Walter: “Well, I guess we all have a general idea of who everyone else on this island is, but I think we should still introduce ourselves.”

Walter, a man clad in black clothing, says in a relaxed voice, as if to say he is not at all worried about us trying to go against him. So to say, even if we do try to go against him, we won’t really stand a chance.

Sona: “I don’t have any problems with that idea if …”

She pauses now to make sure our attentions are on her next words.

Sona: “you start first.”

Hearing that, Walter smirks.

I, Sona and Sneha had come out of the tomb knowing that we’d be needed to face two monsters who may be capable of wiping us all out. However, fear isn’t exactly the word I’d use to describe our emotions at present.

Dyne: “Well, if that’s how you want it to be, let me start.”

Dyne, a man wearing a dark-brown robe and a black cape with a golden helm, says after hearing Sona’s suggestion.

Dyne: “I’m the leader of the official army of the Ghost Nation, which some people also call the Spectres Division. I’m the Spectre known as Dyne.”

As he finishes, his partner follows suit.

Walter: “Then next is me I guess.”

After taking in a long breath, he states,

Walter: “I’m Walter Schmidt, a psychic by birth and an ally of the Ghost Nation. I’m also hailed as the strongest man in the world.”

After that, the two of them and the three of us turn to the only other people here.

Ro: “Hah!”

He sighs and says,

Ro: “I’m Ro Garland. I’m a ghost now, was a half-psychic before. I’m currently working for the Vampire Kingdom, it seems.”

It seems? That sounds like he is unsure of whether he really is working for them. But in any case, we move on.

Dragon: “In case someone of you in unfamiliar with this, there are five types of dragons – Sky, Land, Sea, Volcano and Rock.”

He starts with that line so people who may not know about it might come to, and then continues in a melancholic voice,

Dragon: “I’m a sky dragon who was once a loner ruling the skies of the country that existed in the place you are all present in. That was the case until Ozyllus defeated me and forced me to join him, to which I had no choice but to comply to.”

“Calm down,” I tell myself. That’s all I can do at the moment. I can’t lose control of my emotions right now. I already know of how heinous that so-called god truly was but, I can’t help the rage that boils in me every time I hear about some of his ‘great’ deeds.

Dragon: “As I’m a dragon, I never once had or felt the need to have a name.”

Now that the five of them are done, it’s our turn now. So we start with Sneha.

Sneha: “I’m Sneha Stone, an Aural by birth and also a former student of Kirin Shrine.”

She stops with that. And so,

Sona: “Hah! Well,”

After a sigh as to say she doesn’t really have any interest in doing this, she says,

Sona: “I’m Sona Pectus, a spirit-user who has a mission to fulfill and will not let anyone interfere with it.”

With a scorn on her face directed at Walter and Dyne, she says the last past of her introduction, which was obviously a threat telling them to back off. Too bad, it wouldn’t be that easy.

Kais: “I’m Kais, a psychic. That’s all.”

That IS all.

Walter: “Just Kais, no surname?”

Kais: “Yeah, just Kais, no surname.”

The surname I am supposed to have is the name of those cowards who left me and Barry when I was just a kid. Barry was someone desperate for parental love and he couldn’t get it, because the ones who I am supposed to call parents were a couple of cowards. There’s no reason for me to attach my name with theirs.

Dyne: “Well, that’s that.”

Dyne says as he looks at me, his emotions I am able to tell even through his helm because of my aura-reading. I can tell that he is … determined.

Dyne: “There’s a war about to start. Which side are you on?”

Just as he says that, Ro seconds it,

Ro: “Yeah, I think we all need an answer to that. The Vampire Kingdom or The Dragon Alliance, which is it, Kais? And Sona too?”

I hear a cackle coming from behind me, probably from Sona.

Sona: “That’s a foolish question.”

As those around us, except Sneha and the Dragon, narrow their gazes at us, I respond with a smirk,

Kais: “We are on the third side.”

*******************************

Ethan: “That’s pretty hardcore.”

Says Ethan Kales as he looks at the empty coffin in front of him.

Ethan: “Now I really have no clue where his body could be right now.”

The man who said he’d stay back and will have a chat with his ‘predecessor’ is now just standing in front of an empty coffin wondering why it’s empty.

Ethan: “Yeah, not the best use of time. Probably should get on with it.”

He says in a plain voice as he turns around and looks at the place the three who were with him a while ago told him that there’d be some invisible floor.

Ethan: “Oh hell! Here goes nothing!”

