Tendrils of red mist clung to me as if trying desperately to stop me from walking forward. The ever-changing faces overhead all became expressions of hatred and terror as one tendril after another snapped and faded back into the mist.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I smelt something besides the awful stench of rot and blood. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, savoring the feeling of the gentle rays of warm sunlight on my skin. The simple scent of soil after a rain never smelt so good.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the bright blue sky. I could not resist smiling. We were finally out of the mist, and I could not be happier.

Even more so with all the entertainment here to meet us. I turned my gaze towards the countless number of soldiers that practically obscured the rugged scenery. I counted seven different flags, each belonging to another country or kingdom. After a quick rough estimate, I was able to guess that each country had sent somewhere between ten and twenty thousand troops here. All of them looked like they were ready for a battle at any moment. I could practically feel the tension in the air as enemies stared each other down from across the gravel landscape.

The soldiers may have watched each other with a wary eye, but the moment I stepped out of the mist, all eyes locked onto me. I grinned under the gaze of nearly one hundred thousand people as I stretched casually, enjoying the delights of finally being out of the mist.

Before anyone could approach me, the sound of marching steps echoed from the mist behind me. General Arthur and his troops escorted the civilians as walked out of the mist and into the sunlight. They marched in well-disciplined unison with freshly polished armor that reflected the bright silver light across the field.

They were a stark comparison to the other six armies from the other countries that followed behind. While some tried to quickly appear triumphant and formed into orderly lines, it was clear the soldiers had not expected to be greeted by the armies from their home countries the moment they stepped out of the mist.Naturally, all eyes forgot about me and focused on the one leading the procession.

General Arthur’s pristine, bright red coat was still unblemished despite the harsh march through the unforgiving terrain. Standing on either side of him were two soldiers dressed in bright silver armor that shone brighter than any other. I had never seen Wren’s parents look so much like respected knights. Replacing their old tattered leathers for the silver armor of the general’s personal guard had made them appear like heroes leading the armies from the mist.

General Arthur smiled as all his soldiers came to a sudden halt. Because I was standing close to him, I saw a small piece of paper disintegrate in his hand. The ground under his feet began to tremble and shake. A large square section of earth started to form into a platform and lift General Arthur and Wren’s parents up so that everyone could see them.

Standing on the pillar of earth, another glyph activated and General Arthur’s voice boomed out across the soldiers. “It feels good to be out of that horrible place. I know all the soldiers behind me are in a hurry to return to their countries and families, but please allow me a moment to say a few words before ye go. The spread of the blood mist was a horrible tragedy that has ended hundreds of thousands of lives. The Kingdom of Romlas is no more, and all the people that lived there are either dead or transformed into Demonkin. This is the worst disaster that has struck our realm in living memory. We have made it out alive, but the storm has not passed. Countless Demonkin still roam the mist. Their numbers increase every day as the former civilians that lived in these lands are mutated into horrible monsters. The Demonkin will not stay in the mist, even now they stretch their claws towards our kingdoms… our homes. This is a threat to all of us, and if we are not vigilant, this tragedy will be repeated again. Only by all our countries banding together can we face such a threat. I have proven my goodwill. When the mist came, I protected as many as I could. I gathered the soldiers that stand with me now, but I could not have protected them alone. Countless brave men and women fell when a real Demon appeared in the mist.”

General Arthur paused, letting the weight of his last statement settle across the crowd. Shocked gasps and murmuring came from the soldiers watching General Arthur. The word Demon shook them more than I had expected. The church had spread its message well for so many people to understand the impact of that statement.

General Arthur cleared his throat motioning towards Wren’s mother and father before he continued. “I want to take this moment to honor the true heroes of this disaster. When others would have cowered, the Ventus family proved why humanity will never fall to Demons. When they learned of the mist, they joined a relief mission to bring supplies past the jaws of death. All the civilians that stand here now were saved because the Ventus family risked their own lives mounting a rescue to bring them to safety. When our armies were surrounded and besieged by the Demon and its horde, it was the Ventus family that worked tirelessly to create a war glyph and gave us the opportunity to mount a counterattack. Finally, it was the Ventus family that killed the Demon when all our armies could not. It is only thanks to these brave few that any of us stand here now!”

