Drake was dismayed to learn that they would not be able to reach Fort Newhouse by the end of that day. It meant the night out on the open and unsecure plains. Drake didn’t like this area; not only because of how defenseless they were there, but also due to the way they resembled the plains from the wilderness. From his time in the caged wagons Drake had endured countless hours staring out into endless stretches of grass and meadows. Seeing similar terrain now, it gave him a caged feeling.

The sky was cloudless, as it usually was. It seemed that Kami only sent clouds when he wanted it to rain and otherwise left his lantern clear. The only thing that diluted the sun now was the thin smog that rolled over to them from the burning of the forest. It was dark and unpleasant with a thick smell of smoke that wouldn’t leave. But the smog only seemed to make the air heavier and unbearable. The morning light was hot enough, but now in the afternoon, the Great Lantern sent punishing rays down on any who dared traverse openly.

Still, Drake and his group marched on in their pursuit of a safe location, their backs turned away from the desolate land they just fled from. The continued forest fire was just another reminder to Drake of his time in the wagons.

Drake grumbled to Ashton quietly as they walked side by side, “Now another jester has joined our group, as if Gatal wasn’t bad enough. I swear, these people are just appearing out of thin air. Why do they feel the need to stick to me?” Ashton didn’t know what a jester was, but he understood Drake’s meaning and he gazed back at the offending newcomer.

“He was kind enough to give us an escort and provisions,” Ashton said, studying the lieutenant that joined them. The newcomer wore his complete greyhood uniform proudly despite the heat; Ashton could tell he was the straight type of soldier. He was now walking with Gatal and talking with him about something that they couldn’t hear. The lieutenant led his horse behind him and had offered to let his horse carry some of the packs the men were burdened with. The men were grateful but Drake refused to let his pack go. “What are you upset about?” Ashton asked.

“Look how close he is with Gatal,” Drake stewed, looking back at them. “It can’t be a coincidence that he met us out here. You heard what Gatal said this morning; those two are surely plotting something!”

Ashton nodded and commented, “Looks like they know each other from before. I wonder how much Gatal told him about you?” Drake didn’t respond.

That morning Gatal appeared out of nowhere, more so than the lieutenant had, and had turned Drake’s world upside down. Standing on top of the small bank they had used as shelter, and towering over him despite his short stature, Gatal demanded Drake to leave with him immediately and follow Gatal. He didn’t say where to and was righteously unconcerned about the rest of the group.

Drake was stunned and outraged, asking why on Kami’s green plains, he would want to join Gatal. Gatal responded cunningly, “I can give you what you want Drake. You want freedom, right? I can give you that. If you come with me I can even take you back home to your beloved wilderness!” Drake noted with this offer with some satisfaction. The priest wasn’t omniscient if he thought that Drake had originated in the wilderness.

Drake had asked how that could be accomplished and Gatal had responded saying, “Come with me, Drake, and I will show you. I will take you away from this soldier’s life and away from the frontline. You have divine qualities in you that can be flushed out; together we can turn you into a being with great power!”

Drake shuddered despite the heat, remembering those words. He knew what Gatal was talking about, and he writhed on the inside thinking about the sleeping beast imprinted on his family ring. He still remembered the awful feeling of having his mind taken over by the ring. Drake violently declined the proposal, saying, “I would rather die, than let my mind be manipulated by you, or anybody else in this place!”

But Gatal was adamant. “This is not something you can pass on, Drake!” Gatal had said heatedly. “You are not a simple human, despite what you want. You hold a power far greater than you can imagine and you cannot waste away here on the frontline in a simple scouting legion. And you can’t pass up on the offers either.” Gatal continued his golden eyes seeming to spy into Drake’s heart. “There will never be another opportunity to escape this place without me, despite whatever abilities you may think you have. The world is a scarier place than you can imagine and you will surely die if you remain out here!”

