On night, I moved to lay waste to the small kingdom that chased away and scorned my beloved pupil. Some would say I was a vicious man, and my methods⎯ brutal beyond compare, but this was not true. My targets would only be the royal family of that nation, and all of those that served them. There was no need to draw in innocents in my war unless necessary.

However, at the eleventh hour, my student came to me⎯ begging that I be merciful, that I do not seek vengeance for such a minor slight. And through my conversation, I came to a stark realization that my pupil was a much better person than I, and in some ways, she had even surpassed me.

But what over-encompassed my shock was the enormous sense of guilt I felt. After all, I was the one that dragged her into this world of mine and taught her the darkest of magics.

As I left, I made a promise to myself that I would protect my one and only student until the end of her days.

⎯???

“For fucks sake. Airen. Where have you been?” Eullina slammed her feet on the table as Airen entered the dorm’s kitchen area. “Didn’t you hear the announcement and notices? Curfew is as soon as the sky starts turning dark!”

“Oh, is it midnight already?” Airen glanced over at the window to see the darkness outside. “Must have lost track of time.”

“You didn’t answer the question.” Eullina scowled. “Rureya, say something to him!”

“Martial law is not to be shirked in the Republic.” The half-beast glanced up from her side of the table that was ladened with papers and documents. “There have been public executions of civilians if they don’t ‘cooperate’ with the military laws.”

“I wasn’t outside, I was training in one of the empty rooms.” Airen replied with a smile, his mind flashing back to his ‘training’ in the Archive. It was a half-truth, but with the inability to go out, there were very few lies that were close to the truth that Airen could use.

“That’s strange, I didn’t hear or see anything resembling training.” Eullina’s eyes were accusatory and very clear that she knew he was lying, or at the very least, not telling the entire truth.

“It’s a type of deep meditation, almost like sleeping.” Airen tried to explain. It was true that his soul enters the Archive in his sleep, but it was also true he can physically enter it through a rift as well.

“Can’t say I approve of a training technique that leaves you defenseless.” Eullina snorted and Airen smiled bitterly. He did prefer to enter the Archive physically as it kept him safer, but that was something he could not reveal.

“Especially when you don’t know when and where the next Undead Eruption is going to occur,” Rureya said quietly.

It had been two days after the Necromancer had first started a war without warning against the Red Slate Republic. Hordes of the undead had poured out from the dungeon entrances around the country. The closest dungeons to the city, the Petrified Dragon’s Crypt and the Valrock Ruins had turned into battle sites where the Republic armies maintained a constant vigil after a bitter battle to seal off the entrances.

But it was not the mindless dead they were fighting against, it was the Necromancer and his legion of Reanimated generals. Within the second hour, several ‘holes’ had been dug open by skeletal hands across different areas of the Republic, creating yet another entrance for the dead to move about amongst the living. These were so-called Undead ‘Eruptions’, and they were quite a sight to behold⎯ black miasma weeping from the earth as pale bone emerged from deep within the earth.

The damage was done before the Republic’s armies managed to cave in and seal the new entrances. Stories of skeletal abominations picking up or clinging at the living started to spread. Tales of ghosts and wraiths phasing through the walls of households and staring into the eyes of its inhabitants were starting to become commonplace. For an unspoken reason, most of these attacks also only occurred at night, likely due to the nature of the dead being weak to light magic.

If there was one thing that could be considered a miracle, it was that there were no deaths of non-combatants. The dead would leave them alone after clinging on or after getting a good look at them, but otherwise, they would leave them alone. Those that fought back would be mercilessly swarmed and slaughtered.

And it wasn’t long until the populace of the Red Slate Republic guessed at the intention behind this new offense. The Necromancer was looking for someone and will show no mercy to those that will try to stop him.

“If it is true that the Necromancer is looking for someone, I doubt any of us are important enough to be a target.” Airen shrugged, but deep inside his mind, he had a nagging feeling. What if someone, somehow had realized that he had not died in the sands of Tel’dora, and hired the Necromancer to finish the job? The Kingdom of Macha had plenty of treasures, and perhaps even enough to tempt someone like Telsin.

“Perhaps not.” Eullina agreed, and Airen was too focused on his own troubles to notice that her tone had also softened a little. Nobody knew what Telsin wanted, and this was a time where anyone with some significant past would consider the possibility.

“I heard that the League of Adventurers are trying to step in to facilitate between the Republic and Telsin.” Rureya broke the silence. “We can only hope that they can still solve this amicably.”

“As if. A nation built on the work of slaves willing to bend a knee to another’s demands? An all-powerful being that can control legions of the dead?” Eullina scoffed. “The League of Adventurers is out of their mind if they think they can make either of the two come to a compromise.”

Eullina’s words seem to eke out silent consent from Airen and Rureya, but neither of the two wanted to voice their thoughts. Uncertain times were coming, and everyone in the room felt the pressure of not knowing what tomorrow may bring.

...

After training a bit in the painted world of Osperica. Airen entered the Archive in search of Fieluri. The place was coming along nicely, with three habitable homes, but it was still quite lacking.

“What are you doing?” Airen asked Fieluri, who was suspending high in the air as if she were sleeping. Somehow, despite the lack of gravity, her head was still comfortably seated on a floating pillow with her hair spilling off and trailing down towards the ground.

“Trying some magic to manipulate gravity.” Fieluri yawned and rolled over.”It's quite interesting when you get a perfect balance and you can sleep midair. It’s quite soothing you know, being able to relax every muscle in your body...”

“Really now, aren’t you a bit too relaxed?” Airen stepped around the magic circle on the ground and sat with his legs crossed. “So many things have happened in the last three days, and here you are, nonplussed at all that has happened.”

“Wars come and go.” Fieluri shrugged, and undid the spell, slowly floating back to the ground. “If anything, I welcome it. Conflict is how you humans make the greatest improvements and inventions.”

“I can’t tell if you are being serious or not.” Airen sighed. “Either way, I wanted to ask⎯”

“What are we going to do next?” FIeluri finished his sentence for him. “Or more precisely what Neair is going to do?”

“If you knew that already, do you even need to know my answer?” Airen grumbled, slightly exasperated.

“Confirmation is not the same as an assumption.” Fieluri chuckled mockingly. “Even if I can figure out how you think, it doesn’t mean you can’t surprise me. Maybe one of these days you will go down in history as the Mad Prince who snapped, even though that's not original at all.”

