Authors Note: Hello all. The holiday was awesome and I spent it doing absolutely nothing lol.

So even though I want to add a cover and pictures to chapters, I realized I suck horribly at drawing. Can anyone recommend me someone who might be interested in drawing at least a cover? It really bugs me that its blank... If all else fails I'll try my hand at it but I don't think I nor anyone who looks at it will walk away happy haha.

Anyway, here is the chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 16

Compared to the inter-city carriages, its militarized version put it to shame. They were fitted with a more robust and powerful engine that allowed for greater speeds, had thicker metal plated armor and wider wheels. It did sacrifice carrying capacity, being only able to hold 30 people instead of 50.

A long convoy of these vehicles was traveling on the road heading to Astrid City. Inside, the students still held onto the feelings of fear and uneasiness. The teachers had tried their best to comfort them but it saw little success.

Everyone was dressed in full battle attire. The melee oriented students wore heavy armor that protected their vitals and helmets to cover their heads. The magicians wore robes enchanted with magic to aid in recovering power and amplifying their spells.

On the first day they had stopped in the city of Torben, which was in the Trevino’s territory. In the morning, they made their way through the Nishka territory. In the afternoon they passed through the south of the mountains and the fort that would guard it. By early evening they were only a few kilometers away from Astrid City.

It was then that the reality of war fully sunk in.

The city could be seen in the distance, along with huge explosions. The sounds thundered across the open plains. The convoy increased its speed and headed to the south gate of the outer wall.

In the lead vehicle, Logan Marrs attuned a communications crystal to Ganar’s military channels.

“Astrid City, this is Military Academy Principal Logan Marrs. We are approaching the southern gate and request entry.”

A few minutes later a clear voice came through. “Logan Marrs this is Lieutenant Hedrick. Currently the Nerim forces are in the process of setting up siege engines. Make haste to the gate and it will be opened for a short time. Upon arrival, we will verify your identity.”

“Understood, we’re on our way.” He then told the driver. “You heard him. Punch it.”

“Aye Aye.”

The convoy increased its speed even further. The explosions grew more frequent as time went on. As they arrived at the gates, heavy metal gears began to turn and the huge panels covering the entrance had receded.

Once the last vehicle entered, the process reversed and the gate was once again sealed shut.

Logan stepped out of the carriage and met with the Lieutenant.

“I have confirmed your identity as Logan Marrs. It’s good to have you.”

Logan scoffed. “I’d rather be back at school. Where do you want the kids and teachers?”

“Have the magicians head to the upper wall. My aide here will guide them. Send a few of the teachers as well. I’ll take the other students and have those assigned jobs.”

The students had disembarked during the conversation. The aide next to Hedrick called out to the students.

“Those of you versed in magic, gather here! We will join the defense on the wall! Hurry now, time is crucial!”

Hedrick followed up. “All others with me!”

The students and teachers were quickly separated. Yumi and Calgar joined the magician group. Callen and Brett went with the lieutenant. Yumi’s heart was beating quickly. She flinched slightly at every explosion. A hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see who it was and found Auromi warmly smiling at her.

“Calm your heart child.”

“Ms. Auromi… sorry I’m just scared.”

“There is nothing wrong with being scared, however you must try and control your fear. You’re only hurting yourself like this.”

“But…”

“Take strength from those around you. Burdens are not meant to be carried alone. I am here, so are your friends and teachers, and also Calgar.”

Yumi calmed down. “You’re right. I’m not alone in this. Thank you, I feel much better.”

“Anytime. Now let’s go, the others are leaving.”

They followed the aide and went towards the wall. Auromi looked over to Calgar who was silent.

“Is something wrong Calgar?”

He didn’t respond. She tried again to get his attention.

“Are you listening?”

She touched his arm. His head turned to her and they locked eyes. Auromi felt a shudder run down her spine. What was this? Calgar didn’t display emotion but this feeling she received when meeting eyes was different than usual.

As if it never happened, Calgar’s atmosphere changed back. “What is it Auromi?”

“Just now… what were you thinking about?”

“Nothing in particular. I was just wondering what the battle outside was like.”

It suddenly dawned on Auromi. Could this be the reason Calgar was feeling stronger lately? The Gods could absorb the essence of what they governed for energy. For her it would be the emotions of love that gave her strength. For Calgar it was war.

“Calgar, do you feel stronger than normal right now?”

He thought for a bit. “Come to think of it I do.” He then understood what Auromi was implying. “I see, so it was the coming war that gave me strength…”

“It seems so. Come to think of it, the idea of a war starting is odd in itself.”

“How do you mean?”

“When you were gone, large scale wars started to decrease and eventually only small fights broke out between groups. I think with your return, the number of wars will increase.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“It’s hard to say… When we left to the Celestial Realm, our influence was significantly reduced, but the world was in balance to some extent then. My fear is that with you being the only one here, your influence will be greater and balance will be broken.”

“Then that’s even more of a reason to recover and leave sooner than later.”

Auromi didn’t agree with nor deny the statement he made. He wasn’t wrong, but she still needed to convince him to return with her.