Drake would have responded in a rage and told Gatal to go to hell, but Ashton had intervened before he could. Ashton insisted that he at least hear the man out, to listen to what he had to say. “After all,” Ashton said looking Drake directly in the eyes. “You promised me you would find a way to escape, did you not? You owe it to me, at least.”

Drake was scared and angry, but he reluctantly agreed to at least hear Gatal out only for Ashton’s sake. “But,” Drake ended with hostility. “I’m not discussing anything with you until my men are safe within Fort newhouse. Got that?!”

Gatal would have disagreed, but thought better of it. In the end, it was his turn to be grumpy. He had joined their march but Drake wished the priest would just disappear like the way he came. The Priest represented his worst fears and if not for Ashton, he would have run the priest off. But then the young lieutenant appeared as well and decided to toss in his lot in with Gatal, unexpectedly joining them as well. Now Drake was feeling increasingly frustrated as he felt he was getting caught up in events he couldn’t control. He marched ahead steadily, trying vainly to reach safety before night fell and to rid himself of the two pests as soon as possible. He had no idea what would come of him after that.

Vanyor, Heath, Horebour, and Micheal had been strangely quiet since Gatal appeared; Drake thought that they were in awe to see the general magistrate come to them personally to escort them to safety. Drake let them believe that.

It was in the afternoon heat that Micheal spoke, breaking the silence that had formed around the them. “Lieutenant Fallow,” she asked, speaking up loudly to reach the man several paces in front of her and facing the other way. “What are the conditions like in Central? How did the battle go on the other fronts?”

Fallow responded bluntly, “Last night the full retreat of all the outer regions had been issued. For the most part, except for legions like yours, all the land attacked was taken without a fight. And those that did fight were annihilated. There are few survivors, including yourselves. Command is still reeling from the blow.”

“How can that be?” Heath asked in dismay. “We have been successfully staving off the enemy’s advances for the last two months, how can everything be lost just like that?”

Fallow didn’t respond, so Drake did for him. He said bitterly, “Obviously, the enemy is much stronger than had been anticipated. We hadn’t been staving off their attacks; those advances were just feelers of the enemy. Last night was the real attack; we should have retreated like we were ordered to.”

There was a moment of silence and then Fallow said with a frown, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Hourbore tried to shrug it off, “We knew there would be casualties in the fight. We have lost men before. All is for the Glory of Kami you know. I will probably take my place soon too in the Halls of Kami…” His voice trailed off.

Heath spoke up as well, “It was just so sudden, you know? We didn’t even see it happen, just next thing we knew we were the only people left.”

“Why did you stay?” Fallow asked, voicing a question that was on his mind. “Orders were for the scouting legions to withdraw, what were you trying to accomplish by staying?”

“You bring up an interesting point.” Gatal said, joining into the conversation. “But it was the commander’s decision to let the groups that wanted to stay to be allowed to.” Gatal added sarcastically, “If the men wanted to die for Kami so badly, who are we to stop them? Far be it from us to disallow the pure hearted to follow through on their holy work!” Hourbore shifted uncomfortably at his words. Gatal continued, “You people have survived last night though. What happened? How did the enemy wipe you out so easily?”

Gatal looked to Drake but Drake merely said, “Ask the magician, he can tell you.” He turned away from them.

Gatal and Fallow turned and looked at the magician in turn. Caught off guard, Horance cleared his throat and said, “The enemy used powerful magic to overwhelm us. They confused and disrupted our ability to communicate. They had first sent in fake images of soldiers to lure and spread out our forces, and then they encircled us and killed us off one by one. I-.“ he stammered slightly, “I have already sent my report through the priestly network.”

Gatal turned serious and stopped in his tracks, confronting the magician, “They sent in fake images? Explain.”