As if on cue, all of the Novus army behind General Arthur started cheering, drowning out his booming voice in their roars and shouts. It was obviously prepared ahead of time by the general, but that did not stop others from the various armies cheering with them. Their energy was infectious and spread from soldier to soldier.

I shook my head and sighed. Even though I knew this was all part of General Arthur’s plan, I did not care for it. This roundabout way of manipulating things always annoyed me. In my opinion, the general’s way of dealing with Irene had too many steps. There were too many variables that could go wrong. I would have preferred if we had just sent a few assassins to deal with the major problems and ignored the rest.

After some time had passed, General Arthur waved his hands and people began to quiet down. “In honor of the heroic spirit that the Ventus family has shown us, I propose an alliance between all the countries here. I propose that we put our past grievances aside and work together to fight the Demonkin and any other Demon that may come. Together humanity has stood against our ancient foe for a millennium, and only together will we survive the hardships to come.”

There were far fewer cheers this time as General Arthur finished his speech. Many were hesitant about the idea of an alliance, but I had no doubt that as word of Envy's invasion spread, everyone would flock together to survive.

The pillar of earth began to sink back into the ground. The general grinned as he walked over and slapped a hand on my shoulder. “By the realms, I hate speakin’ formal like that, but I think it went well. Let’s see Irene call ye traitors when ye are the heroes of the entire kingdom and beyond.”

I rolled my eyes as I pulled away from his hand. “Do you really think that will stop her?”

“Not at all,” General Arthur replied with a big smile, “but it will force her to show her hand. There are many among the Novus elite that would love any excuse to drag Irene down into the mud. If she acts against your family now, they will all pounce on her at once.”

I shook my head with a sigh. For a moment, my eyes met with Wren’s mom, standing nearby. I looked away quickly, unwilling to deal with all the emotions she showed in that brief moment of eye contact. I placed my arms behind my back as a forced a smile. “Well then, let us go and meet the general here to arrest us. It should be entertaining if nothing else.”

General Arthur looked over at Wren’s parents, then back at me before nodding. He then shouted a quick command at his troops and we marched across the field to the Novus encampment nearby. We led the army from the front, passing by the countless eyes that followed our every movement. General Arthur kept looking straight ahead, but I heard him muttering under his breath, counting. “I see sixteen, how many did ye find?”

“Twenty-three since the moment I exited the mist. All had orange eyes. none of them bothered watching your little speech and just stared at me the entire time. I also found three more without orange eyes that seemed a little too focused on me despite your performance. Only two of which are from the Novus army.”

General Arthur scratched his chin thoughtfully as he walked. “Less than I expected. I wonder if it is her ability that is lacking or if there is some other plan at work I have not seen yet.”

“The best way to find a trap is to spring it,” I replied with a shrug.

General Arthur came to a halt when we were only a short distance from the Novus army here to meet us. The soldiers under his command seemed confused but followed his lead. They stood perfectly still awaiting their general’s command.

Across from us stood a man with a golden insignia on his glistening armor. He was a pudgy man with a head that seemed just a bit too big for his body. The man sported a receding hairline of white hair slicked back and a large, well-groomed mustache.

Next to me, General Arthur visibly grimaced as he saw the man. “General Hull,” he practically spat as he spoke.

“Who?” I asked, looking at the man curiously. He looked more like a politician than a general to me.

“Once upon a time, he was a mediocre general with a few lucky victories to his name, but as he got older, he has become greedy and shrewd. His men are untrained and undisciplined. He rarely engages in direct conflict unless he has overwhelming superiority. This has led to many of our enemies stompin’ through his territory as if it was their own backyard while he does nothin’ to stop it.”

