suddenly pressed against at my gullet.

He seemingly disappeared right in front of me and reappeared behind me, all that in a blink of an eye. I gulped and froze on spot.

"Umbradior", Jeik said fearfully to himself, "also known as the Shadowstep."

Awestruck, I raised my hands in front of my face, indicating my defeat. He slowly moved around me until he was back in my line of sight. His blade never left my throat.

“Do not struggle”, he said softly as he lifted the eyepatch. The pupil of his eye abruptly illumed brightly.

I yelped in utter disorientation while my head was tormented by intense pressure from the light shining from his eye. My vision turned blank.

Chapter Two

A long, dark corridor appeared in front of me after the flash.The walls and the floor of the corridor were made out of thick stone bricks. A chill overcame my body, although it felt surreal.

But it couldn’t have been a dream. It felt much too real to be a dream.

A quick glance at the ceiling caused me to raise both of my brows. It was a bright, starlit night and the walls of the hallway were several meters high. I took a step forward, which caused the soundwaves to shallowly bounce off every wall and resound along the corridor.

Along the walls were several wooden doors with a simple metallic nob as handles. I approached the closest door, turning the knob and pushing it open.

My eyes were blinded by a strong radiance of ... sunlight? As my pupils adjusted to the brightness, I couldn’t believe what I saw.

The Head Captain stood on top of a cliff staring down to what laid beneath. I walked up to him and shared his view. Inside the room was an entire landscape, stretching endlessly. In our sight of the panaroma was a village, located on an island in the midst of a lake. Not the largest scale, but still a rather vivid one.

There was just something amiss. No villagers were to be seen anywhere.

The officer crossed his arms as he struck his chin thoughtfully. Without a word, he turned around and strolled out of the room. I followed him.

“Where are we?” My voice echoed hollowly.

“This technique is called Corintroitus in the Sanctan tongue, or Mind Invasion, in the Sensylai language.”

His clanking armor filled the corridor with noise, as I closed the door behind me.

“What? You’re inside my mind?” I gritted my teeth as my body automatically took a threatened pose.
“Get outta’ here!”

My hands clenched into fists. The Head Captain waved me off in a dismissive manner.

“Your mind is scattered, lost and unbalanced. What caused this state of your mind? I’m trying to get to the bottom of this.” He calmly said and stepped off, continuing his hallway wandering.

His from left to right and right to left turning head during our walk clearly indicated, that he was looking for something specific. I blinked at him and followed silently.

All the doors appeared to be the same shade of brown with the same iron knob attached. The corridor seemed never ending.

“Who’re you, anyway?”, I asked with a slight aggressive undertone.
“My name is Nex Buothor. I am the Head Captain of the Ysoldian infantry, reconnaissance and task force divisons.”

Clearly I was amazed and couldn’t help it, even if I wanted to. Nex Buothor smirked slightly, after peeking over his shoulder and seeing my expression.

“T-that ain’t all that impressive, y’know”, I said and tried to sound condescending. Head Captain Buothor didn’t seem bothered by it.

A clank is heard, before the Head Captain stopped moving. He turned to face me. I nearly bumped into him, which made me stumble.

“What you see is the constellation of your memories. They’re all ordered in a rather impressive fashion, although all the ‘rooms’ appear to be void of anything.”

“Huh?” I raised a brow.
“What ‘bout the room we were in just a few seconds ago?”

Nex grunted, seemingly not sure himself.

“It seems that it was the only halfway intact memory which still rests within your mind. I’ve visited the other rooms before you arrived. They’re all blank.”

I felt my eyes widen, as my jaw dropped. Remaining speechless, I simply stared at him.

“Are you sayin’…?"
“Yes. Your memories were erased. The culprit of this phenomenon did not leave any tracks behind. He or she must have been a very skilled Mesmer.”

A sharp “Tch” sound escaped from between my lips, while my arms folded in frustration.

“Mesmer, Corintroitus, Umbradior. What’s all this? I don’t get any of it.”

The Head Captain chuckled in his raspy voice.
“It seems that your amnesia has also robbed some basic knowledge from you. Let me explain.”

He raised his hand to about face height. His palm and his fingers began to gleam in a purplish light. The entire corridor would begin to shape shift, by slipping past us in one quick swoop and fading into the darkness.

Both of us now stood in empty, white space. I turned my head and body into multiple directions, clearly not prepared for the swift change of environment.

“As you may know, we inhabit Thalwyn, the world of the mortals. There are two additional worlds bordering Thalwyn. They are called Eterio and Inanis.”

“Eterio is the afterlife world for all those of pure soul and heart. It’s the sanctuary for the Deities, which rule over the flow of Anima - the Life Force Energy. They supply our mortal world with Anima - the energy that flows in every living and un-living being. Many races learned to adapt and to bend it to their own will. For example the Umbradior - Shadowstep, is an Anima manipulation. I controlled the Anima to move in between those undefined parallels of space and time.”

My frown intensified.

“Wait. Are you sayin’ that you can control space and time the way you want to?” My tone seemed rather skeptical.

Nex shook his head slowly but patiently.

“Not by using the methods which you might imagine. I controlled my own body to move in between space and time. Those two major elements are something, which can only be controlled by the Deities. You see, all elements can be manipulated - to a certain extent.

Some who completely mastered the alterations are able to bend the entire embodiment of an element. On the other hand, there are some who are only able to control the element solely to combine one's willpower with the Anima around you.”

“So … meanin’, that not everyone is equally skilled or even ‘qualified’ in using Anima?” My head tilted to the side.

Head Captain Nex nodded his head and continued.

“Some are gifted to be naturals at Anima Control. While on the other hand, some are not able to bend it at all. The talents vary from masterful to unable-to. Naturally you can hone your skills with Anima usage, although it requires absolute mental and physical capabilities to do so.”

My hand moved to the back of my head, scratching. So much information in such a short period of time is surely something to process.

“Alrigh’. And what ‘bout this Inanis that you mentioned?”

The officer’s face changed to a grimmer state, as he elaborated.

“Inanis is the world of the dead, of the wretched and cursed. Only those whose balance of deeds and sins are clearly favored towards the evil, will be sent there. There rest the Fiends, who are the guardians of the Statera.”

“The Statera?”
“It is the stability between the living and the dead. Should more living souls than 'inactive' souls be in Thalwyn, the Fiends then act by taking lives to restore it. They will create catastrophes and other unnatural occurrences. At times even for their own satisfaction. Some say the Great Nation War, the one as we are currently participating in, is a work of the Fiends.”

“…is it?”, he seemed to have prolonged my attention span.
  “Very unlikely. It fully concerns politics and power play between the great Nation lords. And naturally, we fight the wars for them. But I will not bore you with the details of this war - for now.”

He lifted his hand and all of a sudden there was a strange purplish light followed by a brief but loud buzzing. A glassy, purply translucent sword appeared in his hand. I frowned once again, before he tossed me the weapon. I caught it by the handle, to my own relief.

“Come at me with all your might, Bray.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Strike me down, as if I were your arch enemy.”
“You gotta’ be insane, old man”, I said but felt the anxiety spreading throughout my body. Why the sudden challenge?

He closed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment.

“If you won’t attack, I will.”

Without another additional warning he charged towards me. His swift and controlled movements were hard to track as I instinctively raised my own blade with both hands. Both our swords collided in horizontal slashes against each other in a loud clink. He nodded before applying pressure and whirling both blades around in a circle, letting his blade dance around my defenses.

I took a safe step back and attempted to retake my guard, before his second attack came. His blade thrusted towards my stomach. It missed me by a hair’s length. If I hadn’t repositioned myself and sidestepped to evade, it would’ve been fatal.

I tried to use his opening to counter attack. My sword swung around and was directed at his neck area, which was easily repelled by an effortless lift of his armguard. Now I was wide open, as my sword struck for the sky.

His sword riposted in an upwards diagonal slash from left to right. My body spun out of the danger zone on its own, which amazed me. After successfully avoiding his attack, I returned to my pose, facing him. But this man didn't plan on easing up after my recovery. He was already on the move, using quick but quite powerful blows targeting all my possible openings.

We exchanged blows that didn't really seem like fencing, but more like the Head Captain toying with me. Despite my lack of past memories and experiences was I barely able to keep up with his agile attacks.

Our blades locked together in a loud clink. I stared him down, giving him an evil eye. Nex on the other hand, seemed relaxed and focused. With my young and unexperienced arms, I attempted to shove the Captain's beautiful sword back with all my physical strength.

His sword was clearly hand crafted and had imitations of dragon wings as a crossguard and several very precise carving adornments.

Nex led out an amused chuckle. People who have been on the battlefield for decades, shouldn't feel this thrilled anymore in one-on-one combat, I thought to myself.

