Varsis had oft wondered, in recent days, why Hisa had ordered for him personally to dispose of Maiako. He had come to the conclusion that she wanted to reward him.

Varsis stood in a factory, by the door. A golem factory, no less, complete with the latest technological marvels, such as magic-powered conveyor belts, and huge smelting pots, which were carried along the belts, until, from above, liquid steel and other ingredients could be mixed within them.

This factory, in the heart of Xiater, had cost a fortune to build, but it was worth it. Golem production was becoming exponential, as the golems themselves worked in the great forge. Soon, it wouldn’t matter how many other Houses the Makini had to take on. They would have enough golems to kill them all.

It was here, in the heart of Makini stability, that Varsis had been called to, away from the front. His services were no longer required, Hisa declared, and now, that seemed to be very much the case. The Makini won victory after victory against the Minsu, even without his presence.

And so, Varsis had been recalled as Mai had been taken, and he was now waiting for the Makini agents, who had risked their lives to capture her.

It didn’t make much sense to Varsis, why Hisa hadn’t just let those agents kill Maiako, and end the threat she posed, but Hisa had been very insistent, even as Varsis had been incredulous.

She wanted to reward him.

Varsis didn’t know what kind of monster Hisa thought he was, that he would get pleasure from ending the life of a helpless girl, but as he had been ordered, so he would do.

There was a reason for the locale, as well. Varsis had not only been told to kill Mai, he had been told to kill her, by thrusting her, from a platform, into one of the smelting pots, on the conveyor belt. She would burn as liquid steel spread throughout her, and then, she would die. Such was what Hisa wanted, not Varsis, but such was the deed that he was obliged to carry out.

Varsis looked to the far end of the building, to the door. Mai was here.

Through the door, two stone-faced Makini Guardsmen escorted a third, who came between them.

As the two came closer, to Varsis, and Varsis’ two own guards, who flanked him, the general saw the sorry state that Mai was in.

A black blindfold covered her eyes, and a black gag covered her mouth. She wore manacles, that bound her tiny hands at her waist. A chain belt was around her waist, and, to keep her hands steady, where they were, another chain connected the manacles to the belt.

Typical Makini precision had made it so that Mai could not budge her wrists. But that was not all. Mai’s legs were manacled together, with only the slightest bit of separation between them, forcing her to hobble along. There was yet another chain around her neck, and one of the guards who flanked her held it, like a leash, forcing the helpless Mai to waddle in the direction he wished.

In a pathetic mockery of her current status, Mai was adorned in a dress. A black dress, made for royalty, and fitted to perfectly accommodate her slender curves.

Black, at least, was appropriate, Varsis remarked to himself. Black, for the Makini, and black, for death.

Finally, Mai and her guards reached him, even as machinery clanged all around them.

Varsis beckoned for the guards to lead Mai up, until she was no more than a foot away from him, and then, he beckoned them to make her stop.

They did so, each grabbing tight a shoulder, in a way that would have stopped a hulking bouncer, let alone a helpless girl.

Varsis felt a wave of disgust roll over him. This was the last way he would have wanted Mai to end. Hisa was a sadistic bitch.

But she was also his mother, and also a Councilwoman, and so, while Varsis’ mind might be disloyal, his body would serve her to the ends of the earth.

Varsis reached out, and ripped off first the blindfold, then, the gag.

Mai stuttered, blinked, and spit blood on the floor. Apparently, she had not been kept very well. She looked all around, forgetting for a moment her condition, as she gazed at the wondrous machinery, and the golems that ran it all.

And then her green eyes turned to Varsis, and looked at him, carefully. Her breath was heavy, oh, so heavy, and yet she said not a word.

Varsis, as such, spoke first.

“It is law,” he said, “ancient law, that on one of noble birth can go to their death unable to speak, or with their senses impaired. And so, I obey that law.”