The whole group slowly came to a halt as well, waiting for the magician who suddenly planted roots. They followed Gatal’s gaze and soon all eyes were on the magician. He swallowed nervously and said, “The enemy cast spells that affected our senses! Things that we saw and felt were not actually real, but some of the things that were real could not be seen! We use lighted arrows to communicate across groups, but last night the sight was always intercepted and nobody was able to confer news and information. Lieutenant Dravis and I couldn’t communicate anything to our men.”

“And this was everywhere?” Gatal asked his tone and gait completely different than his usual appearance of apathy and boredom. This sudden change was making Drake nervous.

Micheal answered his question, “Yes, it was everywhere. Drake and Ashton where only a small ways away from each other and our arrows couldn’t even reach each other!”

Heath chimed in too, “And Horebour and I ran into the ghosts twice, at two different locations!”

“Is such things possible?” Fallow asked, looking skeptical. “I have never heard of such warfare.”

“Anything is possible if there are enough magicians,” Gatal said gruffly, flinging his cloak around and impatiently marching forward. “Count yourselves lucky to have escaped at all,” he called back. “And do not mourn too long for your comrades, I am sure you will get the opportunity to battle the enemy soon!”

After a moment, the group started moving again, talking amongst each other, questions about the meaning of such magic and the possibilities of continued warfare in the near future. Micheal was asking Fallow about the conditions of the frontline and Drake took the opportunity to sneak up to Gatal who had moved ahead swiftly.

“Hey,” he said aggressively, trying to catch up to him. “Hey, what are you so worried about, huh? I’ve seen you magicians do amazing things before, how is this any different?”

Gatal grunted, “You are either ignorant or have extraordinary experiences Drake. I suspect the latter from you. It is not so easy to perform miracles as you might think. Our army runs a strong and fundamental note of magic that dissolves and jams any of the petty tricks the enemy magicians might create. Otherwise, in battle a simple priest could crush an army. Sure, it is easy enough to confuse a mortal man’s eyes, but not against our soldiers.” Gatal sighed and looked at the sky. “It would take considerably strong magic to do what your magician suggests happened. Especially, when considering it didn’t just happen in your region, but in all the outer regions.”

“What makes you think this has happened to all the regions, and not just ours?” Drake challenged.

Gatal snorted in amusement, “Your region was the most insignificant region to take, and they would not use such a powerful weapon simply against you! The only way you could have been affected by it is if the entire area attacked faced the same predicament.”

Drake considered his words and asked, “Does it worry you?”

Gatal turned to Drake and said sincerely, “We have never seen this level of magic before. The power frightens me!”

The rest of the flight became muted. Soon the energy and excitement from the two meetings wore off and they remembered that they had just spent the entire night prior also fleeing. Their pace dropped considerably and even Drake felt the need to stop and rest. They had been marching all evening with only a short rest for food and drink at a small stream they had arrived at.

In the late evening, suddenly Horace let out a stifled cry, startling the men. He cried out again and swooned. Hourbour was closest and grabbed hold of the man before he toppled over completely, “What’s wrong?!” Hourbour asked anxiously. The group came to a weary halt.

Gatal hurried up too and asked quickly, “What’s that matter?” After a moment, horace seemed to be feeling better. “I’m alright, I’m alright,” he said angrily, trying to tug away from Hourbour, but the man held him fast. The magician seemed ashamed to be helped by the human but he was still unsteady.

“What happened?” Gatal grilled him. “What’s going on with the network?”

“I don’t know,” horace responded still holding his head and upset, he yelled back. “Aren’t you connected as well? You tell me!”

“I’ve disconnected myself from the network a long time ago, tell me what happened!” Gatal spat.

But the magician was aghast, “You weren’t connected to the network?” he swayed again. “Everybody must be connected, why haven’t you been connected?”

Gatal planted his feet squarely and dominated the younger and taller magician, “You don’t need to know.” Gatal thundered, “Now tell me what happened!”

“What the Hell is this network?” Drake asked, stepping forward and grasping Gatal’s shoulder. “What the hell is going on?”

