Chapter 7:

Thrown to the wolves

Aidan rose from his bed with a slight headache plaguing him.

After Rana left, the trip back to the house had been surprisingly peaceful. Not a single dog seemed to have noticed his escape.

As for Vaska, Aidan was even more convinced now that she had a use for him. She had only aimed at non-vital areas, and the wounds she left behind were skin deep. He felt firsthand the kind of strength she possessed. She could have lobbed off his head long before he got better at detecting her in the darkness.

She wanted me to avenge Nova in her stead; she probably toyed with the idea back in Talbareth.

A dull pain throbbed across his torso. His legs ached, unhappy with the amount of strain they were put under the previous night.

One wound stung above all. The cut on his fingers was severe. Pain seared his hand whenever he attempted to grip it.

Playing his mandolin today, at least, was out of the question.

I have to find a way to manage without. I can’t let Alaya come here while both the demon and the mage are active. If I sneak out to stop her from arriving, I’m certain that Novarac will never allow me entry to the village again.

---

There were very few people outside in the twilight hours. Still, there were plenty of shapes out and about through the fading darkness, several keenly following him.

Aidan steeled his resolve. There was no more time to hesitate. He had to knock out Novarac and secure him before the sun went down.

Sounds of wood and steel clashing soon filled the air as Aidan approached the site where the people assigned to the village’s defense were training.

The archers fired tirelessly upon wooden targets fifty meters away. For how weakly the sun lit up the village, they hit their targets a remarkable amount.

Standing a modest distance away from the archers was Marvin. He and a gathering of twenty villagers were training with wooden weapons. They swung their practice swords and clubs with a ferocity you’d only see in live combat. Were a single strike to go unblocked, it would leave horrible wounds.

Marvin, alone, chose to not block or avoid any of the attacks. The wood struck his bare torso dozens upon dozens of times, leaving nary a mark upon his rippling muscles until the weapons themselves cracked and broked under the assault.

Among the people sparing with Marvin, only two were capable of keeping up with him.

One was a man with short, shaggy brown hair and a lush beard. He stood a few inches shorter than Marvin and armed himself with a wooden club.

The other was a woman with chestnut-colored hair wrapped in braids that reached her shoulders. She was the only one to land hits on Marvin’s face with her long polearm.

Both looked to be Marvin’s elders by half a decade.

Aidan frowned.

I have to speak with him one on one! Why is everyone else here too?

“Oh, the new guy’s here.” The man with shaggy hair pointed out Aidan to everyone.

“Marvin! I came to see you!” Aidan yelled sternly.

“Well, would you lookit that. Wouldn’t have pegged ya for an early bird, Guitar,” Said Marvin as he dropped his practice weapons. “Hey everyone, keep up the practice. I’ll go talk to him.”

Marvin stepped up to Aidan. The sounds of footsteps behind him made him shake his head.

“That includes you two.”

“Nah, we wanna see the savior you told us about.”

Aidan’s gaze narrowed.

“You weren’t supposed to tell anyone that!”

Marvin looked unperturbed by Aidan’s words. The two following him turned to him with concerned looks on their faces.

“You went against Novarac’s orders?”

Marvin let out a brief chuckle.

“You know the boss. He plays things safe. We could've gone after the dark star years ago if he wasn’t so damn scared. If he’s so convinced that the kid’s what we need to take the monster down, then I say we take her down today!”

Damn it, Marvin! Don’t overcomplicate things!

“Unless everyone here is enhanced with magic like you, involving them is foolhardy. It is only us two and Novarac who must face the demon. Nobody else should risk their lives.” Aidan berated.

Marvin’s positive attitude melted away in an instant. His glare was cold as he stared Aidan down.

“They are all in on this, and they will stand by my side even if its jaws were to come down on them.”

Aidan’s mouth hung open after hearing Marvin’s words.

"You...don't care about their lives?"

Marvin’s companions quickly intervened to lighten up the atmosphere.

“Come on, let’s not be so negative! Aidan, was it? What do you say you join us at the practice range, and we’ll talk things over there?” Mediated the woman.

Aidan nodded. The four rejoined the other fighters, who had stopped practicing due to the short altercation.

The air was tainted with the tension between Aidan and Marvin, so the other two spoke out. The man with shaggy hair went first.

“‘Ello, Aidan. I’m Gawan, Kulum’s number one in strength-” Marvin laughed, interrupting Gawan. “-natural strength, damn it!”

Gawan’s right hand was fully dark from the corruption. His fingers were shriveled up into being a third of their normal size.

The woman continued.

“I’m Melissa. Don’t take Marv’s words to heart. He always gets like that when talking about the plague child. Rest assured, we welcome your help!”

Melissa had black veins flowing outwards in every direction from both her eyes. Her left eye shimmered like a pitch-black jewel. It was easy to tell that she had gone blind in it.

The other fighters moved to introduce themselves as well. Aidan zoned out their names.

There are around fifty of them, and they move much better than self-trained peasants have any right to be. I suppose Novarac taught them. They could easily kill me if I try to make a move against him, but on the other hand, if I can convince Marvin of Novarac’s duplicity, they may listen to him and help me defeat him.

Aidan swallowed nervously. It was surely madness, but he had no other option.