“...” Airen gave her the look.

“Fine, fine, let’s get straight to the point.” Fieluri rolled her eyes and sighed. “What am I going to do with a servant that can’t even listen to their teacher’s ramblings?”

“I’m afraid the type of wisdom I pick up from reading between the lines of what you say are things that are better not being known to me.” Airen retorted.

“Ahh, and to think that for a time, there were people that would pay great prices to seek the knowledge they sought.” Fieluri stretched a hand up above her and stared at it wistfully. “But as you wish, my student.”

“Several powerful new players have entered the board, and it would be problematic if they were to try and pry into your alter-ego.” Fieluri rubbed her hands together as if pondering a deep problem. “Both you and I would be figured out, and needless to say, that won’t be beneficial for either of us.”

“You are saying this after you made such a large spectacle at the Tournament of Blades?” Airen interjected.

“As I said, I can’t predict everything that happens, especially when it comes to those that are on the levels of the Divine.” Fieluri shrugged. “And I am not the one unfortunate enough to cross paths with one of them unknowingly.”

“He didn’t recognize me.” Airen shrugged. “Why would he even care about who I was?”

“That’s true. You’re just a nobody right now.” Fieluri smirked. “The only time where I may need to don the mask for when that whelp Klaris brings one of her elders along. I have a few choice words I would like to pass on from Dullas.”

“Otherwise… I don’t have too much interest in this war, nor is it my style to get involved in the battles of others.” Fieluri waved a hand in dismissal. “But I would be careful if I were you, Airen.”

“What use is being careful and cautious when someone likes to go out and make a scene?” Airen laughed, misunderstanding her statement.

“I’m talking about the eventual war with the undead, you fool.” FIeluri flicked Airen on the forehead. “Your kind thinks that Necromancy is the ability to bring back and control the dead, but it is much more complex than that.”

“The simplest form of that manner of magic is no more than just controlling a golem made of flesh or bone.’ Fieluri explained. “But the truly dangerous thing is the other half - bringing back the dead means forcing a soul that has not dissipated back into a body that rejects it.”

“It’s not uncommon for magic to have unintended side effects.After all, the very core of magic is projecting one’s imagination on the world. ” Fieluri continued, “But if the dead start bringing back the dead, then you and your friends won’t be safe from danger.”

“There is a reason why this particular branch of magic was purged and considered forbidden. But I suppose in this case...” Fieluri quieted for a moment as if thinking quietly to herself. “Only the dead can bury the dead.”

“You lost me at that last part.” Airen rubbed his head, confused at her words. “Some of the things you say make no sense.”

“Don’t think too much into it, you are just too young to understand.” FIeluri shrugged. “I suppose a strong flame or Torchlight would reduce a corpse or skeletal being to nothingness just fine, even if you can’t use fire or light magic.”

“I understand that most likely, my friends and I are likely going to be in danger, and I appreciate the warning. But how exactly am I going to⎯”

“Ah, you’d best head back.” Fieluri interrupted him with a wave of her hand, causing Airen’s voice to be caught in his throat. “They’re calling for you.”

“Remember Airen… this is a war. There are no bystanders in war.” Airen heard Fieluri calling out a warning to him as he stepped into a void.

Airen had a strange sensation that turmoil-filled days were ahead.

“Of course it’s raining. Why wouldn’t it be?” Eullina sighed as she looked out dimly at the gray morning skies. “Are you sure about this, Rureya?”

“I need to know.” Rureya’s eyes were full of determination as she deftly put on her armor.

Last night, there was news of several more Undead Eruptions that had taken place on the outskirts of the capital, Libzon. Although the Republic had stationed sentries all across the city, it would still take time for enough reinforcements to come to suppress the new threat. However, there were three main districts that suffered major damage.

One was Rasshavel, the Red Light District. As this location was a place where many averted their eyes, there were no sentries placed in that vicinity. By the time the militia had noticed, hundreds of wraiths and specters had entered and terrified the citizens of the area.

Another was the lower quarters of the Libzon Market Square, where many of the slaves to be auctioned were held. Although this eruption was quelled soon after it was noticed, there were many slaves that had cowered in their cages as skeletal hands grasped at them through the bars.

And the last and major outbreaks were in the Gradaz District, where most of the produce that fed Libzon’s citizens came from. Airen and the others had visited it before when they had met Rowan in the Lasat Gardens.

“Shouldn’t we wait for news first? What if the military has the entire place under lockdown?” Airen tried to interject, but the two women gave him death glares. He had tried to convince them last night, but he was quickly outvoted and overruled.

Now he was basically dragged in to accompany them, with Fieluri’s warning still very much lingering in his thoughts. However, at the same time, he could not simply leave them be

“Fine, let’s go. But we must take into account the amount of time it takes to get back.” Airen relented. “No matter what we find, we have to keep in mind that we must be back before dark.”

“Strange, coming from the one that never seems to make himself known until late in the night.” Eullina scowled. “Airen, this is important for Ruri. She never asks for a favor!”

“I know.” He nodded before dropping his voice so that the other two would not hear him. “Closure is important.”

…

“Even with this madness happening, life goes on,” Rureya commented as their carriage quickly moved along the dirt-trodden road. With the recent events being as they were, it had taken them some time to find transportation. Most of the magical beasts used for transportation had been drafted into use for the Republic’s armies, willingly or unwillingly.

Their current method of transportation was an aged and old Saahors, a low ranked magical beast that resembled a pony with scales and clawed feet. This one, in particular, seemed to canter with a limp and its pace was barely faster than someone walking at a brisk pace.

“Rumors are that people are stocking up on food and supplies after what happened last night.” Eullina glanced around the road. There were seldom any travelers, but all of those that they saw were fleeing from the Gradaz district, and the three of them would watch as they hurried past with all their possessions in tow. “You should have seen the Libzon Market Square this morning, people were practically buying up all the food they can.”

“Hopefully this will end before the populace grows restless.” Rureya shook her head. “The Republic excelled in war, but there has never been a case where they had to fight so close to their capital.”

“This is not our fight, we should just be careful about how to weather the storm.” Airen sighed guiltily. He was one of the people that had spent money to buy up imperishable supplies, storing them in Osperica. Fieluri had taught him well in regards to what happens when a war breaks out, and although he personally was never in one, he knew the implications that it brings.