“The network is how the magicians communicate across long distances,” Fallow replied with concern, also stepping up. “Don’t ask me how it works, though, I do not know.”

“I’ve been forcibly disconnected!” the magician finally answered, his lips trembling. He started shivering all over as if he had caught a chill.

Gatal shouted back, ignoring the clearly unsteadiness of the magician. “That’s impossible! Get your act together, fool!”

“What does this mean?” Heath asked nervously, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword around his waist. He turned around, looking for any enemies nearby.

Gatal was beside himself and didn’t answer and stomped around a bit. Fallow said instead, “Perhaps this is another form of attack by the enemy. You said they had done this before, right?”

“No, it’s not!” the horace snarled, regaining his energy somewhat. “Before was a simple sensory influence. It’s impossible to break the network; it’s never been broken before. It’s something else!”

Eyeing the distressed magicians, Drake said calmly, setting a mood, “Let’s stop here for tonight then and find a place to rest.”

Michael spoke in answer, “There is still plenty of light left, and we can keep marching.” She had been leaning on her spear and looking out against the setting of the Great lantern. She turned to Drake, “I would like to keep going.”

But Drake shook his head, “We will not make it to the fort until tomorrow anyway, and we are all exhausted, including you! Besides,” he said, looking slyly back towards the Horace. “It looks like our esteemed priest will need a break now.”

Gatal broke in heatedly, returning from wherever his thoughts had led, “No, we must keep moving! The network has been breached, something terrible must be happening. We will not be safe here!”

Drake looked at Gatal for a moment and then looked out across the plains. There was still light see and their field of vision from their current spot could see miles in each direction. All was quiet and peaceful, except for the black rolling smoke now miles and miles behind them. He said, “There is no activity anywhere on these plains, much less an invading army. I think we will be fine for now. Especially when we have a powerful magician keeping awake and on guard for us such as yourself,” He added sarcastically.

But Gatal protested, “No, we must move! Can’t you see the signs? The network has been compromised; we do not know the entirety of the damage. This kind of attack is unimaginable!”

But Drake scowled and said flatly, “What is this network, I have never heard of it before. I’m not sure you two are overreacting because of you pride as magicians and your beliefs in the all-powerfulness of yourselves. Get over it.”

Drake turned away from Gatal as the priest looked like he had been stuck by a battering ram. Ashton felt more concerned about the news than Drake was and, looking at the lieutenant, saw that Fallow was as well. But he couldn’t deny that all he wanted to do at the moment was to lie down and find a comfortable nook to sleep in. Without a word, he, and the rest of the men spread out in search of a satisfactory spot to spend the night. Their standards had fallen low as their weariness grew so soon a location was found. The men rested on their packs and dreamed of the golden halls of Kami with their weapons lying close beside them. Gatal remained indignant though and kept pacing back and forth, muttering under his breath, and pestering Drake every other minute.

“Shut up!” Drake hissed, finally annoyed. He had enjoyed seeing the magician upset, but it was unbelievable how agitated the magician was now. Drake was sure that if Gatal could, he would have simply taken Drake away by force. He felt a little pleasure to know that Gatal was powerless to him.

Before Gatal could say anything more, Fallow swooped in to his rescue. “Gatal, Drake is right to remain here tonight and secure at least a little rest for his men. They should not be forced to march on in their condition.”

“Fools!” Gatal snapped. “Idiots,-.”

Fallow cut him short again, “nothing you say will be able to change this, so just, calm down, and take it easy. Just deal with it.”

Gatal glared at him, flexing his hands as if pretending to strangle them both. He relaxed slightly and said, “Whatever, it’s not like I will not be able to escape anyway. You take your lives into your own responsibility.”

“Excellent,” Drake responded back, hoping that was the end of it, and trying to get comfortable on the thick itchy grass. “Just like I wanted it. Maybe now I can actually get some rest.” Gatal glared at him again, but said nothing. He sat and turned away, facing the plains.