He says as he tries to step on what seems like air but his foot stops mid-way, on the invisible magnetic floor that he had been told about.

Ethan: “Well, let’s just hope it stays like this.”

???: “You don’t need to do all that to meet me.”

Comes the voice he had never heard before, but even so, he instantly understands whose voice it is. After all, there is only one existence aside from him in the tomb.

Ethan: “So,”

He says while turning back to look at the empty coffin again, where his Eyes of Truth show a ghostly presence,

Ethan: “you are Sagax?”

Sagax: “Yes, I’m Sagax. The previous owner of the eyes you have now.”

Hearing so, a smile comes on Ethan Kales’ face.

Ethan: “Well then,”

Stepping forward with the smile intact, he says,

Ethan: “I have some questions for you.”

*******************************

Dyne: “You do realize there is no third side?”

Dyne asks in a sarcastic tone with a little anger in his voice. But, he is wrong about something.

Kais: “There used to be no third side.”

So I have to correct him.

Kais: “There is one now. And it currently has four members.”

As Dyne narrows his eyes, Ro asks,

Ro: “So I guess the fourth is that bastard?”

Sona: “Yeah, the fourth is Ethan.”

Sona replies immediately. And then comes the loud voice of someone’s laughter. That someone is Walter Schmidt.

Walter: “F-four members, seriously? Hahaha!!”

He says while being unable to stop laughing.

Walter: “Isn’t that a bit low?”

Kais: “It IS a bit low. But what does it matter if our objective is reached regardless?”

Walter: “Oh?”

As he calms down a little, while still laughing, he asks,

Walter: “And what is your objective?”

Sona: “It’s simple. We’re gonna destroy Ozyllus and his plans.”

The woman who shares my hatred answers before I could and so I just nod.

Kais: “Yeah, that’s how it’ll be. We’re planning on taking down Ozyllus and his plans … entirely.”

I made sure to show my resolve in my voice but,

Dyne: “That’s foolish. You’ll never be able to accomplish that.”

Kais: “And why’s that?”

Dyne: “In order for you people to pull off something like that, you’ll need to at least know everything that happened 1000 years ago.”

Dyne says something that we all realize to be the truth.

Dyne: “And no one, except that dragon who is about to die in a day, can tell you that. And well, let’s just say a day isn’t enough to tell you everything.”

A smirking voice comes, but not from me, not from Sona, and not even from Sneha. It’s the dragon who has a smirk on his face.

Dragon: “Yeah, that’s true. Even though time has returned to normal and so I would get a whole day to live instead of just two hours, I still can’t tell them everything.”

Even though his words make it look like he would, he doesn’t actually have any sadness on his face right now.

Dragon: “I thought Ethan may know everything but by the fact that he stayed behind to talk to Sagax, I know that’s not true either. However, there’s still a way.”

The dragon’s voice only has a triumphant smile as if he has fulfilled his purpose.

Dragon: “There’s still The Psychic Library.”

Dyne: “Oh, come on!”

Dyne says suddenly as if disappointed by the answer.

Dyne: “No one has found that thing in ages. We are at a point where we doubt it even exists.”

Dragon: “It exists, alright? It totally exists.”

The dragon says with the same smile.

Dragon: “And I know that it can be found, if you really try to find it.”

Dyne: “That’s weirdly optimistic.”

Dyne says as if the Dragon’s words don’t make much sense, which they admittedly don’t from a logical standpoint.

Dyne: “hah!”

He sighs and turns to look at me.

Dyne: “I can’t let you do as you wish for a hope that has no guarantee of even existing.”

He points his lance at me.

Dyne: “If you won’t join our side, then I’ll have to treat you as an enemy …”

I know what is going to happen next.

Dyne: “and the battle shall begin.”

I know what is going to happen next, because of the vines around Dyne’s feet.

Sona: “You are misunderstanding something, Spectre Dyne. The battle …”

She tightens her grip and the vines tighten theirs.

Sona: “has already begun.”

*******************************

Sagax: “Well, go on, my successor. Ask your questions.”

The ghost of Sagax says while seating himself over the edges of the empty coffin.

Ethan: “Hah!”

He takes a deep breath, and then lets it go. He has gathered all his thoughts and finally knows what the best question to ask is.

Ethan: “Tell me, how do we defeat Ozyllus?”

Taken aback by the unexpected question, Sagax widens his eyes, the eyes that were hollow.

Sagax: “You expect me to have an answer to that?”

Sagax’s whole body, or its ghostly form at least, starts shaking, with anger.

