Dalm looks at Shaula. She stands there noticing a somewhat odd look in his eyes. Without seeing the rest of his face, she can’t really tell what expression he’s making. She can’t tell what he’s thinking.

(“Shaula… something’s up with him.”)

Ajax informs her from afar about Dalm’s change. Dalm hesitates to speak. Then, as if gaining the resolve to do so, he asks:

“Shaula… Your friend, Ajax…”

“...What about him?”

“The former holy knight, Ilna, told me that his power involved ice magic. Do I have that correct?”

“...I don’t know if that’s exactly correct. I don’t know if-- or perhaps it might be better if I kept it to myself.”

Dalm grits his teeth. He has to get the information about this. It feels like for the first time in his entire life, something is on the verge of setting everything into place.

“H-How about this? We can finalize our agreement with an exchange of information. If you offer something in good faith to my agreement to your demands, it might make you feel better about the nature of our agreement.”

Shaula considers what he’s saying. Shaula has enforced their verbal agreement through the threat of her and Ajax’s power. If Dalm finds someone with more power than the two of them combined, there’s always the threat that the contract can be torn asunder.

Of course, considering another power who could defeat her hardly seems possible now. After all, Shaula and Ajax might have only scratched the surface of their powers. But, Shaula considers Dalm’s offer carefully nonetheless.

“...Why do you want to know about his powers?”

“It’s nothing too serious. I just wanted to know if his power is about temperature or about… energy absorption.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, not many people truly understand, but ice magic is not the control of ‘ice’. It is the control of temperature coupled with the control of water. Ice materializes from the water present in the atmosphere and mana gives it additional propulsive power. A similar dynamic is responsible for fire magic as well. Does your power act directly on temperature or is it about sapping heat and transforming it into energy?”

“I don’t really--”

“And not just heat is absorbed, right? Ilna relayed to Brai and I that the initial fire spells dissipated on contact with Ajax, obviously. But he also absorbed Ilna’s Cloud Speed aura and somehow became stronger after that. So… it isn’t an unfair deduction to assume that his power absorbs energy and transforms it into strength… and possibly vitality. Perhaps that’s what the healing factor is?”

Shaula looks at Dalm warily. Quite masterful deductions.

Shaula did not expect this kind of reasoning from Dalm; but, it shouldn’t be surprising considering how high up he was in Brai’s criminal organization, apparently as a commoner (as how the ruler of the underworld had called him). Now, he runs that organization, the brothel.

Shaula decides to be cautious. Dalm isn’t just an ordinary person.

“And? So what if that’s the case?”

“No, it’s… it’s intriguing. It’s… it’s important to me. His magic is the stealing of energy from his surroundings… and other people… for himself. Is that fair to say?”

“...Yeah. That’s probably close to correct.”

Dalm’s eyes open in slight confusion. Something’s not right with how Shaula said that. Hesitation. Uncertainty.

That wording there. Why would she say ‘probably’? Wouldn’t either of them know for certain how their spell works? If they’re using such advanced magic then… then it would have to be the case that they developed it… or, at the very least, were taught it in great detail. Although… I haven’t learned whether she has a healing factor either nor the nature of her chantless fire magic…

“‘Probably’? Ajax hasn’t told you the spell formation? The way he uses mana to accomplish such masterful magic is something your ‘beloved’ hasn’t shared with you?”

Could the relationship between Ajax and Shaula be so shallow? Certainly, magicians don’t share their secrets with anyone, even their loved ones, especially if they’re the creator of a new style of spell formation. And… Shaula has power of her own too.

It would not be difficult to believe that she has equal strength to Ajax who pushed Ilna, a trump card for Dalm’s organization, to retreat. Dalm thinks through the incongruities of Ajax and Shaula. Then, Dalm notices as Shaula hesitates to speak.

He notices a change in her expression. As if she’s realized something or freed herself of some self-imposed obligation.

“...It’s not magic.”

“...What?”

“It’s not magic. Ajax convinced me it's alright to mention that. It’s really quite… no, incredibly doubtful that anyone in this world could replicate our powers. They were granted to us after all and the price wasn’t cheap either.”