I switched over to offensive tactics. My light-footed movements secured me a slight advantage, or so I thought. My arms feinted an attack aimed at his right side, before I spun my body around, lowering myself to my knees. The glassy sword flourished at his left hip.

Nex Buothor, an experienced war master, anticipated my attack pattern completely and only brought his blade back parallel to his own straight pose to guard his vital spots, carefully observing me.

With a minor flick of his wrist was he able to deflect my attack by slamming my glass sword sideways. Once more, was I wide open to be attacked.

He lifted his foot and stomped into my chest, sending me literally flying through the corridor. My body bounced off the stone plastered ground not twice, not thrice, but four times before I finally hit a wall. A near-liquid substance started to surface inside my mouth. It tasted like metal. Dappling the side of my index finger onto my lips made me realize, that it was blood.

Bruises and abrasions covered my body from head to toe. I grunted and hissed in pain. How can a kick be that powerful?

It was in that moment, when I knew that he bested me. He disappeared in the same fashion as earlier and rematerialized in front of me, lunging out with his sword. Though, his blade stopped a mere centimeter in front of my face. My eyes fixated the tip of his blade, as I already felt a harsh sting of shock in my guts.

The right side of his mouth wrinkled upwards to a smirk. He withdrew his blade and sheathed it in such a skilled motion. The sword lying next to my injured body shattered into thousands of shards. I stared at my hand, which was shaking uncontrollably and still didn’t understand what actually happened.

My eyes flicked to the Head Captain and I gritted my teeth in frustration.

 “I have seen enough”, I heard the Head Captain say.

The brightness of the room seemed to be intensifying. I covered my eyes, as soon as it reached a painful level.

I removed my arm, which covered my eyes and found myself back in the officer’s tent. Jeik Staeger and Xodin stared at me, as if they’ve seen a ghost. I didn’t blame them. My head felt dizzy, my hands were shaking fiercely and my face was probably pale as snow.

Nex Buothor was still facing me, before he returned to the round table, which was located in the center of the meeting.

"Well then, Lieutenant Staeger and Sergeant Phoyas, have you witnessed the death or capture of Lady Manist with your own eyes?"

Jeik shook his head and Xodin didn't make any indication of an answer at all. I sat on the nearest chair to recover from that strange experience.

Did we duel in my head? Or did it really happen? The questions reverbrated inside my mind. No bruises or injuries were infliced on my present body, so it really must've been a mental fight.

Nex rubbed his eye and sighed. 

"In that case, Lieutenant, pick your men for an infiltration unit. Scour the enemy outpost and find her."

  "But sire, all remaining officers and non-commissioned officers have already returned to Ysoldia and the garrisoned soldiers at camp Dubach lack the experience to handle the task of an infiltration." Staeger said.

“I see. In that case we must act quickly, but cautiously. This is Princess Kiria Manist who we speak of. Failures in that regard are an absolute insult to the Crown, which will result in execution.
I will send you two to scout ahead until I have assembled the necessary forces to take the Hraygnan outpost. Since you are from the Task Forces, this will pose no problem for you.”

Both of them nodded and slammed their fists onto their left chest side as a salute.

"Yes, sire."
“One more thing.” The Head Captain said and raised his right index finger.

He eyed me and nodded towards the pair.

“You will take him with you.”

A brief pause was in session from everyone inside the tent.

“What?!”, Jeik and I said simultaneously.
“I do not understand, Head Captain.”
“Bray may not be an Ysoldian soldier. But you can clearly see, even with the lack of his memories, that he was once a warrior. You are going to need him.”

I was speechless. I blinked and peered between the two officers. I didn’t know what to think of Nex Buothor before. This made it even more difficult.

Though, something acutely bothered me. 'He was once a warrior'.
Could it be, that he saw other memories but decided to keep it to himself? Or did he just determine so, by having that duel with me?

It felt extraordinarily natural, handling a sword in combat. It frightened me. Was I really a warrior before I lost my memory?

“Only if you want to, Bray”, the Head Captain added and flicked his eyes to meet my own.

A blurry image of Kiria's smiling face popped into my vision. I don’t even know this woman. Every other sane person wouldn’t want to get involved in wars, which do not concern them. But for some reason it moved me. I wanted to save her, no matter what. It may have been a personality trait of mine, which I probably forgot.

“Of course. You people saved my life, and she was one of them. I owe ya’, so you can count on me!” I said with an ounce of determination. 

Head Captain Buothor nodded with a subtle and satisfied smile.

The young Lieutenant shifted his head forward in bafflement, although regained his pose upon noticing his flawed discipline.

“Sire, the Ysoldian military has superior battle tactics and hand signs during operations. This ... boy does not have enough experience for our squad. He will only get in the way.”

“What was that?”
I raised my fist in a threatening manner and stomped over to him, holding it in front of his face. I felt insulted, even though I didn’t understand why exactly. Jeik folded his arms and snorted at me arrogantly.

“You heard me. Three days ago you were a barely alive and now you think you can fight for us?”

Three days? My thoughts paralyzed me for a moment. My fist lowered itself and I squinted my eyes at Jeik Staeger.

“That is enough, Lieutenant and Bray” the officer said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Head Captain, for him to adapt to our level of skill will take y-“
“You will take him with you. That is an order, Lieutenant. Bring him to the armory. Gear him up as he pleases. Dismissed.”

Why would he want me to go?

Both of them saluted again in their Ysoldian manner without another word being said. Jeik grabbed me by the shoulder and dragged me along on his way out. Xodin followed in silence, as always.

We arrived at the armory. The entrance was heavily guarded. Staeger identified himself and stated his purpose to the guards. They stepped to the side before we entered. 

The inside was filled with weapon stands, containing swords, axes, spears, bows and shields. Large lockers were also lined up next to the stands.

"Listen, Bray. You may be our companion for now, but you need to do much more to gain my trust. But, we cannot let you roam around with us unarmored. Do you prefer light or heavy armoring?", Jeik Staeger said skeptically.

"I suppose something with a good attribute of protection, without any restraint of agility and speed of my movements."

Xodin peered at me with a surprised expression.

To be fair, it felt strange saying that, as if it was my second nature. Jeik walked over to the lockers in the corner of the armory tent.

"Technically, only Officers are qualified to wear this. However, the Head Captain insisted on giving you what you desire."

He grabbed a chain mail and a few leather parts out of the locker.

"As we all are not too eager for you to die, take the Adamanti chain mail. It suits your … description perfectly. It's as light as silk but tougher than hardened steel", he explained proudly and handed me the armor.

I accepted it and agreed with him silently, upon holding it in my own hands.

“You will need more than that, Bray. Xodin, fetch the rest of the gear and get him ready, will you?”

A few moments passed by, as adjustments were being made to my gear.

Since I was apparently right handed, they mounted a large lion head shaped steel plate onto my left shoulder, typical Ysoldian symbol. It served as an efficient protection from melee attacks and arrows directed at my neck, when directly confronting.

Leather gloves with integrated steel plates, were given to me. As I slipped them over my hands they felt heavy, but also safe. I also picked a long, chocolate brown leather coat to protect myself from fire and other friction kind of damage. But I took it mainly because it looked very appealing.

"The last piece of equipment to be chosen is your weapon,” Jeik said and pointed at the stands.

As I peered across the armory, something caught my attention abruptly almost as if it called out to me.

It was a black sword, with a crimson colored leathery grip. The blade was slightly curved and likely only sharp on the inside of the blade. Black snowflakes shapes were attached to the cross guard.

Staeger followed my fascinated gaze as he rushed over, grabbing it before I was able to reach it. He carefully lifted it with his hands and examined it in awe.

"By Gyondir's Trident, what is Diabocida doing in a place like this?"
"Diabocida?"

Stager gave me a look that could kill.

"You fool. How can you not know what it is? It is the sword and a must within the arsenal of every single Nightwalker. It is called Diabocida, also known as Demon Slayer and it is made of Blacksteel, which is gained from black iron ore, the rarest of them all. It conducts raw Anima considerably well." he lectured me. 

I raised my brows in curiosity.
"Nightwalkers?"

  "They are specially trained assassins of the Ysoldian Task Forces. Only the best of the best are selected to be blessed with the title of Nightwalker."

Nodding my head, I returned back to the actual subject.

“Wait, so … there are metals which conduct Anima differently than other metals?”

The Lieutenant sighed, most likely in response to my lack of my general knowledge.

“Anima can be conducted by anything, really. There are certain magical enchantments that amplify the power and the stability of pure Anima. Blacksteel carries those traits.“

My hand reached out for the sword, but Jeik grunted and kept the Diabocida away from me in protest.
"This sword is too powerful and rare for a beginner like you", he said.
"I thought your Officer told you to hand me anything I want."

Jeik went red in the face and shook his head.
"I am very well aware of my instructions, thank you. I know what I'm doing. Here take this."