“If anything, we should look into leaving the Red Slate Republic for the time being,” Airen added. “This place isn’t safe for civilians once⎯”

“Airen may have a point.” Eullina interrupted as she suddenly stood up and pointed ahead of them.

The last time the three of them had traveled to the Lasat Gardens within the Gradaz District, the surroundings were lush green fields that were a stark contrast to the red dirt and stone that gave the Red Slate Republic their name,

Now, however, that greenery was tainted with brown, black, and white. Entire batches and acres of vegetation had been burnt black from where the military clashed with the dead. There were orchards that had turned brown from where the spirit-like magical undead had emitted immense darkness magic and miasma.

But above all, it was the colors of white, pale, bone that stood out the most. Hundreds upon hundreds of bones littered the ground, animal and human alike. There were soldiers about, shoveling the remains into piles, before setting them on fire, filling the air with ashy smoke. There were also others that were using earth magic to fill giant holes in the ground that dotted the landscape.

Truly, it was a scene that made one wonder about the original battle.

“Halt! Civilians are not allowed past here!” Upon spying their wagon, a pair of soldiers standing guard on the road and clad in heavy scale armor started approaching, signaling for them to stop. The older of the two, a large man whose armor had clearly seen the signs of battle, walked forward to meet them.

“We are residents of the Lasat estate.” Rureya was one that engaged the soldier as they arrived, reaching in and pulling out a metal token bearing a sickle and a bale of wheat “We were at Stonewall Academy last night, but we returned as soon as we heard what had happened here.”

“The Lasat Estate?” One of the soldiers peered at the three of them closely, before shaking his head. “You three should consider yourself lucky that you were out of town, the Lasat Estate was hit particularly hard last night.”

“May we pass? I... We’d like to see it for ourselves.” The news made Rureya pause, but nevertheless, she insisted on moving forward.

“We were given strict orders to not allow any bystanders to pass, but I suppose that you three aren’t exactly strangers...” The older of the two men shook his head. “This is above my paygrade, so give me a moment to get the officer in charge of securing the perimeter.”

As the man trudged off, the other soldier that had remained quiet met Airen’s eyes, before looking away. He was young, clearly no more than a few years older than Airen, and his unblemished armor and weapons clearly marked him as a new conscript for the Red Slate Republic’s armies.

Time awkwardly passed until the older man returned, followed by another man atop a Lampos. The rhino-like creature’s beady eyes eyed the three of them and their Saahors and snorted in contempt as it slowly pawed its way over, and atop of it was a familiar figure to Airen.

“You… Menda?” Airen’s tone was audibly surprised. The last time he had seen the man was him drinking his sorrows away in a back-alley tavern, smelling of booze and dried sweat.

“You are…” Menda’s eyes bore into Airen for a moment before lighting up with a dim light of acknowledgment. “That adventurer boy, Airen.”

He glanced behind Airen before shaking his head in amusement. At the same time, Airen was still slightly taken aback at the stark difference in the man’s appearance. Gone were the unkempt and greasy hair and beard, and his tone of skin seemed to have shed its sickly-yellow pallor.

“I am a bit ashamed that such a young prospective adventurer like you saw me like that. You and I seem to run into each other at strange times.” Menda was the one that broke the silence as Airen was still gawking, pulling his hair wryly and giving a light smile. “I see that you’ve found yourself another party. What happened to that woman with you that we saw at the Petrified Dragon’s Crypt?”

“Keri ⎯ she… she is no longer with us.” Caught slightly off-guard, Airen stuttered out an answer. He could feel Eullina’s gaze behind him as soon as Menda had mentioned the high-level dungeon that Airen had entered months ago, and he fumbled with his words.

“Ah. My condolences for your loss.” Menda seemed to have connected some dots and reached out and gripped Airen’s shoulder firmly. “Wielders of darkness magic often struggle fighting against the undead. I am glad that you found a party that is a bit more diverse.”

“What are you even doing here?” Airen did not say much since in some ways, he echoed Menda’s sentiment that Keri was gone as Fieluri had also told him as much.

“After our last meeting, I put myself back together and decided that I should prevent whatever happened to us to other people. I asked some old connections and they set me up in this task force.” Menda’s eyes were determined, but a wiser man would notice they were smoldering with silent fury. “Necromancer or not, he deserves to be put in his place.”

“But in any case, I digress. What’s the reason you and your friends have come this way?” Menda seemed to realize he had been a bit too wrapped up in his feelings and reeled back his emotions.

“Rureya here…” Airen gestured to his half-beast companion, “is⎯ was a resident of the Lasat Estate. She’s close friends with the heir, Rowan. We came as soon as he heard the news.”

“I… see.” Menda tilted his head to see past Airen peered out behind his helmet at the young girl. There was a trace of undetectable emotion flitting past his face, but he looked down before Airen could get a grasp of what it was.

“I am afraid that even if you were residents, normally we still won’t be able to let you pass.” Menda rubbed his gauntlets in thought. “However, I may have an idea.”

“You see, I have the ability to conscript able-bodied civilians to help assist and identify when doing an investigation. There are… some things we can use a resident’s insight on.” He reached beneath his breastplate and pulled out three wooden name tags, ensciped with a symbol of a three pronged spear. “The trade-off, of course, is that your friend Rureya may have to look at things she does not want to see.”

“Thanks, Menda, but if it’s too much a hassle, don’t- “

“I have to find out, no matter what.” Rureya was the one that reached out and grabbed her tag first, interrupting Airen. “Thank you.”

As Rureya also walked up and picked up a tag of her own, she gave Airen a look that all but told him to back off and don’t interfere. She seemed to mutter under her breath just barely loud enough for Airen to barely catch some of the words.

Idiot. Coward.

The rather scathing words made Airen hesitate for a moment before he sighed and grabbed the last hanging tag. Menda gave him a knowing look before patting his shoulder.

“Alright, stay close with me and I’ll escort you guys to this estate of yours.” Menda urged his mount to turn around to the other soldiers. “I’ll take it from here. Back to your posts!”

“These three are with me.” Menda gruffly informed the soldiers blocking them from entering the vicinity of the Lasat Estate. A series of temporary buildings created from earth magic had been set up on the path that led up to the estate, serving a temporary base of operations for the Red State Republic’s Militia.

“...” Rureya was eerily quiet, and Airen did not blame her. When they had arrived, it was as if a hurricane of wildfire had swept through all the vegetation. The normally moist and carefully treated dirt that made the Lasat Garden’s land so valuable was caked in white ash and pieces of blackened burnt vegetation.