Sagax: “If I knew how to do it, he would have already been stopped.”

He sits back up as the anger keeps rising within his mind.

Sagax: “What the hell even is the meaning of such a question!?”

His voice, having grown coarse, and anger boiled further than the turning-point, he asks while his body shakes as if he’d kill someone.

Ethan: “The meaning of that question? It’s simple.”

Ethan, however, continues without so much as a tinge of worry,

Ethan: “It’s to tell you how powerless you are.”

Sagax: “Ha!?”

Sagax is left unable to understand those words by himself, and so Ethan continues,

Ethan: “It’s to let you know … that the fact that you can’t stop Ozyllus means nothing.”

Ethan had heard what Sona had talked to Sagax about. He could tell from that conversation what Sagax really thought of the four of them taking ‘the third side’ in this war.

Ethan: “It’s so I can say it to your face that your incompetence, doesn’t mean we’ll fail too.”

And so Ethan needed to break that belief of his predecessor. He needs to break the belief that his friend can’t be defeated.

Ethan: “Ozyllus will lose, alright? And we’ll make it happen.”

As he hears all this, Sagax is left bereft of words. How wouldn’t he be? This man who is completely ordinary aside from the eyes that Sagax too had, says that he’ll be able to stop Ozyllus, something Sagax tried too, but never could?

Sagax: “You … don’t mock me!”

He was angry before, he is furious now.

Sagax: “YOU THINK IT’LL BE THAT EASY!? YOU THINK I DIDN’T TRY TO DO THE SAME!? YOU THINK YOU’LL BE ABLE TO PULL OFF SOMETHING LIKE THAT, SOMETHING THAT I SPENT HALF MY LIFE AT AND COULDN’T ACCOMPLISH!?”

Ethan: “No.”

His answer is clear though. He never said he’ll be able to stop Ozyllus.

Ethan: “I can’t stop him.”

He’s powerless too. How can he stop him?

Ethan: “WE will stop him.”

Sagax: “What!?”

Baffled by the response, Sagax can only frown.

Ethan: “Kais, Sona, Sneha and me. We are four people. We can cover for each other’s weaknesses, and we can stop him.”

Ethan says in a voice that had no room for uncertainty, seeing which,

Sagax: “How can you of all people, the one who has Eyes of Truth, be so foolishly optimistic?”

Sagax just can’t wrap his head around it. How can this man be so certain that they’ll win at the end?

Ethan: “Hmm!”

What comes as a response though, is first a smile, and then,

Ethan: “Because I’m a human being.”

The answer.

Ethan: “Ask yourself an important question.”

He says as he stares at the empty coffin.

Ethan: “Why is Ozyllus god? Why is Abyss devil?”

There’s just one simple reason for it.

Ethan: “It’s because we, humans, believe it.”

And so,

Ethan: “If we stop believing it, their empires will fall.”

Sagax just stares at the man in pure … horror.

Ethan: “We humans are the only reason ‘god’ or ‘devil’ even have a place in this universe. We are the ones who gave them that place.”

The horror that Sagax feels is justified, after seeing the despair-filled eyes of the man known as Ethan Kales.

Ethan: “And since we gave them that place, we can take it away too.”

*******************************

Jin, the mole-spirit, manipulates the vines so they wrap around Dyne’s legs and immediately use the opportunity created by that surprise to tie up his hands too.

Sona: “Now!”

Sona says as the Aural beside her, who had used these few seconds to charge up aura in her hands, dashes forth and releases it all in a punch to Dyne’s gut, sending him flying at the trees that surround the clearing.

Dyne: “GAAHHH!!!”

Ghosts can still feel pain, which is a great advantage because it will slow him down. However, Spectre Dyne is not our main target.

Walter: “That was a slick move.”

He says, not wary at all of the obvious fact that he is our next target.

Sona: “Oh, it was just a warm-up to be honest.”

Sona says as a particular unnamed rabbit-like spirit dashes forth with full-speed at the psychic clad in black. However,

Walter: “Too slow!”

He calls the spirit running at half the speed of sound slow as he easily punches it away, which, wasn’t unexpected.

Kais: “You are the one who’s slow.”

I say as I make the ground beneath Walter’s feet shake. The fact that he stayed in one place so he could get a good hit on the rabbit-like spirit made him late to react to this advanced application of psychokinesis, called geokinesis.

Walter: “Oh shit!”

