Aisbroom swiped their sword horizontally, cutting the throat of the nearest fairy. Glancing at the flower on their arm, they blew away another approaching enemy with a gust of wind, leapt aside, glanced to their other arm and shot a vine to trip the leg of another enemy. Aisbroom used yet another flower to throw the caught fairy in air, pounding them against another foe.

Finally Aisbroom breathed, the three defeated enemies lying at their feet. They finished the work with another quick slash of the sword, and then sniffed the air.

There was something… strange. A familiar yet unfamiliar scent riding on the wind, mixing with the smell of tears, sweat and blood wafting through the battlefield. Yet it was decidedly different. Glancing upwards, Aisbroom saw other suspicious signs. Billowing, stinky smoke.

It was fire. Aisbroom’s eyes widened.

The invasion attempt itself had been obvious, but the Stroba seemed to have penetrated Kalden far more efficiently than expected. In fact, despite Kalden’s army keeping watch on what they assumed to be most of their tunnels, these barely got used. Instead Aisbroom had received just a short while ago news about the Stroba appearing from within several unexpected locations, such as Morsheen. It was unbelievable, but they had no leisure to investigate the cause for it; that would come later, after they exterminated the enemies.

Now, however… had the Stroba dared to break one of Kalden’s greatest taboos? Would they really go to such lengths to acquire what they believed was theirs? Aisbroom was shocked. There was still the chance they were somehow mistaken, but even the slightest of such suspicions couldn’t be left alone.

“Take care of the area!” Aisbroom shouted at the soldiers around. “I’m going to check what happened!”

That would be much faster than waiting for other messengers in this chaotic battlefield. Aisbroom launched a vine at the nearest branch, shooting away.

Roah’s discovery was on an innocuous-seeming day. Shortly after the usual special lesson by Mr. Saburn, Roah still loitered around the school. He usually only went back to his lodging—a shack shared by many orphans—when it got dark. Usually he’d hang around town, but this time he stayed near the school. Consequently, he heard the small shriek coming from the back.

Curious, he ran to take a glance and was shocked to smell and see fire. A patch of grass was burning and a panicked Shaya was staring at it. No, she wasn’t just staring; she seemed to be concentrating. A sudden splash of water appeared amidst the flames, causing them to flicker, yet they soon raged with renewed power.

Roah couldn’t believe his eyes. As far as he could see, Shaya was… channeling water? But that was impossible. Or it at least it should have been impossible, for Shaya was a normal girl. She wasn’t in their special class meant to nurture their channeling talent, after all.

“What are you doing?” he finally asked.

Shaya, having been completely oblivious to his presence up to that point, freaked out even further. The fire flared for a moment, causing him to flinch.

“H-help me!” she blurted. “Please… I can’t…”

“How did you even—”

“T-there’s no time!”

Roah gritted his teeth and approached the fire. He glanced around; how was he going to handle this? There wasn’t any water source nearby and he really didn’t want to use his clothes as a makeshift tool to smother the flames.

Should he just run away and leave Shaya to her fate? This had nothing to do with him. Or he could just run and call for help. The only issue was that he wanted to know what exactly was going with her.

“Shaya? Roah?!” they suddenly heard a nearby voice. A man rolled into the scene—Mr. Saburn on his wheelchair. Roah clicked his tongue; he wasn’t sure if this was incredible or horrible timing. “What’s going on here?!”

“M-Mr. Saburn! I-I… we have to get help!” Shaya called.

“You heard her,” Saburn spoke to a person nearby—Roah recognized him as one of the school’s teachers. The man rushed off immediately. “You two, get away from the flames and explain what happened here.”

Roah shot a glance at Shaya and she averted her eyes with a frightened look.

“Sorry, professor—it was my fault,” Roah said calmly after a short while.

“Wha…” Shaya mumbled in surprise.

“What is the meaning of this?” Saburn asked, his brows arched low. It was an expression he didn’t show much; he was only rarely angry.

Roah himself also wondered the same. However, he had a certain hunch, and so he acted almost instinctively. In the worst-case scenario, he could always tell the truth again. But by taking the blame for Shaya perhaps he could have something over her.

“You see, I was just trying to do a bit of channeling and Shaya surprised me, so I accidentally…”

Taking the blame also meant that Roah received a stern lecture and the entire class suffered for it, with their practical channeling lessons being delayed. Roah had the feeling that the special lesson itself had only barely kept from being cancelled, perhaps owing to the fact there was no permanent damage done.

