Leo and I traveled to the last leg of our journey, where it all begins, fortress Icyne. It's hidden in a secret location deep in the mountains of Tyral.

Fortress Icyne once was an impregnable defensive point that stood strong against any invaders and repelled them with tenacity and perseverance.

It held a position in the middle of an impasse that prevented large armies from entering at once, forcing them to enter as thin columns rather than intimidating ranks. It's sheer height and width made it susceptible to bombardments and sieges, further making it a force to be reckoned with.

It has a grand history that made it legendary, but with the passing of time, it's now a shadow of its own past, until a few months earlier when drastic changes started occurring everywhere.

With the perseverance of many, the fortress was transformed into the greatest stronghold of the coalition. It housed the constantly growing army of the resistance, and the heroes tasked with defeating the Kaiser and his generals. In the event that we would be attacked, many confidently believed that this stronghold would definitely hold them back, maybe even allow us a chance for a counterattack if we ever get lucky enough to crush them here.

We were made sure to be discreet about this information. Those living in the fortress were not permitted to leave or send messages outside without supervision and undergoing a heavy inspection. That went for everyone including us and high-ranking people. We were all equals in that point. Leo and I went through the same thing.

It was a long travel since it was located far north-east from the festival grounds. We arrived around dawn, staring at the fortress from afar as we got close enough.

"I can't believe it's really happening. We've been waiting for this after all, but why does it feel so surreal?" Leo sighed and held his breath in admiration.

"You're not alone in that. We've all been waiting, but let's not think about that yet and get ahead of ourselves. Let's settle ourselves first before anything else. It's finished when the tyrant's head hits the floor."

"Right."

With that, Johann and I came to the gates and met with a large group of hostile, armed soldiers. The ramparts were lined up with archers while soldiers wielding spears came from our sides and behind us, preventing any sort of escape.

"State your names and business!" the one in charge came up from the group up at the ramparts and shouted, holding his sword up in the air, ready to give the command of attack at a moment's notice.

"Johannes Isles and Leo Talst. We're part of the resistance. We have proofs of that as well. We're prepared for inspection, so you can stand down, Captain Balg," I said to the man up at the ramparts, recognizing his voice.

"Wait a second... Ah, it's you, Johannes, Captain Talst! What took you two so long? Well, Come in and line up for inspection then, some people are looking for you, so you're just in time as well."

We were ushered in, still with a hostile atmosphere. It was their job, and I didn't mind it at all. Everyone was tense since they thought that the Kaiser knew already and would send a massive army to destroy the last of the resistance. However, on the inside when you're finished with all this fiasco, things tended to be less tense and more welcoming.

The people were like a large community sharing in the pains and hardships brought about by the tyrant. They all agreed on one thing, and everything else was disregarded for now. It was a major factor in the effort, and everyone understood that.

We walk into the main hall of the fortress and come to the sight of people marching orderly from one place to the next led by someone calling out orders. They must be training from what I can tell. Most of them look out of place while some don't seem to be accustomed to the orders they're being given.

Must be new recruits. They don't have any permanent weapons to take care of yet, nor armor, so that makes a bit more sense. Plus they look out of shape. Some looked to be at least at the age of eighteen or so. It sort of reminded me of myself when I first came here.

The main hall was wide enough to accommodate ranks of people for training. It's not well furnished for good reason. Well, there's really no reason to furnish it since it's only a waste of space. After all, there are a lot of people here. The fortress is nearly crowded in that respect.

Of course, there is the proving grounds, the arena, and the barracks for training. But those are for the permanent standing armies, those who've passed training and are ready for the real deal.

As Leo and I walk towards our quarters, a man with a familiar voice calls me from behind. He wore the armor of an officer save for the helmet to show his shaved head. He was a rugged type of man with a dark complexion, the same one who greeted me from up the ramparts.

"Finally decided to show up, did you, Johannes? I thought you were going to leave it all up to us or something. Glad that wasn't the case."

"That just wouldn't be me then, wouldn't it, Harold?" I replied.

"That's for sure. That's all you talk about anyway. Well, it's almost time. Are you ready for what's about to happen? Everyone's been seeing how this has all been leading up, but for some reason, no one can say for certain how it'll turn out."