He says with a face that has finally shown a bit of anxiety, not to the fact that the ground is falling apart, but to the fact that his feet are unstable and so, he is unable to move away from the attack of the vampire-child-spirit, Sagzear, that was coming from behind him.

The blow lands on Walter’s face and he is thrown towards the tomb barely avoiding crashing into the structure.

On the other hand, our Aural friend seems to be a good match-up for leader of the Spectres. According to her own estimation that she gave us when we were in the tomb, she is probably weaker than Dyne but, not by much. She said if we gave her an opening to land a hit first, she will gain enough high-ground to be able to take him down.

Well, we’re betting on her doing that as we can’t offer any support aside from Jin, the mole-spirit. It really would take both me and Sona to take care of the opponent in front of us, who after getting hit by a punch that would blow a person’s head off, stands up and casually rubs on the dirt that his clothes have gotten on them.

Sona: “Tsk!”

She clicks her tongue. I know how she feels. This guy is clearly mocking both of us.

Sona: “Well, it’d be your undoing, Walter.”

Walter: “Somehow, I really doubt that.”

Walter says without even looking at us.

Walter: “I mean, seriously you had the element of surprise and this was all you could do. Maybe bringing you people on our side isn’t even worth it.”

Hah! Now you are going overboard, asshole!

The part of the tomb that was behind Walter then heats up and blasts off, because of a little something we call pyrokinesis.

Walter: “What!?”

Kais: “Who said our attack was over?”

I say mockingly as Walter finds it difficult to maintain his footing when everything behind him keeps hitting him again and again with the essence of an extremely hot pile of magma.

Sona: “We don’t care if you are the strongest in the world or not, we are not planning on losing.”

*******************************

Sagax stands in shock and horror as he looks at Ethan for many seconds, before finally gulping and saying, in a much calmer voice than he had moments ago,

Sagax: “You think I never tried to convince people that he’s not god? You think I never tried to tell them that Abyss isn’t the devil?”

He says with eyes that show his despair at the complete loss he is at.

Sagax: “I did. Hear me? I did.”

If he had a physical body, maybe tears would be welling up in his eyes right now.

Sagax: “But even I, someone who was renowned as the wisest man on the planet, was completely ignored.”

He tightens his grips.

Sagax: “No one. Absolutely no one listened to me.”

Seeing and hearing the despair in Sagax, Ethan gives no reaction. He had already seen this coming.

Ethan: “Here’s the thing, Sagax. The reason why they didn’t listen to you isn’t because you failed in convincing them, it’s because you never truly tried to begin with.”

Sagax: “What!?”

He says in disbelief.

Ethan: “Somewhere deep inside, you had the sentiment of wanting your friend, Ozyllus, to win and his enemy, Abyss, to not. That sentiment held you back.”

Ethan had once made a vow to never look away from reality. No matter how cruel that reality maybe, he made a vow that he’ll face it head-on. Sagax wasn’t completely the same.

Ethan: “You convinced yourself that you tried everything in your power to stop the war and so you kept mourning those who died in that war as if you had any right to.”

And Ethan, needed, to, make, that, known.

Ethan: “But you didn’t. You had no right to act as if you are a tragic hero, when you never truly tried to stop that bloodshed in the first place.”

He needed to make that known, to the one who knew it the best.

Ethan: “You never were and never will be a hero.”

As the words that struck Sagax’s heart came out like they were the most obvious things in the world, Ethan gives no reaction … at all.

Ethan: “You are just an ordinary man, whose sentiments make him even weaker than me.”

Ethan finally gives a reaction. He closes his eyes, opens them again and turns back saying,

Ethan: “And since you are weaker than me, you are allowed to leave your burdens to those who are stronger. They may be able to do what you couldn’t.”

Ethan Kales walks away without waiting for any reply, leaving his predecessor with the words that could fill in the gap, the gap that was remaining for him to be fulfilled … and rest in peace, at last.

*******************************

Dyne: “You can’t defeat me.”

The Spectre says after having finally gained the higher-ground in the battle.

Sneha: “Tsk!”

The Aural clicks her tongue in irritation, but,

Sneha: “So this is how far he had planned.”

Her irritation is not at being unable to overpower her opponent, it is at the fact that her partner knew this would happen and had given her a safeguard for it.

Dyne: “What the-”

The Spectre couldn’t even finish before the Aural takes out and throws a packet full of sand from the beach. While it is in the air and comes in the direct line from her fist to Dyne’s head, she punches it making the packet tear off. The sand particles, with the force given to them by an Aural’s punch, become able to hurt Dyne, and as the coarse little things keep hitting him, Sneha is able to get behind him and, with all the power she could muster, give a high-kick at Dyne’s head.