Gen had been both shocked and jubilant at once, teasing and criticizing Roah with it for many days to come. Well, Roah himself got off easily, so he couldn’t really complain.

So was it worth it? Perhaps. Confronting Shaya after the matter settled down, he heard her amazing story.

During her childhood, Shaya was able to sporadically manifest a strange power—the power of channeling, as she’d come to know much, much later. Yet this caused some harsh comments and actions from her family, so she ended up repressing it to the best of her ability.

Finally, when the school project had started and she met Niu and the rest, she came to know the identity of her mysterious powers, albeit only second-handed. From thereon she had an internal fight on whether or not to come out with them. If she did her family would be furious—but she also felt guilty for keeping it a secret.

She’d made a third choice instead. From time to time she would eavesdrop on Mr. Saburn’s special lessons and try to learn from them. Roah had actually seen her around the school a few times after lessons, but he (and she) always attributed that to waiting for Gen and Niu. He never could have imagined the truth.

Unfortunately, Shaya’s channeling was still as unstable as ever. And of all foolish things she decided to try a heat icon on the grass that day, for some reason. According to her the channeling ended up far stronger than it should have been, making her panic and lose control of it even further.

“…Please don’t tell anyone,” she implore him.

Roah crossed his arms and narrowed his eye. “What are you planning to do with this?”

“I-I don’t know…”

“And what will you give me for staying silent about this?”

Now Shaya was silent. Her eyes darted around the place, unable to stare directly at him. “I don’t know,” she repeated.

Roah sighed. Her family was fairly wealthy so he wondered if he could probably get away with blackmailing her for money. But that would be silly and shortsighted.

“Well, I don’t know either… so for now, just remember what I did for you. You owe me,” he summarized.

In time Roah also realized just how preposterous Shaya’s ability really was. Trained channelers themselves were rare, but those who naturally possessed the talent from a young age without any formal training whatsoever? Virtually nonexistent.

He came to the conclusion that Shaya probably was part of some lineage, perhaps one whose talents bloomed once every few generations or so. He’d even read about such people being revered as Saints in the land of Sacrona.

However, his investigation hadn’t come too far before the literally world-changing event. He and the three others were all thrown to another world, to mythical Fairland.

He kept silent about her ability as always, though he’d noticed her using it a few times. For all her talk about how scared she was about using her powers, it seemed like there were moments she couldn’t help but do so.

For example, the three of them alone would have never been able to defeat the first monster they faced without Shaya’s help. During their mad rush to Kalden she also attempted to deter their attackers with a few ill-aimed channeling attempts, and that did help them and DuA get away to their friends. Less impressive but just as useful was her ability to amplify existing channeling, which seemed to carry quite a punch, as evident by the fire created at the time.

Roah finally decided to enlist her help. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish his plan alone and that he could use her. Despite Niu’s interruption that one evening, he finally managed to convince the reluctant Shaya, and now the land around Twintree was burning.

However, what would this lead to?

Gen breathed heavily—he was being pushed back by the enemy’s assaults.

There were no more lucky breaks or surprise attacks. His enemy seemed about as strong as Aisbroom—no, that wasn’t true. Aisbroom would have killed him in less than a second. Still, he was directly fighting an actual warrior fully intent on hurting him. Only the sense of danger made his body keep moving despite the fear.

However, his movements were clumsy and sluggish. He was only holding out due to using his invisible arm to attack from time to time. That, too, began to take its toll on him. With every ethereal blow he felt himself squeeze out more and more of his power. He felt as if he’d used his compensation more in this single fight that he did his entire life.

He fought desperately. He couldn’t even call for help. He didn’t have the mental leeway to even wish for it. However, something did arrive—directly into his mind.

GEN! BEHIND YOU!

For a moment Gen was very confused. Yet he clearly heard this. Rather than a voice, it was more like… an intent. It wasn’t an actual person talking to him, yet he had the feeling he knew who addressed him. He was confused, but moved almost automatically.

Turning back, he saw another fairy rushing from behind, striking with their sword.

Even Gen wasn’t sure how he made it. The thrust missed by a hairsbreadth, instead landing on his other, confused opponent. There was a groan and a splash of blood while Gen fell to the ground. The shocked fairy also collapsed, slain. This seemed to piss off the other one, who, after recovering from their own shock, immediately turned to strike Gen again.

Only for something to hit their own head multiple times and send them flying.