His hand reached out for another sword. It was a simple grey and smaller in length and width. I had no other choice, so I took it. It was a boringly-average iron sword with no particular attributes. I sighed. Why did it frustrate me so much?

"Beginners must start small, don't you agree?", Staeger added.

"Fine. Let's go save the Princess", I said while wandering towards the exit.
"Just a moment there, chap."

I turned around and shrugged my shoulders firmly at the Lieutenant.

"What gives? Ain’t we headin’ out to save Kiria?"

Jeik glanced over to Xodin, then back at me. He shook his head.

“Hmm. Never mind, let’s move out."

The march led us away from camp Dubach, back to the steppes. It felt like backtracking the whole journey. The horizon still had a faint orange glow in the distance. The forest fire hadn't been distinguished, since I passed out. Instead of turning south to the battlefield, where the trio found me, we headed north.

"What's the war about, Jeik?", I said. and remembered Nex Buothor mentioning the Great Nation War.
"That's Lieutenant Staeger to you, Bray."
"Oh, come on. Just tell me what's goin’ on. Where are we? Who are you? Who are you fighting against?"

Staeger stopped and turned to me. He raised his finger in a warning.

"First of all, you really need to be cautious about how you talk to me, since I am the one who saved you. It is thanks to me that you're here with us now."

I opened my mouth and attempted to respond.

  "And secondly; too many questions, insufficient time. Carry on."

As he turned back to continue, I shook my head. Xodin glanced at me for a moment and inclined his head at his officer. I was quite certain that he ordered me to follow our leader.

The dry and somewhat eerie steppes, during nighttime, ended as we lifted our heads to study the scenery. Spiky grey rock formations were ahead of us and in the thick of it, a narrow passage through the mountain chain led through them. Jeik had determined that as our travelling route. The moon trio still glared from between the corneous tips of the rockbergs.

As we trekked up the small path, the temperature kept falling. We all wore dark navy blue coats, knee-length. Cold resistance for one and stealth during nighttime the other. The more altitude we gained during the climb, the fiercer the wind blew.

We advanced further, where the pathway found its end of the line. I reckoned the height might have been around one-hundred meters and the fall would have been steep.

A pendant bridge was stretched across to the other side, where the route would continue. The condition of the bridge made me feel uneasy and my superiors must've felt the same.

Staeger waved us over, while the howling of the constant gust forced us to gather around closely.

"One at the time, I will take the lead. Xodin, you guard the rear."

His hands reached out for the handrail of rope. He grasped firmly and carefully stepped from one wooden plank to another. I followed his instructions and moved over to the edge. My hand reached out for the rope railings.

A projectile dashed past my ear in a loud hiss. I flailed around and backed away from the bridge. My hand rushed to the grip of my sword.

"Contact, right side!"

I glanced over, barely able to perceive three to five odd figures within a huge rift inside of the mountain. Another longish object hurtled towards me. Thanks to the strong wind, the projectile landed in front of my feet.

Xodin rushed to my position and picked it up. He tossed it to the side, cursed under his breath and pulled the large axe from his back.

The poorly built arrow fell into the abyss.

"Mountain Goblins!", he yelled.

Chapter Three

Another salve of arrows was launched. Sergeant Xodin Phoyas covered me up and his body began to illuminate a darker shade of blue. The aura started to surround the outlines of his body. The arrows bounced off his skin with multiple chinking sound, as if hitting a metallic surface. A faint flash gleamed every time an arrow had bounced off his magical ward.

This must be Anima. I thought to myself, and my eyes widened.

 

"Get moving", Xodin said.

 

I raised a brow, since I heard his voice for the first time.

Still dazed, I hurried to the bridge, grabbing the rail and jumped from plank to plank. Staeger drew his sword and raised his free hand, ordering me to stop. I halted immediately and peered at him, but my gaze went right past him. What I saw caused me to snort in dismay.

 

Dozens of Goblins had already covered the other side up, growling and screeching at our group.

 

They were much shorter than humans. Their skin was a tone of a dark gooey green and their ears were long and pointy. Their body posture was crooked and they seem like a hybrid between bipedal and quadruped. As armor, they chose to wear deer hide and leather parts, since most likely lack the physical endurance to carry iron or steel.

 

I slowly walked over until I was on the same level as Jeik Staeger. He seemed annoyed. The bridge had just enough width for the both of us to stand side by side in one rank.

 

Jeik swung his hand across and exlaimed.

 

"We cannot waste time with you wretched beasts. If you may have noticed, there is a war waging in these lands."

The Goblins burst out in malicious laughter.

 

"Give us your Silver and we might consider letting you pass", the creature with a skull helmet said. I assessed him to be the leader of the band.

 

"I shall act mercilessly, should you decide to interfere with our mission. You are indeed too dull to understand the situation", Jeik said sharply and pointed his longsword towards the leader.

 

The Goblin barked and bared his teeth at the Lieutenant.

  "Let none survive!" The creature screamed and motioned towards us.

 

Jeik straightened his pose and held his sword in an almost ninety-degree angle pointed upwards, probably a defensive stance.
I gripped the handle of my sword with both hands, bracing myself for the upcoming battle.

 

Three Goblins disconnected from the group, charging towards us. I wondered, why only that quantity of them decided to attack. As they moved across the bridge, it began shaking heavily. My thought answered itself. I steadied my balance and retook my posture. Jeik never exited his stance as he calmly gazed at the incoming Goblins.

 

One of the creatures lashed out with its unstable axe in a downward chop. My sword arm moved, positioning it horizontally above my head. The metal piece of the axe head bounced off the blade.
I swiftly repositioned my sword from the deflection and thrusted my iron blade into creature. My sword impaled its crooked small body, while it squealed in pain.

 

I pulled out the blade, only seeing dark brown blood dripping from the edge of my iron weapon. The short Goblin stumbled to the side, slipped off from the bridge and met his end at the bottom of the mountain. My eyes widened and my breathing became heavy.

It all happened so fast. My reflexes roughly coincided with my movements. I shoved more question to the back of my head.

 

In the meantime, I caught a glimpse of Jeik parrying a few strikes from his attacker with ease, before decapitating it in one movement. The same colored substance splattered in all directions. The lifeless body twitched harshly, until it finally fell over.

Behind the dead corpse of its comrade, the third Goblin already jumped Jeik. It was quickly sliced open by him, killing it nearly instantaneously.

 

Additional enemy reinforcements appeared to replace the dead Goblins, five this time. They seemed to have some sort of attack pattern. Or perhaps even they were too afraid of the bridge collapsing underneath their feet. I felt very uneasy, myself.

 

A foot soldier, armed with a shield and rusty sword, charged and slashed at my left side. I redirected his stroke outwards and riposted in a quick horizontal jab, only to be stopped by his shield. A second Goblin took me on. As he lashed out, I deflected it and from the corner of my eyes. I shifted my body and retreated slightly. His followed up swing missed me by a hair length.

 

The tip of a sword emerged from the unarmored Goblin's chest. It grimaced and shrieked, while its life was being eradicated.

 

Staeger pulled his longsword back out and stared at me. The lifeless body of the dead creature fell over.

  "Do not get too full of yourself just yet. There are still more to handle, Bray.”

 

The shielded Goblin struck out for the Lieutenant with its rusty blade. Jeik, who had his gaze still fixated on me, deflected and cut down the creature without even looking. Even their reinforcements were defeated easily.

 

I heard a dull explosion near the end of the bridge. A bluish blaze dazzled me and when it faded I saw Xodin, in the middle of the enemy lines. His ginormous axe vertically split one of the lesser Goblins in half. The rest were knocked over, due to the immense impact of his Anima channeled strike. Snow piled up from the strong gust of his attack.

 

"That is my idea of timing", the Lieutenant said and dashed to the other side. I followed him.

 

We trotted onto the solid ground, leaving the bridge behind us. Our enemies had already regrouped and the Sergeant joined our rank.

 

Apparently intimidated by our superiority, the Goblins trembled and exchanged frightened looks.

 

"Keep it together, you maggots! We still have the numbers. All-out attack, go, go!"

On that note the whole group sprinted off. Xodin was preparing his counter attack, when Jeik lifted a hand.

 

"I shall make this quick and painless."

 

All of a sudden, pressure was beginning to tense the air. Distortion, even. A visible, yellowish energy surrounded Jeik. He closed the gaps between his legs and stood straight, lifting his sword over his head with both hands.

After a short while I heard him muttering just this single word:

 

“Visolvo.”

 

Xodin grabbed the collar of my armor. Staegers' overflow of energy, discharged in an immeasurable rate, nearly sent me down the mountain. The shockwave was so strong, it knocked off every Goblin in their raid group. Xodin struggled to keep us both on our feet. The blast subsided and I glanced upon Staeger and my jaw dropped.