“That means we are proceeding with plan b?”

General Arthur frowned. “Let’s wait and see what he does first.” The general then shouted a quick series of orders to his troops, placing Wren’s parents in command temporarily before walking forward.

I shrugged and followed behind General Arthur as the two of us and only one of general Arthur’s bodyguards walked the short distance between the two armies to meet with this General Hull.

General Arthur’s troops still stood at attention without complaint and I immediately saw why he said General Hull’s troops were undisciplined. Less than a quarter of the twenty thousand troops in front of us were in any way prepared for a fight. Most of them looked like farmhands that took a break from the fields rather than soldiers. Less than half the troops had any sort of armor, and while most of them held spears, I saw more than a few using retrofitted farm tools as weapons.

“Is this a militia?” I asked in disbelief.

General Arthur nodded. “Maintaining a standing army of well-trained troops cost a lot of money. Money that General Hull does not like to spend. As such, his territory uses a militia system to draft people whenever he wants to inflate his troops. Usually, the Novus Kingdom only uses this system in an emergency, but in General Hull’s territory everyone is considered a soldier to be recruited at any moment.”

I frowned as we moved closer to the general. He had a big smile on his face with his arms held wide as he shouted, “General Arthur! It is so good to see that you are still alive. I was starting to think about how to divide your territory among the other generals.”

“I am still very much alive,” General Arthur replied gruffly, “Touch a single one of my citizens and I do not mind marchin’ my armies west.”

General Hull laughed nervously. He then glanced down at me, and I saw a familiar glint of greed in his eyes. “It seems you already know why I am here. Let us retreat to my tent, and away from prying eyes. We have much to discuss.”

General Arthur and I followed the man into the heart of his army where a large tent was set up. As we walked, I saw a few more orange eyes watching us closely. I smiled brightly at one of them, earning myself a glare in return. I had no doubt in my mind that Irene wanted nothing more than to capture me right now, but without General Hull’s command, the other soldiers would not act. Imagining her stewing in frustration brought me no small amount of delight.

As we approached the tent, I noticed a general shift in the soldiers around us. Not all of General Hull’s forces were militia. At least a couple thousand of them surrounding his tent seemed to be proper soldiers with regular equipment, weapons, and armor. I even saw a few shining knights standing guard next to the tent.

Inside the tent was like stepping into a different world. Finely carved wooden furniture, embroidered rugs, and decorations made of silver and gold, completely littered the inside of the tent. Despite the tent easily stretching the length of ten full-grown men, there was not a single patch of fabric not covered in the expensive mess of decorations.

“I still can’t believe ye make your men carry this junk,” General Arthur said as he sat down at a large table at the center of the room.

The one bodyguard General Arthur brought with us remained standing his face was impossible to see under the full-face helmet he wore, but he was extremely professional as he stood perfectly still at attention behind the general. meanwhile, I sunk into the deep cushions of a nearby couch without concern for the lingering eyes of General Hull.

The two generals sat across from each other as General Hull spoke first. “Your little stunt during the speech earlier has made things difficult so I will get right to the point. Military command wants me to bring the entire Ventus family in for questioning. They are being charged with treason and collusion with the Empress's cult. There was a special interest in the young girl of the family. I am supposed to bring her in alive at all costs.”

“What a ridiculous joke,” General Arthur replied with a chuckle, “I know for a fact your orders do not come from military command. Did Irene tell ye why she is so interested in the Ventus family? How much did she bribe ye to publicly declare my silver blades as traitors?”

General Hull’s face turned bright red as he coughed into his hand a few times. “The orders still come from above. We have to be good little soldiers and obey, even if it is just Irene and not the full council.”

General Arthur tapped on the table three times as he grinned at general Hull. “It seems she is payin’ quite a lot, but ye have no idea why. That probably means she did not say anythin’ to you about how dangerous this little mission is.”

“Dangerous?”

