With meat and water in fur skins, I made sure no one followed in this dense forest. "We are destined to defeat the demons, for the great war has just started." I growl, Thadius listens to this nonsense?! He looks over to me and I smile, "That's a very nice imagination you got." The man stands and turns, "Are you deserting?" I clench my fists, "These children are my duty." His face scrunches up, his voice aggressive, scratchier, "Let's have a talk when they're asleep." He really wants everything to be normal again?! There's no going back.

Daylight turns to night, I tear up meat into small bites. I never even raised a kid, what do I do? The amber-eyed Slim steals a sliver of meat from my fingers. I turn and he laughs, I laugh too. Gladius and Thadius give each other their own halves, then hug. I shed tears and look up as everyone else laughs, You would have loved this, Sofiel.

No clue how long it took, but the children fell asleep. I glare up at the angel, "So you wanted to talk?" "These children are the future. They're coming with me." I stand, "You will not raise them for a war." He stands up, "I can and will. Fate says we shall win, the oracles told us so." I snarl, "Tell that to my comrades that stayed put, while I took these children so they wouldn't die as well." "They must not see that far out. The arch-oracle, his dying words is that we'll all die without the heroes of tomorrow." The Arch-Oracle was my supervisor. He said that too many sunsets ago. "You won't be taking them." He raises his spear, "Then your body and blood shall nourish this forest."

Bright and orange reflective sets of eyes watch from the shadows. I pull out the knife and he goes to slice me. I jump back, hunch over to grab my arm, searing pain. He makes his next move with determined eyes. He stabs and I slice at the spear, it goes to the side, I close the distance as he gets ready to block. I cut the spear's shaft in half. He kicks me back and squares up. I raise the knife, These children will make most of their choices! Fate will be what they decide!

I square up, These children, they musn't be corrupted! I know it's fate, they will drive back the demons! He raises the knife, but he flashes, each one, a different being. Demonic left wing, Angelic right, frail human body, Void children, all Nephilem. Millions of them flash by as he charges towards me. I quiver as he's almost to me.

I swing the knife down, Thadius calls out in a demanding tone, "No." I halt and I turn to him. His metallic eyes stare back, a blank, kind of hopeful expression. I whisper, "Leave at dawn." He clenches his teeth. "I'll be back, probably with the resistance we have left."