And that was not all of it, there were clear signs that a great battle had taken here. There were soldiers putting bodies into dark red bags, several of the nearby buildings looked like they had been put through a siege throughout the entire night.

As they had progressed closer into the center of the estate, Eullina had to console Rureya as they saw that half of the mansion had been basically turned into rubble from the battle. There were claw marks all across the perimeter of the exterior, and nearly all of the windows were broken. Blackened carcasses, both with ashen-grey bone and rotten flash surrounded the mansion, and although it looked like the soldiers had been working at clearing the area for a while, it made little impact due to the sheer number of bodies.

The entire scene gave Airen a sense of deja vu. Once upon a time, in one of Fieluri’s ‘simulations’, Airen had gone through one scenario that was eerily the same as this.

“It’s like this was a coordinated attack,” Airen mumbled, and fortunately or unfortunately, Menda that was standing right next to him had heard him.

“The three of you, follow me. You two, fetch us some water and food and bring it to the interrogation room.” Menda said firmly as the soldiers stepped aside to let them pass.

“Yes, sir!” The younger of the two gave Menda a salute, before running off towards a series of tents that had been set up. Menda made to escort the party but quickly stopped himself after catching sight of the other recruit shooting looks over at Rureya and Eullina.

“I said these three were with me and they are civilians. Are we going to have a problem, soldier?” Menda glared him down.

“N-no, sir.”

“I gave you a command, why are you still here?” Realizing Menda’s intentions, the arrogant recruit quickly ran off in the same direction as the other.

“Damn snotty brats. Their families probably paid someone to put them in cushy spots until they can become officers.” Menda snorted. “Fuckin’ guard duty in the morning when we could have used more manpower last night.”

“Let’s go.” The three of them followed Menda who led them into the temporary military worksite and into one of the buildings. “I’ll send someone to see if the other unit has left the house yet so we can enter, but it will take a while.”

Menda guided the three of them to a room while walking past several soldiers, and gestured for them to sit after stopping to speak to another soldier.

“To answer your question from earlier if this was a coordinated attack… it was. That’s the reason why this entire place is under lockdown.” Menda sighed after making sure the door was shut from prying ears.

“During the gruesome battle last night, we found that there was a high-level undead creature that was capable of raising its own minions,” Menda revealed. “One of our scouts managed to spot it in time before it could raise a small army. We had thought it to be a lich or undead herald until we lost the squad that was sent out to dispatch it. It took three of our commanders that were rank nine or higher to take it down.”

“The corpse was extremely well preserved, surgically even.” Menda continued as he rubbed his hands. “Hell, the thing even looked and sounded human. The only way we knew it was dead in the first place was when we backed it apart later.”

“We bashed both its chest and head in, but it still kept moving. We had to incinerate it before it would stop.” Menda had goosebumps over his arm as he spoke despite the warm weather. “And the worst thing was that even after we took it out, all of its raised minions and servants focused their attention on the officer that killed it and rushed at him while ignoring the rest of us. Damn man lost both his arms defending himself.”

“Menda… why are you telling us this?” Airen asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. The description given to Airen had triggered a deep foreboding sensation. He had fought something very similar before, deep beneath the Petrified Dragon’s Crypt, and unbeknownst to him at the time, it was only with the unique properties of Torchlight that allowed him to slay it. Jourmind.

“Because the place we found that thing was in the mansion. It was raising the bodies of the tenants that it had killed.” Menda said quietly and looked over to Rureya who had gone silent at his words. “I’m telling you this, young lady, so you can prepare yourself because we had to make sure they would not rise again”

“Eat up before we go.” Menda finished as there was a knock at the door. “If there’s one thing military food is good for, it’s staying in your stomach.”

After forcing down the meal, with Menda watching them and gently trying to persuade them out of seeing the bodies, Airen and his compatriots followed Menda towards the Lasat Residence.

As soon as the door was opened by the standing soldiers, Airen’s nose immediately turned and his stomach twisted up. There in the grand entrance hall, were dozens upon dozens of bodies covered by black cloth. It was a room full of corpses, and the heat of the day had made their smell permeate like the foulest rotten meat.

“Urgh.” Eullina was the first to turn aside and cover her nose and Menda gave her a knowing look. Airen fared a little better, having experienced the smell of undeath already and having a stomach that could process just about anything.

“Let me see them. I’ll identify them if I can.” It was Rureya who was the most stoic of all as she walked forward. Airen could see her body shaking slightly at the sight of the bodies, but he said nothing and looked at his feet.

It was at this time that Airen realized he truly knew very little about her.

Menda shut his eyes and sighed, before looking at Rureya and nodding at the soldiers to remove the cloth covering one of the corpses. The result caused Eullina to turn around and dart out, and Airen could hear the sound of retching.

“Like I said… we had to make sure they wouldn’t be a problem if they were to rise again. After this mess is over, we were told to burn them with the rest, so we decided to kill two birds with one stone .” Menda explained quietly the post-mortem mutilation that was done to the bodies. All of them had their legs hacked off, and the larger ones even had their arms cut into pieces as well, probably for transportation purposes.

“This one… is Bennis. The head butler. He was always good to the servants and slaves as he was a former slave.” Rureya stared at the man whose face would look like it was sleeping if not for the fact that it was decapitated. “He always looked after the lady Freeja and chose to stay after he served his twenty years.”

“Take down the names and pass it along to the intelligence department. Maybe that’ll shut them up about letting us in.” Menda instructed one of the lower-ranked soldiers who ran off to find pen and paper.

“Fellow adventurer Airen, I think your friend has it handled here. You should go look after your other companion.” Menda tilted his head towards the exit.

“Here, drink some Spring Water. You need to rehydrate.” Airen sat down on the stairs next to Eullina, pulling out a canteen and holding it out to her. “Give me a second, and I’ll get you some jerky you can chew on.”

“Mmh.” Eullina chugged down the water before handing it back to Airen, however, her eyes bored into Airen's.

“It looks like you want to ask me something. Not like you to hold back.” Airen sighed as he accepted the canteen again, taking a few sips for himself.

“You didn’t even look like you were bothered inside, with all those dead people.” Eullina said quietly. She trailed off, but her intentions were clear.