Before Drake could sleep though, Fallow spoke again, “Actually, now, while we have time, I would like to have my questions answered. Your rest will have to wait.”

Drake grunted, “What? Time? What time? I am supposed to be asleep already.”

“Still,” Fallow said ignoring him. “I have left my post to follow Gatal. I need to know why now and what he is planning.”

Drake rolled over and said, “Doesn’t concern me.”

Fallow didn’t respond but after a pause Gatal turned back and peered at them. “But it does concern you Drake,” He hissed at him. Drake popped one of his eyes open to look at the priest. The Great Lantern was almost gone now and Gatal’s face was in a half shadow. Two golden eyes could be seen shining out of the hooded face. “I too, have left my post to find you Drake. I have sacrificed much for you, I disobeyed orders and left you unindoctrinated in the dungeons. I hid you from the eyes of the spellcasters in the city so that you could get through unnoticed. And then spent weeks trying to track you down in this forsaken frontier after your level unexpectedly left the training halls. I spent that time constantly worrying about you and your place, wondering whether you had met your end already to the enemy. Don’t you dare frivolize the efforts I have put into you already, I have sacrificed everything for you. There are hundreds of other deeds I could be doing now, including using my extraordinary powers to help fight and protect the legions that are now under attack. But instead I have chosen to come find you out here. I will not let my sacrifices be in vain!”

The other men were asleep already and their soft breathing could be heard in the silence. Horace was asleep as well for the first time, resting from his suffering under the network. Ashton was close by and awake though, keeping an ear to the talk.

Angered, Drake spoke, “Like I said, that doesn’t concern me. I didn’t ask you to do all those things for me; I do not owe you anything.”

Gatal’s eyes flared in rage, “You ignorant rutnog, you…” he paused and then added. “This is something bigger than you Drake, you must understand. A man in your position holds responsibilities. Wake up Drake!”

Fallow broke in, “I’m sorry to interrupt.” Drake looked up at him but the lieutenant was staring at Gatal, “Did you say that you left this man go undoctrinated?” He seemed unable to believe it.

“Not just me,” Drake answered happily. “But Ashton here too. We have not been blinded by the teachings of the priestsk, here.”

Fallow turned and looked at Ashton who waved back halfheartedly while still lying down. Fallow’s mouth worked silently as if he couldn’t find words, liek was fighting internally. They waited patiently for him to speak and when he did, it was with a quivering voice. He said shakily, “You had better tell me what you are doing Gatal. This is a breach with immeasurable illegal activity. I cannot begin to comprehend it.”

“You probably couldn’t comprehend it Lieutenant,” Gatal countered. “It’s something beyond you, so far beyond the tiny world you and everybody else here lives in. There really isn’t a point in explaining it. Just go to sleep”

“Don’t patronize me!” Fallow spat. “I know far more than you think, I have spent time with the scholars in the library. They have revealed the truth to me. The truth about the cult of Kami!”

Gatal answered back with cruel sarcasm, “Do you now? The cult of Kami you say? Why, you must know everything now that you went to Central Library! Tell me lieutenant, what are all the names of the lands nearby, the number of trees in the forests of Grace, and also in what direction and with what force the enemy may attack next??! I had doubted those old men had any backbone left in them, but good for them to have found a disciple, for all the good it did.” He paused and added, “Those priests hide themselves in the library, fearful of their own knowledge, and their teachings are meaningless before the might of the enemy!”

Drake expected Fallow to explode in fury as well. But he learned something of the man’s character when he simply waved it off and said sternly “Tell me what you have done and why and if I am not satisfied with your answer I will report you to the council!”

Gatal was stunned and after a moment he actually laughed, “You are threatening me? Don’t you know who I am?” he stood up and said sternly. “I am the former Lord Magician of the imperial greyhoods, the general magistrate of the frontline, and the personal attendant to the former General-Commander Soul. I could destroy you, or as easily wipe your memories of this night, so watch your tongue!”