 

A winged helmet surfaced on his head from the energy. The cheek protections of the helmet were curved and very elegant in appearance. His chest piece underwent changes as well. Also, a royal blue cape emerged from the back of his shoulder.

 

The chest plate now bore a new, but strange crest on the plate. Inside a circle were two shapes. An inverted traingle which's top line coincided with the second shape, a cuboid. In the midst of all these shapes was a symbol, which signified the Deity of Thunder, Gyondir. 

I wondered, how I was able to identify that symbol, since it wasn't written in Sensylai.

 

Jeik's knightly longsword even gained more length. A lightning bolt shaped slit appeared within the blade and the edge glowed in the same yellow energy as his entire form.

 

    “Legatonitrus”, Jeik said quietly.

 

He swung his sword back, while more yellow aura appeared and surrounded his sword. He lifted it over his head, before seven tiny energy spheres manifested near the tip of his blade. With every passing moment the spheres grew in size and density. They enlarged themselves until they were about as large as a human’s head.

Our opposing creatures got even more restless as the pure Anima orbs floated above Jeik.

 

    “Fulmen; Caepoena”, Jeik muttered.

 

Ear pounding noise pulsated from the orbs as they charged with a kind of energy, which is only seen in thunderstorms. Lightning. Several stray bolts started to strike anything near them. Cracks began to form in the ground, bricks busted out of the mountain walls due to wild, uncontrollable element.

Staeger eyes now radiated with the same yellow aura caused from his Anima. He swung his arm around, then pointed at the Goblin forces.

 

    “Begone.”

 

With that said, the orbs flew towards the group, causing an explosion of a massive caliber. Xodin pulled me down with him as he landed on his stomach, shielding the back of his head with his hands. I mimicked him, just to be safe.

Such an anomaly. Such raw power. It all happened so fast, I couldn’t keep track. I slowly raised my head and peered over to the aftermath of Jeik’s magical annihilation.

Large, multiple punctures were carved into the stone ground, nearly all Goblins simply disintegrated, except one.

I frowned at the sight of the chieftain’s weird bubble shield that embraced its form.

 

    "So, it can use Anima too, huh?"

 

Xodin grunted and lifted himself to his feet and swung his axe onto his shoulders, letting it carefully rest across them.

The bubble shield shattered into countless light particles, being blown away by the strong wind. A long wooden staff was now revealed by the leader of the Mountain Goblins. His lips and knees quaked.

 

    "Y-you're Jeik Staeger. I yield! This Form ...  it's-"

 

    "Yes, you foul fiend. It's my Visolvo - Legatonitrus", Jeik boasted.

    "Now, run."

The chieftain turned around.

   "My name is Krashulk. Remember it. You will not see the last of me."

He climbed down the mountain wall, until he was out of sight.

Staeger turned to face us. The strong pressure, which his Anima level caused, disappeared. His magical armor and sword all returned to their original state, in a shiny process.

 

    "What was that?" My voice seemed shocked and buzzed at the same time.

Xodin and Jeik glanced at each other.

    "No time for explanations. We have to continue our mission", the Lieutenant said and walked off.

The Sergeant unquestionably followed him. No other choice was left, except joining them.

Our group dwindled down the mountain pathway. The steep journey took its toll on our stamina and the sky already had faint signs of dawning. Every now and then, Staeger groaned and grumbled something about shortage of time.

We descended in a rapid pace. I started paying attention to the upcoming terrain. A green, healthy forest which projected several kilometers downhill and across the landscapes was right beneath the pathway.

     "The main reason for our delay, were those poor excuses of living beings. I despise them with every fiber of my soul”, Jeik said as we entered the forest. Both Xodin and I didn’t react, as Staeger kept on complaining.

It was dense and pitch-black, but still we travelled swiftly and without any light source. The moon disappeared behind the mountain chain that we left behind us. We focused on the narrow forest road, rushing through bushes and jumping over stumps and fallen trunks.

My steps started to get heavy and my stamina depleted.

 

    "Can we ... take a break?" I panted quietly.

    "No breaks until we reach our designation."

 

I cursed under my breath.

It took us at least one hour to get through the forest. On our way out, there were several encounters with wildlife and even wandering merchants. To our luck, none of them showed any hostility.

We finally reached the open grass field. We marched outwards, away from the edge of the forest. Staeger raised a fist, signifying a halt. He pointed at a settlement in the distance. The buildings still had lights in them. And smoke rose from the chimneys.

The palisade wall protected the settlement from unwelcomed guests. Even worse, it was located on large hill in the plains. We hid behind some rocks as we assessed the settlement from afar.

 

    "Well, this is gonna’ be fun.” I snickered.

      "We will determine our strategy once we are closer", Jeik responded, rolling his shoulder.

        "How do we even know that she's here?"
              "We do not. It is simply our objective to search out this camp."

 

"Well, what're we waitin' for?" I said enthusiastically, "Let's check it out."

  "Hold it." Jeik grabbed my arm and pulled me back into place.

 

I let out a "Tch" from my mouth, as Jeik really annoyed me.

 

    "What's wrong with you? Isn't she part of your team?"

      "Such matters are incomprehensible for a boy, such as yourself, Bray."

        "Wha'... Hey, you wanna' go or somethin'?"

 

My fist came in and stopped in front of his jaw, shaking in fury.

 

"If you had any discipline of a solider you would know that the mission always has top priority. Yes, she is in our team, however she is also the main objective of our task. Our mission is to scout of this outpost, to determine if the Princess is here or not."

 

"The longer we wait, the more they're gonna' torture or question her...!"

I squinted my eyes at him, and just simply could not accept Staeger's attitude.

 

    "You do not know that, Bray. Also, if we rush in without a plan, there might be a possibility that will result in our capture. Or even worse, the Princess will be used as a hostage against us. Or in the far worst scenario ... executed."

 

I froze and lowered my fist. I shook my head, trying to remain self confident. I let my hotheadedness get the better of me.

Xodin bumped my shoulder with his elbow. I cried out quietly in both pain and surprise.

     "Less lips flapping and more shutting up and following orders."

 

I grunted at Xodin, rubbing my shoulder. Staeger waved us down to go silent.

   “Shh. Quiet. We’ve got company.”

Chapter Four

Xodin pulled me back behind the rocks, before we heard heavy steps closing in on us.

"A patrol, dead ahead", Jeik said quietly and moved his hand to grip the handle of his sword.

 

Xodin and I also prepared for the worst. I carefully peeked around the massive stone and spotted a group of five marching in a single file. Their red and black armor reflected the rising sun in the distance. Three of them were armed with a sword, while the other two carried halberds.

I recognized their colour shades from the battle at the Gattiken Fields, where my journey began.

"Who're they?" I whispered.

"Hraygnans from the Hraygna Nation. You asked about the Great Nation War earlier. This is who we wage war against", Staeger responded in a very low voice.

 

It wasn't the right time, so I didn't bother digging deeper into their politcal debates and origins of the war. My body moved back behind cover. I peered at Jeik, waiting for his instructions. A flash of insight overcame me.

 

"How 'bout we sneak up on 'em, take 'em out and use their armor as a disguise to get in?"

"That will not work, since the Hraygnans' tongue differs from ours. They grew up with another accent and are highly trained in detecting moles within their ranks. However, I suspect that we can squeeze out information regarding flaws in their fortress", Jeik said quietly and struck his chin thoughtfully.

 

I grumbled, as Jeik shot down my idea. My proud and stubborn persona must've brought me into a lot of trouble in the past. Regardless did I nod in agreement.

 

"Our time frame to will be very short. If this patrol does not report back on a routined basis, they will suspect an attack on their outpost and initiate a lockdown", Jeik added and frowned in a pondering manner.

 

The patrol suddenly turned southwest, towards our position with their weapons drawn. Were we compromised? I hissed in a warning as both the Lieutenant and the Sergeant cursed under their breath.

 

They surrounded our position as their leader called us out.
"Surrender now, Ysoldian scum and we shall make your death swift."

 

Again, I peeked around the corner. Their leader carried dual swords and had them crossed in front of him. Silence fell after their verbal challenge and the only audible thing was a strange bird chirping. They've already assumed combat poses. Jeik stood up and pulled his elegant weapon from its sheath. Xodin followed his lead unquestionably.

 

What the heck were they doing?

A sardonic laughter was heard from the Hraygnan soldiers, as my superios revealed themselves. I couldn't abandon them, so I decided to come forth.

"Stay back, Bray", Jeik said calmly.

  "Wha~ I'm not gonna'..."

   "Do not move", Jeik snarled in a commanding tone.

I ceased moving and stood at the ready, still confused by Staeger's sudden disclosure. A thick fog started to cover the entire field. Reaching from the two confronting squads, to the forest edge a few metres south from us.