“Alright, stop now,” Aidan said, interrupting the string of introductions. “Save your names for after we’ve defeated the monster. It preys on your emotional connections to others. The less I know of you, the easier it will be for me to kill it.”

Everyone looked unsure of Aidan’s words. He continued.

“You’ve been practicing to fight it, right? You’ve got any plans for it?”

Marvin snorted.

“Of course we do. First, we’ll-”

“How about we just show him instead?” Asked Melissa.

Marvin shrugged and motioned for her to go ahead. Melissa went and grabbed some wrapped-up objects. She brought them before Aidan and undid the wrapping, revealing them to be paintings.

What stood out immediately was the image of a white demon contained in all of them. It looked nothing like the other two Aidan met. The beast was gigantic, towering meters above the tallest buildings in the village. It stood on two massive hindlegs with two smaller arms dangling from its front torso.

The paintings portrayed the series of actions the group intended to pull on the demon. They would encircle it and lob spears into its massive legs. The spears had ropes attached to their ends, which Marvin and Gawan would pull on to destabilize and send it crashing to the ground. The group would then rain arrows on it while Melissa slashed out its eyes with a halberd.

The last painting ended with Marvin splitting its massive head open with an axe.

“Did Nova paint these for you?”

Marvin let out an exasperated sigh.

“No, no. Marvin’s the town painter. What do you think, Aidan? Would he make it out there in the empire?” Melissa said quickly to lift Marvin’s mood.

Aidan rubbed his chin as he analyzed their plan.

What kind of circus act is this supposed to be?

No, he couldn’t say that.

“I think it’s…a good start,” Aidan said with half a smile.

Marvin laughed.

“Figured you wouldn’t like it. What have ya got in mind instead, Guitar?”

A glint shined in Aidan’s eyes. Progress at last!

“I can’t make any plans until I know the full fighting strength of the village. What magic is Novarac capable of?”

Everyone stared at each other uncomfortably.

“We, we’re not allowed to share those,” Said Melissa.

“Telekinesis, fire, shield, empower, teleportation, beam, earth, air, crystals.” Marvin listed without hesitation.

“Marvin!” Gawan yelled.

Marvin raised his hand with half-lidded eyes.

“Not much he can do with just names. ‘Sides, what does it matter? As long as I kill the dark star, no cost matters.”

“It hurts my heart to hear you say such cruel words, my son.” A familiar, gentle voice sounded from behind them.

Absolutely everyone jumped and turned around to see Novarac approach them. All the fighters, including Marvin, bowed to him. Nobody dared to look up or say a word.

The atmosphere became more and more oppressive with each of Novarac’s steps.

Marvin cursed under his breath as the blind mayor stopped before him.

“Do you care to explain why my dogs showed you sharing battle plans with a bard in front of everyone?”

Marvin took a deep breath and raised from his bow.

“It’s pretty clear what I’m doing, boss. Guitar and I are coming up with ways to take down the dark star.”

Novarac let out a long sigh. He shook his head the way a parent would at a petulant child.

“You’re removed from the force. You will not fight the plague child.”

Expecting Marvin’s refusal, Novarac raised his hand and placed it on Marvin’s chest.

“If you believe yourself more capable than I give you credit for, I’ll give you a chance. Move an inch, and I will forgive your transgression.”

Novarac’s red magic flowed around Marvin, holding him still with telekinesis. The well-built man strained his muscles to their limit, flowing his own magic into them.

The air around the two was hard to breathe, filled with residual magic from their spells. And yet, he could not challenge Novarac’s hold no matter how hard he tried.

“Indeed.”

Novarac let go. Marvin fell to his knees.

“As for all of you, I trust that whatever foolish ideas my idiot son planted in your head have been summarily plucked out. Am I correct?”

Everyone nodded. None of them dared to look at Marvin, sitting with his head planted against the ground in shame and anger.

“Perfect. Come with me, Aidan; we shall discuss the situation just the two of us.”

“Of-Of course.”

Aidan couldn’t help but shiver. It was foolish to think that convincing Marvin would give him leverage over the fighters. Novarac’s hold was supreme.

Once Aidan and Novarac became too small to see in the distance, Melissa and Gawan rushed to Marvin’s side. They lifted him by his arms and helped him to his feet.

“You really screwed up this time, Marv,” Said Melissa.

“Did I?” Marvin asked before turning to his fellow fighters.

Not one of them expected to see the fire burning in his eyes.

“Have you all already forgotten your promise to Nova? When you promised her that you’d avenge her and her parents, was it just a lie you told to a scared little girl?”

”...”

“Was it all just empty air?”

Marvin’s words sunk deep. Shame slowly took the place of fear in the hearts of his comrades.

---

Novarac walked Aidan to a part of the village he had not been to before.

After witnessing how Novarac dismantled Marvin, Aidan felt a measure of hesitation towards the experienced magician’s power.

“What do you think of our village? Beautiful, is it not?”

“It is, though the demon’s surely left its mark upon it.”

Novarac laughed. It was not the kind of laugh you’d expect to hear a ruler let out over his struggling domain.

“Indeed, indeed. It is quite a powerful one. You heard from Marvin what type it is, yes?”

“A dark star, yes. I am ashamed to admit; I do not remember its significance.”

Novarac pursed his lips.

“Is that so? Let me jog your memory then.”

