“Kyra.” Adler whispers my name, floating by my side as she watches the war stall below us. The air rings with the ephemeral tension of fates strings pulled taught, leaving us waiting in expectation for something to snap and for the violence below to start burning anew.

“What is it?” I ask, my mind feels almost numb as I focus on the destructive magic circling my heart. Pounding away at me.

“Is this what you wanted?” She asks, not turning her head from the city below. Lakesh piles up the desiccated corpses of the gremlins that were slaughtered, they’re beyond count.

Up here, it’s calm. It’s frighteningly, terribly calm. The sort of silence that can wear down a mind, the sort of calm that draws out insanity and exposes the cracks in a vulnerable heart.

“No, but I have to do this…” I say. As I watch Eshya dodge another trap, and Vii fly over the city full of monsters out to kill her, I feel a spark of fear ignite within my heart. The annihilation magic stirring within me, grows stronger from it, for the moment I let it live.

I feed that fear into the ball of rage inside me. The cold flames of fury and the violent whispers they draw from my mind, hide the fear away, letting me return my eyes to the city below without trembling in terror.

Yet, no matter how intently I look down upon the city, my devil does not appear for me. Loekan is not showing himself.

I can only watch and wait as I see the world through my peoples eyes. Seeing them struggle to fight, or impatiently prepare for the next life or death battle. The world is far clearer to me, where Vii’s sight is attached to my own. I can tell the cobblestones on the lower streets apart from one another, and I can see the gremlins that still remain here. She can see the flaming trees of the enchanted forest, rise up from gaps in the earth, flailing about and spreading the flames.

Is it a ploy by Loekan to turn the fire against us? Or is it a natural response by the enchanted forest?

Either way the fires spread to the nearby gremlins, while leaving the dead wood all around it untouched. The gremlins are surprisingly quick to respond, collapsing traps on their own people to quell the spread of the fire. I suppose they have to deal with beast outbreaks reasonably often, so it’s not too surprising that they’re willing to crush their allies under piles of rubble for the greater good of their city.

Even so, the fires continue to spread from one screeching gremlin to the next. It’s almost as if those infected are contaminated with the will to spread the plague fire further.

So far it hasn’t killed any of my people, but… I’m worried. Will our precautions be enough?

Mobs of gremlins still march the streets but there’s confusion and mayhem rising from among them. Some groups have taken to lashing out against their own. Stealing, smashing, and killing. Competing against each other as the beasts do. Some more powerful, or intelligent try to reassert order, but they’re not always successful. The mob violence only grows more intense, spreading out even faster than the plague fires.

They kill and steal to improve their own lot in life, as is natural.

The only way which I might be considered morally better, is that my tribe is more cohesive. We only destroy, kill, and steal from those outside of our tribe, more specifically from enemies that we cannot get along with. This is the way of nature.

The very same nature that I cursed back when my ship crashed, and my world was turned upside down.

Nature’s cruelty that I’d hoped to erase, is simply another thing that I’ve come to accept. All so that I can gain enough power to eventually overcome it.

Vii zips down, lower, closer to the streets, and the creatures that would kill her. Rare follows close behind with a support from a small insectoid, little larger than our dragon, and another of Lakesh’s warriors. Together they swoop down and summon magic to kill a group of gremlins that is harassing one of my scouts.

“I’ve got you!” Vii shouts, clawing at a gremlin while spinning wind blades around her. The corpses soon cover the street.

It’s a simple and quick affair.

The strong slay the weak, then go on their way as if it’s nothing. The scout says his thanks and returns to the shadows to hunt down our greatest foe.

As my feathered lover takes to the skies again, she turns to give us a closer view of the violence hanging over the horizon. The largest battle not yet fought. The gremlin formations still shift about in intimidating ways, as they wait for something. Lakesh and his warriors have already reinforced their position tremendously and are on guard for the coming attack.

“Why do you have to do this, Kyra?” Adler asks, her own voice distant and hollow as she watches the same scene. It takes me a moment to realize that she’s replying to what I was saying before.

“I need this. To kill Loekan, to become powerful enough to resist others like him. This is a necessary first step. I know it is, but… it feels wrong.” I say, watching it continue on. Everything feels alien as I float in the lake. I shake my head. “It is wrong. I know it is, just as much as I know that it’s necessary.”

