On the back of horses, in their vehicles driving down the snake roads, some travelling through the fjords, and some through the sky on their winged mounts. A magnificent display, the citizens marvel, expressing their best regards, their hands clasped in their prayers to the gods, as they view as hundreds of adventurers, men and women of different provinces, make their way to the south, to Strongcastle, to where they have been called, the brave and the heroic, to come forward to the frontlines. And in a district within the capital city of Dragonford, is a pub filled with adventures, their gestures filled with thrill, their eyes dazzling, as they watch as soldiers stick up a paper onto the notice board, their eyes drawn closer by their feet that pull them in, many of them grouped around it, their jaws dropped, their voices all wording the same thing, to the call to the southern province, to join the war effort, one joining with looking at this invitation with hesitance, his head wrapped around whether or not he wants to go, wondering if he could do good out there, thinking of the possible glory he could attain, it is Nahshon who ponders, a great sigh as he does, then looking up to the tv of a news report that details a press conference held by the Highsword about two hours ago.

"Just this morning, our King left for the north to battle a threat that endangers our national security. This danger is not only a threat to us, but to our neighbouring nations as well," The recording of the Highsword speaks, his face flashed by the hundreds of cameras before him. "Fellow Verencians, as his people, we too must play a role in this fight, the battle to protect our loved ones, our nation, just like his Majesty is doing now. Starting today, adventurers, I speak to you. I implore you to join the war effort, fight for the ones who have been hurt by these monsters, and fight alongside your king. Let him come home to a nation set free from this terror"

"A real war, huh? Man," one adventurer shakes his head.

"What, don't tell me you are scared??" Another laughs.

"Pshh...please. As a matter of fact...how about we join tomorrow?"

"Of course we will, we're gonna let the others take all the glory, especially while his Majesty has joined the frontlines too? Man, I hope he's alright..." The second adventurer scratches his head, Nahshon behind as he ponders with listening to them both, how they seem laid back, not worrying.

So he leaves the pub, the air chilly with a street filled with passers, on feet and in cars, on horses or walking beside one, guessing to himself, on how many are journeying their way to the south, his eyes then bowing to the ground, his head filled questions and possibilities, then looking up to a place, with a distant memory felling like yesterday, the day the king placed the sword his hands, to the King's castle in the distance, that he thinks upon, startled by the honk of a passing vehicle that takes him out of his moment.

***

The evening hours now painted onto the sky, every tv in its establishment is set on the news of the King in the north, by a bar Nahshon finds himself, a half-full glass of apple juice on his table, joined by his friend Ezek who has gotten himself a beer, fitted by a light snack of sandwiches for them to both share, Ezek realizing as Nahshon has been staring into space this whole time, seeing as the boy then turns to him, curiosity on the tip of his tongue.

"Hey, how good is that stuff you're drinking?" Nahshon points at his partner's beer, Ezek highlighting the bottle, the brown coloured fluid shining in the bar's warm lights.

"It does, yeah," Ezek smiles as he pops the bottle, letting from it a ghostly frost from the inside. "Wanna try some?"

"Hmm...actually, yeah. I'd like to"

"Huh...?"

"What?"

"You normally just don't like this stuff," Ezek entertains on, as Nahshon gulps down the rest of his glass, now clean from his apple juice, handing it over for Ezek to pour some of his beer into.

"Thank you," Nahshon accepts the glass, taking a drink of the beer, its poppy flavour strong on his tastebuds, his reaction to it an awkward stage of blinking as he dries swallows it with his head gone into a full spasm.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Ezek chuckles, taking a taste as well, his reaction completely the opposite, satisfied by its quality, observing as Nahshon drops back into silence, his eyes lost in his thoughts once more. "It's funny how I can now tell that there something bothering you"

"Oh...is it that obvious?" Nahshon scratches his head.

"You wanna join the war, but you're not sure? Is that it?" Ezek questions, easily putting his finger right on what he's exactly thinking.

"Yeah, I guess..." Nahshon nods. "It's just that...I don't know...I feel weird"

"Hmm? Well...you are a weird one, dude"

"Ngh...As if something is wanting me to be there, but I'm also hesitant," He tells him, his finger tapping the table, his mind entwined with his desire to make a choice, Ezek nodding to his words, observing the boy's face also expressing those very feelings.

"Hey, if you don't want to do it, that's completely alright. No shame in that. War is chaos, chaos is war. On an adventure, you can be %100 sure there's a man at your back, but in all that chaos...it's every man for themselves against the hundreds or thousands of enemies, unlike the control amount we're used to. You could be with a friend in this battle, and the next thing you look, they're dead. That's war," Ezek tells him, his teaching a dreadful lesson to Nahshon who silently nods to his words. "And listen, it probably doesn't make sense you go all together...you've never killed another person, have you? Yeah, from what I've heard, goblins aren't the only threat we're facing, they'll be people like you, like me...people...you'll most likely end up having to fight one of them. Are you ready for that?"