Aidan raised an eyebrow. Soon, he would come to learn the horrible meaning behind Novarac’s words.

---

Aidan’s eyes opened wide, and his jaw swung open. He stared at the sight lying before him, unable to form words.

“Terrible, is it not?”

Novarac had brought Aidan on top of a tall hill at the opposite end of the village. The entire area was fiercely guarded by dogs, allowing nobody but the two of them passage.

This hill gave Aidan a clear view of the valley past Kulum.

The entire valley was completely shattered. Massive fissures ran across it, wide and deep enough to fit several multi-story tall buildings within. The height of the ground itself dipped the closer you got to the center, almost like a meteor had crashed into it and rendered it into a crater.

The entirety of Kulum could fit a dozen times over within the ruined valley.

“What you behold is the landscape left behind by my battle with the plague child. I am grateful that my eyes were the only things I lost in the altercation. She was but a mere child then. Seven years old, if I recall.”

Aidan took a few steps forward. His body trembled before the supreme display of power that lid before him.

“That…can’t be!”

How can anything but the empress be capable of such destruction? None, not a single demon Valerian’s ever told me about did something like this!

“She is not who you believe her to be, Aidan. Alaya is the god of ruin, the one true devil among demons. When she opens her eyes, it will be the last dawn of our world that she will gaze upon.”

Alaya? But how? She wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to do any of this!

Novarac did not try to hide his knowledge of Aidan anymore.

“The dark star stands for the end of all. And I am ashamed to admit; I nearly awakened her when I tried to defeat her.”

Aidan turned to face Novarac.

“So you think I can defeat her without doing that?”

Novarac nodded.

“I beseech you, Aidan. The fate of this world rests on your shoulders.”

Aidan looked away. Too many things were racing through his mind at the moment to make sense of.

Damn it! He’s right in front of me, all alone! If I just sing to him now, he’s done!

But Aidan knew all too well he couldn’t. His heart was experiencing too much tumult. And more importantly.

He was afraid. Scared to death of the man standing next to him, the person who possessed enough power to unmake him with a thought.

What if he misjudged the effect his song would have on him? What if Novarac could use his magic regardless?

“Please, give me some time to think things through.”

Novarac gave Aidan a courteous nod.

“Kulum stands free to you for as long as you require.”

---

Aidan stood slumped up against a tree. Passerbyers were taken aghast by the forlorn expression on his face but didn’t dare stop to ask him.

What am I going to do? What can I do? I stand no chance if there is even a kernel of truth in Novarac’s words. If I refuse to help him, he’ll kill me instantly! And Alaya, how could she be capable of that much destruction? No amount of demonic essence could empower an individual to that level!

Aidan clutched his head.

If only I didn’t injure my hand! Is my only choice now to run away? No, I can’t just abandon Alaya to her fate. But there’s no outcome where I don’t perish.

Novarac’s dogs were watching him closely. He wasn’t going anywhere.

Aidan sunk ever deeper into his thoughts, and he lost track of time. Eventually, a series of high-pitched barks awoke him from his stupor.

He looked up to see Nova staring at him. She wore the flower crown the children had made her yesterday. The beautiful piece clashed hard with Nova’s disheveled appearance. Her eye had folds beneath it, and her skin was markedly more pale than yesterday. A smidge of unwashed red stained her wounded flesh beneath her empty eye.

Aidan wondered if she had slept poorly because of how he treated her. Still, he couldn’t even muster up the energy to care.

In her arms, she held Tabby. The little puppy was thrashing around, trying to break free.

“Is it presumptuous of me to assume that you don’t have peaceful dreams either?” She asked.

Aidan didn’t bother responding.

Tabby barked loudly. Nova let out a sheepish smile and placed down Tabby.

“Sorry, I nearly forgot! Tabby barked at my window until I finally awoke. He wanted to see you.”

The puppy rushed to Aidan’s side. At first, it looked to guard him once more, but Aidan’s destitute appearance stopped it in its tracks. The puppy glanced sideways as it analyzed him.

It slowly walked up to Aidan’s leg and pawed at him. Aidan pushed it away, only for the puppy to rush right back to him.

Seeing Aidan’s confused reaction, Nova spoke.

“Tabby noticed how forlorn you are and wants to cheer you up.”

“...It’s just an animal.”

Nova shook her head. Despite her state, her voice had not lost its energy.

“First of all, animals are capable of far more empathy than you give them credit for! And second, Tabby is not an animal!”

Nova waited for a reaction, but Aidan’s expression remained neutral.

“...So, Tabby is Novarac’s familiar. They are lifeforms born from and attached to the soul of their creator. This goes for all the dogs in the village; they are all Novarac’s creations. Ever since he lost his eyes, they share their vision with him, and they are far more intelligent than their natural counterparts! I’ve tried to make one myself, but Novarac flew into a rage when he found out that I did, and y-yeah, that’s how they are.” Nova ended her long tirade with a sheepish smile.

“So Novarac ordered him to come to me?”

“I don’t rightly know if that’s the case this time. Novarac does order them, but he removed Tabby’s role as your ward yesterday. Perhaps he just grew to enjoy your company.”

Aidan looked at Tabby. In light of what Novarac was capable of, one dog did little to shake Aidan’s heart. Tabby noticed Aidan’s curiosity and pawed and barked at him even harder in response.