Fallow was unimpressed with Gatal’s words and eyed him angrily. Drake felt the tension between the two rise and Drake feared Gatal might actually attack so he added dryly, “There was quite a lot of “formers” in there Gatal, what happened?”

Fallow stared at Drake and then rolled his eyes. Ashton snickered softly in the background. Gatal looked to explode again, but then sighed and lay back, lying on the tall grass behind him as though giving up. he remained quiet and Drake hoped they were done for the night. But soon Gatal spoke again, still lying on his back, “There is little hope in the war, you know? Everybody, including myself, have given everything for it, but I know that it will be lost. I had lost hope a while ago; I know that we will lose. I have only one goal remaining now.”

“You sound like Vorash,” Fallow commented. “He said something similar.”

“Vorash is an idiot,” Gatal said violently, sitting up. “He has already given up on the frontline, hasn’t he? The fool, he doesn’t realize its importance.”

“Neither do I apparently,” Fallow said solemnly. “So tell, from the top. Explain to me what you are planning and why. I will be able to understand.”

“As will I,” Drake said, adding into the conversation despite himself.

Gatal looked at them and threw his hands up, “It apparently matters little either way.”

Drake shrugged, “We are waiting. You tell us that you put so much effort into this but you won’t say why? Sounds suspicious to me.”

Drake meant to get a rise out of Gatal, but clearly it didn’t work. After a moment, the man said on his own, “Do either of you know what a vessel is?”

“Yes!” Fallow responded quickly. “I believe I do know. They are the guardians of Kami’s temple, right? They are powerful magicians, perhaps the most powerful in the city. I saw one at the head councilman’s party a while ago actually. Truly an amazing sight!”

Gatal nodded, “You are close, Fallow. The vessels are tied directly to Kami, they exist as an offshoot of his power. They are not magicians, which are beings that are born as part deity and have power innate. The vessels only obtain power through their contract with god.”

Fallow nodded, “Yes, I believe my teacher said something along those lines.”

“Did your teacher also tell you, Lord Knowledge, that Kami is not the one supreme god of the universe, but that there are actually many gods each with their own territory?”

Drake knew this would be a real blow to any decent soldier of Kami and he watched Fallow carefully. The man hesitated and then said reluctantly, “Yes…” then he said quickly. “How do you know all this, anyway?”

Gatal said back indignantly, “Don’t you know what I am, lieutenant? I am the foreign magician that had been gathered up by the former General-Commander Soul. Do you not realize what that means? Like you, I am not a native to this territory, but unlike you I have not come from the barbarian and godless wilderness. I have come from another territory. I had once lived and served another god. He too, had his own Vessels. Most gods have them!”

Fallow seemed unable to comprehend it and sat frozen. Gatal asked dryly, “Should I continue, lieutenant?”

Fallow replied hoarsely, “But what does this have to do with Drake? Why are you telling me this?”

Gatal lazily, turned his eyes over to Drake and Drake felt his blood freeze at the look. Suddenly he knew what Gatal was going to say but before he could protest Gatal spoke, “Because Drake is a vessel of another God.” Seeing the look on Drake’s face he continued, “Oh, come on Drake. What else could you be? You must have realized it; I refuse to believe that you have no idea about this! You clearly have come in contact with a god and have formed the contract with him. There is no point in denying it. The ring around your neck says it all!”

Drake made to protest but again, before he could, Ashton spoke, “It is true, Drake is a vessel of a land god. It’s the reason why we have not been indoctrinated like the others.”

“Ashton!” Drake threatened but Ashton ignored him.

“Based upon Drake’s own account of what happened and your explanation of what vessels are, what else could he be? Drake refused to be the vessel willingly though…”

Drake felt betrayed and looked at Ashton in anger, but Ashton smiled carelessly back. Gatal spoke happily, “Alright, now that that point is settled and clear to everybody.” Fallow looked a little punch drunk and Drake was rebellious but Gatal continued lightly, “My plan is simple. Drake obviously is not trained on how to use his powers as a vessel, so I will teach him. Once trained his strength we will be immensely helpful in driving back the enemy and could potentially help win the war. Simple, no?”