I gripped the hilt of my sword and increased my vigilance to a maximum. Our sight distance was shortenening in an alarming rate.

 

"Just stay still, Bray", Xodin said this time nearly in a comforting manner, which didn't really do much for me.

Both of them insisted that I wouldn't move. How could I? The longer I waited, the thicker the fog got and the more nervous I became. 

 

The enemy soldiers started to grumble all in chaos.

"What's going on?" - "What's happening!" - "I can't see!". Their cries made me shudder. One of the enemy soldiers suddenly shouted.
"Ah! Get it off. Get it off! It's all over me!"

A blazen grind was heard from my weapon as I drew it in all haste and concern. I two-handedly grasped my sword in front of me, as I floundered backwards, until I hit the large rock behind me. The screams now came from multiple directions, in absolute panic.

Suddenly, the voices blended out and it returned to complete silence.
My back was still pressed against the wall as I flicked my eyes from left to right and even up. I heard light footsteps right in front of me.

I grunted in dismay and prepared for the worst.

Out of the mist, a woman emerged. Her hair was a cyan blue and her eyes glowed in the same colour. She didn't have any weapons on her. Chlorophyll green was the color of her leather jacket and she wore a miniskirt, which covered her black fishnet stockings, leading down to her long, dark brown boots. As I inspected her with every step she took, I then decided to raise my sword in a threatening manner.

 

"Hey, hold it right there", I spoke out loudly.

The woman giggled and placed a hand onto her hips and shifted her weight onto the other leg. An odd white aura surrounded her fists. It must've been Anima but it was different from Jeik's or Xodin's. I frowned and observed her for a brief while.

"You're quite noisy, you know that?"

She giggled again and the hilt of my iron sword suddenly felt extremely cold. I had to drop it, due to the very uncomfortable sting in the palm of my hand. With a glance at the weapon, that chinked as it hit the ground, there was a transparent but solid material surfacing on its form. It was ice.

 

I grunted and pushed myself harder against the rock, in a natural reaction. She came even closer until we were intimately face to face. The woman was about as tall as I was and her facial features were far away from unattractive. My head hit against the cold stone as our bodies touched each other. She moved her face even closer. Our noses touched and are lips were only milimetres away from the same state.

"He's with us, Zhoe."

"Aww! I was about to give him my Hiberna."

 

Zhoe backed away from me and I suddenly gasped, since I was given more room to breathe. My face most definitely reddened, as heat rose to it from the sudden intimacy.
Jeik and Xodin now appeared out of the mist, as well. I pointed at them in irritation.

 

"Who the heck is she? Why did she almost kiss me?"

 

The young woman giggled once more and placed her index finger on her lips.

"I had to make sure. I planned on paralyzing you with an ice imbued kiss."

  "You what?"

I raised a brow at her. So she was an ice manipulator in the Anima arts, I thought to myself.

Jeik Staeger sighed and walked up to her, while the fog seemed to subside in the long term.

"She's in my unit. Our field support specialist and second in command of our Task Force. Second Lieutenant Zhoeskar Shayra and the one behind the scenes is Sergeant Bheskar Shayra, her brother."

 

I turned my head and spotted a young man walking towards us His haircolour was the same as Zhoe's, though short and spikier. His attire contained a sleevless brown leather shirt and beige clamdiggers. His hands were buried in his pockets and he had a toothpick in his mouth.

 

"What's up, call me Bhes", he said and lifted his hand in a greeting, lazily.

 

The Hraygnan soldiers were nothing more than blocks of ice, just resting in the morning sun. Zhoe snapped her fingers. All ice figures just scattered into thousands of tiny ice grains. My eyes widened.

 

The dense fog retreated into some strange metallic maces with several holes in them, which he carried in both of his hands.

"Oi, Jeik, who's the cute guy?"

I grunted in surprise and couldn't help but blush.

"Settle down, Zhoe. He's only temporarily assigned to us by the Head Captain. His name is Bray. The only survivor of the fifth Hraygnan execution caravan, this year."

"Ehhh? How did you manage to let everyone die, 'Jeiky'?" She said teasingly and tapped his cheek with her finger, which was slapped off by the Lieutenant instantaneously.

He grimaced and pushed her back in annoyance.

"They were unintentionally targeted by our Tormentos and hit. Bray solely survived the blast of our projectiles."

"Ooooh. A tough guy, huh? You don't seem that tough, but you know what they say. It's on the inside what counts", she said and wrapped both of her arms around my neck from the side, as she hung her weight on me. It nearly made me stumble over.

I felt slightly uncomfortable by her jolly attitude.

"Cease this foolishness, Zhoe. I believe you were sent by the Head Captain?"

Her expression shifted to a more serious state, as she broke from her embrace around me.

"Yes. He told me what happened. Can't believe Kiri' was kidnapped. We're gonna' help in any way we can to save her."

"Very well. Sergeant Shayra's mist will grant as the upper hand in our infiltration. Please use it right now", Jeik said and nodded at Bheskar, who nodded back in response.

Fascinating. First there was Nex Buothor's Shadowstep, then there was Xodin's impenetrable skin and the sight of Jeik Staeger's lightning orbs. Now there's two more who can control the Anima to create ice and mist.

Bheskar lifted his maces into the air, as the same vapor escaped through the gaps and spreaded around our bodies. Although, for this instance it wasn't as thick. Jeik signaled us to move, before we head out towards the Hraygnan outpost.

Our team moved in a single file, led by Xodin and closed by Bheskar. In front of me was Jeik and Zhoe walked behind me. She smiled everytime I glanced over my shoulder. It made me really nervous.

"So, tell me about yourself, Bray", she said quietly in her young womanly voice.

"Well, I uh~"
"He suffers under amnesia, there's no point in asking", Staeger answered for me without looking back. I grimaced in irritation.

"Aww. You poor thing. After this operation we will sit down in a nice tavern and talk it all out, right?"

  "We're doin' what..?"

    "Quiet, you two. We're approaching our target."

Jeik signaled a halt and everyone lowered themselves to knee-height. Naturally, I followed their lead.

Throughout the mist, were we able to see the palisade wall of the settlement. Staeger waved Zhoe over and they began talking over their plan. Bheskar yawned as he started sketching things into the muddy earth. Xodin's gaze was fixated forward.

Staeger led out a hiss, indicating us to carry on.
Our group moved along the wooden wall until we reached the river, that flowed through the village outpost.

The river was several meters wide and the current was immensely strong. How are we going to cross it?
Zhoe reached out with her right hand, as a translucent beam shot out of the tips of her index and middle finger and hit the surface of the river, before my thought even finished.

 

The top layer of water froze instantly, while the water still streamed beneath the ice. She winked at me before her right foot landed on the icy field on the river. I raised a brow, as everyone followed her lead.

The river led directly into the village, while Bheskar's mist protected us from any spying eyes.

 

"Apply your hoods over your head. We are trying to blend with the villagers."

 

Our navy blue coats provided us with our needed concealment clothing, as we progressed through the settlement. Many villagers tensed up, upon seeing us and most of them went inside their houses. There were no guards to be seen during our stroll, which struck me as slightly too convenient.

 

We arrived at the village center, where a large fountain and several market stands encircled it. Dead silence.

 

"Damn it...!" Staeger suddenly exclaimed.

 

A strong gust of wind raided over us, while Bheskar's vapor disappeared in its wrath. We were exposed to dozens and dozens of Hraygnan soldiers. They completely surrounded the village center. Archers were lined up on a hill located right behind some houses. Their sharp and pointy arrows were only waiting to be fired at us.

 

"All-round defense", the second and first Lieutenant ordered simultaneously.

Our entire group formed a circle facing outwarts, while drawing our weapons and magic out.

 

A woman in a long black and red dress walked out from the lines of her soldiers. Her long black hair absorbed the morning sunlight, which caused a faint orange glow. She chuckeled eerily while her long legs swaggered back and forth. In her left hand was a long scythe, which's blade was shaped like a bird's talon.

 

"Warmaster Lynda Corvus", Staeger said slowly and squinted his eyes.

"It sure has been a while, Lieutenant."

Her toothy grin and her black lipstick sent shivers down my spine. A raven crowed and landed on her shoulders. She petted it with her excessive long, black fingernails.

 

"I believe we have caught you quite off guard, haven't we? Shall we demonstrate our traditional Hraygnan hospitality by killing every single one of you in a quick and gruesome death?"

Her snickering was so omnious, I froze. Although, that feeling felt familiar for some reason.
Lynda Corvus seemed to have thought the same. As her eyes met mine, they widened.

"Well, well. Seems as if our prisoner survived his impending doom. But do not fret, young Bray. You will receive your judgment as soon as we are through with your pathetic Ysoldian friends."