Mai looked at him, and as she did so, her feet made a tiny shuffle. A hopeless shuffle, one of defeat.

“You do, Varsis,” she said. “Oh, you do. I have had nightmares that a day like this would come, where I would be helpless before you, and you would kill me, and now, it seems might nightmares have been made manifest. My terror is real.”

And she looked at him, with those innocent green eyes, of hers, innocent green eyes Varsis had never known she had had, before.

“Enjoy yourself,” she said, softly.

Even though the words sounded defeated, Varsis noticed something. When he had come to kill her the first time, those were not the words Mai had said. Not by far. These words talked back at him, insulted him.

It seemed the girl had grown a spine, when she had been running from her destiny.

That made Varsis feel all the worse about what he had to do. But he had to do it. There was no choice.

He turned his back to Mai, and began to walk up a set of stairs, on a platform. The two guards who flanked him fell back, and so, Varsis only ascended with Mai, and her two guards.

As it became clear that Mai, in her encumbered state, was having trouble ascending the stairs, Varsis doubled back. He brushed he guards away from her, and helped her climb those stairs.

When they were done, they were upon a great, black platform, overlooking a conveyor belt, carrying giant pots of molten steel.

Varsis walked Mai to the very edge of the platform, and looked down with her, upon the great pots that slowly crawled below them, from left to right.

“You are going to push me in,” said Mai. It was not a question, it was a statement of fact.

“Yes,” responded Varsis. He wanted to tell her how, in his heart, all his hatred for her was gone, and he was honestly sorry for all this, but he could not speak those words out loud.

To do as much would be to speak dissent of Hisa. And that was something that he could not do. He was bound by honor.

And so, Varsis merely stayed silent, as Mai contemplated her fate.

After a few moments, conscious of Mai’s two guards, staring holes in them both, Varsis spoke. “You are entitled to a last statement.”

“Someone once said that, even if an evil fate seems inevitable,” said Mai, “it is best to delay that fate for as long as possible.”

She shed a tear, one that fell from the platform, into one of the pots. The molten steel hissed.

“I do not know what the truth is,” said Mai, not looking at Varsis, but instead down, at her fate. “So many things in this world are…contradictory. Neither good, nor evil. Neither black, nor white. I thought you were a good man once, and perhaps, you still are. Perhaps you are honor-bound to do your job, and that is the only reason why you will do this to me.”

Now it was Varsis’ turn to nearly shed a tear. She had laid him bare in a sentence, a sentence she did not even believe.

But Varsis kept himself calm, and collected. There were people watching. The guards, from behind. They could not see Varsis cry.

Mai continued.

“I am but a small person, in this confused and tangled world. Recently, I was taught that there was no fate, that the Natural Order is a lie. I do not know if I can believe that.”

She paused.

“But perhaps I can, for the world is not fair. I am ready.”

Varsis looked at her. She still wore her chain around her neck. Ungrasped, it dangled to her toes. Despite that hindrance, however, Mai’s head was held high. It was her eyes that gazed down.

Varsis, appalled and stunned at the image that stood before him, failed to move. He could have ended her right there, but for a moment, he stood transfixed.

Without saying anything, he took out a key, unlocked her neck chain, and let it fall to the ground. He then did the same thing with her leg fetters, and her wrist manacles.

Hisa had not asked him to do this, and Varsis knew the guards were watching, but he would not let Mai die, chained.

For one reason or another, Mai did not test her freedom. She merely stood were she was, as she did when she had no range of motion. Even though her hands were free, they were still neatly folded, at her waist.

Varsis he turned to stand behind her, and rested his hands on her shoulders, as she calmly stood, helpless against his strength, waiting to be pushed down into the burning agony below.

But before Varsis could do it, he felt a presence behind him. He had not become a general by learning to ignore his instincts. He whipped around.

Before him, stood Casari.

The demon wore jet black armor, and had a sword at his hip. His gray eyes stared coldly at Varsis. His thick black hair was dreadlocked.