“I saw things like that already, so I have learned to avert my eyes.” Airen tore a piece of monster jerky into two and handed the other half to Eullina. I don’t know whether or not to thank Fieluri for that,

”Where?”

“In the Petrified Dragon’s Crypt.” Airen had a ready answer. “Neair and Keri are very hands on when it comes to training, and that was one of the places we went to.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.” Eullina scowled.

“We went down a few levels, where we saw a League of Adventurers supply caravan getting attacked by undead pouring in from a hole in the dungeon wall,” Airen explained. “There were... lots of casualties before it was over.”

“So this is what you do when you’re gone then?” Eullina grumbled. “You go off in the middle of the night, disappearing for months on end, and every time the ‘training’ seems to get more and more dangerous. For all I know, you may have also killed people.”

“...I have, and he was a dear friend,” Airen said quietly, and his demeanor caused Eullina to halt in her tirade. “Someone from a previous life than I have here.”

“That’s… I did not know.” Eullina said quietly.

“It’s alright.” Airen smiled bitterly. “I have no excuses for not telling you, but if there is a reason, then it is one I can’t tell you. There are some things that if you know, would just get you in trouble.”

“That’s probably the most honest you have ever been.” Eullina chuckled. “You’ve changed quite a bit this past year, Airen. ”

“Keri and Neair made me realize that I cannot afford to stand still any longer.” Airen sighed and offered her more jerky. “This stays between you and me, but with their help... I found out that my sister was still alive, Eullina.”

“I see, so that’s why you’ve changed so much.” Eullina shook her head slowly. “But the fact that you asked me to keep this between us, it sounds like you are saying she is someone special.”

Airen neither confirmed or denied the question, instead, sipping at his canteen. He did not meet Eullina’s eyes as he pretended to not notice her searching eyes and peer off into the sky at the late noon sun.

“Are you some bastard child and your sister’s royalty or something?” Eullina’s words nearly made Airen choke mid-drink, and that reaction was all that she needed to confirm her suspicions. “Wait. Really?”

“I have nothing to say...” The spike of adrenaline that Airen had at her words quickly dissipated, and he pressed a finger against his forehead in defeat. “How did you possibly come to such a conclusion to ask that anyway?”

“It’s pretty obvious from your mannerisms and clothing when we first found you that you were used to high society, and having others do things for you.” Eullina laughed. “But to be related to royalty, that was a long shot.”

“Ugh. What I would do to have your intuition...” Airen grumbled.

“You’re not as good at deceiving people as you think, Airen.” Eullina chuckled. “But this… is a pleasant surprise, I suppose”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, who knows?” Eullina smirked, clearly happy that it was she who was keeping the secrets this time. “Let's say we are kindred spirits in some regards.”

Airen rolled his eyes at the reversal and was about to retort when he heard the sounds of footsteps behind them.

“Oh, Ruri…” Eullina quickly stood up and went to comfort their friend, who was swaying a bit. “Are you alright?”

“Yes… Yes!” Rureya seemed a bit unsteady but she was smiling. “Rowan wasn’t among the bodies found, nor was his mother! There’s a secret passage in the mansion that leads outside, and it seems like someone had collapsed it behind them. Chances are they are still alive!”

“That’s good news at least.” Eullina hugged her friend. “Have you any idea where he has gone?”

“Normally, since he did give me a bunch of items to hold onto him. I would think that he would come looking for me.” Rureya sat down on the steps, the tension flowing out of her. “But he has never arrived, so I don’t know what to think.”

“He’ll be fine. He may be uptight, but he was still resourceful.” Eullina assured her. “He had the foresight to set up an escape plan, so I’m sure he’s probably just delayed somewhere.”

“If he wasn’t among the corpses, then chances are he got away,” Airen affirmed.

“But what if he’s injured? What if he was chased outside and away?” Rureya worried. “Is sitting around and waiting all that I can do?”

“You can try putting up a poster at the League of Adventurers, but I don’t think Rowan would want you to put yourself in danger looking for him.” Eullina offered. “Why don’t we head back and talk about the next step?”

“She’s right. We need to head back before it gets dark.” Airen pointed towards the late noon sun. “We should be able to make it back if we leave now…”

“You kids should stay for the night.” Menda, who had overheard their conversation, spoke from the doorway. “If anything goes wrong with that old beast of yours, I’m afraid you guys will be stranded for the night.”

“That’s mighty generous of you.” Airen peered at the sly old adventurer. “Not trying to recruit us again are you?”

“You wound me.” Menda smiled bitterly. “I’m not that untrustworthy, am I?”

“No…” Airen felt he may have gone a bit too far and he shook his head at his own foolishness. “Thank you for the gesture. Truly.”

…

“Ho boy. Sit down.” After dusk had fallen, the three of them had been given a freshly constructed earthen tent right next to Menda's. Although a few soldiers gave them curious looks as Menda walked them through the camp, a few intense stares from Menda set them straight. He practically barked out orders as soon as he arrived, ensuring that the three of them would at least have a survivable night in the military camp. However, only Airen was able to stomach a meal after seeing that.

Although Eullina and Rureya had retreated into the tent, Airen did not feel comfortable joining them, so he had loitered outside until Menda had caught sight of him and hailed him over.

“Here...” Menda took out two jugs of strong-smelling wine and handed over one to Airen. “It seems that you and I always seem to cross paths, so let’s raise a cup for the occasion.”

“You really should stop drinking.” Airen took one whiff of the liquid and it left his nostrils with a burnt sensation.

“Hah! Where else am I supposed to spend this money?” Menda guffawed as he took a gulp of the liquid. “Got no wife to go home to, got no kids to look after, and my only friends are fellow adventurers like you that could disappear or die at a moment’s notice.”

“I thought you would have grown used to loss, being an adventurer and all,” Airen asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Ah, what it’s like to be young and think that the world is yours for the taking.” Menda chuckled and held up three fingers. “Let me tell you as one veteran to another. If you choose the life of an adventurer, there are three things that’ll end up happening.”

“One, you die.” Menda put down one finger. “It’s the most common occurrence frankly. For the beginners, it’s because they overestimate themselves, and for veterans, it’s because they get caught unaware and lose a calculated risk even with a backup plan. These are all your ranks beneath C.”

“Two, you last long enough to be an elite, and then you change professions.” Menda put down another finger and sniffed. “Adventuring is not an easy job, and nearly all of the dungeons you normally enter have had a majority of the loot taken. You’ll basically be working for the guild to gather materials for them from monsters and they sell it for you, and then you end up spending that money to prepare for the next one.”

