Could I have done things better? Maybe.

But the thing that I must do now is not to think, bur rather make decisions and take action. Enough walking around and over-thinking bullshit and consequences.

The goal is to leave this thing called “past” behind.

And the oath awaits.

I need to give the oath, but there is no one to receive it here. Nearest hall is 3 weeks away by boat, and Anolat is frozen until spring. This whole thing would take too much fucking time.

Who cares if there is no one. I will finish with legion and continue.

Nothing changed.

And nothing will change.

I look around and there are still bodies and blood on the floor.

Do I explain the situation to Lord of Emeral? No he will already know about event, even before I meet him. My truth will be too late.

And the legion is not here to change his decision. Even if the someone from legion was here, on contrary, they would try to make me suffer, just to earn a single glance of Protus on them.

The past will never forget nor forgive.

I walk out of inn and in the direction of hall. The path there was eerily silent. As soon as I get there I channel mana into my lower body and slam my leg into the closed gates. It takes one more slam to make way for me.

Going inside I find that it really is empty. Nothing except the statue is left and even it is not closed with curtain to protect it from weather.

Doesn't matter I will finish everything today.

I come to the status of Zeron and clean snow of it as much as I can. After that standing before the statue, I take my upper clothes off and take out a small dagger. I cut horizontal line on both my palms after which the dagger return back into it's original place.

Taking a deep breath I start.

“We the Legion.

The ones who stand.

The ones who are neither dead nor alive.

The ones who crush the skies and bend the fate.

The ones who never rest.

The ones who always fought for what must be fought.

The ones whose blood will never die.

Blood river flows and never stops.

Thousand dead for each one drop.

We stand together, not alone.

ONE drop lost.

Ten billion more to flow.

We the legion.”

I finish the oath and place my palms on the statue. Here I should channel mana into the statue, but I never was able to. Reinforcement of muscles everything that I ever could accomplish with mana. “Defective one” as some called me. Enormous amount of mana, but its useless if you can't use it well.

I don't care about this whole religious bullshit, but I made a promise. And even though the ones I made promise to have been dead for quite some, it doesn't release me from my oath.

Sorry Kilan, I still don't believe this whole “Father of Blood” stuff. I have not been touched. I have not seen his will nor felt his warmth. Only crushing feeling that everyone I cared about are not in this world anymore. Our personal numbers will be in blood archive, left there for eternity, but only I am left to remember our true names.

Some documentation should be filled right now but I have neither access to blood communication nor anyone here can.

I should end it. I should leave a message for everyone else.

I take out dagger and scratch my personal number on the wall and cross it out. That should be more than enough, and I wouldn't be able to do more.

The city is submerged into nearly total darkness. There is no more sunlight but at least the blizzard week ended and the moons reflect some light.

I don't have time. I need to get to Toaan before ice breaks and travel to south on first boat. And that is nearly a month by foot.

OK, minimal goal established, now to current situation.

The mayor must already know that there is a legioner in city because of north gate guards, then he must also must know about dead guards in inn, result of granny's tongue more likely. Anything that can possibly happen next will just take too much time, and it is the one thing I have in the least. Best action is just to leave right now, I didn't fill my ration or get any better equipment, but there in no time. There is still snow around but I think I will be able to hunt something, those lazy guards are for sure retarded hunters and would not be able to catch even a fox, so there must be plenty of “stuff” around.

Wait. Guards. Shit. What if they have a skilled Wizard or Enforcer. My body is not ready for anything extreme.

Fuck me sideways in the ass.

Move out, NOW.

Why am I so slow in some points. Why? Did my expectation and caution drop because I lived in a remote region with half-witted deformed thugs.

In my current state I will not be able to take them on. My body barely returned to acceptable state. More meat on bones, but not enough for serious fight. And city is their terrain.

I run silently outside and in direction of south gates. As I hear footstep of guards that are running around I hide in the alley. Most of them are going in the direction legion hall and west gates.

West?

Did they really think that I would run to Zeronel capital in the west? Are they idiots? There are at least 5000 kilometers between us, and the path is filled with too many danger to count. It will take at least half a year to get from there to here.

Anyway, what is important right now is stealth, the thing I am worst at. I move between the alleys relying on my keen hearing and sight, I reach the south gates. There are too many guards running around the city. That's an overkill for one person.

There are 2 guards on top and in front of gates. And the gates of course are closed.

Great. Fucking great.

A solo guards runs to them shouts something, after which together with two in front he run west.

What? Lady Luck? What kind of shit is this. You rarely help me, and even if you do it is only to throw be into bigger pile of shit.

But I still need to use the opportunity.

The two on top are still standing there not moving, and are looking straight south and north from gates. I get close to wall and start slowly crouching to gates while being as close to wall as I can. I come to stand beside the stone stairs and make a quick snowball. I throw the snowball at the roof of house not so far from me. And as it hits the roof nothing happens. I make another snowball bigger and more compressed, and throw it at the exactly same location. It hits the roof with a thud, after which some snow from roof fall down with even a bigger thud.

I hear as legs going down the stairs, after which I see backs of both guards running in the direction of sound with their sword taken out.

What the actual FUCK? Why both of them? Are they really that retarded? Who will guard the gates?

Doesn't matter.

As soon as they turn around the corner, I quickly go up the stairs and top of it freeze. There is another guard, which was invisible because of my previous view angle. He has a bottle in his hand and takes a big gulp. He is not looking at me. As he puts the bottle down he start snoring quite loudly.

I slowly walk to the stone fence and see that there is a lot of snow back down on the left side of gates, which can help with the fall. I crouch in that direction and jump over the stone barricade on the wall. I already started circulating mana in my body so the landing should not be that bad.

I was wrong, it could hardly be called smooth. But I am already down and start running south.

This is too much. This can't be possible. How am I so lucky, or unlucky today.

Anyway I must get as far as I can from the Emeral in current weather condition.

…

I found a small cave about 3-4 kilometers from the city. This far should be enough. I will continue the travel in the morning. I checked that the cave is empty and started circulating mana to warm up my freezing body.

Tomorrow I need to get up early and continue my travel. It will be really bad if they have trained hunting hounds.

And there is my blood left in the city.

Was it mistake to give oath there.

No. I promised.

Sorry brothers this was the only thing I could do. A chapter of my life is finished and a new one starts.

I really hope there is afterlife.

Because I really want to see you guys again.