“Granted. By… a God?”

“It’s none of your concern.”

Dalm freezes solid. He halts his breathing. His heartbeat increases its pace drastically.

(“Shaula… his heartbeat is going a lot faster now.”)

Ajax speaks from afar to Shaula about Dalm’s condition. Shaula can see Dalm’s eyes wide and trembling. His scarred face appears for the first time in panic or perhaps awe or perhaps wonder?

Of course, most of his head is covered by the chainmail balaclava so it was hard to see whether he was smiling and happy or merely horrified.

Dalm lowers his head as he places his hand over his face while he stands. Shaula can’t see even a clue to his expression anymore. He restarts his breathing.

(“Whoa, what’s wrong with him, Shaula? He’s really starting to hyperventilate. Did you really say anything that crazy? Is he just surprised because you mentioned how we were given our powers?”)

Dalm stays like this for fifteen seconds. Shaula feels nervous. His entire demeanour has changed. What could she have said to set him off?

Obviously, the people of this world, Omicron, treat those who receive divine blessings as special beings… Maybe, is meeting someone with a divine blessing like meeting a celebrity back home? Shaula nervously speaks, not really understanding what’s going on at the moment.

“Are you… What’s wrong with you? Is it so surprising what I just said?”

Dalm raises his face towards her and she notices a new kind of mania in his eyes.

“N-No… it’s not. I’m just… I just realized something. Something important. Something crucial. Something unbelievable, something hopeful, something wonderful, something glorious, something divine!”

“Ok, really, what’s wrong with you?”

Dalm looks away from Shaula and whispers to himself for a moment, his inner monologue leaking into reality.

“Your friend, Ajax. He must be… he’s obviously that. Then…”

Dalm looks again towards Shaula. He observes her for a few seconds, and as soon as he notices Shaula’s gaze revulse against his creepy affect, he asks:

“Shaula, I’m going to ask you this question. This is an important question. It’s crucial you think carefully about its meaning. Say whatever comes to mind when I ask it.”

“...And why should I do that? What do you have to--”

“Shaula, please!! This is a question only I can ask, a question that will determine everything about this world. A question I, as a mere mortal, can ask you. Please… think carefully when I ask it.”

Dalm shouts in anger.

Shaula is taken aback. That tone of voice. His eyes. His behaviour signals desperation. How has Dalm appeared to her so far? Detached. Uncaring and lifeless. Like a doll with motives that it doesn’t believe in. A sociopath?

And now… so much more lively, as if the doll has become a real boy.

‘Mere mortal’? Why did he say that to me? Could it be just a coincidence or… does he know something? Something about… Did he understand something about us?

(“Shaula, it’s your choice… but I think you should hear him out. I think… I think he has some information that we might be able use or make sense of.”)

Shaula looks at Dalm once again. She notices perspiration on his face. He had been so calm just earlier. What could he possibly have realized?

“Alright, what’s your question?”

Dalm closes his eyes as he considers what he actually wants to say. He has to ask this properly. He has to phrase it as best he can. This question could determine his whole life and the time and place of his death. Of course, neither Shaula nor Ajax understand this.

How could they possibly understand his life so far?

Dalm opens his eyes and speaks.

“Shaula… can you… can you wield the thunderclap?”

Shaula looks at Dalm. She thinks through the nature of his question. Why did he ask such a question to her? Could it be a mere coincidence?

(“...Huh? What kind of question is that?”)

Ajax doesn’t understand even though Shaula actually does. Shaula stares at Dalm for a few more seconds, hesitating to open her mouth to respond. Dalm only looks at her face, as if he were trying to record every single facial reaction. Shaula hesitates to clarify:

“What exactly does…”

“What do you think it means, Shaula?”

“Well… if it’s what I think it means then… yeah, I can.”

Dalm opens his eyes wide in astonishment. He freezes for a few seconds, halting his breathing once again. His life is culminating in this moment.

(“Huh? Shaula, you know what that means? ‘Wield’ what exactly?”)

Dalm continues speaking.