 

"Who are you? How do you even know me?" My voice was shrill and loud.

The female Warmaster let out a sharp laugh.

"So, they have used the Deleoria on you. How unfortunate. You would have felt joyful, seeing me. Yes, indeed."

"Shut up", I shouted and cross slashes my arm in a frustrated manner. Jeik and Xodin both gave me an irritated look.

Lynda turned around and waved us off dismissively.

"Exterminate them."

Chapter Five

Fizzling is heard from multiple directions, as the Hraygnan arrow bombardment began.
I grunted in dismay, since I had no means to defend myslef against such an attack.

"Bhes, now!" Zhoe shouted, before her brother raised his maces into the air, releasing another dense fog into the atmosphere.

The Second Lieutenant's hands gleamed in her light-bluish tone as she induced her Anima into the fog, causing it to instantly change its condition. A massive wall of ice emerged from the Anima of Bheskar's mist, succeeding in fending off the volley. It shattered right after the defensive measure, and sent shards flying in all directions. Enemy soldiers were occupied with the icy rain, despite that it wasn't lethal.

 

"Bray, Behskar, you're with me. We're gonna' take care of these ranged bastards", Zhoe said and tapped my shoulder.

 

Both Shayra siblings sprinted off, again, using the mist to cover up their approach. My body moved, following them closely.

 

Jeik and Xodin, in the meantime, prepared to fight the infantry of Hraygna. The Sergeant covered himself in his steel type of Anima, as he stormed into the enemy lines. Each strike he received bounced off as if they'd hit an anvil. He was impenetrable, while he took down several opponents with his massive axe and brutish strength.

 

Staeger took the more elegant approach and challenged multiple enemies at once. His bladework was flawless, as he outdanced and outplayed them, countering deadly and efficiently. Even he wasn't injured once in the process, but still managed to defeat several dozens of the opposition.

 

We ran through an enemy flank while Zhoe split them into two parts, by creating an ice wall that seperated their lines. Some even froze within her walls. She was no pushover, at all. Bheskar occassionally bashed through their steel armour with his maces, since they had great effect. They were sent spinning to the ground, screaming in pain.

 

A dirty road led up to the archer's positions. They seemed disoriented by Bheskar's fog, which still aided Jeik and Xodin's cover, down at the town's center.

 

"Here they come! Prepare for combat", the squad leader of the Hraygnan ranged soldiers said.

I took the lead and swung my sword at the first archer who didn't even have enough time to swap his weapons. My sword burried itself into his flesh, cutting cleanly through. Their protective gear wasn't meant for melee. A short steel blade came in from my right. Before his blade connected, I redirected the blade away from me and riposted in a quick thrust. He spat blood, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His life escaped him.

 

Several but loud cracks and clanks were heard from Bheskar's maces while engaged in combat. In one instance even, did he release extremely hot fog into the defender's face, inflicting harsh two to third degree burns.

 

Zhoe made ice lances, throwing axes and other sharp objects as she flinged them into her opponents. She was untouchable. Every time an enemy lunged out towards her, a wall of ice emerged from her hands as they cought weapons in their tracks and froze them solid, making them unable to be used.

A few minutes passed until we cleared out their arrow firing squad.

The female Lieutenant pointed towards the last archer group on the other side.

 

"We don't have enough time to cover this distance. Bhes, let's take a shortcut, shall we?"

 

Her brother nodded and sent his fog over in an arch. Zhoe imbued the fog with her icy Anima as it manifested into an icy bridge. With another flick of her hands, she created stairs in the bridge, so we wouldn't slip off. I was completely awestruck. Their teamwork was marvelous.

 

Our three man cell rushed over the bridge and I took a quick glance below us. Many Hraygnan corpses were dispersed across the town center. Jeik and Xodin were still at it and their opposition's numbers were decreasing rapidly. I smirked from the adrenaline and our current morale.

 

All of a sudden, the bridge collapsed from a fierce greenish-black energy that broke through the ice. Since it was halfed, we slided down the bridge where we met the ground after a long slide. The impact sent quite a sting through my spine. I looked up and there stood Lynda Corvus, laughing at us with the same dark energy that surrounded her left hand. It was a darker, more vicious kind of Anima.

"Going somewhere?", she mocked and let out another eerie giggle.

Zhoe groaned in pain and got up to her feet. Grimacing in dismay, she stared at the Warmaster.

"We need to retreat", she stated sharply.

 

Her statement was responsible for a harsh jolt of panic, that shot through my entire nervous system. Was Lynda Corvus really that strong, that even Zhoe didn't want to fight her? The grip on my sword's hilt intensified.

 

Even Bheskar's eyes were widened in fear, while he stood up and joined his sister.

"You're not leaving this place until you all perish."

Warmaster Corvus's wicked Anima suddenly bursted, while a ring of the same greenish-black energy took on a form of flames. It surrounded all of us, which left us no immidiate escape. Her dress fluttered from the air currents, created by flames, as she took her ever so elegant steps towards us.

 

Zhoe and Bheskar both tensed up, realizing that they had to fight her. My body was shaking. I don't have enough power to beat this woman, I thought to myself. What can I do?

 

The Anima around her left hand vanished, before she gripped the long wooden grip of her scythe.

Zhoe rose both of her hands, before four to five icy spikes emerged around the Warmaster from the ground. They extended in a rapid speed, in order to impale her. The surprise attack was nullified with a single swing of Lynda's massive weapon. Her smirk widened on her features.

 

"My, my, Second Lieutenand Shayra. You do never waste time on your opponents, do you."

Our female officer let out a frustrated hiss due to her failed attempt. Bheskar directed his fog to surround Corvus. Again, with one lash of her scythe, the fog subsided instantly, as if she vaporized his Anima. Nothing seemed to be working on her.

 

A mixture of irritation and courage took a hold of me. There must be something I could have done. Without second guessing my action, I charged her.

 

"N-no! Bray, get back!" I heard Zhoe scream.

 

I lunged out with my sword and aimed at her side. The steel blade at the end of her weapon hooked into my crossguard, before she launched my sword into the air. I couldn't maintain my grip, since the pressure was too strong for me to handle. Her left hand released her dark Anima and a small projectile hit my chest, sending me flying back towards the siblings. It burned through my chainmail and stung unbearably.

 

"Such recklessness. Although, it is expected from someone like you, young Bray."

Her taunting laughter filled me with rage. My sword  finally arrived and got stuck into the ground, a few metres next to me. I glared at Lynda in contempt.

 

"Now, it is time to conclude this business, my dear Isoldyan friends", she said and lifted her scythe into the air.

 

The Blacksteel part of her devilsh weapon channeled her raging dark Anima and prepared for a brutal attack. A greenish-black blade appeared out of her scythe and it looked like an extension. Though, I suspected that it packed an enormous, deadly punch.

 

Although, with one swing she deflected an energy orb that was directed at her. Lightning shot from that orb. The Lieutenant jumped into the hellish circle. His Visolvo was already activated and six other orbs floated above his head. His stance was relaxed while he faced the Hraygnan witch.

 

"You do tend to meddle into my fun, Staeger", she said and was mildly annoyed.

"Your reign and terror over these lands end here, Warmaster Corvus."

"Don't make me laugh, Lieutenant."

 

Both parties stared each other down. The only thing that broke the silence was the "chirping" of Jeik's lightning orbs.

"Where's the princess?" Jeik made a step towards her.

"Ah yes, the Isoldyan crown jewel. Is she not a beautiful specimen?"

She summoned a sphere where it displayed Kiria, who was chained onto a wall in a dungeon. A blindfold was strapped around her eyes, and there was an energy field around her hands. Could be a device that constricts Anima usage.

 

"You bastard", I said as my teeth gritted, "Let her go!"

"Be quiet, Bray. This will not aid our situation in the slightest", Jeik snapped at me.

"I'm afraid your efforts are all in vain. The princess has already been taken to another stronghold~"

"Visolvo."

I swirled around, trying to find the source of the spoken word.

" ~ You will never going to see your prin~"

A man rushed out of nowhere, through the Anima firebarrier and managed to land a hit on the Warmaster with his metallic gauntlet. She flew right through a wooden house behind her.

Xodin stood there with his fullbody armor, which he hasn't revealed thus far. His skin was fully covered by shiny plated steel with chain protected joints and a full helmet across his face, bearing a vizor in form of the letter "T". He wasn't carrying his axe anymore.

"Ferrumiles", he muttered.

"As always, your timing is impeccable, Xodin", Jeik said an a smug smile spreaded across his face.

Both of them were in their Visolvo and it unleashed a feeling of euphoria down my spine. I got back up and pulled my sword from the ground, ready for anything.

 

"Squad, retreat", Jeik suddenly ordered and dashed out, grabbing my collar, as he proceeded.