Aidan reached out and hesitantly grabbed him.

The three stood in silence as Tabby cuddled up to Aidan’s chest. In the back of his head, Aidan could hear the howls and barks that chased him during his childhood flare-up, only to grow quieter as the puppy soothed his nerves.

Seeing Aidan’s mood finally lifted, Nova spoke seriously.

“Did Novarac threaten you?”

Nova’s question caught Aidan off guard. He glanced down at the dog he was holding, unsure if it was even safe to answer.

“Don’t worry. He only shares their sight.”

The thought of displeasing Novarac sent shivers running down Aidan’s body. He did not hesitate to use his magic on his so-called son; what would he do to a stranger?

“No, it’s nothing. Novarac just reminded me to be more careful with my words, nothing big.”

Aidan hoped that his answer was enough. Much to his chagrin, it wasn’t.

“I-I’m terribly sorry. If I was just normal. If I didn’t act up, you wouldn’t have gotten scolded.”

Aidan sighed. He wanted her to go away, but how could he do that without provoking another reaction?

“Listen, Nova. You would be better off spending time with anyone else in the village. I’m awful, a weirdo, and a god damn moron to boot. I can’t stand dogs, and I came to a village run by a literal dog wizard!”

Though initially saddened by Aidan’s words, hearing the term dog wizard caused a chuckle to slip Nova’s lips.

“What? I’m not joking. Everyone loves you. I’ve already hurt you twice. You’re better off ditching my company.”

Nova’s smile faded to be replaced by a frown.

“Can it be called love to shower someone in meaningless affection but refuse to give them what they actually want?”

“What?”

Nova took a moment to collect herself. It was hard to hold back the anger.

“Aidan, everyone in this village is smitten by the desire of torturing and murdering the person they believe responsible for my disfigurement as violently and painfully as possible. Every single day they boast and promise to get revenge for me as if I asked for it. Whenever I think I can begin to move on, they are right there, ready to pull me back.”

Nova clutched her crown tight, squeezing its flowers to death.

“Do you understand now? You don’t torture me with reminders of the past, so, please, while you are still here, entertain me.”

Aidan couldn’t believe it. His instincts had been right, to begin with. She was faking her happiness around everyone.

“I don’t,” Aidan responded. “If I’d have the opportunity, I would gladly have the support and love of everyone in my life. What they are doing to you is horrible, but I…I would take it.”

Nova thought Aidan’s words over. It clearly hurt her to hear that, but she didn’t seem to hold it against him.

“Perhaps we just come from walks of life too different to understand each other.”

In truth, Nova had long since formed an image of Aidan’s past in her mind. His reaction to dogs, his torn clothing, his late mentor, and his lack of education pointed to a poor life.

“To you, I must seem like a petulant child. I complain about all these things you would gladly have.” She continued.

“Nova, please. I’d rather we leave the topic be. It’s not good for either of us.”

Nova nodded wordlessly.

Aidan grit his teeth. She didn’t seem to despise Alaya like the rest. But there was little Aidan could do with it. She was far too easy to push to a breaking point and invite Novarac and Marvin’s wrath.

Still, if she was this desperate for companionship, perhaps there were other useful things he could learn from her.

“If you don’t mind, can you tell me a little about what magic you can do? I haven’t gotten to see much of it.”

Nova’s eyes lit up at the question.

Strike two?

---

A full hour passed, spent by Nova giving Aidan an excruciatingly detailed rundown of every spell she possessed, the various applications she found for all of them, and how difficult each one was to cast and maintain.

Each one came with a demonstration. Spawning fire and crystals, creating mist and a shield. By the standards of a mage, they were not much above the level of parlor tricks, but for someone of Nova’s age, it was impressive nonetheless.

The most important detail that Aidan picked up was that mages with less than ten years of practice like herself and Novarac were required to perform certain motions for each spell. It was possible to know ahead of time what the next spell would be.

“With magic, Novarac taught me that the most important thing is to be mentally focused one hundred percent of the time. If your mind wanders for even a second, the magic will fail. It sounded easy at first, but oh no, it wasn’t. I had to train my focus before he let me touch any spells.”

“That sounds-”

Like a glaring flaw.

“-boring.”

“Oh, you have no idea. He had me keep my eyes fixed on a crack on the wall while his dogs did tricks and begged me to play with them. For. Hours.”

“Wow, I could never learn magic.”

“Haha, for different reasons than me, I’m sure.”

Nova had shared with him all the motions required for the spells she learned.

“What about the spells you haven’t learned yet? Do you know the motion to those?”

Nova pouted.

“No. He refuses to share them with me until he feels I am ready to be taught. He claimed I would go behind his back and try to learn them on my own.”

“And would you?”

Nova narrowed her eye at Aidan before turning her head away playfully.

Aidan smiled. Enough time had passed, and enough things were learned. He regained his confidence, and he had a new plan.

Aidan gave Tabby to Nova to hold and turned to walk away.

“Aidan, is something wrong?”

“No. I just have something to do. Something only I can do.”

Nova scanned Aidan curiously. She thought of asking him what he meant but decided not to press him.

As Aidan walked away, he stopped in his tracks for a moment. Something in the back of his head was niggling at him.

“Nova, I’m sorry I didn’t eat your food. It tasted really good.”