“Can you… Can you show me, Shaula? Please, Shaula. Can you show me?”

Shaula narrows her eyes. How did this man come to know though? How could he have possibly guessed? She hadn’t even shown it to Ajax… But… in the time since they’ve come to Linis, she has tried to figure it out… to get it to a point where she can reliably wield it in battle.

(“Ajax… remember the day we saw… that dead beastkin man in the forest? Do you remember before that point in the day… I had something to show you?”)

Shaula whispers so Dalm can’t hear her but Ajax’s superhuman hearing can pick up her words.

(“Y-Yeah, I think so? I never got to see whatever you wanted to show me though. What was it?”)

(“Well… you’ll see it right now.”)

Shaula walks over to an area in their surroundings where there is minimal tree cover. No obstructions. Dalm watches her closely. He doesn’t take his eyes off of her, keeping note of the slightest actions and movements. Shaula takes a deep breath.

For normal people, deep breaths calm the person down by increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain. Shaula however doesn’t assimilate oxygen anymore. She doesn’t need to breathe to live. But still, deep breaths for her are like a trigger, telling her mind and muscles to relax.

She’s about to attempt something she’s still quite inexperienced in.

Dalm looks closely at Shaula's face as she raises her right hand to the sky. She closes her fist and holds her right forearm with her left hand as if pointing her right arm like a sniper rifle.

Shaula tries to coordinate her senses. She focuses on a small cloud in the sky above of her. Then… she directs energy into her right arm. A lot of energy. Her senses start to feel duller. Her body becomes noticeably weaker to Dalm. She doesn’t say a word.

Then… she fires.

A bolt of red lightning shoots from her right fist into the night sky, toward the small cloud she was focusing on. An immediate and penetrating thunderclap reverberates in the public garden. If this world had any small birds or bugs, they would have flown away in fear.

Shaula doesn’t use all of her energy however. About half of it went into that powerful thunderstrike. She had overestimated how much she needed. Perhaps she was getting better at wielding it.

This power reserved for God as well as the strongest lightning mages on Omicron was just displayed by Shaula.

Shaula redirects the excess energy in her right arm back into her senses and towards the enhancement of her physical capabilities. She hears Ajax in the middle of speaking, although she couldn’t pick up his whispers while she prepared her thunderstrike.

(“--the fuck, Shaula!? I didn’t know you could do that!? Holy shit, holy shit! Well done, well fucking done!!”)

Shaula smiles at Ajax’s praise. She had just fired a beautiful bolt of lightning into the sky. A bolt of lightning so magnificent that it surpassed what either of them have seen in movies in both power, grace and beauty. A mass of pure unadulterated power fired at the sky.

Shaula looks towards the cloud that she fired at. Thunderclouds normally have a charge to them allowing the flow of electricity between the thunderclouds in the sky and the ground. But… that small cloud was not a thundercloud.

The lightning bolt went through it, as if shattering it. The cloud itself dissipated to nothing as the lightning was hurled through the sky going who knows where. The sky just got clearer though.

Clap. Clap. Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Shaula looks towards Dalm who claps in amazement and praise as well. She didn’t really want praise from him though. She had acceded to his wishes just on a pure whim. He opens his mouth to say something.

“You are… you are the…”

“So? Did you enjoy it? It’s not something I’ve done a lot of before. I only really learned to use lightning a few weeks ago.”

“Weeks!? That’s… that’s impossible!! Even the most virtuoso lightning mages… even they would need decades of practice to achieve something so… so magnificent! Do you at least know Cloud Speed level 3?”

“Cloud speed? No idea what that even is… Oh, wait, Ilna mentioned that, right? But still no, I don’t really know how to use magic at all.”

“Then… how do you… how do you know how to do that? How did you learn how to do that!?”

“I just… I just know how to do it… It’s like a sense or like a superpower. I couldn’t explain it to you if I wanted to.”

“It’s… it’s getting harder for me to doubt… the truth about the two of you…”

“...Truth?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not important. Can I ask you why you came to this city?”

“Huh?”