"Hm..." Nahshon silent sounds, gulping to his words, his throat gone dry, but steady he keeps, looking into his glass, a reflection of him in it, shaking his head. "It feels like I need to do this. And If I stay behind, I'll regret it"

"And why is that?"

"...When I came to this world, one of the things that old man said was to find my 'truth'," Nahshon tells him, Ezek provoked by him still on that other world concept, but ponderous he becomes, Nahshon's words seeming more serious, more honest than before. "I feel like if I don't join this war...I won't get my answers"

"Your guts?" Ezek asks, Nahshon nodding to his phrase.

"My guts"

"Hmm...when you're hungry, you eat. When you're tired, you sleep," Ezek subtly shrugs, a smile formed on Nahshon's face, nodding to his words. "Well, I guess I'll have to join too, can't let his Majesty lock my buddies in jail if you get killed"

"Well...let's hope it doesn't," Nahshon scratches his cheek, chuckling at his remark."Have you heard from them, by the way? What happened to them anyway?"

"Heard from Elina a while back, Lenny took part of the gang and went off somewhere and should be back soon," Ezek tells him.

"Ah," Nahshon nods, wondering if Ezek ever feels lonely from being separated from his gang.

"Well, we should sleep in early tonight, we'll go down to Strongcastle tomorrow, first thing," Ezek suggests, and so they do, one last drink for the night, getting back to their inn for the next day.

And among those brave, under the sun high in the sky, these two also travel, the moon peeking into the earth's atmosphere a beautiful sight, the snap of Nahshon's camera going off as the cloud begin crossing into the frame, his mini photoshoot finished, as back down his eyes fall but not so far from the sky, to the great structure of Ironkeep's giant gate still a wonder in his eyes, watching as many other adventures surge into the city, the city a hundred times busier than before, as adventurers flood hotels and inns in every district, bars and pubs stressed by huge orders, these adventures all here to take on the great evil. With finding a place to rest their horses, as for half an hour, they've been scouting around the city, the streets packed wherever they go, at Nahshon and Ezek finally put their mounts to rest, Nahshon smiling, patting its head, happy for his horse who can finally rest its feet, surprised by a sudden weight on his shoulders that catches Ezek as well, shaking his head as he thought he was going to die.

"You're both here for the battle too?" One's arms wrap around their shoulders, it is Bjørn who surprises them, their faces printed onto his gleaming a wide grin.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" Ezek smirks.

"Oh hey, Nora," Nahshon waves to the little priestess, her shoulders seeming like they're weighed down. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Maybe it's because this dumbo wants to get himself killed," She tells them, pointing at Bjørn, the two boys bracing back as they take a good look at him.

"Yeah, I'm joining this battle," Bjørn tells them, his nods a show of confidence.

"What's this? You wanna join too, huh? I don't think there is a kiddie's table in war, dimwit. You can come back in two years," Ezek flicks his forehead.

"Hmph! Joke around all you want! I'm serious about this! There's no way his Majesty, Commander Vernon and the others are going to be fighting out there while I'm just at home, laid back. I'll lie for my country if I have to!" He declares.

"Don't even think about doing something as absurd as that, you dumbass!" Nora knocks him in the head, cussing him out in teaching not to just throw his life and honesty away, and smiling through it is Nahshon, happy that Bjørn has been back to his old self after what happened with him finding out what was in the file, his own determination strengthen, inspired by his friend two years younger than him.

***

At the Headquarters of the Strongcastle knights, the light radiating into his office, its touch a gentle one, his space well organised, Victor wipes his glasses, rowing back his hair, he rests back into his chair, squeezing between his eyes as he ponders on the recent event, this war, a hectic matter with no other choice but to happen, pulling one of the drawers, where he rests his hands into, taking a deep breath, as out of it, comes a flyer he slowly pulls out, of a woman that has been missing since the all of this mess, the feeling of frustration upon him, as for all the citizen they've found, she was not among them, remembering the tears of a mother heartbroken for the loss of her child, a memory still vivid in his head even today, placing the poster back into his drawer as comes Arwyn, acting like a grumpy old man, plopping into Victor's office couch with a deep sigh, and Arnaldo sits by his table.

"Fuck me..." Arwyn sighs, shaking his head.

"These days have been rough, eh, Arwyn?" Victor smiles, throwing a mint ball that lands on his face, Arwyn barely reacting, slow of mental fatigue. "Welcome back to work"

"Victor, have you seen the number of adventurers that have stormed the south?? Almost every city and village are filled with them. It's bizarre! Loco!" Arnaldo shakes his head. "This is war"

"This is war, and some of them probably don't even care about the whole patriotism stuff...just here for attention," Arwyn says, his arm over his face.

