As he walked along the path alone, humming a song, Tarex felt a strange presence somewhere near him.

"...♪ Rest your little eyes... Darkness shall never rise ♫ ...

...♫Rest a little longer... Now you'll be a monster♪...

...♪Death will never come... Suffer for what you have done♫..."

He heard someone close by. However, when he stopped to look behind him, he saw nobody.

"Come out!"

"Nice song,. How did you know I was following you?"

"I didn't."

"Sure... Say, how can you be so calm?"

"Hmmm... That is a good question, my dear Kojiro. You see, with time, you begin to lose. Some things inside your head that is. I mean, we aren't normal, after all. Stuck together and yet so alone."

"That is a rather vague explanation. Let‘s share our stories and see if there is something we could do for each other."

"Just say you need some help, brat."

"No, I want a genuine bond, not to be a mere mercenary. I want someone I can rely on, someone that will understand me."

"Are you sure you want me to be that certain someone? So you really want to marry me that bad huh? I'm flattered but you are not my type."

"I... Wh-What? Oh, you know very well what I meant! Stop avoiding my proposal... No... My deal. I know you would have used that..."

"Use what... Oh, hehe, you sure are a strange one."

"Look who's talking."

"Well, we have quite a long way to go, so why not. What do you want to know?"

"Tell me who you are."

"Haven't I done that already?"

"Not you, I mean them..."

"Oh, alright then. Let me just..."

Black ooze started drippng from his armor. It felt like an aboslutely different being had emerged.

"₩Ⱨ₳₮ ł₴ ł₮ ɎØɄ ₦ɆɆĐ ₣ⱤØ₥ Ʉ₴, Ⱡł₮₮ⱠɆ Ø₦Ɇ?"

"Now, that is a hideous voice. Who are you?"

"₳₴ ₮ł₥Ɇ ₱₳₴₴ɆĐ, ₩Ɇ ₣ØⱤ₲Ø₮ ØɄⱤ ₦₳₥Ɇ₴."

"Then, what are you?"

"₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₮₳ⱤɆӾ."

"No no no, who are you, not him, I mean... Sigh... Tell me who are you more exactly other than Tarex?"

"ØⱧ ₩Ɇ ₱ɄⱠⱠɆĐ ɎØɄⱤ ⱠɆ₲ ₳ ฿ł₮. ₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ Ⱨł₥. ɆVɆⱤɎ ₮ł₥Ɇ ⱧɆ ĐłɆ₴, ₳ ₦Ɇ₩ Ø₦Ɇ ₳₱₱Ɇ₳Ɽ₴."

"So you die and then resurrect omehow?"

"...ɎɆ₴..."

"Alright, send him back."

"Got your answers?"

"More or less. What exactly are these things?"

"A curse, probably. Every time I die, my soul is shattered in smaller pieces. Later, it becomes whole, and then it shatters again. The thing you see dripping, that comes from the cracks. The voices are the same. I lose myself, my memories, until nothing is left, and then... I come back."

Kojirou stopped and began thinking for a moment. There were a few things which didn't really match. He was possessed by these dark things, and he seems to be unable to remember things which just happened. There was something hiding, and not even Tarex knew what.

"They were talking as if there were more. What was that about?"

"I think you heard enough. It's my time to ask something."

"Right when it started getting interesting. What do you wanna know?"

"How I am supposed to help you? Your clan is dead. Your brother, and your lover as well. The lands you had... razed from the face of the world. You have nothing. The one who did it was killed by the shogun in a recent battle. You have nothing to achieve, there is nothing else for you there. What do you need help with?"

"It seems I asked the wrong questions... I have no idea how you know all of this, but it is true. Help me conquer lands, help me out to become a strong ruler in the East, and I will guarantee the help of every clan. We will take Sillacet back."

If Tarex wasn't able to tell him everything, neither could Kojirou.

"And there is one more thing you want... I see. Wel, that much can be granted."

The pressure Kojirou felt increased dramatically, and then many other voices of Tarex made the land tremor. They all agreed to help.

₩Ɇ ₴Ⱨ₳ⱠⱠ ₲Ɽ₳₦₮ ɎØɄ ₱Ɇ₳₵Ɇ.

"Now, that was scary... Awwww."

"Oh... Well... I-I don't even know how to respond to that."

"Ah, never mind. How long until we reach the Forge?"

"Three days."

"We‘re gonna walk for... three days... "

"To tell you the truth, we will get to have some fun before we get to work. If you want to, of course."

"I don't know if I like your kind of fun."

Tarex got closer and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Alright Tarex... I accept your deal."

The two of them fist bumped and got back on the road.