“To actually make enough to retire as an adventurer, your party would need to find an unexplored dungeon on its own, and explore it without the assistance of the guild, and survive, and find valuables within,” Menda grumbled. “There’s frankly very few groups that manage to do this, and there are probably many that don’t disclose it either. Most end up changing jobs as there’s always a demand for those with experience. An A or B rank adventurer can always find a job where a good sword arm or proficiency with magic is required.”

“Lastly, you survive and become strong enough that the guild or countries take notice of you.” Menda put down his hand. “At this point, you can basically do whatever you want. Fame, fortune, and glory are all but yours if you want it. Hell, the League of Adventurers would even pay you to stay with them and will commission you for jobs.”

“Still, there’s a huge difference between anyone in the A and S ranks.” Menda sniffed. “You can be an A rank adventurer for the rest of your life if you don’t fulfill the requirements, of which nobody knows except the League. Hence it is the reason why many of us choose to retire or change professions when able. It’s rumored that many of the S ranks are people that are capable of reaching the title of the Divine.”

“Sounds like a crappy profession, the way you describe it.” Airen took a sip of the burning drink in tandem with Menda.

“People either choose to be an adventurer by choice, or by necessity...” Menda laughed at Airen’s words. “It's not a bad life if you have a solid group of friends. You can see so much more than people that don’t leave their hometown, and you learn to treasure what you have when you can.”

“You should protect and value your friends while you can, boy.” Menda tilted his head in the direction of Eullina and Rureya’s tent. “You don’t want to end up like me now, or you’ll burn away your life in search of the bastard who killed them.”

“Ey, ey, ey! I don’t want to hear it.” Menda interrupted Airen as he was about to speak. “You shan’t convince me otherwise how insane or foolish it is, I have made up my mind.”

“I can respect that.” Airen nodded and continued to down his drink. He had not intended to dissuade the vengeance-seeking adventurer because he himself would not know what he would do in the man’s situation. When he put Jourmind to peace, he had grown lifeless and dismayed afterward, and Fieluri was the one who had got him back on his feet.

“There are some things that one has to do.” Menda clinked jugs with Airen.”But enough of this brooding nonsense, fellow adventurers should be exchanging stories!”

And such was how Airen had made a new friend, with Menda exchanging stories about the various countries he had visited east of the Dew Plains, and with Airen describing life in the Tel’naraa desert.

Several hours into the night, right before Menda and Airen were to retire to the night. Menda had offered Airen to stay in his tent, as not to ‘intrude’ on his female companions.

“Airen boy, wake up.” Menda’s rough voice knocked Airen out of his stupor just as he was about to fall into slumber. “Someone’s rang the alarm.”

“Alarm?” At Airen’s confused prompt, Menda helped up an official-looking stone medallion that looked as if it was vibrating slightly.

“It’s only on alert level one, so it means scouts have found something and are coming back with a report.” Menda was already up, putting on his armor and strapping his sword and shield. “Likely undead prowling about which means if we’re lucky we can get the drop on them first. Get your friends, Airen, just in case, and stay alert.”

“Okay.” Airen quickly realized that the situation had turned. Almost as quickly as Menda, he prepared himself and left the tent at the same time. In the corner of his eye, as he entered, he could see Menda talk to a pair of soldiers that seemed as if they were a little out of breath. Airen could not help but feel a deep foreboding sensation as if his anxiety in traveling had finally coalesced into a situation he had feared they could avoid.

“Guys, wake up. We have a problem.” Airen quickly shook awake Eullina before doing the same to Rureya. “I’ll wait for you two outside, and I’ll try to figure out what we do from here.”

“What’s the situation?” As soon as Eullina and Rureya were dressed, the entire camp was stirring with life. A great many torches and fires had been hit, illuminating the darkness of the night, Even so, it had taken them a few minutes for them to find someone that could point them in Menda’s direction, even then, they had to wait for him to emerge from his meeting with the other officers.

“You’ve got all your things, good. Let’s talk while we walk.” Spotting the three of them, Menda grimaced slightly and gestured for them to follow him.

“What’s going on? This seems to be quite a lot more than just a few undead being spotted. Were there more Undead Eruptions?” Airen got straight to the point and tried to ascertain their next action.

“If only it was so. Get a move on!” Menda glanced around him and barked at a few soldiers that were lagging in their tasks of packing up tents. “An entire necropolis suddenly appeared in the Heroes’ Desert. That Necromancer has decidedly gone mad and there’s a huge army gathering to the north.”

“The Heroes’ Desert…?” Eullina sucked in her breath. Far in the past, it is said that two countries shared that land, and the resulting long and bitter conflict had accumulated in mutual destruction. Save for adventurers, there were very few that would risk traveling through that land as it was infested with a great number of dangerous magical beasts.

“Blasted if I know,” Menda grumbled. “We’ve got orders to mobilize and move to the border on standby. That means the three of you can either come with, which I don’t recommend as there’s likely going to be combat, or stay put, which I also don’t recommend as the scouts have mentioned-”

Before Menda could finish, a shrill alarm soon rang throughout the camp.

“Get out of here, Airen, you three are technically civilians, and the last thing I want is for the three of you to get caught in the crossfire.” Menda sighed and shook his head. “Take the road south and run to the city, hopefully, the majority of the dead will be attracted to the fighting that’s about to start.”

“Here’s the last bit of advice from a fellow adventurer ⎯ never get involved in the wars of nations or accept a military job, unless you have to.” Menda patted Airen on the shoulder and gave him a hard squeeze. However, that emotion soon disappeared as his face hardened again and was replaced with the countenance of a soldier as he started to bark out orders.

As Airen and his friends were escorted out to the edge of the camp, he looked back once and was quietly surprised and slightly saddened by how well Menda fit into the camp environment

“The fighting must have started,” Eullina said quietly. It had been an hour since the three of them had taken the road south back to Libzon, but in the darkness of the night, there was no mistaking what the occasional flares of light behind them meant.

“Save your breath, keep an eye on the road.” Airen urged their Saahors to pick up the pace, but the old beast was already panting heavily. Having lived as long as it has, it could tell something was off and complied with Airen when they had first set off. However, after an hour of non-stop galloping, it had started to shown signs of exhaustion.