“Why you came to Linis, I mean? Obviously, you haven’t just been living here the whole time, you’re far too flamboyant in your behaviours and actions. I-I would have noticed your presence long ago, unless--”

“Ok, Ok, Ok, you’re right, we only came here some time back.”

“Then… Where did you live before? Which city? Not Reid, right?”

“No, not in a city. We’ve been living in the forest around this town for a couple months, just me and Ajax. We couldn’t really explain to you where we lived before…”

(“Shaula, are you sure it’s ok to tell him that? What about our backstories?”)

(“It’s alright, this guy’s too smart to believe half-assed backstories like that. We really have to get more context about Omicron before we tell anyone else our ‘histories’.”)

In truth, Ajax and Shaula have tried to explain to the girls about their fake backstories in the past as a way to just tell them that they were from another world.

But unfortunately, regardless of how smart Shaula is, even she couldn’t really convince anyone she was just from a farming village nearby.

Too much knowledge was missing for Shaula and Ajax to properly contextualize the world around them and her story reflected that fact.

Shaula sees Dalm, thinking to himself, not even noticing her hidden communication with Ajax. He’s become far more talkative just now than earlier. Whatever he figured out, apparently he got the answer he wanted.

She showed him her thunderstrike partially to see what he knows but also as a subsequent display of power. What is it about this scarred man, Dalm, that makes her feel so uninhibited? He’s… he’s not just a criminal or a scumbag. He’s not a good person obviously, and yet--

“This is… it feels like I’ve been born again.”

“What? What did I do exactly to make you feel like that?”

“It’s not important, Miss Shaula. I will tell you when the time comes. And I will keep my word. The women in my brothel will be treated well and I will make sure that no young girls work as whores. I will care for them and make sure that they are comfortable. And I will leave you and your women alone indefinitely.”

“...Ok, that’s fine then.”

“Also… I want to know why you came to Linis? Why did you… leave the forest?”

Dalm asks this question as his tone lowers. Shaula notices a change in his atmosphere. Not hostility but…

Should she explain it to him? Well, it might let him know who she really is.

“Someone entered our forest. They left a dead beastkin man nailed to a tree… he was…”

Shaula couldn’t describe the horrific state he was left in. Truly a testament to the ugliness of mankind.

“I put him to rest and came to this city to seek… vengeance for that man.”

“...So… So, that’s it then. So, that’s it!”

Dalm speaks in absolute joy at what Shaula had said to her. She doesn’t understand what’s going on with him at all. Almost every assumption she had when meeting him turned out to be wrong. He is a completely different individual than she had assumed.

Dalm paces back and forth for a few seconds. Shaula and Ajax listen intently for his next words. Something’s odd here.

“Then… Miss Shaula, have you heard of the festival that takes place near Linis every three months?”

“Festival?”

(“I don’t know what he’s talking about either, Shaula.”)

Claris, Hila and the girls haven’t actually mentioned to Ajax and Shaula about any kind of festivals or parades occurring in the city of Linis. They certainly haven’t seen any since dropping in here. Not even a church celebration. Perhaps they simply haven’t been here long enough.

Dalm continues, feeling a thrill knowing that they don’t know. He knows that they will be interested in this.

“It’s called Sapiora’s Bloodshed. It is a festival where humans gather beastkin from all over the area, sometimes bringing them in from nearby farming villages but most often from within the city itself.”

“To… To do what?”

“It’s a festival, obviously. What does ‘Bloodshed’ sound like to you? The humans eat and drink and have fun in the forest while worshipping their God Sapiora. The beastkin are the victims of their lust and resentment for being unable to treat beastkin like property since their slavery ended.”

Shaula’s hair lifts as it ignites to a red flame. Her expression turns vicious and she becomes deeply angry. Dalm had wanted to see this reaction from her. It makes him elated to witness it.