Gen turned to the side, where he saw a familiar fairy rushing toward him. Aisbroom was closing in, their left arm directed toward the now defeated Stroba. Moments before, Aisbroom had launched a volley of sharp thorns from one of the flowers on their sleeve.

Aisbroom’s combination of purity and color lost its precarious balance. Their clothes were torn here and there and covered in mud or blood—the latter probably not their own. Many flowers covering them were crushed, ripped, or battered, yet Aisbroom seemed as calm and triumphant as always.

Aisbroom finished off their fallen opponent with a sword, and then glanced at Gen.

“Seems like you’re doing well. Keep strong,” they said, and ran off.

Gen wasn’t quite sure if it was supposed to be sarcastic remark or a genuine compliment, especially not with Aisbroom’s regular smile. Regardless, he rose up to his feet and prepared himself for another attack.

Luckily, it seemed that the area had turned somewhat safer; Aisbroom was still slaying many other enemies while moving ahead, and Gen had the feeling that more soldiers arrived in the meantime. He caught his breath while remaining vigilant.

And, since the string of action was over for now, his mind went back to the previous moment—when he’d heard a warning inside his head. He also recalled that it wasn’t the first time where he felt this way. The previous occasion was followed by a lot of events, some of them quite shocking, so he gradually forgot to even address it—but now it returned. And it made him wonder.

Could it be?

“Oh Gods…” Shaya mumbled, holding her mouth in horror. Despite being part of the cause for it, even she seemed shocked seeing the flames. The blaze started licking the base of the Twintree. Around and below them were shouts not only of battle, but of fairies burning as well.

Roah, meanwhile, completely ignored her presence. Instead, he rushed toward the nearest fairy—a young-looking soldier who appeared to be just as dumbfounded at the situation.

“Going to do something?” Roah asked them with his limited language skills, gesturing at the ground.

“I…” the fairy mumbled.

“A plan,” Roah added, pointing at himself. The fairy seemed confused despite apparently understanding his intention. Perhaps they wondered what a mere boy could do in that situation.

“Have a plan?” came another reply from nearby. “Explain. I understand little,” another fairy said, speaking in Roah’s native language.

Roah nodded. It was unexpected, but it would also make things easier with his limited vocabulary.

“How many channelers does this unit have?” Roah asked.

“Channelers?” the fairy asked, furrowing their brows.

“Those who use, uh, magic.”

“Ah. We have some, but not enough water magic for… that,” the fairy bit their lips. Despite appearing professional, they also were obviously shaken by the sudden fire.

As Roah surmised, they were shocked at seeing fire there. He would have imagined that living in such an environment would conversely mean they’d be more prepared for it, but apparently not. It would actually be the greatest weapon to use against a tree-residing society, but it seemed like even the enemy Stroba never went so far. No, that was wrong—they’d done it just now. Or at the very least, Roah had to convince them that this was what happened.

“Yeah, I figured as much. But what we need is not water—but weight. Gravity, I think you call it.” The fairy arched their brows, so Roah continued. “This is a messy method, but if you quickly sink the ground… we should be able to smother the fire.” The fairy froze for a second, so Roah added, “Quickly!”

“…How will we—”

“I’ll explain on the way. Gather some men—err, your soldiers and come down with me,” Roah commanded authoritatively. He was afraid that the fairy would begrudge him for stepping out of line like this, but they actually seemed somewhat desperate.

“…All right,” and they hurriedly shouted something to the soldiers around.

“You’re coming too,” Roah said to Shaya.

“W-what? But d-down there is…”

“You’ll be safer there surrounded by soldiers. Come on already!”

Ariboh momentarily held their left shoulder; blood seeped from between their fingers, trickling down. Yet they gritted their teeth to withstand the pain, still hacking with their sword. The flood of Stroba seemed endless, but it was lessening. Ariboh and their soldiers fought their way down the bottom floor, where the mystery was solved. Apparently, one of the tunnels opened up directly into Morsheen from below.

Preposterous and unimaginable. Reports here and there claimed that such things also happened in other trees, but Ariboh obviously focused on the one they were commanding.

“GRAAAH!” they roared while using yet another gravity-enhancing magic on their sword. The enemy in front screamed, their bones smashed.

Ariboh, however, almost felt as if every bone in their own body was creaking as well. They were already way past their limits. They estimated that they could probably defeat another one or two—not more.

But they didn’t intend to retreat. Ariboh would fight until the bitter end.

“—Need some help?”

It happened suddenly.

Another Stroba lunged toward the exhausted Ariboh until a barrage of small objects hit them from the side. That in itself caused no real damage; the next larger launched object, however, did audibly crack the enemy’s skull.