"And that's it! The eras of war have been long gone! Hundreds of years! How many can still say they've been in a war. We haven't been to war, and we're captains"

"Hmm..." Arwyn sounds, turning into the couch.

"We knights were always to expect this. It's what we trained for. Every day is a battle for us. But I do understand what you're implying here, Arnaldo, this is a whole new level of chaos we're dealing with. The only thing we can do now is to prepare," Victor suggests, seeing as Arwyn rises from his fatigue state, scratching his head.

"To only prepare, huh?" Arwyn rubs his head, getting up from the couch.

"Leaving already?" Arnaldo asks.

"Yup. My first week back and I'm already having to go to war...great," Arwyn says, fixing his clothes rugged from his short rest.

"What? Did the alcohol not fade off yet?" Victor smiles.

"Tch! Fuck you," Arwyn chuckles, leaving the men as he makes his way to another section of the headquarters, to his faction, greeted by the soldiers under his lead, grunting as he greets them, then sitting in his chair where he takes a deep breath, now back to work, as their captain still feeling wasted, bloated all the drinking of crazy nights.

"Oi, Captain! That vacation still has its hooks on ya, eh?" One soldier greets, placing a bottle of water on his desk.

"Hm, appreciate it," Arwyn smiles, taking a sip of the sweet-tasting water.

“I'm guessing those women treated you well too, eh, captain?' Another laughs.

"Of course they have. Captain Arwyn here, is a gentleman, after all, ain't that right?" A third asks Arwyn, the captain subtly choking on his water, knowing well of what he has been up to.

"I, uh, I wouldn't say that," Arwyn coughs, as his knights have a chuckle.

"Well, let's just hope that when we get to Blackshore, he doesn't smooth-talk one of those witches, yeah," The first says.

"Please, the captain is smarter than that. These women are for arresting...or killing," The third chuckles.

"Hey, how much cash should we bet, by the way? Whoever has the most kills will win? Ten jackals for each slain," The first suggests, and so they go on about the upcoming battle, their Captain silently listening as they debate and become excited, his hand at his beard he strokes, growing ever anxious the more he hears.

"Alright! Everybody listen up!" Arwyn stops them, his hand in the air, getting up from his seat, shifting to his table, all eyes on him, his eyes observing every soldier, clearing his throat as they wait for what he has to say. "As you all already know, because, well you're all talking about it...in the coming days, many of us will be journeying to Blackshore, the enemy's territory. In the past few months, you've all seen what has occurred; the kidnaps, the raging monsters, and you've all taken a role in fighting this issue. But now...but now, this is an entirely different thing we'll have to face. War. Chaos. Look at each man and woman beside you...when you hit those shores, some of you may not return. You'll probably have to watch as your friend is killed in this battle. And I have to say...that I want all of you to watch each other back. And by the gods, don't be killed out there. And now let me also say this...that deep within, not all of us are as excited as the other. Don't do this just for the glory or for the fun of it, for god sake. You all have families, you all have friends, people you can't leave behind, and just know that there is still a lot to do here as over there...so if you wish to stay back, then that's alright...yeah...that's it"

Silence, the room becomes filled with soldiers who ponder, soldiers who think of their families and friends, considering his words that weigh on their shoulders. But broken becomes that spell, as one soldier takes the lead, his hand banged against a table, standing up with a smirk on his face.

"And this Captain...is why the ladies love ya," The soldier says. "Your compassion has reached all of us. We are happy to have a man like you to lead us. But I'm sure, just like me, everyone here is thinking the same thing, that there is no way we're gonna have our captain run into battle on his own!! Am I right, guys??" He declares, the soldiers screaming in unison, banging their tables, bringing a smile on Arwyn's face.

"You fucking lots," Arwyn shakes his head.

"And sir...?" A second soldier puts his hand. "I.... don't have any friends outside of work. You're all my only friends"

"Yeah, I know you don't, lad," Arwyn chuckles, stepping out with the knights laughing, taking a deep breath as it has been a while since he's given a speech, walking by the crowded lobby of adventurers joining the effort, his eyes now to the sky, startled by a surprise. "Bjørn??"

"Huh?" Bjørn sound, startled by not seeing that Arwyn was near, the knight is also greeted by Nahshon, Ezek, and Nora.

"Bjørn..."

"So...You know I'm just passing through, you know, just checking what's going on around here," Bjørn innocently smiles, Nora shaking her head at his blatant lie.

"What are you doing here, Bjørn?" Arwyn challenges, this awkward moment an entertainment for Ezek who whistles as he shakes his head, with Nahshon cheering him on in his head.

"Hmm, yes, what exactly is it that I'm doing here...good question...hmm..."

"He wants to join the war" Nora frankly tells the knight, startling Bjørn who was only gearing up to say it first, the boy taking a deep breath as he chooses to become honest.

"Yeah...I'm joining this join war"