The top! We finally reached the top of the mountain pass! I collapsed to the ground, not minding the uneven stones or uncomfortable position.

What little flames I had left in my body, burned through my muscles. Attempting to undo the fatigue. A warm comfort washed over my body. I had done this many times during our march, but the recovery rate of my flames could not keep up with the exertion.

The only advantage, and the reason I did not want any help climbing the mountain, was because both my flames and my body would grow slightly stronger with each healing. My flames slowly extinguished, and I could feel the chaotic energy in the air. It flowed into the vacuum of my body, slowly replenishing what was lost.

I opened my eyes to see my family. They were also exhausted after the long march. My parents had long neared the peak of a normal human’s physic, but they could not recover like I can. I thought hard about the problem.

My parents were strong among the people in this realm. They had skill and battle experience, but compared to the beings fighting in the Endless War they were not even fit to be cannon fodder. Even the lowest tier of Demonkin was something they could barely face. If they faced Envy himself… they would die without even being able to put up a fight.

I can’t let that happen.

Only with great strength would they be able to protect themselves. If I had ten or twenty years, I could turn them into legends with power equal to King Sebastian’s, but I just did not have the time.

If only I had access to the thirteenth division’s supplies I could…no wait. It is not exactly the same, but if it is still there...

“Mom, Dad, Charly, I want to make a small detour before we go to the free cities.” I said, standing from the rubble. From our high vantage point, I could see out across the land. Craigs of rock, mountain cliffs, and steep mountains dominated my view. The small trees and shrubs gave way to snow at the mountain’s peek.

“Were do you want to go honey?” my mother asked.

I pointed out towards the horizon, to the tallest peak in the mountain range. “There, the black mountain at the center. A former stronghold of the Corvus Empire nearly five hundred years ago.”

“Five hundred years ago? Why would you want to go there?”

“Because, a little over four hundred years ago, I toppled the Corvus Empire. I marched my army of the undead through here on the way to their capital. We captured the stronghold, but it was filled with ninth division tech. It was useless to me. So, I collapsed the entrance to the stronghold and moved on.”

“The Corvus Empire? What is ninth division tech?” my father asked.

“They are the Glyphs and Runes you use to fight only… more advanced.” I replied. “If those supplies are still there, they could greatly help in our war against Envy.”

“We have to climb that?” Asked Charly, I could hear the exhaustion in his voice as he looked up at the towering peak.

I could already feel my legs going weak as I thought about it. This was not going to be fun, but it could help them stay alive.