Dyne: “GAAAAHHHHH!!!”

The Spectre falls on the ground.

Sneha: “So this is why he was taking so much time thinking about things on the beach. He was thinking of ways to defeat these monsters.”

She understands that by the fact that not just her, but Kais and Sona were also winning by following the plan Ethan laid out for them.

Sneha: “Hah!!!”

She sighs exasperatedly.

One of the things Barry had told Ethan on the night they talked at the beach was that his preference for fighting anyone really strong like Spectre Dyne is attacking with fire, so to say, pyrokinesis. Ethan had understood from the fact that those two weren’t near the tomb when he came there that they were engaged somewhere else, which probably means that they were fighting Barry, Ro and the Dragon.

From there on out, it’s not hard to guess that Barry would have tried to take down Dyne to threaten Walter and so he would have attacked him with fire. Even if the ghost himself won’t have any wounds, his clothes and specially his helm, which seems to be made of a special metal, will have burns on them. All they need to do is sprinkle some sand with a lot of force on those marks to cause those burns to react and henceforth, the current results had all been planned by the man with Eyes of Truth when he gave Sneha that pouch of sand and told her the plan.

Sneha: “I hate to admit it, but I’m glad he’s on our side.”

*******************************

We need to be cautious. Even now, this can still turn around. Thinking that, both I and Sona keep ourselves ready to attack at any time.

However, at least right now, it doesn’t seem like we have any need to attack. After all, the strongest man, in the world is lying on the ground unable to move after having his back charred and a hole made through his stomach by a certain ridiculously powerful vampire-like spirit.

Sona: “Sagzear, be ready to attack again at a moment’s notice, no, not even that much time is guaranteed to be given.”

She says to her vampire-spirit, who obeys and stays near Walter to attack him as soon as he tries to move.

Walter: “Ugh!”

If Ethan’s plan works, we might not need to fight him again. But, I really doubt this is all it would take for the world’s strongest to go down.

Walter: “Why!?”

He asks in a voice which was rising in anger with every millisecond.

Kais: “Huh!?”

Sona: “Huh!?”

We both react at the same time.

Walter: “Why can’t I move?”

According to what Ethan said, the particular place that I blasted off with pyrokinesis has been painted in poison by him. So, that poison should be acting now. But,

Walter: “This happened before too.”

I had started wondering something after having peeked into Ro’s mind to see how the fight back there went. I was wondering why Walter let Ro and the Dragon keep hitting him with the same strategy so many times? I think I have gotten my answer now. It was because he was busy wondering about why such small amounts of poison are making him unable to move.

And now again,

Walter: “This poison I shouldn’t even be able to feel. Why is it working so potently on me now?”

He grits his teeth in anger and while I don’t share the sentiment, I do share the question. And seeing this, the dragon who is standing with Ro’s help observing this fight smirks.

Dragon: “Allow me to enlighten you, Walter Schmidt.”

He says as he points at Walter’s arms, no, the cloth on Walter’s arms.

Dragon: “That cloth has been sprinkled with a particular herb that spreads so fast as if it’s a virus and it increases the potency of any poison.”

Wait! There are herbs like that here? I guess it isn’t exactly out-of-expectations but,

Dragon: “Now when I think of who may have planted those herbs on you, there’s just one person aside from me and the girl who would know of it as he could have detected them with his eyes.”

The Dragon seems quite satisfied as he sees Walter down, as if he is feeling the taste of revenge by this scene.

Walter: “Tsk!”

Walter, as he understands everything that is said, clicks his tongue.

Walter: “Damn that brat!”

Ethan: “I’m already damned. There’s no point in cursing me anymore.”

The voice of the possessor of Eyes of Truth comes as he walks out of the tomb and turns to look at Walter.

Ethan: “What the dragon said is more or less right. You had fallen in my trap the moment you so casually walked past me while underestimating me.”

He says with a grin, a grin that perfectly displays the image of him I had built-in initially, the image of an evil bastard, what I now know Ethan is far from being.

Ethan: “And well?”

As he looks at Sneha to see how things are on her end, we do too. And well, it seems like she has Spectre Dyne on his knees. Seeing that, we conclude that this battle ends with our victory.

*******************************

Dragon: “You are gonna go through with it, right?”

Kais: “Of course I will.”

I say to the dragon who is lying next to a tree as his time is about to end.