Nova chuckled.

“I don’t hold a grudge for it. We both have our demons. But, perhaps next time, you can try again?”

Aidan didn’t turn around. He lifted his head and smiled.

If there is a next time.

---

A large crowd of dogs ran circles around Novarac as he walked down a road. People came to him with questions and requests. Every time Novarac clapped, one or more of his hounds followed the villagers to assist them.

Strangely, no one more came to Novarac for help anymore. The dogs noticed this too and barked at their master. Their voices were exasperated, their barks desperate, laced with exhaustion.

“Yes, yes. I know, little ones. The Murmur is coming to greet me. The dark star will perish at last. Our nightmare here will soon come to an end.”

Novarac smiled. He stepped away from the road and found a spot where some grass managed to thrive despite the rampant corruption plaguing the land.

As he laid down on the ground, the blades of grass around him began ever so slowly to wilt away.

There, he quietly awaited Aidan’s arrival. His dogs gave Novarac a view of the village akin to an enormous, all-encompassing glass-stained window. He could see the young man walk from one piece of glass to another, his shape and dimensions warping ever so slightly when viewed by different dogs.

“...!”

Novarac’s peace was interrupted when a large crowding of people blocked several pieces of glass on the other end of the village. The mage scanned the crowd of people carefully from a multitude of angles, looking for what could have caused this uproar.

When he found it, he almost couldn’t believe his dog’s eyes.

“Marvin…again?”

Novarac rose to his feet. His dogs whimpered and backed off from him, fearing the man’s rage.

“Come, little ones. We must punish an insubordinate, foolish child.”

---

Aidan wandered all around the village, looking for Novarac. Not only did his search come up empty-handed, but he did not come across anyone else either. Even the dogs were gone, besides those tasked with watching over him.

For as much as he previously feared the mage, he was now irritated at not being able to find him.

I’ll pretend to accept his offer. Before Alaya arrives, I’ll learn as much as I can about whatever condition she has and then find a way to break his concentration. But I have to find him for that first!

Aidan searched exasperated until, at last, he came across a large crowd. They were all gathered in a circle at the top of a hill. A large dark monument poked out above the crowd.

Oh, that’s the thing I never got to check out yesterday.

Aidan approached the crowd. As he climbed the hill, he could hear barking sounds, along with two voices arguing above them.

He arrived at the back of the crowd. It was hard to see past them, and with all the barking, they did not hear his requests to let him pass either.

Aidan circled the crowd, looking for a way inside, when he came across Nova. She was inside of the crowd, yelling something unintelligible at everyone.

Alright, that’s it! I need to find out what’s going on!

Aidan forcefully pushed his way through rows and rows of people. As he arrived at the front of the crowd, he finally saw what the whole debacle was about.

Almost half the citizens in the village were standing around in a circle, watching with bated breath. Sprinkled through them were dogs, all ready to keep them in line.

Further in, past the crowd, stood Gawan, Melissa, and the other fighters of Kulum. They were all armed with their combat weapons. Surrounding them were the biggest, fiercest hounds Novarac had to offer.

“You overstep your boundaries, Marvin! You do not have the right to go against my word and poison everyone’s minds!”

Novarac and Marvin stood opposite each other in front of the dark monument. The monument was twice as wide as Marvin, holding the appearance of a gigantic pitch-black shard. Encircling it was a large amount of wood and charcoal.

A pyre with enough fuel to burn a person alive.

“Nobody has to give us the right to take revenge for what was done to us. No, what we should be asking is what you think gives YOU the right to keep secret from us the person capable of killing the plague child!”

Marvin’s voice was loud enough to reach everyone in the crowd but not anymore as to betray any anger.

Novarac’s, meanwhile, was cracking with rage.

The two had been arguing for a while based on how large the crowd was.

Why is he not using his magic on Marvin? Is it because they are in front of everyone?

“Foolish child! None of you are capable of battling that monster! I gave you the chance to work with Aidan out of courtesy to you! And how do you reward my kindness? By betraying my trust and leaking the information to the entire village!”

Marvin scoffed. He turned his gaze to the crowd and made a wide motion of his arm to them.

“And what if Aidan fails to kill her? What then? We’ll have lost our only chance at freeing ourselves! We cannot risk that! We must help him!”

Novarac’s hands shook. Aidan caught a glimpse of red magic trailing from his hands. Novarac couldn’t take much more!

“Nonsense.” The rage from Novarac’s voice disappeared, to be replaced by cold anger. “You are not honest. What you truly mean to say is that you wish to, above all else, take revenge for Nova. No matter the cost.”

This time it was Novarac’s turn to appeal to the crowd. He turned to them and raised his hands high up in the air.

“He wishes to sacrifice as many of you as possible if it means repaying Nova’s wound! Are you truly willing to listen to such a man?”

Marvin slammed his fist into his chest as hard as he could. Thunder echoed across the entire village as the shockwave pushed everyone back a step.

“The night my parents died, the night Nova lost her eye, I promised that I would never allow this to happen again! No child will ever have to grow up alone again; no person will ever feel the fear we did that night! I and my fellow soldiers are ready to jump in the gaping maw of hell and drag the devil down under with us!” Marvin’s voice roared above everyone.

This time, it was Gawan’s turn to speak.