Fallow nearly bit his tongue in reply, “Him? A vessel? Are you crazy?” He jumped up in his agitation and implored Gatal, “Have you seen Kami’s vessels, Gatal? Have you ever been in their presence? They give off an unmistakable aura of holy power, to compare this man, or any man with them, is folly! You insult Kami, even by suggesting it.”

“I understand, what you are saying,” Gatal replied back nodding back, taking his words seriously. “I have seen them and they are truly wonderful beings. Clearly, they are beyond us in every way. But would you believe me if I told you that they were once humans, just like you or me?” Fallow scoffed but Gatal continued, “They were once simple men and only after having become a vessel have they become fully realized arms of Kami. Drake could be the same!”

Drake wanted to argue back, but Fallow was doing it for him. “This is ridiculous. Even assuming you are correct about this,” Fallow said indignantly. “Your plan is simply to teach him how to use his “divine” powers? Isn’t he the vessel of another god? What is he doing here? Why is he not with this other god? Why hasn’t he been trained already? What is he even doing here? There are too many unanswered questions, Gatal. And after you teach him, you plan on simply unleashing him on the enemy? Do you have any idea whether Drake would actually comply with your orders? I mean, no offense,” he added pointed to Drake. Drake gestured that he would not be offended and Fallow continued, “But from Drake’s point of view, he has been a victim of countless acts of violence against him by this city and its god. What possible motivations for loyalty to The Endless City could he have? He probably hates this city! How is this a good idea? What assurances do you have that this will work and not just backfire on you? What’s to stop him from wiping us out instead? In other words, are you out of your priestly mind?”

Gatal made to answer, but he got distracted for a moment. He looked down to his left and mumbling to himself. Fallow looked on in bewilderment, not knowing if he should be expecting an answer from Gatal. Gatal looked up again suddenly and just as Fallow made to question him, a completely new man materialized before them. Fallow and Drake let off a yelp in surprise.

Gatal chastised him, “Silence you fools! This is just a communication from Central. Now be quiet!”

Now that Drake was looking at the image closely, he could tell it wasn’t real, it was shining slightly and was translucent, like the phantoms that had attacked him yesterday. The figure wore a dark blue uniform with a gold sash across it. He was a man about in his 50’s and when Gatal saw it clearly, he whispered out, “Commander Soul…”

The figure spoke, “Gatal, as you are probably aware, the network has been compromised. We can no longer communicate with all of our troops on the field. Along with it, the enemy has made steady advances along our western front, securing most of the forest already. It is clear that they are heading straight toward Central and I predict that they will arrive, at latest, tomorrow evening. At this rate, the Frontline will be overwhelmed with n the next few days. The enemy has always outnumbered us, but now it seems they also are overpowering us with divine might.”

The figure shifted slightly and spoke again, “But still, I cannot order a retreat to the city. I have been give orders to hold the frontline at all costs, and I must obey my lords, even if it means the ultimate sacrifice.”

Gatal let out a small whimper, but the figure continued on, uncaring, “This communique is being delivered out by Vorash, and in this troubling time, he has proved to be most useful. But I am afraid this setting is beyond his abilities. I had let you go because I trusted you had important work to accomplish, but now I am asking you to return to me. Gatal,” Soul said solemnly. “I need you by my side right now, more than ever before. If we are going to be able to survive this battle, I am going to need your strength.” The figure looked away and said, “I have no idea where you are right now, nor even if you are even getting this message. I can only hope and pray to Kami that you will come back. I believe that together, we can find a place for our victory even in this mess.” Soul looked back and said, “end of message.” The shining image of Soul dissolved into nothing in the air. All that was left was the shock from three men.