"I'll make sure that the Kaiser's last breath is exhausted by the end of the day. It's not just for me, but for everyone else. I've been selfish, thinking of my own, but now I can see the bigger picture. This will ease everyone's pain, even if only slightly."

"Glad you see it that way, Johannes. I trust you, a lot of people do. You've made a name for yourself, a hefty honor to live up to. Some even treat you as the one who's going to end it all, a true hero and savior. Just don't let the pressure bring you down."

"I never really cared about titles. I thought I'd be happy hearing it, but for some reason, I'm not."

"Practicality is a curse sometimes, you know? Well, I'll let you two go. The rest of them are waiting for you. Give them everything you've got, alright?"

With a pound on the chest, Harold waves farewell and left us to ourselves.

Leo separated with me and joined his platoon. I made my way to the very upper floors of the fortress where a specific few were called up.

It was dusk, and I had already finished setting up my belongings in my room. All that was left was to meet up with each other and know the plan for the eventful day.

I stand in front of a wooden double-door, entering one side to meet a spacious room with a round wooden table in the center of it, a map adorning the very space on top. There were various markers placed in strategic locations, and the outline of the map is familiar at first glance; it was the place we were going to strike.

"You're late," said a voice beside me. I glance and see a person with pale a complexion leaning on a wall with an uninterested expression on his face, arms crossed. His eyes were as cold as ice and were as emotionless as ever.

"I lost track of time for a bit."

"That does not concern me, Isles. Punctuality is a basic trait that every decent person must have, more so when the situation calls for it. You've wasted precious time that we could have made better use of."

The tall man with an uptight and obsessive perfection disorder is Lazarus Cadefort. He wore a long, dark coat fit for a noble general, the fancy type of attire to match his personality. He has long, dark hair that went along his back. The prim and proper act isn't fake at all. He's just like that naturally, a stickler for being a model person, or at least what he believes they should be.

Heir to the well-known Cadefort name, he possesses great prowess with controlling magic, a trait not everyone is blessed with but inherited by those in the bloodline. Though he acts all affluent and strict, he's not at all arrogant about it, which is odd. It wouldn't be surprising since he has the strength to back up his words, but it just seemed uncommon to me.

"Now, now, let's learn to get along, shall we? I know you've been eager to see Johann back safe and sound, Lazarus. It's fine, Johann. What matters is that you're here. We can start the meeting after a few more come along. Take a seat anywhere you like for now."

"Ridiculous! Why would I wait for someone so lacking and unprepared for anything? Don't get the wrong idea, Isles. I have no reason to wait for you," he says, crossing his arms and looking away with his eyes closed.

"No need to act all flustered, then, Lazarus," Parkus laughs mockingly. He inches forward to me and puts his hand next to his mouth to whisper something to me. "He's a worrier to those around him, but he can't really express it the way others usually do. Well, I guess you already know this, but, might as well just remind you."

"Flustered? Foolish! A man of the Cadefort name needn't be flustered by anything. Enough of this farce. I'm taking my seat," he says, marching off uptightly, sitting on a seat far from the others.

I'm used to that, in fact, it never really bothered me before. I've known him for a while, and he was far worse back then, kind of like a pauper who didn't know better. It's a long story that pitted me against some haughty nobles and politics that I never really understood. But he's changed for the better...

Recalling all that happened during that time might take longer, so I'll leave it for another time.

The man with a bright, optimistic personality that forced even the stubborn Lazarus Cadefort to a halt on several occasions is Parkus Heim, the leader of the heroes, as we are called.

He has auburn colored short hair and brown eyes, wearing a gleaming set of armor which fit his toned physique. He was known for his personality and bright smile which seemed to shine on even the darkest of situations. I should know. I fought with him before, and nothing's stopped him, miraculously.

I've known him well through these months we've fought together, and like others, I've grown to trust him and his abilities.

I sit on an empty chair beside some of the few others in the room with me. There are some empty chairs. Probably others who haven't made it yet and are in for some choice words by Cadefort.