Ariboh recognized that voice and that attack. “What are you…?”

Turning aside, they could see Sqore and their trusty longtime partner, RoX.

“We have been dispatched, to help defend Kalden,” explained the robot. In contrast to the more humanoid robots like TriX or DuA, RoX was four-legged and most of its head was a hollow cavity that could contract or open at will. Sqore, wearing a smug smile, was riding on its back.

“Tch. Didn’t need it!” Ariboh spat, turning around to swipe their sword at another attacker.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Actually, the situation seems to be pretty bad,” explained Sqore as they loaded another stone into a small hatch. “I’ve heard people say that the Twintree is burning.”

Ariboh’s eyes widened and they turned around again. “The Twintree is what?!”

“Focus!” called Sqore. RoX launched the projectile at a Stroba sneaking toward the baffled Ariboh, sending them crashing to the floor with a bleeding head. “Oh, you needn’t worry. I also saw Aisbroom heading there right now—I’m sure they’ll figure something out.”

Aisbroom was regarded among the fastest in all of Kalden, owing to both actual, physical speed and the use of their abilities. So despite being quite far from the Twintree when they first heard the news, Aisbroom reached it without wasting much time. That also included the time they helped, however briefly, in the war efforts, felling dozens of Stroba en route.

Finally the flames were revealed. A crimson wave that tried to devour anything in its path was spreading around the Twintree. Luckily there wasn’t much wind and the soldiers were actively fighting it, otherwise the result would’ve probably been much worse.

Aisbroom wasn’t quite sure how they could stop it, however. Among their arsenal of abilities, they also controlled water magic, but if Aisbroom had one weakness, it was that they traded direct power for versatility and skillful manipulation. A mere flower or two could never eject enough water to smother a conflagration of that size.

This didn’t mean that Aisbroom was giving up, obviously. For now, they simply hurried to the site to gauge the situation and then think up of a solution.

The fighting continued even with the chaos caused to both groups among the flames. Yet Aisbroom noticed a small group approaching the fire with two unusual participants—the child faeries.

Narrowing their eyes, Aisbroom shouted toward that group. “What are you doing?”

The soldiers seemed thunderstruck, perhaps surprised to see Aisbroom there. “We were… going to put out the flames,” replied one of them.

“How?”

“The faerie said that—” the soldier managed to respond before Aisbroom sent a cold glare at the nearby Roah. It was to his credit that the boy did not flinch at all from that.

“What did you do?” Aisbroom immediately accused, speaking in the boy’s own language.

“Me? I saw a disaster happening right under my eye and offered my help,” Roah said.

“Is that true, Shaya?” Aisbroom asked.

Shaya's shoulders twitched; she was probably surprised at Aisbroom not only knowing her name but so suddenly and nonchalantly addressing her like that.

“Y-yes,” she replied, nodding.

Aisbroom turned back to Roah. “And you’re going to risk my soldiers for that?”

“…Do you suggest we let it burn down the whole damn forest?” Roah asked, arching his eyebrows. “Besides, I’m here with them, too.”

Something was strange. Roah didn’t seem to be the kind of person who would risk himself like that. Thinking about it, wasn’t it odd that this sort of thing happened exactly at his assigned location? There were currently no signs of any other fires in Kalden. Aisbroom’s mind started going places, but unfortunately, they hadn’t the time for these idle thoughts.

“We’re wasting time,” mumbled Roah and kept walking. The other soldiers all stopped in place, torn between Roah and Aisbroom.

“What are you planning to do?” Aisbroom finally asked, signaling the others to keep following them.

“We’re going to—” started Roah, but the next instant Aisbroom leapt upon him. An arrow flew directly where his head was located a moment ago. The bewildered Roah widened his eyes and Shaya shrieked, with the warriors surrounding them.

“Whatever, we don’t have time for this! Do your thing. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just let them kill you instead of protecting you,” spat Aisbroom, preparing for battle. Another volley of arrows zoomed and Roah cringed, but Aisbroom deflected some with a flick of their hands and the others either missed or were stopped by the other soldiers.

Roah rose up. Now that even Aisbroom was there, he had to prove himself.

Luckily, the fire hadn’t spread too much. Roah’s plan should still be effective, he felt. He trusted in the defending soldiers—at the very least Aisbroom alone should be able to keep the attackers at bay—and started working.