“It’s too damn dark to even see anything.” Eullina scowled. “I’ll cast some light magic⎯”

“No!” Rureya quickly pulled down Eullina’s hand before she could cast a spell. “It’s too risky. If there’s any undead following us, it’ll give away our position to them.”

“Why would anything be following us⎯” Eullina started to shout but Airen could not hear what she said. Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted movement barely at the edge of their lantern’s glow, a strangely flickering blue flame.

“Watch⎯” Airen’s warning words were cut off as a blade of blue flame suddenly whipped forward, instantly decapitating the Saahors pulling their cart. The abrupt crash caused a kickback that caused Airen to fly forward and tumbled into the ground, giving him a mouthful of dirt and dust..

“Blasted, what the hell is that thing doing here?” By the time Airen had oriented himself, he could hear Eullina’s despairing words. Their oil lantern had shattered in the crash, and their cart had turned into a steadily-growing blaze.

Even with the extra light, there was no mistaking the grim figure walking towards them wielding a silvery saber in one hand, and a blade of blue flames in the other. Even more striking was the skull with blue flames pouring out from the eye sockets seated atop the ornate silvery-gray armor.

Mordecai, the Etna Duelist that Airen had fought once deep under the Valrock Ruins had appeared once again before them.

“What?” Airen was just as shocked as the other two. How can he possibly be here?

“Iza. Yin jol ne.” Mordecai came to a stop several meters away from them, and his eyes bore into Airen’s. It soon became clear which of the three he had been looking for this entire time.

“Damnation. Airen. What sort of grudge does it have against you?” Eullina summoned Nightingale and Hummingbird as she gauged the creature who did even look in her direction.

“If that is the so-called Eternal Duelist… we are going to be in some trouble.” Rureya had also quickly prepared herself for battle. She had looked up the creature after her loss, many months ago and she too realized the madness of their situation. “An eternal duelist can only be destroyed by the highest level light magic, and one that is unchained from its eternal watch is...”

Fieluri, what is this? Airen sent a plea for help as he slowly stood up. Did you know this would happen when you had me ‘beat’ him?

Oh? Isn’t this an interesting twist of fate. Fieluri’s reply was curt and speckled with bemusement. It looks like your old friend Jourmind left you a gift when you had killed him.

Pieces fell into place in Airen’s mind as he recalled Menda’s words about undead seeking those that have killed their master, and how he and his companions had fought a Reanimated in the Valrock Ruins. Jourmind was at the ruins at some point, and likely he had encountered Mordecai as well. This undead monster was here for him, and only him.

“If it’s three of us against him alone, we should still stand a chance as long-”

“The only one it wants to do battle with is me. Go.” Airen quickly made up his mind and gestured for Eullina and Rureya to leave. These two won’t stand a chance. I’m the only one that knows what he’s like after he has drawn his second sword.

“Airen, you can’t be serious⎯” Eullina started to interject, but Airen knew better than anyone what would happen.. He was probably the only one that even managed to catch a glimpse of it killing their Saahors.

“You said it yourself, the three of us don’t stand a chance,” Airen shouted as Mordecai raised his flaming sword at Airen’s direction as if asking if he was ready yet. Despite no longer being bound, it still maintained an air of dignity and respect and was clearly waiting for him to finish. “I may not be able to defeat it, but I can at least stall it long enough for you two to get away.”

“Airen, I am not letting you⎯” Eullina started to protest, but Airen cut her off.

“Trust in me.” A rift appeared and deposited Torchlight into Airen’s hands, and in a split second later, Dir Sayf transformed into a small silvery-gray buckler that was almost the same color as Mordecai’s armor.

“You can’t⎯” Eullina started to retort, but her eyes suddenly rolled back as Rureya quietly knocked her out from behind. Rureya caught her as she fell, and Airen gave her a thankful nod.

“I didn’t do this for you, Airen. You and I have never been close, but merely a friend of a friend.” Rureya sighed as she carefully put Eullina over her shoulders. “I hope you know what you are doing, for her sake because otherwise both of us will be the one losing two friends.”

“Go.” Airen assumed a defensive stance as Mordecai swung his swords as if testing their weight. “Chances are I cannot return to the academy as this thing is going to follow me for who knows how long. Tell Eullina what I told her before ⎯’trust in me’.”

“Idiot men and their stupid bravado.” Rureya grumbled. She took one last look at Airen who gave her a firm nod before taking off without looking back. The only sign of her in the darkness was a dim red flame that she conjured to see the road, which eventually flickered away.

Well, didn’t you get to look good for once. As soon as Rureya disappeared into the darkness of the night, Fieluri suddenly appeared through a rift. Trust in me? Really?

“Nice of you to finally make an appearance. Can’t you have come out earlier since they wouldn’t have seen you anyway? Or was this too boring for you?” Airen grumbled as Mordecai started to slowly walk towards him.

“I was preoccupied with something else, and it was more important.” Fieluri shrugged. “You can’t beat him, you know. There’s a reason why this undead actually has a title. Etna Duelist.”

“Can’t you let me borrow that staff of yours?” Airen asked quickly, but he knew the answer already. Fieluri would not interject in his own fights.

“For you, I am a mere Keeper of Knowledge,” Fieluri smirked. “I provide you with information, and occasionally a boon. This is your fight, and if you die, so be it. What’s that term you humans have? ‘Till death do us part’?”

“You are taking that out of context,” Airen grumbled. “And I don’t trust you not to raise my body if I die. Are you going to tell me what I should do or not?”

“How rude! Can’t you ‘trust in me’ a little bit?” Fieluri laughed a bit but her expression soon turned serious.

“An unbound Etna will pursue you until you kill it. Your best bet is to cripple it for a little while, and then keep on the move. Put enough distance between the two of you and perhaps you can lead it somewhere where someone else can deal with it. ”

Airen was about to interject but Mordecai suddenly disappeared, and Airen instinctively jumped to the right as two pairs of sabers, one a dull silver, and the other a blazing blue, smashed down in the spot Airen stood prior. Even though Airen had flawlessly avoided the sudden attack, the impact released a wave of burnt dirt and sand.

“I wish you luck, Airen. There is something I must attend to… but believe me when I say it is something that cannot be held off.” Fieluri’s tone wasn’t mocking for once but solemn and serious, and Airen would have looked at her face to verify if she was truly not messing with him, but Mordecai soon disappeared in front of him again.