“How?” Adler asks. “How can something be both wrong and necessary? That’s not how life works. If it’s wrong, you shouldn’t be doing it.”

“When Red knocked our ship from the sky, you weren’t with us.” I say, and she shudders at my side. “You didn’t… you weren’t tainted by those days. The realization that the rest of our lives were going to be like that, fighting against beasts, and people barely any better off than beasts.

“I hated it. I rejected it. I still do, but… but I’m not a god. I can’t recreate this universe as I’d like it to be with a snap of my fingers, or with a heartfelt tear. I can’t change this universe without real power, and to get real power I need to fight like those wild animals.

“Then, when I have territory of my own. Protected with a power that can make any enemy hesitate to invade. Then, I can give people a better life.”

Vii flies through the city, watching over Eshya as she continues in pursuit of her own villains. Swooping down to deal with a few gremlins that would have caused her some trouble.

“What of the Unified States?” Adler asks. “I know it’s wrong. I know that it’s imperfect, but why did you reject it so badly?”

“Compared to the wildlands, it’s almost perfect.” I reply easily. “Almost perfect.

“A crack in an otherwise fine pane of glass is all that you can see, but a crack in the shattered pile of glass is all but invisible. I can’t look away from the flaws in this peaceful society, Adler. If it was some backwards tribe doing the same cruel things I wouldn’t think twice about it, but the Unified States is stronger, and promises to be better.

“I can’t pretend I don’t see the flaws. Their peace it built on cruelty; I won’t accept it. What they did to you is unacceptable, what they did to Rare is unacceptable. If I could fix things, stop the cruelty from the inside… but I can’t. There’s no system in place to fix the problems.”

Adler nods slowly.

“So, you justify this violence, this war, this cruelty, with the promise of something better as an end result? You would build a peaceful society out of this cruelty?” She asks, gazing down rather than towards me.

“Temporary cruelty, temporary war, for a peace that can last. I refuse to systematically enslave people for their ‘beastly’ traits, or for disagreeing with me, or anything else.” I say. “This war is necessary… ‘The ends justify the means’…”

I swallow back the acidic bile rising in my throat as I say it aloud.

“Every last time I’ve heard those words said it’s been a lie, but I have to make it true. The only reason I’ve gathered this power, the only reason I fight this war is to offer everyone a better life. I have to live up to that promise.”

“Then, I’ll make sure you live up to your promises.” Adler says firmly, locking her eyes down into the city slowly falling apart. “The gremlins. They’re not all going to be dead by the end of this, are they? You aren’t going to…?”

“I don’t know.” I reply. “We can’t babysit thousands of murder happy children, while trying to teach them how to not kill their neighbours. We don’t have the people, or the recourses for something like that.”

“The power you’ve gathered is enough to destroy them, but not to save them.” Adler replies, her gaze falling to the city.

“It’s enough to save my people.” I reply. “It’s… enough for now. When I get to be a god, or an empress with a powerful empire, then maybe things will be different.”

“We’ll find a solution.” Adler says. “One that doesn’t leave you slaughtering those who survive this war.”

I can only nod lamely worried that no solution will become apparent.

My attention refocuses onto Vii as she flies down to assist with another team hunting the more dangerous enemies in the city.

A group of armoured gremlins has surrounded them, and they’ve seized the momentum, pushing my warriors back into a wall that seems like it might be trapped. The grey-skinned gremlins are overwhelming them with the tactics of numbers, and even with the vampire blood magic my warriors can’t manage to keep them away.

Vii’s wind buffets the enemy, carrying along the raging fires that Rare breaths out over them. The flames spread out over their amour, while the winds make them stumble. It’s enough to let our own team get the forward foot in the fight, regaining lost ground and setting themselves up against the armoured enemies.

A mage steps out from a building to try and cause further trouble, but a quick wind blade stumbles him, and Rare falls upon the unprepared mage, using tooth and claw to end him before he can put a spell together.

Vii shivers at the sight but shakes her head and returns to the skies. She’s grown used to violence, as have we all.

“You’ll see this through?” Adler asks. “You won’t burn everything down in a world ending tanturm as you threatened the dungeons.”