Next to the outer wall was a staircase that led up to the top. Upon reaching it the group climbed up and what met them was a scene of destruction and carnage spread over the plains and on the top of the wall. There were burn marks all over the place. Down below were craters everywhere from the constant barrage from both sides.

A man on the wall screamed out. “Magic volley! Take cover!”

“Everyone get down!”

Arcing through the air were hundreds of huge balls of fire. Loud explosions occurred where they struck, incinerating anything in the vicinity. The wall shook slightly from the attack. Screams filled the air, as a few fireballs landed on the top of the wall, consuming a few soldiers.

“Arm the Magic cannons! Return fire!”

From the wall came retaliation. Huge black cannons, spread out in neat intervals, spewed forth elemental death. From some cannons, a light ray that sliced through man and metal like a hot knife through butter was shot. Other cannons shot a black ball that upon impact, transformed into a gravity well which rent anything sucked inside.

The students were horrified. Was this a nightmare they were in? Many wanted to turn around and run, but the fear rooted them to the spot. It was the aide’s voice that seemed to snap them back to reality.

“Students! Your job is to help fill the magic cannons with energy! I want three people to a cannon! Obey any orders given to you from a soldier or operator!”

The students disorderly went to the cannons. Some cannon operators called them over if they lacked numbers. Yumi and Calgar were placed at a cannon nearby along with Auromi. A soldier quickly gave them commands.

“When the cannon is fired this chamber extends out, when that happens put your hand on it and dump all of your magic into it for the next shot.” He handed her a bottle that contained a greenish liquid. “Drink this to recover your magic. Let me know when it runs out. Understand?”

Everyone nodded.

“Good now fill her up-.”

“Another volley incoming!”

“You three get down!”

They dropped to the ground and covered their heads. More fireballs were coming. Calgar watched as the fire approached. It struck the wall and took a few more soldiers. One fireball headed this way and was going to directly hit them.

Holding his hand in the air, when the fireball came closer it disappeared. The soldier looked up and sighed. “Thought that was the end. Good on you for stopping it.”

Yumi agreed. “Thank you Calgar. I owe you my life.”

But he didn’t respond. Auromi sensed that feeling she felt earlier, emanating from him.

“Calgar…?”

News about the enemy movements was spread along the wall.

“The enemy is approaching! Explosives have been spotted among them!”

“They are going to try to blow open a hole in the wall!”

“Relay this to the General and get the archers up here!”

The soldiers scrambled to prepare. Cannons were being fired as soon as they could be. Yumi was busy refueling the cannon and orders were being barked left and right.

Amid all of that stood Calgar overlooking the approaching army.

The thunderous roars of cannons, the deafening explosions, the screams of the dying, all of these sounds stirred something within him. A spark had been lit. Inside his armor, his soul essence pulsed, as if trying to simulate a heartbeat. The amber glow he gave off was dyed a deep crimson and the aura around him grew sinister.

As he drew Luna from her sheathe she giggled and laughed. “Finally! I’ve been waiting for this! Wield me Father, let me feed on their flesh and blood! A taste I’ve been denied for eons!”

As he drew Sol from her sheathe she timidly said. “I as well want to be fed. Father it has been a long time, but please wield me gently.”

“No Calgar, don’t do it!”

Auromi had heard the two sisters. In a panic she reached out to Calgar to try and stop him but it was too late. Calgar stepped onto the edge of the wall and with a small hop, jumped to the ground.

The approaching enemy saw one knight jump down. They were slightly confused. ‘What could one person possibly do?’ They thought. So they kept marching to the wall. The knight that jumped down began to approach. Some men laughed at his foolishness, but to the ones in front it was different.

They saw it. Even though he was hundreds of meters away they saw the crimson eyes peeking through the helmet. Upon meeting the eyes only one thought dominated their mind.

‘I’m going to die here.’

The front slowed down and those in the back yelled to keep moving. But who could do such a thing after seeing those eyes?

Not even a second. In the moment they blinked, the silver knight was in front of them. Brandishing two beautiful swords, he swung the black one horizontally in front of him. It left a trail of darkness as it moved through the air. In a wide arc in front of him, soldiers fell to the ground. They had all been cut in half.

Everyone couldn’t figure out what just happened. While they were thinking that the knight raised his other sword. Its golden glow dazzled them, as it too was swung. In its wake, a trail of light and more dead bodies lay on the ground. Finally the soldiers raised their weapons and charged.

The silver knight just casually swung his swords. A swing to the left and thirty heads left their shoulders. A swing to the right and forty torsos left their waists. The area was beginning to be caked in blood.

It didn’t take long for the soldiers to realize something was wrong. This was no ordinary knight. To be able to cut down so many people effortlessly was not normal. They began to back off and tried to make room for archers to fire arrows and magicians to cast magic.

But the knight didn’t care about that. As the blood began to flow, the crimson glow grew brighter. The knight who had not uttered a single thing since the beginning said a word none of the men knew.