Airen parried the whip of blue flame that suddenly appeared with Torchlight. However, the flame seemed to have a life of its own, wrapping around Airen’s weapon like a metal chain. In the next moment, Mordecai reappeared in front of Airen, the undead duelist’s face merely inches from Airen’s own. The smoldering blue flames in the empty skull sockets seemed to study Airen for a brief moment before he disengaged and retreated back a step.

Airen watched with bated breath as Mordei’s blue flame whip suddenly transformed back into a long saber. With a mocking grin, he raised a clawed gauntlet at Airen and made a gesture for him to approach, allowing him the first move.

“I wish I had that much confidence to be so arrogant.” Airen scowled as he raised his weapon in response. Airen rushed forward, swinging Torchlight in an arc against Mordecai’s head, only to be met by the burning blue saber. He could feel the heat from the blade burning his skin despite it not touching him, and also despite the magical rune engraved on his body protecting him from most of the effects. He did not have time to ponder as he quickly ducked under Mordecai’s retaliatory strike, and entered his Flash Stance.

Mordecai effortlessly blocked Airen’s strikes even as they slowly sped up and became harder and harder to spot with the naked eye. In some ways, Mordecai was also a creature of instinct, and it clearly showed through the way he parried Airen’s blows as if knowing where they would strike before Airen even began to swing his blade. At times, he would even lash back out at Airen with alternating swords, meeting blade with blade and sending a numbing sensation along Airen’s arm.

Even in his Flash Stance, Airen was still not a match for Mordecai’s martial prowess, and Airen could feel his arms numbing from exchanging blows. However, what truly frightened him was that Mordecai did not even seem to be fighting at full strength yet. Mordecai only ever struck with the silvery saber and not the blade of blue flames.

Even as Torchlight’s edge slowly started to shimmer with light, Mordecai seemed to pay it no heed. Little did Airen know that it was because the undying duelist could not see different levels of light.

Right before Airen’s blade was about to start humming with energy, Airen decided to release the Flash of Divine Steel upon his next exchange of blades with Mordecai. At point-blank range, the blade of light was blinding and was all but undodgeable, and cut through Mordecai’s arm like a gust through smoke. With a resounding thud, the severed arm fell to the dirt, still clinging to the silver saber.

“Damn it.” Airen took a step back as the severed arm seemed to fade into a black mist that attached itself to Mordecai's shoulder. In a matter of seconds, it solidified, and Mordecai gave his regenerated arm a clench before the smoldering skull looked over at Airen with a haunting grin. Airen felt his stomach sink as Mordecai seemed to ready himself.

In a split second, the undead duelist vanished. Airen barely managed to raise Torchlight in time as Mordecai reappeared in front of him, the only sign of him swinging his blade down was the glint of a silver slash. The impact made Airen’s knee’s buckle and shoulder crack, but that was not the least of it. A second afterward, Mordecai’s blade of blue flames swung towards Airen’s right.

Airen raised Dir Sayf in time to block the flaming saber, but it could not hold up against the heat. After a second of contact, Dir Sayf started to melt, and Airen nearly howled as goblets of molten soul silver poured down his arm.

“Not here! ” Right before the burning blade cut through Dir Sayf completely, Airen howled and a a force knocked aside Mordecai’s blade, causing him to reel back momentarily. For most, it would have appeared that some magical force had knocked the undead duelist back, but the creature’s eyes saw a glimpse of what truly happened.

He had seen a trace of a silhouette appear behind Airen, swinging an illusory sword. The force of impact on his blade was all he needed to confirm that it was indeed a solid sword that he had been met with.

“Curses...” While Mordecai was slightly taken aback, Airen scrapped what was left of Dir Sayf off his left arm while panting heavily and wincing in pain. Most of the metal had melted through his sleeves, leaving third-degree burns where it came into contact with his skin.

Furthermore, the technique that Fieluri had taught him to conjure up the illusory figure that just saved him was extremely taxing and limited. With his left arm out of commission, Airen looked at Mordecai. When Fieluri had demonstrated the skill, her conjured figure was solid⎯ almost distinguishable from a real person. Airen’s however, was barely visible, translucent, and not having any form of its own.

I need to end this soon. He got serious for just a moment and I took heavy losses.

With a grunt, Airen rushed towards Mordecai with Torchlight, the air behind him shimmering and distorting slightly. He had to press what slight advantage they had.

The battle and exchange of blades continued for some time, with Airen losing each exchange, but at a greater margin each time. Whenever Mordecai suffered a blow from the swinging phantom sword hovering behind Airen, he would regenerate and recover from it in a matter of seconds, with the experience of fighting and learning Airen’s movements from that encounter. Airen tried what he could, but true to Fieluri’s words, no matter what he tried, Mordecai would simply regenerate from the blows. Even Torchlight’s magical enchantment, which had played a vital role in defeating Jourmind, had very little effect against the blue flames that permeated in the pockets and gaps beneath Mordecai’s body. Even with an extra sword behind Airen, Mordecai still overwhelmed Airen, causing him to suffer injuries the last few exchanges.

“This isn’t going to get us anywhere...” At the same time that Mordecai was learning Airen’s movements, Airen was also learning Mordecai’s patterns. Mordecai disappeared into black mist once more, but Airen had seen it so many times that he had a vision of what was going to happen next.

Instead of leaping back, Airen moved forward, swapping his grip on his sword and changing to a reverse-hold. Right as Mordecai materialized, he struck with a 7-Strike Blooming. Six of which were used to fight against Mordecai’s dual blades, and the last one piercing deep into the creature’s chest.

Airen quickly withdrew his weapon as Mordecai retaliated. The undead creature felt no pain and shrugged off all of Airen’s attacks. However, he was just a moment too slow, and Airen could feel the briefest of cold sensations against his side before it was replaced by radiating pain.

“So this is how it is...” Airen held a hand against his side, unable to even spare a glance at his newest wound or the blood that was pooling from it. Airen had no confidence in outrunning the creature, and he was all too aware that he would not win in a battle of attrition. He had not recalled Fieluri’s advice in the thick of the fight, but in his exhaustion, he realized that there was no way he could win against Mordecai, nor was he capable of crippling him.

Airen grudgingly admitted to himself that he had truly lost to Mordecai and held up a hand. When Mordecai slashed down again, Airen had disappeared, spirited away in a black rift.

It would be over a month before Airen would reappear in the Red Slate Republic.