“But wait! I haven’t even explained it properly! They gather beastkin men and women who protest their treatment at the hands of the humans as well as petty criminals and some actually heinous beastkin individuals. There are also human women pregnant with beastkin children as well as beastkin children born between the union of beastkin men and human women. The fates of either of them… The regular beastkin are slaughtered like meat after maybe some torture. The human women are first stabbed in their bellies and then burned at the stake for being race traitors. The children… they undergo a kind of torture by audience, a humiliating ordeal where they’re bound and people throw rotten vegetables at them while cursing them for being born. A truly ugly sight.”

Shaula stops her habit of breathing. Dalm was respectful when talking about the fates of the beastkin. But… how could something like… like that be…

“How could… you’re lying… You’re lying! There’s no way humans would be that monstrous. Even… to children and pregnant women? They’d do that to pregnant women!?”

Shaula’s entire head ignites. Not just her hair, not just eyes but her whole head. Then, slowly her clothes ignite as well. Her dress starts smoldering as the heat emanating from Shaula’s body envelops her completely.

Everything on her body ignites as she stands before Dalm as a being of pure fire. She looks at Dalm in pure hatred, not exactly towards him… but towards everything.

“Are you lying to me, Dalm?”

Dalm hears Shaula’s voice emanate through the fire. An angry voice, burning softly with hatred.

“No, Miss Shaula. No, I’m not. This is the human world. The festival itself is mostly run at the indulgence and depravity of the more well-off humans. When beastkin slavery ended, there was a cloud of resentment hanging over the humans for a long time. They let it out in quite ugly ways. The richer ones simply hold festivals like this, as testament to the wealth they absorbed through the labour of the beastkin their fathers, grandfathers and ancestors owned for generations. And they have the backing of their almighty god, Sapiora, and the state itself.”

Dalm speaks in dejection. Shaula can tell that he doesn’t appreciate this side of humanity either. This side is, of course, not representative of all humans, it might just be an underbelly or a tumour forming without treatment.

But… it had to be annihilated. This side of humanity had to be completely annihilated.

“When is… when is this meeting going to take place?”

Shaula asks this question but then hears something.

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Ajax!! Shut the fuck up! Tell me now, Dalm!”

Dalm realizes that Shaula is somehow communicating with Ajax even now. He looks around just a little. He wants to see Ajax as well, not just Shaula. Shaula is still burning with fiery rage. Dalm can somewhat make out her feminine form.

A young girl with what appears to be quite an attractive body. He thinks it is befitting, quite befitting of who she is.

“Shaula, I will tell you the time and location, but I must have you do something for me first.”

“Dalm… I think you’re overestimating my patience right now.”

“I-It’s nothing too difficult! Just one second.”

Dalm reaches for something tied around his neck under his shirt. He pulls out a necklace and on it is a dark red crescent moon. He slowly walks over to Shaula, disregarding her resentment towards him and towards everything.

Shaula is wary of him, but right now she’s cloaked in sublime fire. Not a lot can hurt her now.

Dalm holds the necklace by its strap allowing the dark red crescent moon to dangle; he can truly feel the heat emanating from Shaula’s body forcing him not to get any closer. He drops the crescent moon necklace and then pulls his hand away.

Shaula catches it, ignoring Ajax’s distant whispers. Right now, he’s concerned about its potential harmful effects. If it were a magic item, it could do anything to her. There must be harmful ones compared to the beneficial language crystal, right?

Shaula ignores such considerations in her anger and holds the item given to her in her right hand.

Although the necklace strap burns away quite easily, the burgundy crescent moon still remains, not even turning bright red or blue.

“This… it isn’t melting… it’s not made of copper or bronze?”

“No. This is made of a material called Azazel steel. If you mention it to others, refer to it as blood steel, it’s not a legal material. Its properties are quite extraordinary. A metal that apparently wouldn’t melt at most extremely high temperatures. But… obviously, don’t go overboard, I don’t know how powerful your fires can get.”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“This is a contract, another contract. In exchange for me telling you the time and place of Sapiora’s Bloodshed, I ask that you hold onto this necklace at all times while working to free them. The beastkin trapped there.”

“You… You’re offering me the location, even though you know I’m working to free them? Why don’t you help them yourself?”