Kais: “I’m gonna … We’re gonna destroy Ozyllus.”

I say in a firm voice.

Kais: “So you can rest assured, this world will move on to a better future.”

That voice isn’t there to sooth the dragon, but it is there to show him that I mean it when I say it,

Kais: “So rest in peace!”

Dragon: “Hah!”

He cackles and looks at the three of us, and Ethan in the distance.

Dragon: “I believe in you, Kais.

I believe in you, Sneha.

I somehow believe in you, Ethan.

And …”

He pauses as he looks at the only member left.

Dragon: “I believe in you too, Sona.”

Sona: “Tsk!”

Sona clicks her tongue.

Sona: “I … I am …”

Dragon: “You don’t need to say it. Your hatred towards me was because of Ozyllus. I don’t blame you for anything you did or tried to do to me … or the girl.”

The dragon smiles as he says that. I believe, for the first time in a long, long time, the Dragon is showing all of his emotions, not suppressing any of them. And seeing that, Sona doesn’t have the will she would need to refute him either.

Sneha: “Dragon,”

Sneha suddenly speaks,

Sneha: “That girl had a name.”

Dragon: “She … did?”

The dragon finds himself surprised, as do I and Sona.

Sneha: “Yes. I gave her name before she died.”

She said in a sad and solemn but also firm voice.

Sneha: “She was Lilly.”

For a moment, none of us say anything. And then,

Dragon: “I see. The flower Lily, I believe you humans consider it to be the symbol of innocence, right? Well, it fits her I guess.”

He says as a clear smile comes on his face along with slight tears in his eyes. He looks up at Sneha and says,

Dragon: “Thank you!”

He says those two words, maybe for the first time in his entire life, and that life … then ends.

*******************************

The ‘god’ and the ‘devil’ felt it. They felt a sudden tinge of sadness in them. At different places and at a different time, they had one thing to say.

Ozyllus: “So you have died, Sagax.”

Abyss: “So you have died, Dragon.”

They are people from 1000 years ago. And they can now feel it more than anyone else.

The ones who were with them 1000 years ago are long gone now. Whether they died with a smile or tears, they are gone. No matter what either of them does, they can never see the faces of their friends, comrades and families again.

Even if Ozyllus succeeds in everything he wants to do, or Abyss succeeds in completely stopping him, it doesn’t really benefit either of them in any way. They have lost everything now. They can never gain any of it back. They have nothing to gain and hence, nothing to lose. And so, completely disconnected from the world, they have truly become god and devil, just fulfilling their roles as the light and the dark.

Their stories ended a long time ago, and both were tragedies. No matter what happens now, those two stories will remain tragedies.

*******************************

Valdis and Reid, followed by the four generals walk, no, barge into the room of their strategist; and seeing that, a woman looks at them in disgust.

Woman: “What’s the meaning of this?”

Valdis: “We apologize for intruding, Darcy, but … but there’s something that I want to ask him.”

Valdis says as she looks at the figure sitting on a chair on the other corner of the small room, the man called the strategist of the Vampire Kingdom.

Strategist: “Well, what is it, queen Valdis? Ask away.”

Reid: “Show more respect …”

Reid is stopped by Valdis.

Valdis: “Barry, he … he … might have died.”

Strategist: “I see. I’m sad to hear that about your brother.”

Valdis: “Yeah, and … and that means that … we have grown considerably weaker now.”

Valdis shakes with sadness as she barely stops herself from tearing up. To help her, Reid continues,

Reid: “What our highness wants to ask you is if we can really win this war?”

The strategist slowly steps up from his chair.

Reid: “We are up against three factions who are all stronger than us individually, and now we lose Barry. So,”

Even Reid, however, has trouble asking the question.

Reid: “We don’t stand a chance, do we? Tell us the truth, won’t this war bring about the end of the Vampire Kingdom?”

The six who had come in the room, look at the strategist with despaired faces which showed that they had already accepted that they would lose and that there’s nothing that can be done about it.

Strategist: “No!”

But the man whose word matters the most disagrees.

Strategist: “This war won’t bring about our end.”

His voice doesn’t show uncertainty.

Strategist: “We ARE going to win this war.”

Valdis: “But the odds …”

Strategist: “Will be turned around.”

The strategist says looking directly in the queen’s eyes and then bowing down to her,

Strategist: “That, I pledge on my name, the name that means ‘hope’.”

The man whose name means ‘hope’ says with a firm resolve.

Strategist: “I, Bronzer, pledge that I will turn this war around.”

*******************************