“Trust us. We will never do anything that puts any of you at risk. Novarac has done us a great service, but even his magic cannot hold the advance of destruction at bay forever.”

Gawan raised his shriveled, mangled arm for everyone to see it.

“We have all lost something dear to the plague child. We will not stand by as she takes everything else too! We have trained every day of our lives for this moment!” Melissa added proudly.

Marvin beat his chest again, drawing everyone’s attention back to him.

Everyone expected him to give another boastful performance. To their surprise, he instead dropped to his knees and planted his head on the ground.

“I beg all of you. I would not have divulged this information if I did not trust you. You are all free to look away, to hide, to run far away if you must. However, I choose to stand and fight. For you. For Kulum. For Nova. I only ask you all to give us a chance.”

Marvin’s words visibly moved everyone in the crowd. Slowly but surely, they all looked invigorated, as if hope had returned to them.

Gawan and Melissa smiled. With so many people on their side, there was no way Novarac could strongarm them out of the attack on the plague child anymore.

Marvin rose to his feet. It was then he finally noticed Aidan.

“And there he is, everyone! The man who will lead us to salvation!”

Aidan’s eyes went wide. Everyone’s attention fell on him. Some looked upon him with disbelief, some with doubt.

Most looked at him with hope.

“A-Ah…” Aidan’s words failed him. He was not ready for this.

The dogs barked in a futile attempt to sway the crowd’s mind. The outcome was a foregone conclusion.

“Is that so?”

Novarac’s voice dripped on Marvin’s back like a snake’s venom.

Marvin instinctively prepared himself as red magic grabbed hold of him and slammed him face-first into the ground.

“This is the problem with you, hu-children! None of you experienced the plague child’s wrath! But I did! I know how terrible she is! What kind of ruler would let his subjects rush to their deaths?”

Try as he might, Marvin couldn’t move even an inch under Novarac’s telekinesis.

“Novarac, stop! You’re hurting him!” Yelled Melissa.

“Am I?!?”

Holding Marvin down with one hand, he raised his other hand at the fighters. In one swift move, Novarac lifted them all several meters into the air.

“You imbeciles! If you cannot challenge me, what chance do you think you have against the plague child?”

Marvin grit his teeth in frustration at his powerlessness.

Aidan watched the proceedings at a complete loss at what he could say to diffuse the situation.

“Stop!” A female voice yelled.

Aidan, Novarac, and everyone else turned their heads. They saw Nova stepping through the crowd.

“Nova! You shouldn’t be here! This place isn’t good for you!” Marvin managed to yell despite Novarac’s grip.

“Shut your mouth, Marvin!” Nova yelled.

Despite her refusal, Aidan saw a deep, dark red liquid start to flow from her empty eye socket. People and dogs rushed from the crowd to help her, only for her to push them away with her magic.

“Have you all gone mad with bloodlust?!? Alaya has done nothing! Leave her alone already!”

“Nova, we all promised we’d avenge you-” Melissa tried to speak, only for Nova to cut her off.

“I never once asked for that! I’ve only ever asked you to bury your hatchet, but you all are too simple-minded to follow such basic instructions!”

Nova immediately turned to Novarac.

“And you! All your knowledge has done you no favors! You are no more wise than the wolves! All you can think of is how to best strip the flesh from her bones without putting yourself at risk! Instead of such nonsense, how about you focus on discovering a way to reverse the corruption?”

Everyone instinctively looked for cover, fearing what her words would do to the enraged leader. To their surprise, the old man’s anger had seemingly vanished. Even he shirked away from the young girl’s words.

“Nova, I assure you, I’ve already exhausted every-”

“That’s a pathetic excuse coming from a mage! You should pride yourself in defying the impossible and not-not giving-”

Nova spat blood like venom with every word she spoke.

“Someone get her away from here already!” Marvin yelled as loud as Novarac’s magic let him.

Nova turned to Aidan. Blood gushed down her face like a waterfall. Her body was wracked with tremors far worse than anything he had seen from her before.

“Is this what you meant, Aidan? Is killing…killing Alaya that thing only you can do? You-You, disgust me! How could you, how could you turn out to be just another murderer like them?”

Aidan was frozen.

Nova stared at Aidan, defiant in her anger. After only a few seconds, however, the pain caught up to her. She dropped to her knees, painting the dry, barren soil below in corrupted blood from her missing eye.

Marvin’s eyes went wide with rage. He grit his teeth as white magic burst from his back.

Novarac immediately turned his attention back to Marvin. The young man’s body was glowing from head to toe with his magic.

“You…god damn…idiot!” Marvin spoke as his body shook.

Little by little, his body began to move. For every inch he ripped out of Novarac’s hands, Marvin felt like he had to drag a mountain across the landscape.

Novarac pushed down harder on Marvin, slamming him face-first into the floor again.

But it didn’t matter.

Marvin’s body creaked like a rusted machine as he rose once more. Sparks sounded around the two men as their magic clashed. The air was filled with electricity.

“Stay down, you fool! You’ll tear yourself apart!” Yelled Novarac.

“A small price to pay….If it means that Nova will be safe!”

Novarac and Marvin’s voices came out distorted, their magic crushing and bending the air around them.