 

"W-what~ What?! Wait! Why aint we fightin' her?!" I protested and tried to free myself from his grasp.

"You do not know, what this woman is capable of, Bray. She will annihilate us, even if we stand and fight together. There is no other option."

 

I shivered and decided to listen to him. So I ran with them.

The others followed without hesitation as we made our way to the gates of the village. Xodin punched a great hole into them, before we passed through, without losing our running speed. Our group managed to get through the opening in their palisades as we set foot onto the plains.

 

A rupture opened in the middle of the field, as Lynda Corvus appeared out of the visible Anima aura. Five balls of greenish-black Anima were launched at us all simultaneously from her direction.

Jeik countered her attack with one of his own lightning orbs and Zhoe stopped it with an icy wall. Bheskar, Xodin and I were hit and ejected backwards, hitting the hard ground. Despite the impact being minor, none of us succeeding in getting back up.

"P-paralysis technique", Bheskar moaned.

I clenched my teeth as I attempted to move a muscle. None responded.

 

"Damn it", I said quietly and directed my gaze at the those left standing, who were about to face off.

 

An extraordinarily disturbing grin was on Lynda's face, as she exited her strange portal.

"You are annoyingly persistent. But let us end this charade. I will quickly erase your existence from this world."

Jeik gave Zhoe a worried look and she returned the same kind of expression. But both nodded at each other.

"May our chains be broken from the trembles of war, through our undenying bond. We will strike with all our heart and soul. May it either grant us victory or guide us to Eterio. For Isoldya", both of them recited, nearly in sync.

"No!" Bheskar shouted, and his body twitched slighty.

"Don't do this! There's still a way out!"

"What's goin' on?"

I peered over to him in shock. His eyes were wide open and his expression was heartbreaking.

"That's our Battlecry of Resolve. We only chant this, when we know that we're gonna' die! We have to stop them...!"

 

My hands somehow clenched into fists as I saw the two preparing for their final, desperate assault. There must be something I can do, I thought to myself.

 

A strong pulse emitted inside my body as I felt my own heartbeat pound heavily.

 

My vision went blank.

 

 

I slowly opened my eyes, and I found myself in a familiar place. It was Camp Dubach's medical tent. Was it all a dream?

I felt energic enough to get up, but couldn't. My eyes widened, when I realized that I was strapped to the bed. My hands had the same handcuffs, which I saw on the princess in this 'dream'. It constricts one's usage of Anima.

"He's awake, sire" I heard someone say.

Five figures entered the room. Jeik, Xodin, Bheskar, Zhoe and lastly, Head Captain Buothor. My brows furrowed heavily.

"Hey, what the heck's goin' on. Why am I~~"
"Silence!"

Nex Buothor's shout made me jump, before I stared at him. He grunted and folded his arms, while giving me a very stern look.

 

"So, you did not share everything about you, after all, Bray."

"What're you talkin' about?"

"You don't remember, then?"

"Remember what?"

All five of them exchanged frightened and concerned looks.

"You're an Anima wielder, Bray", Zhoe said.

 

 

Chapter Six

A certain numbness overcame my finger and toetips.

Me an Anima wielder?

"...What?"

My expression was the embodiment of confuson itself. Nex and Jeik exchanged a worried look. The frustration began to take over my senses.

"Would someone tell me, what the heck happened?!"

Zhoe grabbed a field chair and sat on it, leaning her arms on the backrest of it. Jeik folded his arms and Xodin grunted. Nex took a step towards me and held out his index finger, pointing it at my face.

"I will show you."

His finger touched my forehead and my mind started whirling and turning. Many images and visions popped into my head and I lost my orientation completely.

 

I was back on the ground, still struck by the Warmaster's earlier movement impairment. I silently watched the fight unfold. Was this scene from before I lost consciousness?

Jeik slinged two of his lightning orbs towards Lynda, which were parried by her barehandedly. The projectiles hit the ground a few metres north of our positon. Bursts of explosions emitted from the impact, followed by the hissing of lightning. Zhoe unleashed a series of icicle spears at her opponent, which were burned by Lynda Corvus' blackish-green flames.

Staeger snarled and intensified the grip around his sword in anger. Zhoe seemed rather focused, as she didn't show any signs of nervousness.

Lightning bolts struck outwards from the Lieutenant's armor, as he charged the enemy Warmaster. His sword channeled more of the destructive element, as the surface glowed in its characteristic yellow. His speed was impressive. The blade, that came in a vertical upstroke, bounced off of her scythe and Staeger used the momentum to change his angle of attack. He spun his body around and struck anew in a diagonal upwards slash.

Lynda used her own blacksteel blade to parry his attack and locked his sword on the ground. She raised her free hand, as her vicious Anima surfaced around it, for a magical surprise attack. Jeik knew that pattern, perhaps from past battles. The lighting around the edge of his sword began focusing their wild energy and they shot at her.

Even the Warmaster was surprised by his cunning counterstrategy. The bolts struck home and forced her to retreat from him. Fume rose from her body, and her dress had multiple punctures. Though she did not have time to recover.

Tips of ice spikes bursted from the ground and extended towards her back, once again. My gaze shifted to Zhoe who had her hands raised, as she bended the Anima for this follow-up.

"Amusing", Lynda said.

Glowing lines appeared around her feet, forming a circle in their typical colours appeared around , as they elevated upwards. The icicle spears melted instantly, once they hit her barrier.

Two radiating, sizzling orbs flew towards her, also hitting her barrier. Her shield completely repelled her attacker's Anima.

Her giggle sounded twisted and eerie, as her energy cloak disippated.
"I hope you both are done entertaining me. Surely, you are more capable, than that."

She impaled the ground with the handle of her scythe and moved her hands towards each other. Her palms connected, as if she was praying.
"Unfortunately, play-time is over...
... Visolvo."

"Quick Zhoe get b~~"

An eruption from her body occured. The blackish-green Anima spreaded outwards in such a unbelievably strong shockwave. Both the Second and the Lieutenant were caught up in her energy release, suffering from the knockback.

Xodin, Bheskar and I both remained paralized and unable to aid. After the transformation subsided, I saw Lynda Corvus' form.

Her dress renewed itself, but it was much longer. A jagged collar in her black and red dress and her sleeves had black feathers all over them. Two large black-feathered wings emerged from her back with a span of several metres.

"Missucaligo", she softly said and smirked.

Jeik and Zhoe both recovered from the knockdown and stood up. Lynda suddenly appeared in front of the female Second Lieutenant. I recognized the technique. It was similar to Nex Buothor's Umbradior. Her hand grabbed her throat and lifted her into the air. Zhoe wheezed and coughed, struggeling to free herself from her grasp.

"Zhoe!" Jeik screamed and sprinted off to aid his companion.

Lynda Corvus effortlessly called forth black chains from the ground and thoroughly immobilized him. Jeik's Visolvo disengaged, and he dropped his sword as he was chained down.

Bheskar let out a scream of despair and Xodin's eyes were filled with horror as well.

"No" I whispered.

I watched both of them getting prepared to be executed by the Hraygnan Warmaster personally.

"No."

Lynda pulled out a dagger with her free hand and lunges out to stab Zhoe, whose throat was still in her grasp.

"I ... I won't let you kill them!" I suddenly bursted out loudly.

Both pinned down Sergeants suddenly gazed upon me with widened eyes.

A strong pulse emitted inside my body, as I heard my own heartbeat pound heavily. Such a strange sensation began to spread from the core of my being, outwards. The outlines of my body started to emit in a purplish light. I was building up an intense amount of energy. The Anima that was constricting my movements was vaporized by my own.

Bheskar's brows rose as he gazed upon my gleaming form.

"Bray...You...!"

I stood on my feet with the iron sword in my right hand. Lynda frowned and turned her head to me.

"Im- ... Impossible."

Zhoe gasped as suddenly the grip around her throat loosened and she fell onto her bottom. She gazed up and grunted in surprise.

My hand firmly grabbed Lynda's wrist and applied very strong pressure, nearly braking it. She yelped in bafflement and pain, before suddenly disappearing in her technique away from me.

A purplish plume was left behind where I last stood. Did I disappear and reappear in the same manner, as Nex and Lynda? I wasn't sure, but all I knew was that my body moved on its own.

Lynda grimaced and shook her wrist from the pain.

"How is this possible? You should not be able to move a single muscle, except your vocal chords, lips and eyes?"

My body didn't respond to her, as my stare simply fixated the ground in front of her feet. Taking a few steps towards her, I led the danger away from my injured comrades. Lynda Corvus groaned in dismay and raised her scythe.

"Very well, then. You shall perish personally through my power."

Two black ravens, covered in green flames, surfaced from her scythe. They were as large as two Xodin's stacked onto each other. Both of them creaked before they came down towards me in a powerful dive.