While he was rather happy with his plan, Kojirou didn't quite understand his reasoning. They were simply wasting time with no actual purpose. He went to search for a weapon and a key. Everything was getting more and more confusing for him. There was nothing he could do but keep up with Tarex at this point.

♦ ♦ ♦

In the west, the council which prepared the empress‘ demise emerged from the shadows. They called themselves the Blue Blood Acolytes. With them in the spotlight(,) the west began preparing for war. Thousands upon thousands of weapons and sets of armor were forged. New forts emerged in every part of the kingdom, and, in a few months, they made their appearance. The West armies were ready for battle. The capital city was filled with their banners and soldiers marching outside to destroy the so called foes in the East and South.

Ten masked figures met in the throne room and began discussing the first objective of their campaign.

"I believe the first priority should be finding a goal. A goal, of course, for the people. They won't simply agree to our plans."

"It is true. We shall tell them war was declared by the shogun. As for the southern raiders, we need no motive. They are under a bad spotlight anyway."

"We can't simply ignore them. For the time being, we shall make something up about the shogun. The raiders can be put on hold, yet we must not forget about them."

"Yeah, you never like leaving matters unsolved. Well, tell us, General. Why did you help us? I have to admit, I never expected you of all people to betray Aurelie."

"The empress is a mad woman. That shaman filled her head with stupid myths and legends. Now she believes that man was a Nephilim and simply gave him the kingdom. I couldn't let her be anymore."

"Ah, such a loyal dog. Loyal to the people, I suppose."

"This was the better course of action. My heart still hurts, but it was the right decision."

"We shall conclude the rest of the matters at a later time. For now, let‘s take back the part of the kingdom your empress gave away and march onward to Tougoku."

"Understood."

As everyone left the room, the General prepared himself. He took his sword and helmet and went to meet with his troops. It was raining, and the wind was blowing strong.

"Was it truly the best course of action to betray her?"

He was feeling remorseful, and it couldn't be helped. Jarlen, son of unknown parents, right hand of the empress. Now, a traitor who pledges allegiance to whoever he deems fit for the role. That's what he felt like. In truth, if he could go back and serve Aurelie, he would, but that was no longer an option.

He walked with his golden helmet on and his sword in hand. In front of him, all the troops were watching. They were waiting for a battle cry or some words of wisdom. Everything he could think about was the empress, but how could he talk about her now?

He couldn't, and so he said the only thing he wished.

"Many of us shall die. But as we die, we WILL bring glory to the kingdom! ONWARD SOLDIERS! To War!"

Every soldier began cheering, and they all started their march again. They were easily moved by such words, as most of them simply wished glory and fame.

A few weeks later, the soldiers managed to reach the capital city of Molk. While It was burning, some tracks were still fresh, and that meant there were still survivors.

As they checked the city walls, they saw a hole in the northern part of it. It looked as if it was cut by giant claws. They had to wander around and investigate.

As they kept moving, some troops were stationed on the guard towers that were still standing. The scouts were searching the nearby forests and inside the city as well.

In the middle of the capital, they finally found something. It was the body of a giant demon, a Balrog. The flames were estinguished, and on his head a warrior in white armor. It was lifeless , and his spear was inside the barlorg's head. A hero who died standing his ground surrounded by demons and other horrors.

"To think someone could be able to do this."

"Hey I found someone still alive!"

"Tend to them! We need to hear what happened here."

"Yes, Captain!"

The man had bite marks all over his armor. To be alive after such wounds was nothing short of a miracle.

"Argh... Wh-Where am I?"

"You need to recover. We must first remove your armor and see how deep the wounds are."

"Did we win the battle...?"

"The city has been destroyed. There were many civilian and military casualties. You are one tough guy."

"Thank you..."

The man lost consciousness. The lady apothecary began to remove his armor and tend to his wounds.

"Hmm, a bone fracture. Bite marks, not so deep... The armor held them off. His ribs seem to be nearly crushed from the feel of it. Something fell on him. He was saved by pure luck."

A man entered inside the tent.

"Apothecary. How is he doing?"

"He should be alright if we give him time. If you want answers, you might have to wait a week until he regains his strength."

"Alright. During that time, the rest of our men will arrive, and the General as well. We should be able to make a full report in time."

"We should leave now and let him rest."

"Make sure he won't die. At this moment, he is the only one who might know what happened. If something bad is out there, we might have to fortify this position and create a strategy or ask for help."

"I'm a mere apothecary, Captain. Why tell me this?"

"You are also the woman I love. I guess you can keep this from others, can't you?"

"Oh, is that so? Unfortunately, I am in love with my work so that might be a problem for you."

"Hah, I like a strong woman. You don't fear men, you don't fear seeing blood and guts. Oh, I am falling for you even more."

"Do keep your distance or I will break your arm."

"Well, I guess I will take my leave then."

"That would be best."