White magic exploded outwards from Marvin’s body. Everyone in the crowd ran away dozens of meters as his magic flowed outwards into the air above them.

Aidan grabbed Nova and carried her away from the danger.

With no other option left, Novarac let go of the fighters and pressed down on Marvin with both hands. The ground beneath Marvin cracked and split apart as Novarac pushed down as hard as possible. Marvin, however, did not budge an inch.

Standing on a single knee, Marvin rose his right arm high up in the air. Red and white magic flew around his arm as Novarac tried to wrestle control away from him to no avail.

“Burn this into your mind, Novarac! The one who will slay the plague child…is ME!”

Marvin struck the ground with his right fist. The ground shook violently as an ear-splitting noise boomed across the entire village and beyond its walls.

The impact split apart the earth, splintering the hill they stood upon down to its base. Aidan and everyone else watched in horror as the cracks ran beneath their legs, ripping the ground they stood on in two.

He’s strong enough to kill Alaya! She doesn’t stand a chance against this!

Everyone looked just as flabbergasted at Marvin’s display of power as Aidan.

Marvin ripped his fist out of the ground. The knuckles on his fist were skinned off, causing small trickles of blood to flow down his fingers.

Marvin clutched his hand. It was shaking, and he could feel a deep pain in his bones. He had overdone it, but it mattered little.

He looked to Novarac. The old man had fallen off his feet, and the explosion scattered his dogs. For the moment, Novarac was truly blind.

“I hope you understand, boss. You can’t stop me. Nobody can.”

“...”

Novarac remained silent. Without his dogs to see for him, the man trembled like a scared lamb.

Marvin couldn’t help but feel bad for his adoptive father. He wanted to say more, but he couldn’t stay there anymore. He had to hurry to Nova.

Aidan was still holding her, too afraid to give her any more shocks.

Everyone gathered around her, worried about her condition.

“How are you feeling?”

“We need to get her out of the sun!”

“Let go of me….I don’t want any of your sympathies!” She spat back.

Aidan’s thoughts were still a mess, but even so, he still knew that the girl in his arms needed help. He grabbed his cloak and wiped away the blood staining her face.

“Nova, do you need me to get Rana?” He asked.

Nova glanced at Aidan. Her lips shook as her face was twisted by a look of grief, anger, and most importantly, disapointment.

“Don’t talk to me. I’ll go to her myself.”

A powerful feeling of guilt struck Aidan.

What have I done?

“How is she?” Asked Marvin as he arrived.

“Not good. She’s conscious, but her body’s a complete mess!” Answered Gawan.

Marvin looked down at his sister. As pained as his expression was, hers was still strong and defiant.

“Mel, please, carry her home and look after her.”

“What will you do?”

Marvin turned to Aidan.

“We will figure out how to fight the dark star together.”

Aidan swallowed. His time finally came.

Aidan left Nova to Melissa and turned to leave with Marvin. Before he could leave, however, Nova tugged on his cloak.

“Don’t do it. Don’t hurt her.”

“Nova, I….”

He didn’t know what to say. If he said the truth in front of everyone, after such a display from Marvin, they would certainly tear him to shreds.

Nova noticed Aidan’s hesitation. She pulled him close to her.

“Just look on the other side of the monument before you decide,” She whispered.

“Come on, Nova, we have to go now!” Melissa said and pulled Nova away.

Nova relented. She let Aidan go and very slowly walked alongside Melissa.

The other side of the monument?

Aidan and Marvin, alongside all the fighters and villagers, headed back to the monument.

Novarac stood there surrounded by all of his dogs. He noticed their approach but didn’t say anything to them.

Aidan noticed the tension between the two leaders, and spoke up.

“Marvin, I have a request, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah? What is it, Guitar?” Asked Marvin.

“I want to look at the back of the monument.”

Aidan’s words caught both Novarac and Marvin off guard.

“Aidan, I ain’t sure if you should-”

“Nova asked me to.”

Marvin sighed.

“That foolish girl. Fine, come with me.”

Aidan and Marvin walked to the back of the monument. Everyone else followed close behind.

Aidan’s body froze before the sight. All around him, everyone looked upon the sight with either pride or hate.

“Nova probably thought you’d change your mind if you saw this. Don’t mind her.”

Aidan didn’t respond. In truth, he couldn’t even hear Marvin anymore. His ears were filled with static.

His eyes took in the image before them.

A painting. One just like all the others, painted by Marvin. It was attached to the top of the monument, held into it by a nail.

The top of the painting was a night sky. The stars were gone under an all-encompassing black sun.

Trailing down, the darkness was beaten back by small strokes of color. The further down Aidan’s eyes went, the more numerous they became until they formed the image of hair flowing upwards into the wind.

The hair’s color was red. Auburn red.

Alaya….

The Alaya pictured within was but a child. Her arms were raised perpendicular, with large brown objects struck into her open palms. A horrifying amount of blood flowed from her palms.

Aidan felt sick as he observed with just how much detail Marvin drew her pained expression. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she screamed into the heavens above.

Aidan stepped forward until he reached the base of the monument. There, among the charcoal, was one item of particular note. Aidan grabbed it and looked it over.

It was a wooden stake, stained red with old blood.