At that moment, Casari didn’t look as if he brought death. His sudden presence was more than that. He was not just a mere bringer of doom. He looked like a heathen god, adorned in all dark glory. And for that moment, to Varsis, Casari was death.

The two Makini guards slowly edged away from him, even as Mai continued to stand by the edge, not turning, instead, staring down at the pots with their molten steel before her.

Varsis spoke, to break the edged silence, taking a step forward, to prove to Casari he wasn’t afraid of him.

“I know you are, Lord of the Fallen Host,” said Varsis. “I do not know why you stalk Mai so, but I have no fear of you. I have killed demons before, and I will do you in just the same.”

It was at the word Casari, that Mai finally turned. Out of the corner of his eye, Varsis watched Mai’s widen. Varsis couldn’t begin to guess her emotions, though. Did she feel hope, shock, or fear?

But Varsis didn’t know, and didn’t much care. His sympathy for the girl drowned from him, replaced by cold duty. The situation was no longer under complete control. Casari was a dangerous demon, and he had to be killed, just like Mai did. Varsis made a mental oath that neither would leave the factory alive.

“I will kill you,” said Varsis, to Casari.

The demon said nothing. He didn’t laugh in contempt, or cower in fear. He merely drew his brilliant sword, a sword Varsis knew was named Aurasing.

Varsis drew his own blade, Night’s Gale.

He and the demon faced each other. To break the silence, Varsis acted first. “Kill the girl!” he shouted to the Makini guards.

And then, a number of things happened.

As the guards came after Mai, as they were instructed, Casari rushed Varsis. Before the general could do much of anything, he felt a firm kick knock him from the platform. The kick was twisted, and sent him rolling down the stairs, the same stairs that he had helped Mai ascend.

As the rolling stopped, as Varsis found himself at the foot of the stairs, he got to his feet, took out a small Symbol, and put it as a bracelet on his off hand. Though small, the Symbol glowed with power, as Varsis activated it with a word.

This was not over.

Varsis rushed back up the stairs.

This was only just beginning.

***

Mai.

Who was she, now? She had thought to sacrifice her life, to keep the demonic Makini from rising to hegemony, but she had failed, and she had been captured by them.

And now Casari was here, just as they were about to kill her. Mai didn’t know why. Mai edged forward, away from the ledge, and the pots, even as the Makini guards edged, then ran away from Casari, down a set of stairs opposite the ones he had kicked Varsis down.

Casari ignored the men.

His eyes were only for her.

“Come Mai,” he said, extending a hand to her. “This is not the way I wanted things for sure, but everything can and will be explained.”

Mai recoiled back from him, even though that meant heading back for the pots.

“You are a corrupter,” she said. “You twisted lies in my ear for long, so long. I will say to you what I said to your men. I will not go with you!”

Her words rang clear in her ears, and they made Casari pause. Casari, Lord of the Fallen Host, clad in all the raiment of battle, was paused by her words. Something was not right here.

But Mai didn’t care, to find out what. After everything she had been through, she was too broken to care for the finer details in life.

All Mai knew was that he was evil, and if he was able to have her, once again, he would somehow use her to destroy the world.

Destroy the world.

He was Casari is Koranor. He was an arch-demon. That was what he did.

“Everything will be explained,” said Casari.

But then, before anything more could happen, Varsis was upon him. Varsis, who had charged back up the stairs, and now held a sword in his right, and a Symbol in his left.

Casari was swept away from Mai, as she watched him trade sword blows with Varsis. Casari back hopped onto the beams supporting the ceiling, from the edge of the platform, and Varsis followed him. Then, they were gone, dancing a dance of blades upon the rafters, a hundred feet in the air. Mai was alone.

But she was not the only one who noticed as much. Returned from hiding, the Makini guards rushed upon the Casari-free platform, and at Mai.

And she had no choice but to run from them, for the sake of her life.