I lifted my left hand slowly, before my aura illumiated around it. A purplish translucent dome appeared over my body. Again, I didn't command myself to do this. The imitations of ravens were completely absorbed by my dome of Anima. It filled my body with even more power, as the brightness of my visible Anima increased.

The eyes of my self-acting body now raised to peer at the Warmaster, who was shocked by the nullification of her attack.

"You imbecile... I will~~"

Appearing behind her, using my unexplainable skill, my right hand grabbed her shoulder, before my left hand pressed the tip of its index finger onto her her upper back.

"Aestemo."

The words I spoke were soft but clear.

All the energy I took in from her was released in a straight, destructive and purplish beam of Anima. It burned a hole into her shoulder about as wide as my fist. She must've dodged a fatal blow, at the last possible instant.

She disappeared, leaving floating black feathers behind and reappeared in the hole, which Xodin caused with his punch through the gate earlier.

"Nngh! I have gravely understimated your abilities, young Bray. It seems the Arbiters were quite reasonable about your execution."

Her palm covered the gap in her shoulder. Blood poured down in a stream.

"Do not let my retreat give you any kind of hope, Ysoldian fools. I will wipe you out all, next time. And by the way. You need to ponder upon this. Who is this Bray, and why did the Arbiters want him dead? He is not Ysoldian, this much I will tell."

Lynda laughed maniaclly before the wings of her Visolvo covered her body. She disappeared in a flash.

The Anima slowly left my body, as soon as no threat was detected. I collapsed.

 

My eyes opened and I found myself back in the tent, chained onto the medical bed. I was panting and sweat pearls started to take shape on my forehead.

"What the...", I suddenly said after a long silence.

"Yeah, that's what everyone in here said, too", Zhoe said and a soft giggle escaped her.

I ignored everyone else. My eyes only fixated the Head Captain. My hands clenched into fists.

"You knew, didn't cha."

Everyone went silent and their gazes wandered over to their superior. Nex Buothor grunted grimly and folded his arms.

"You are wrong, Bray. I did not know, at all. I merely gambled."
"You what?"
"I was not sure, if you held such powers. So I wanted see for myself, if your execution was reasoned by the your level of skill. Basing my instinct on it, I wanted to see how dangerous you were."

Now all of them faced me. Their expressions showed a wide variety of emotions.

"But why risk your officers and non commissioned officers to see if I was powerful?"

Jeik silently agreed with a faint nod, as he peered back at his Head Captain. Nex raised a finger at Staeger and the others.

"To be fair, I did not expect Warmaster Corvus to be at the outpost. It was not my intention to jeopardize my officers. I betted on your revelation to be caused by mere footsoldiers of Hraygna. As I said. It was a gamble."

"Hardly any leadership qualities, if you 'gamble' your people's lives", my tone was filled with utmost contempt.

A slap struck my face. I peered at Zhoe who was fuming.

"How dare you speak to the Head Captain in such a manner", she said with a shaking voice.

I grunted at her and the humiliation stung my pride like a dagger to the chest.

"Now, now, Second Lieutenant. There is no need for this."
"But, sire~"
"Enough."

She stood up and stomped out of the medical tent, bumping Jeik and her brother out of the way. Jeik sighed but remained silent in words.

Nex stared at me for a moment.
"You will be taken to Ysoldia. We will be investigating your background, before we can allow you to roam around freely."
"So, now I'm your prisoner, huh."
"Until we get a clear picture of who you are, yes."

Now I sighed and shook my head in disbelief.

The Head Captain instructed Jeik to break off Camp Dubach and prepare for the homecoming, before all of them left the tent. Except Jeik.

"Do not think that I will forgive you for showing such disrespectful manners around our Head Captain, Bray."

I didn't bother even looking at him as he spoke.

"But thank you for saving Zhoe."

He was already out of my sight, before I was able to respond. I blinked, not expecting those words from someone like Jeik Staeger.

A few hours passed before a team of robed figures entered the medical tent. They released the restraints around my body, but not around my wrists. My usage of Anima was still out of the question.

They forced me onto my feets and led me outside, where a carriage and a strange capsule was prepared on it. Shoving me into the bubble, I felt how the strange object drained me. I took a seat inside the capsule and just waited for our departure.

I was still able to see out of my imprisonment. Soldiers gathered around the carriage and spoke to each other, though I wasn't able to hear them.

The camp was completely packed. No other tents were to be seen and all of the Ysoldian soldiers have already moved themselves into formations. I stared ahead and saw Nex Buothor standing at the high tier rank, facing his battallions. Jeik, Xodin, Zhoe and Bhes were standing next to him.

The mouth of the Head Captain moved, followed by some gestures with his hand, before he saluted the entire battallion. All squads and sections swiftly followed the salute, before standing back at ease. The army was ready to move out.

 

Chapter Seven

 

My capsule rocked to all sides as the wagon was set into motion. A large, muscular mammal with two long, spiral horns was respnsible for my transportation on wheels.. I believe they were called Senros. A last glance back made me realize, that Camp Dubach was an enormous establishment.

As the Ysoldian battalion relocated, I felt a jolt through my mind and I suddenly received fragments of my memories back. A part of the map layout of our continent. We were first moving north-east, away from Camp Dubach, and then we'd naturally head east, towards Ysoldia.

 

The plains between the borders were tranquil and the sun made the landscapes appear more beautiful than I recalled. Why would those memories return back now? Were they triggered by the scenery? My back leaned against the energy field of my containment cell and I pondered upon my future judgment by their higher-ups. My hands were still bound by their Anima constriction cuffs.

It took us an entire day to cross Ysoldian borders. A lot of time is considered to move masses of people in lined up formations. Their scout teams had to clear out any threat that may have posed to the main forces, and the officers had several short meetings, which slowed us all down.

Nightfall came and the Ysoldian battalion set up another provisional encampment. An entire section was guarding my cell, which made me even more nervous. No clouds were seen in the sky.

An uneventful evening passed by. Only the stars and the crescent moon were accompanying me without contempt. Every now and then, soldiers would pass in some bread and water to keep me from starving. I started thinking about my fate, which awaited me in the next few days. Closing my eyes, I let my fatigue take over me.

"Bray."

My eyes opened and my gaze shot to Zhoeskar who was now standing alone in front of my cell. How was I able to hear her? Her hands were glowing with Anima briefly, so she must've manipulated the cell in order for us to have a conversation. She wasn't smiling, as she usually did.

"...Zhoe", I said quietly, just staring in her direction.

"Look, whoever you are, or whatever will happen ... I want you to know that I'm grateful, for still being alive due to your actions."
"That wasn't me back then."
"What do you mean?"

I sighed after the entire memory slipped by my eyes once again.
"I wasn't myself. I was ~ some kind of monster, who only had one goal in my mind. Defeatin' that witch."

The Second Lieutenant tilted her head and raised a brow. She took a few steps towards the carriage and leaned her arms onto the large wheels, crossing her legs. Her eyes darted into mine.

"That Anima control was something else. I've never seen it before. I really hope you aren't someone on our Black List. I'd hate to see you die in front of me."

'Die'. That word stung in my heart and guts. I let out a soft sigh.

"Yeah. I guess it ain't that easy to just get away with amnesia, huh?", I said and attempted to smirk at her, which only resulted in a brief twitch in my cheeks.

"Jeiky, Bhes and I are all behind ya', Bray. You fought with us against the enemy. We escaped because of you. We will try our best to speak for your innocence."

"Jeik, Bheskar and you, huh."
"Yeah~ Well Xodin never really speaks for himself, so ... We won't count him."

Finally, a smile spreaded on her features and it filled me with warmth, even bringing myself to return it.

"And besides, I still need to go on a date with ya' "

She winked at me and giggled in her usual joyful manner. I blushed heavily and turned my face away, clearing my throat.
Zhoe pushed herself away from the wagon and gave me one last sweet grin. With a wave of her hand, she wished me a good night before wandering off.

Following her with my gaze for quite a while, I felt the warm feeling subside relatively quickly. I fell asleep once more.

 

I was harshly woken up, as the carriage began moving. The sun had already risen in the distance, where grassy hills absorbed its orange-golden glimmer. Sections and squads have already formed up on a flat field, saluting their Head Captain, Nex Buothor. All that remained was a near-day journey directly headed towards Ysoldia.

The pathway followed parallel to the river for a while, until we crossed the plains on a dirt road. Furtile and wide agricultural fields started emerging in the distance, along with mills and other farming buildings. Even small outlines of villages were seen on our journey.

And finally, faintly in the vastness, I peered upon the majestic, massive Ysoldian city walls. My heart skipped a beat, due to its overwhelming size.

My throat let a strong gulp pass downwards as we moved closer and closer to the city gates. My fate was only a few moments away from being sealed.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 08.04.2016

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