“I don’t know.” I say. “I know that I should keep my head, but I’m not sure I can keep living in a world without them. I’m not sure I can stop that transformation that would take me, if something happens.

“As I said to them. I don’t think I get a choice.” I say, stirring the mana in my heart into something greater. Power enough to end this, but only if I can see Loekan, only if I can kill him.

Red strides confidently through the streets of the world below. She doesn’t run as Eshya does, she doesn’t even need to slaughter the gremlins that cross her path.

She doesn’t need to.

The rest of her team deal with the issues as they come. A group of vampire-lizards from the same world as Lakesh. Olly fights among them, struggling to keep up at times. They’re not quite up to Red’s level, but they’re competent, and they’re learning.

Only one man from among the freed beasts stands at a power to join with them. A half-elven man with rubbery skin, like that of a seal or a dolphin, he’s the same greyish colour as the gremlins he fights, but without the cracked skin or the madness in his eyes.

They work together rather well, though it speaks more of individual strength than any talented teamwork. Ahead of them, though they can’t see it through their own eyes, Giant stands in a courtyard waiting for them to arrive.

Red is likely seeing it through my sight, many of my trusted companions and commanders are using my position and view to their advantage. Even a more limited version of my Skill benefits them greatly.

My tall demonic war commander passes around the street and catches sight of Giant, and I leave the task to her. The massive figure is no longer responding to my messages. If there’s a solution to his resistance that’s not violent, then I’m not at all aware of it.

It’s in Red’s hands now.

She strides up to the hulking figure, a pair of daggers in her hands with some others sheathed around her body. She made out well from our deal with the rebels, and I’m quite sure that she’s going to be putting it to use, though I’m not sure how well her fighting techniques will work against a being as large as Giant.

If this was anything like the reality I used to know, then her daggers wouldn’t do much more than give him papercuts.

“I see that you’ve come for us.” Giant says, his voice grumbling in deep notes as I listen in through Red.

“We have.” Red acknowledges. “I don’t see why you’d choose to fight us for the sake of that creature. Loekan isn’t going to come save you, you know? He’s going to let you die. He’s not worth your obedience.”

“That might be so.” Giant replies, looking up towards where I float in the sky. “I might also survive long enough for him to win.”

Red shakes her head, laughing sadly down at the ground.

“Pitiful.” She says, looking back up at him.

“What?”

“I said you’re pitiful.” Red continues. “I used to be the same. A soldier following bad orders, trying my best just to survive the ignorance and arrogance of my commanders. None of them caring if I live or die.”

“It is the same now.” Giant says, “For you and the other fodder down here with you.”

“It isn’t.” Red smiles up at him as she lets the rest of her team secure the area around her and Giant. “Kyra might still be a petulant child at times, but she does listen. I’ll help forge her into a leader that I can be proud to serve.”

“Then you are more like Loekan than me.” Giant says. “Your warriors that fight and die for you, are as pitiful as you see me.”

“They aren’t fodder to be disposed of for a temporary advantage.” Red replies. “They aren’t like you.”

“Lies.” Giant grumbles, looking over us. “I’ve heard such lies before, but I see nothing different about any of you. Your warriors will die as fodder.”

“Hell no, I’m gonna be a musician and die old.” Olly says, shouting at the giant. “If Kyra doesn’t live up to her promises, we’ve already agreed to ditch her.”

Giant is paused by the outcry of our soldier, gazing at the little man before shaking his head.

“I hope for your sake that you are right,” Giant says, “But I choose to protect my home as it stands. I will not surrender to you for such promises that I’ve heard many times before.”

“Then a fight it is.” Red says, launching herself up at him. It’s clear in the first few moments of the clash that this isn’t going to be over quickly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Skills & Stats

~Mana Form:

Current mana density: 52,798 units

~Mana distribution:

Category Current Max. Defence 0% 100% Offense 0% 100% Mana Sense 0% 100% Recovery 0% 100% Gluttony 0% 100% Misc. 0% 100% Efficiency 0% 100%

~Favourited Skills:

-Tag and Film

-Trapping

-Mana surge movement

-Annihilation defence

-Annihilation flame burst

-Annihilation net

-Eyes of an Empire