“Shaula, you seem like a smart young woman so you’ll understand this: even with the forces I wield, I couldn’t attempt such a massive action. I’m still bound by this underworld. I cannot recklessly move men to the salvation of beastkin. Humans? Maybe. But even then, it would take a lot of effort. Furthermore… there are a lot of city guards in attendance at the festival. If I were to do this myself, I would face the risk of being hunted down by the entire body of city guards in Linis.”

Shaula perceives a part of Dalm’s heart. Is he… is he truly someone good? A good human? The shroud of fire enveloping Shaula’s body dissipates at her face, neck, shoulders, arms, legs, back and her belly. Her breasts, hips, pelvis and rear remain hidden by flame.

Her hair remains fiery. If her dress is now gone, she still needs to hide her body from the eyes of strangers. She asks Dalm a question.

“...Why are you saving them? Is it wrong of me to believe that it has something to do with the operation of your brothel? If I save them, where will they go? To work for you as prostitutes or guards or henchmen or whatever?”

“...I can’t really say anything right now. I doubt you’d understand my motives just yet. But, here’s what I will say. The people there, the humans. They’re all irredeemable scum. Humans who I would kill if I were you. The most grotesque monsters pretending to be humans. I have no qualms with you killing them all. In fact, should any of them survive after you free the beastkin, then I will kill them for you.”

“So… you’re going to be there on the day of the festival.”

“Yes. I will not act unless you start sparing the survivors. After you are able to set the beastkin all free including the human women and the beastkin children, I will give you and Ajax the truth... about me.”

“...The truth.”

“Yes.”

Shaula looks once again at the red crescent moon in her hands. It reminds her of her red wolf earrings that disappeared once she arrived here. Wolves howl at the moon, right? She smiles tenderly at the moon in her hands as if nostalgic. Just for a moment.

Then, Dalm gives Shaula the details of the location. It is in an area outside of Linis, deep within the forest and quite far from the city itself. The date where it will happen is given to her according to the calendar system of Omicron. The festival is, of course, occurring at night.

“So… about two months from now.”

“Yes. In two months, the upper class humans of Linis will gather at least thirty or forty beastkin to slaughter and tribute to Sapiora.”

“...Disgusting. I’ve known that people were disgusting where I’m from but… here too. Almost more so…”

“Although, Shaula, let me make a caveat. Leave one of them alive. You will recognize this person of interest. A man with a red-skinned land dragon helmet.”

“What about him?”

“He can give us useful information about the human supremacist groups operating within this city and other cities in this region. At least, the truly violent ones.”

“That one man can? How?”

“He’s… he’s like a representative of the church. The Holy Federation has many facets. One of those facets facilitates the operations of beastkin defilement throughout Enkel and the entire federation itself. Beastkin trafficking and prostitution, illegal slavery, Dead Snow distribution--”

“Dead Snow distribution?”

Shaula knows that Kyre has been addicted to Dead Snow as a prostitute for a long time in the past.

“The humans distribute drugs like Dead Snow throughout the slums of our cities, including Linis. It’s not something they would admit to the public, but it’s all but obvious. And, whenever I’ve talked to higher ups in the Linis underworld, they’d have no qualms about admitting it. They’re even proud of the way they keep beastkin subjugated.”

“Why would they distribute drugs? Aren’t drugs like Dead Snow illegal in the Federation? That’s what I’ve been told anyways.”

Claris and Hila had explained this to her once or twice already. Dead Snow is definitely illegal, boasting large penalties to any human or demihuman who would partake.

“Ah. Perhaps you are still a child. The truth is that drugs are actively distributed through beastkin territories to weaken resistance to brutal state policies and the selling of drugs add as another source of income for the human military. Distribution has only increased because of how the war has escalated.”

“Something like that… Ha… haha… Hahahahahahaha!”

Dalm stops his train of thought as Shaula laughs heartily. What could be so funny about what he said?

“What is it, Miss Shaula?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just… I mean… just look at the providence of our meeting! How difficult would it have been for us to meet if I focused solely on my original objective and went about things my way? It was all thanks to Ajax that I really decided to get involved with the suffering beastkin here, rather than… than simply find my revenge and burn everything down to the ground!”