Once the word was spoken the ground began to shake. It was like an earthquake struck. On the right side of Nerim’s formation, a giant maw emerged from the ground. Countless earthen teeth lined its rocky mouth. As it rose, hundreds of soldiers had been trapped and as they screamed for help the mouth snapped shut. From the sides of the mouth trickled blood.

At this site the soldiers lost it. Any form of discipline they had was nowhere to be seen. They tried to retreat back to their defense lines. As they ran an eruption spewed forth molten lava, blocking their escape and disintegrating any and all that were caught in the eruption or touched the magma.

The soldiers looked for a way out. To the right was the earth mouth that now had begun to seek out victims and crush them. To the front was the silver knight, now dyed crimson, who bisected dozens of men and women with each of his swings. And behind was a river of lava. There was only one direction left for them to run.

And as if to deny all hope of escape, black clouds gathered in the area and begun loosing blue bolts of lightning to the ground. Those struck didn’t even have time to cry out, as they became ash instantly.

Some soldiers fell to the ground in despair, tears streaming down their faces. Others prayed to the Gods for a miracle to save them from this hell. Others abandoned all reason and charged through.

From the top of the wall, the cannons were silent. Everyone watched the gruesome slaughter unfold.

“What… the heck… is that?”

“…A Demon? No… more like a Devil...”

“It’s on our side…right?”

“I know they are the enemy… but that is too horrible…”

The soldiers whispered among themselves without taking their eyes away. Yumi who was watching was confused. Who is that person down there? Calgar? No, Calgar wasn’t like that. He was kind and dignified and caring. He was a Father you wouldn’t hesitate to put your trust in. The person down there was a heartless killing machine. The aura they emitted was ruthless precision on how to efficiently kill their enemies.

But despite trying to convince herself otherwise, Yumi knew in her heart that it was Calgar. The link they shared told it to her. This emotion that she felt was vaguely what Calgar was feeling and it frightened her. No remorse. No hesitation. No mercy. But worst of all… happiness, excitement, joy.

These emotions were present and they scared her. She saw people die and the edges of her mouth twitched up. Was she trying to smile at this situation? Calgar’s emotions grew stronger and began to mix with her own.

She wanted it to stop. She wanted Calgar to stop. She wanted the war to stop. She wanted to stop feeling these emotions.

Without thinking she turned to the only person she could think of who could help her.

“Auromi…”

Auromi looked at her and saw the tears running down her face. Her mouth was in a half smirk as if she thought what was happening was funny, but in her eyes you could see fear.

Auromi pulled her into a loving embrace. Silently she used her magic to calm Yumi down and rocked her back and forth. Yumi’s eyes started to close, and soon she was fast asleep.

Auromi softly pat her head. “Poor child, I’m sorry you had to witness this…” When Auromi looked back the one-sided battle had already finished.

The ground was warped into a disfigured mess. The magma had cooled down and hardened, the black thunder clouds had dispersed and the mouth made of earth had returned to the ground. Standing in the middle of this mess was Calgar, soaked in blood. It glistened in the light of the setting sun.

The Nerim army suffered huge casualties. They had left their siege weapons and retreated as the battle had progressed. With no enemies left in sight and the fighting stopped, Calgar returned to normal and realized what he had done. He looked down and saw himself drenched in blood.

Luna sighed in pleasure. “Delicious. Absolutely delicious. I want more… Father can we go after the rest? Please? I’m not satisfied yet.”

Sol was more reserved. “Luna be quiet. You should be thankful we got what we did. Don’t be greedy now that you got what you wanted.”

“But it’s not enough! You want more too, admit it!”

“What I want is not the point, it’s what Father wants, so don’t act spoiled.”

“I find it hard to believe we are sisters sometimes.”

“I know the feeling.”

Calgar just looked at the remains scattered around him while the sisters talked. All he saw was death. What did they die for? What were they fighting for? He would never know the answer. Something had compelled him to fight. Was it the sounds of battle? The smell of blood? Whatever it was, he lost control, and because of that thousands had died.

He walked back to the wall and jumped up. The soldiers backed away and the students cowered behind them. As he looked over everyone he noticed Auromi holding Yumi in her arms. Concerned he steps forward, but Auromi held out her hand to stop him.

He stopped and asked. “Is she alright?”

Auromi answered. “It was too much for her to handle… both the battle, and her feelings. I’ve put her to sleep for now, but as for if she is alright I don’t know.”

Calgar looked at Yumi. He could see the dried tears on her cheeks and red puffy eyes. A sudden question made him turn around.

“Are you the one who annihilated the enemy’s army?”

The man who asked was General Velcose. Calgar responded to the question. “I am.”

“I see you are a spirit. Who is your summoner?”

“That would be Yumi Nishka, however talking to her now is impossible.”

The General looked down and saw her asleep. He nodded his head in understanding.

“I see. I need you two to come with me. This is an order.”

“…I understand.”

Reluctantly, Auromi released Yumi and allowed Calgar to carry her in his arms. He then followed the General as they headed in the direction of the Lord’s Manor turned temporary Headquarters.