“There might be some of Stroba’s tunnels around here,” he explained to the lone soldier who could more or less communicate with him. “If so, we can cause this area to collapse inwards. Then we cover up the fire.”

“Will this really be so simple…?” mumbled Shaya guiltily.

Roah ignored her. He had some other ideas as well, but for now he bet on that possibility. The Stroba probably wouldn’t build tunnels under the Twintree—due to its thick roots—but perhaps there were some near it. They had appeared there suddenly and without any warning, after all.

He started etching icons on the ground. Since he only needed the action of endlessly adding weight to it, it wasn’t too complicated. Luckily, as he’d already known, the fairies used a very similar system of symbols that were compatible with theirs.

The only problem was that they had to do it as close to the fires as possible, and the flames kept spreading. Roah ordered for a few soldiers to try to halt the flames’ advance as much as they could. They were surprisingly obedient.

Finally Roah felt that there were more or less enough icons around.

“Get back and activate the icon—the runes!” he shouted. The one who understood him relayed his words to the others. Meanwhile Roah glanced back at Aisbroom’s group; as expected, they were able to successfully handle the attackers around. Now it was showtime.

Roah slightly nudged Shaya and began concentrating. The channel of weight was only rarely used, not because it was necessarily difficult to control, but because it was very situational and could be dangerous. That meant that Roah hadn’t much experience with it, but he hoped that their collective powers would be enough for the job. Especially with Shaya’s amplification.

Soon the ground began to shift. There was a low rumble—and it all collapsed at once. A large part of the ground in front of them caved in, opening large holes. Dust rose around and mixed with the smoke, causing them to cough.

Unfortunately, a few sparks were also thrown around, beginning new, smaller fires. Still, it was by large a success; the flaming area mostly collapsed inwards, though it was still burning.

“Take care of the small ones! Now we’re going to cover this up!”

There wasn’t enough water to use but there was quite enough ground, especially once the flames got it almost bare. Roah hurriedly scribbled some more icons, with some of the other faeries following suit. It was a crude rush-job, but probably good enough for the purpose.

“Now!” Roah called, focusing on the icons. It wasn’t smooth, but ground and sand moved ahead, spraying onto the flames. The main problem was that the icons were completely gone with every attempt.

After what seemed like an eternity, the fire was contained to a few burning cinders. The same went for the Stroba attackers; at some point Aisbroom even came to help them, blowing in some sand and spreading a strange powder that suffocated the smaller flames.

Roah breathed in relief and held his head; the constant usage of channeling in so short of a period led to mental fatigue. Most of the soldiers and Aisbroom didn’t seem to be affected by this problem. More annoyingly, Shaya didn’t, either. He actually wasn’t entirely sure whether she’d actively helped them, but still.

“Anyway… I think this tree is now secure,” Roah told the scrutinizing Aisbroom.

“We'll see about that," the fairy muttered in response, their voice cold. “For now go back to your post and don’t do anything strange.” Without even waiting for a response, Aisbroom went off.

Roah watched their back growing distant for a few seconds. He felt both physically and mentally exhausted—even if it was to be expected—but Aisbroom could still run around even after everything that happened today. Well, that was a super soldier for you. The important part was that Aisbroom hadn’t seen through Roah’s plan. Right?

Could it be? Did what Niu think just happened actually happened?

She stood at her post, dazed. The battle was still ongoing, but she had the distinct feeling that things were going to the advantage of Kalden. Gen seemed to be safe, too.

And so she got thinking—had she actually spoken to him just a bit earlier?

Well, perhaps “speak” was not the right word for it. She mentally shouted for him to dodge the enemy from behind, and he did just that. It could have been a coincidence, but Niu actually felt her words… leaving her body, if that description made any sense.

Could it be? Could this be her long wished-for compensation? That was her first conclusion. It would fit perfectly. Mr. Saburn had taught them that compensations were directly affected by what the person lacked. For Roah, the lack of an eye strengthened his other eye. Gen could manifest a special arm in place of his lost one. Niu heard from Gen that the legendary Stard Molton could fly in the sky because he couldn’t walk.

So it made sense that she’d develop another way to communicate when she couldn’t do so with her own mouth. Thinking back, perhaps it even happened before? She recalled her encounter with the first monster. Back then she felt just as desperate and even called out to Gen just like now.

It should be easy to check. Now that she realized she possessed that ability she should be able to activate it at will… right? But something stopped her. Something held her back. She tried analyzing what she was being so scared of, but couldn’t. Her mind was in disarray. She was still anxious about the ongoing battle and her friends’—as well as her own—safety, so perhaps this wasn’t the time for this.