Aidan clutched his mouth. The moment he touched Alaya’s hand and made her scream played on repeat in his mind. Her voice had betrayed so much more pain than even when Vaska crushed her leg. It carried the unending, infinite hate the villagers felt towards her, the one she resigned herself to carry on her back.

All that suffering for this? For monuments, for art dedicated to her torture and death?

Seeing Aidan’s reaction, Marvin felt he owed him an explanation.

“The night the dark star killed my parents and attacked my sister, Novarac fought her to save Nova. He managed to weaken her enough that the result of the adults caught her. They tried to stake her to the crystal you see before you that Novarac created. She managed to get away, but not before we drove one stake into her hand. Rest assured, this won’t happen again.”

Marvin’s calm tone dropped, replaced by one of indignation and fury.

“Because next time, we will sever her legs so she can’t escape! And I will personally nail her to the monument and make her scream for what she’s done to my sister! Once I drained the last scream out of her and her voice’s broken, I’ll lite the pyre and watch her burn to ashes!” Yelled Marvin.

Along with her screams, Alaya’s voice reverberated in Aidan’s mind.

You heartless scumbag. If I find out that even a single person was hurt in those fires, you ain’t making it back home in one piece.

Damn it! What are we going to do now, Aidan? The blasted monster’s gone, and the closest river is kilometers away!

Didn’t you hear me? You hurt the people down there!

Why do you bother? I’m just one person. There are so many more for you to save down there.

Aidan’s body shook harder and harder as anger flooded his mind. Before him he only saw Alaya’s dead, eviscerated body hanging by the monument, painting it and the ground beneath it in blood, with only her tears to wipe away the crimson liquid from her cheeks.

Memories of his own life mixed in with it. Images of the times hunting dogs tore into his legs, when people beat him down with clubs, and when Valerian protected Aidan with his body and allowed countless knives to pierce his back.

“Aidan? Are you alright?” Asked Marvin.

Hearing Marvin’s voice again, Aidan’s eyes snapped wide open and turned bloodshot.

It was him.

Marvin approached Aidan, concerned.

Without thinking, Aidan undid the harnesses holding his blade and mandolin, letting both fall to the floor.

Marvin grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Hey, what’s wron-”

Marvin spat out blood as Aidan punched him in the face.

“You did this to her!” Aidan’s voice was twisted beyond recognition by rage.

Another punch to Marvin’s gut. And another. One more across his face.

Completely oblivious to where he was hitting, Aidan drove his fists deep into Marvin’s body. His knuckles were screaming in pain from striking flesh so tough, but Aidan kept hitting.

“Argh!”

Marvin finally struck back, a single punch to Aidan’s chest that sent the young man flying off his feet. Aidan felt his entire rib cage tremble. The blow ejected all of the air in his lungs in a single moment.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Yelled Marvin as he wiped away the blood from his lip.

People in the crowd rushed to help Marvin, only for him to raise his hand at them.

Aidan’s brain was shaking violently. Half delirious, he spun himself on his stomach, vomiting blood on the grass below.

That lone punch felt like being hit by a boulder, and Marvin was sure to have held back greatly.

But Alaya felt worse.

Aidan rushed back to his feet. Blood was flowing freely from his mouth. He tried to breathe, but no air flowed to his lungs.

“Explain yourself this instant, Aidan!” Roared Marvin.

Marvin’s fists were clenched, and his muscles were on edge. Aidan felt like a giant was staring down, ready to crush him underfoot at any instant.

And he didn’t care.

He threw himself at Marvin, only for him to catch the blow.

Fresh pain flooded Aidan’s mind as Marvin squeezed down on his fist, crushing it. Aidan spat blood into Marvin's eyes. Marvin instinctively let go of Aidan, only to be tackled to the ground by him.

Before Marvin could recover, Aidan clawed at the dark veins protruding out of Marvin’s face. If he could break them open, the corruption would mangle the rest of Marvin’s face.

“Grab him!”

Aidan was forcefully lifted off of Marvin by Gawan and Melissa. Aidan fought to free himself, but he was far too weak after Marvin’s single strike.

Aidan watched powerlessly as Marvin rose to his feet, no worse for wear. Marvin’s fierce expression made it clear he wasn’t waiting for an explanation this time.

Magic converged into his fist, blasting any excess outwards from his arm. His hair was blown upwards by the torrent of magic. Even without touching him, the magic was singing Aidan’s skin.

Certain death awaited Aidan.

Aidan took one last breath.

If the next thing I behold when I wake up is you, father, know that I do not regret what I’ve done.

Aidan yelled at the top of his lungs for everyone to hear.

“Alaya is not the one who mauled Nova! You’ve only punished an innocent! Hear me? Alaya is-”

Marvin sunk his fist into Aidan’s gut. The young man had only a second to feel pain before he was launched backward. Aidan’s limp body smashed into the monument, slamming the back of his head against its hard surface.

Aidan’s eyes remained open for only an instant before slamming shut. He slid down the monument and fell into the pile of logs and charcoal.

Everyone in the crowd remained deathly silent. Marvin’s silent execution had cast fear even into them.

Marvin looked down at his fist and Aidan’s body. Red magic flowed around both. Novarac had held back the force of Marvin’s strike while also throwing Aidan away ahead of time.

The two, combined, saved Aidan’s life.

Marvin glared at Novarac.

“Boss. I hope ya have a good explanation for why you saved him.”