General Arthur nodded. “Since ye like the direct approach, I will make this as simple as possible. Irene Ultio has no intention of paying your reward. She sent you here to die.”

General Hull shot to his feet as he shouted, “That is outrageous. I am a respected general and Earl of the Novus Kingdom not some disposable soldier.”

General Arthur shrugged as he leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head. “Your funeral, I am glad I do not put my trust in someone that wants me dead for their own vendetta.”

General Hull stammered out a few more protests that I had no interest in listening to as his eyes focused on the bodyguard General Arthur had brought with him.

There was a slight shimmer in the air as I sighed and stood from the couch. A dagger appeared in my hand. Without a single word, I stabbed through the general's neck before he even noticed me. General Hull did not even put up any resistance as he slumped weakly to the ground.

“Plan c, really?” I mumbled as I tried in vain to wipe the blood off my hand using a nearby decorative curtain. More blood gushed from the general's wound, covering the floor in a very obvious pool. I shook my head, knowing this would take a while to finish up. A small green flame appeared in my hand as I reached down towards the unmoving general.

However, faster than I could even think about turning General Hull into one of my undead servants, a soldier burst into the tent. He had bright orange eyes and a massive grin on his face.

“I have you now.” the soldier muttered quietly before shouting loudly, “General Hull has been stabbed!”

Nearly a dozen more soldiers with bright orange eyes burst into the tent almost instantly. It was obvious that they had been waiting for this moment. It was only a few seconds later that more normal soldiers rushed to the scene.

My eyes narrowed, and I raised my hands in surrender as I spoke to corpses closing in on me. “You knew I would kill him, didn’t you Irene?”

“Of course, I did,” one of the corpses replied softly so that the normal soldiers further away would not hear. “I told you. I studied you for centuries. I know what you are going to do before even you do. It was obvious you were going to kill this buffoon and turn him into your servant. It would have been hard to make any treason charges stick before, but now I can keep you nice and locked up until Envy arrives.”

“And General Hull?” I asked, “You never had any intention of paying him even if he succeeded in capturing me, right? You needed him dead to frame me one way or another.”

The corpses under Irene’s control seemed smug as they spoke down to me. “Of course. The man was a joke. I promised him half of General Arthur’s territory and title for your capture. Can you believe he bought that? He deserved what he got. He… wait, why do you care?” All the corpses in the room froze as their eyes darted in every direction before locking on the one bodyguard General Arthur brought with us. Bright blue eyes glowed, nearly imperceivable under the full-face helmet.

“You should not talk so much,” I said with a grin as I lowered my hands. There was another shimmer in the air and the blue eyes under the guard’s helmet began to fade. Suddenly there was no longer any blood on my hands, there was no blood on the floor, and there was no dagger. General Hull stood up from the floor, completely unharmed as he glared at Irene’s corpses with pure fury.

"You think you can cheat me!” General Hull shouted. His eyes began to and the tent started to shake. Before Irene’s corpses could even react, more than a dozen sharp stone spikes shot up from the ground, impaling each of the corpses in an instant.

The corpses did not bleed or even react as they all looked at me with their eyes wide as they spoke simultaneously. “An illusion talent? You did not kill him… you…”

I shrugged as I sat back down on the comfy couch. “I wanted to of course, but this seemed like more fun. I still wish we could have done plan b though. That one would have ended with you killing the general instead. It would have been much more entertaining, but some people here are squeamish about their allies dying. Even when they do not like them.”

“This does not make sense,” the corpse said as it struggled to get free of the giant spike impaling it. “All the years I spent watching you… I have read every report! I know everything about you! Why did you not kill him?”

I laughed as more of General Hull’s stone spikes nailed the corpse in place. “You really think everything about me can be found in some report? Even if you stole all the classified information from the Ninth Division, that would detail less than one percent of the total missions I have actually completed. The Aevus name is scarier than you can possibly imagine. You know nothing about me.”