She decided to postpone thinking about this for now. Things seemed well, but it was a battle so it could turn around at any moment and require her attention. For now she simply gazed downwards. She no longer saw Gen down there, but she didn’t see many soldiers either.

The last hour of the wave and the invasion passed rather quietly.

The last rays of the sun illuminated Kalden, dyeing it orange. It seemed gloomier of a light than usual—perhaps owing to the damage Kalden sustained during this long day of fighting. There was still a bit of smoke hanging in the air around the Twintree, though all the flames had already been extinguished. The bottom of the double trunk was still singed black, a hefty scar left by the fire. The injured and dead—including those from Stroba—were being carried around, while there were obviously still soldiers roaming about in search of any enemies. For the most part, however, the fighting was over.

Finally reunited, the boys and girls sat in the “living room” of their quarters. Among them only Gen had been injured and so about half his body was bandaged, but none of his wounds were life-threatening this time around. Niu felt relieved.

“It feels so… surreal, sitting here like that, after everything’s that happened,” noted Shaya. Her voice sounded much more tired than her actions for the day would indicate. Then again, Niu felt the same.

“Tell me about it,” grumbled Gen, leaning back on his chair. “I thought I was gonna die so many times.” He snuck a look at Niu, but she hurriedly averted her eyes.

“We don’t really know if it’s over, you know. They might keep attacking,” pointed Roah, ever the realist.

“…Whatever. It’s over for us, at least.”

A soft giggle came from the doorway as a figure entered. Niu smiled and waved her hand.

“Sorry for laughing,” said Seele, a hand to their chest. “It’s just that… seeing everyone like this really made me feel better.”

Niu felt like she could more or less understand what they meant. It wasn’t a bloodless battle. Tentatively everything seemed to end in Kalden’s victory, but there were many casualties. Not to mention damage incurred to the city itself during the battle, especially by the great fire, however quickly and efficiently it had been contained. Even so, the four of them survived yet again.

“It’s good to see you’re safe as well,” said Shaya, smiling.

Seele smiled back. “Anyway,” they continued, “I’m actually here for a message. Maybe it’s sudden, but you’re all called to the palace tomorrow.”

Silence. It had been some days since their last (and first) visit to the Ruler. They left that place with a promise to participate in the incoming wave, and their duty was fulfilled. If so, what awaited them next?

Would they really get one step closer to getting back home?

“It took you long.”

Acrus’s voice echoed in the mostly-empty throne room. Moments ago, the still-battered and dirty Aisbroom arrived there after receiving the Ruler’s third consecutive summons.

“There was a lot to take care of. I was also gathering up the reports about the faeries, just like you wanted.” Aisbroom didn’t word it as an excuse or as a reproach; they merely stated facts. It was skirting a fine line, but apparently it was good enough in Acrus’s eyes, for they said nothing.

“So how were they?”

“Satisfactory. Each did their part. Some did even a bit more.”

Aisbroom proceeded to summarize. During this entire long battle, Acrus barricaded themselves in a safe room surrounded by guards. Not even a single Stroba came anywhere close. Acrus practically lounged around lazily. So they obviously wouldn't know what happened in the battlefield, were it not for the reports.

Aisbroom told them all about it—mainly about Roah’s plan and Gen’s efforts. The two girls practically did nothing, according to the reports, but that was fine and well. They weren’t expected to actually take any actions, but simply to show their resolve and willingness to involve themselves with Kalden. Supposedly.

The only question was if that was enough for Acrus.

“How’s the interrogation going?” the Ruler suddenly changed the topic.

“We have yet to find out anything substantial. Most of the soldiers we caught alive were mere saplings following orders,” replied Aisbroom. “They seem to know almost nothing about anything, including the fires.” Aisbroom had his own suspicions about that, however.

“Very well. Keep torturing them to see if they spit out something interesting, just in case.”

“Understood.”

There was a short and somewhat awkward silence, as if Acrus was daring Aisbroom to leave despite not being dismissed. The loyal general simply stood in place, waiting, however.

“Oh, and I have already summoned the faeries for tomorrow,” Acrus suddenly said nonchalantly. “And ordered our technicians to start working on the contraptions.”

“The contraptions…?” mumbled Aisbroom, their eyes widening, “you mean…”

“Yes,” Acrus replied with a cocky smile. “I believe it is time to try and make contact with the faerie kingdom again.”

They hide behind both light and shade

Truth and lies from whispers made