Dalm notices Shaula appear tired of everything, desperate to rest and upset at the farce of reality. She continues however.

“It’s providence! As if God is telling me that my path is righteous! As if telling me that I’ve only done right in this world! How beautiful is that? How marvelous? You’ve… I don’t know what your goal exactly is, but I can at least guess it’s sympathetic to the beastkin and… somehow… somehow, you’ve been placed in my path so easily…”

Dalm smiles. That is exactly the case. God has aligned their paths. God has placed them together. God truly is watching them. Of course, it should be said that the gods that Shaula and Dalm are thinking of, haven’t even met each other.

“Dalm. Now that you’ve told me the location and the date of the festival, I will arrive with Ajax and… the people who would engage in such vulgar activities will face my justice while I hold onto this item you’ve given me. I promise. And… I will give you my warning right now. If you betray me or if this information is wrong, I will have to find you again. Except this time, you’re not going to see me coming.”

“Yes. I understand, Miss Shaula. I understand completely.”

~

Ajax and Shaula have left. Dalm is currently putting on his armour. The three men around him, his somewhat useless guards, lie beside him still unconscious. Actually, one of them has his eyes open but is unable to move his body.

“Oh, you’re already awake.”

The man looks at Dalm who has just now finished placing his armour back on.

“It’s so funny, isn’t it? I’ve… I’ve tried my best to… to live in a way that would make my father proud. I was… I was so close to losing my way, you know? Years and years of this work, toiling away for so long with hardly anything to show for it, right?”

Dalm walks over to the lying down armoured man who barely understands what he’s saying and continues talking.

“And then… all of a sudden… out of fucking nowhere. God shows her blessing to me. Am I so deserving? Do I really deserve such grace, Lady Panaphon? I’ve… I haven’t been the kind of man you’d want me to be… I… I ran away when… when they killed my brethren. I… No. I won’t second guess the will of God now. I will… I will save them. I will save them all. I will live how I was meant to live. They all will.”

Dalm takes out a dagger from a pouch on his armour. A serrated dagger that almost approaches the length of a short sword. He walks over to one of the other unconscious guardsmen. He pierces the man’s throat with his dagger.

Blood flows out of the guard’s neck and the man dies.

“It’s… I’ve been… I’ve been given hope after… after so long…”

Dalm starts to tear up. All of his life has been lived so he could meet them for the first time. And now… perhaps he has a chance… a chance to… to live as he had always wanted to live. As his father had wanted his children and grandchildren to live.

“Father… I’ve… I’m sorry I gave up hope for so long. I… I only wanted to survive but… now I can finally live. Father… I can finally… I can finally avenge you…”

Dalm moves to the second unconscious guardsman and kills him as well. Then, he returns to the conscious guardsman. The conscious one’s eyes tremble in fear, looking straight at the dagger in Dalm’s hand, as if to ask why? Why is Dalm killing them?

“Oh, this? I’m sorry, but I can’t take the risk that you three will say anything. And really, it’s not like you don’t have this coming right? You three have been very violent with the beastkin women. I suppose you thought that you could do that without consequences, right? Hitting their faces, cutting them, breaking their bones because you couldn’t control your strength. You must have thought you could get away with all that, since it was Brai running things before. You know the funny thing? Maybe you weren’t awake to hear their demands but… I’ve already stopped the younger girls from working!! I’ve even pushed out the violent shit customers who would try to hurt them! I really like those two, Ajax and Shaula, my god! When the time comes… Well, it’s none of your concern now, right?”

“NNNN!”

“On to damnation for you!”

Dalm removes the man’s helmet in a smooth motion and stabs him in the eyes.

Dalm looks at the man he just killed. He wants to see that look. That specific look. From all of them. All of the humans who would defile the spirits, souls and bodies of the beastkin, of the demihumans.

He’s placing his faith in them. He smiles under his mask. His first true smile in quite a long while. Ajax and Shaula. If they can… if they’re capable of doing what is expected of them, then…

Then life can become beautiful again.