The others who were here though were a mix of some that I knew and didn't. Some were acquaintances, and some were people whom I've befriended along the way.

Beside me was a man who sat with his spear in front of him. He embraced it and looks to be sleeping, using it as a cane to help him up. He inches back and forth proving my point and almost fell forward, catching himself and his spear with seconds to spare.

He blinks a few times to adjust himself, trying to take in his surroundings. He has a sort of dumbfounded look on his face as he finally remembers where he was. He looks to me and raised a hand of hello.

"... Jo, you're back," he said with a deep, lazy voice.

"Looking as deprived of sleep as ever, Dietrich. Yeah, It's nice to be back again. How long have you been here?"

He gives a lackluster sigh and looks up at the ceiling, trying to remember something to the best of his abilities. He even goes as far as to knock his head on the metal body of his spear lightly to jog his memory.

Dietrich is a man with bags under his deep blue eyes and messy dark hair to go with his character. Though he looks a bit lazy, if he wakes up fully, he tends to go into a terrible frenzy, becoming like a wild beast that's been possessed. It's a sight to behold to those who haven't seen it yet. They usually can't believe what they're seeing at the time.

"Ah... A few minutes, I think. I fell asleep when I got here, so I don't remember."

"Well, take it easy then, Dietrich. I'll wake you when it's going to start."

"Thanks, savior, " he says with a grateful nod, going back to his old position, dozing off. But before I thought I was going to be bored waiting for the meeting to start another familiar face waves at me.

He has a modest and innocent looking face, the type that you'd call a prince charming, or a knight in shining armor. Though, he's just lacking one important thing to complete that set. He'd usually have it when it really counts, but most of the time he's missing it, courage and confidence.

"Johannes, you're back! How was Yulm? I hope you didn't have a hard time getting here."

"It's the same as always. Nothing much's happening to the countryside though. It's just the norm of armies attacking every two days or so. The place is holding up still, but aside from that, nothing else came our way. Anything new happening around here, Asher?"

"Oh for me, I'm just sharpening my skills. I can never be too complacent about myself. One can never be too prepared for anything, so one should always be improving. I just finished training the soldiers a while ago. I'm confident that they'll do great for that day. But there's just one problem," he said, chuckling to himself, scratching his head.

"Let me guess, you ran out of opponents again so you had to cut it short."

"Unfortunately, yes. I dueled a platoon of men. I thought that I'd have a lot of time since there were at least fifty of them, but before I knew it, they were all too exhausted to keep going. That doesn't mean that they're weak though."

"I'm sure it doesn't. You're just unique. I'd say that deserves more merit than you give it credit for, that endurance and resilience of yours."

"Aha, thanks, Johannes, I appreciate that. But I am curious."

"Of what?"

"Well, if Dietrich is here, where is Mors? It's strange that he's not here since they'd be usually arguing about something."

"Now that you ask, where is he?" I look around for someone having the description in my head but find none that matched it. "I have a bad feeling about this," I said. I suddenly started feeling something in my gut. It's usually an instinct that tells me of danger, but I don't exactly know what I should be warned of.

Suddenly, my premonition came true.

The door came bursting towards us with a loud crashing sound. It was coming at me with a speed that I couldn’t react fast enough to, so I found myself unable to do anything but brace myself for it, shielding myself with my arms and turning away.

But from that side, Dietrich moved, waking up with his drowsy face. Using his spear to stand himself up, he leaped towards the flying door and cut it in half with his spear twirling his it and forming a lazy stance.

"Dietrich, you damned demon! I’m going to pay you back tenfold for that! Another rematch, here and now! I'll kill you both right here and now!" said someone at the door. He had the body of a fifteen-year-old child. He has gray hair, sharp purple eyes, and pointed ears, a symbol of his lineage.

And without warning, he fired off three bolts of fire at shocking speed, ripping through the air as it centered at Dietrich, who swatted them away and leaped towards Mors, who created a pulse of air to blow Dietrich away.

Dietrich threw his spear strong enough to break the air allowing him to land in front of Mors, who was surprised and could not evade in time. He delivered a powerful jab at Mors’ gut, sending him flying towards the wall behind him, cracking it.

"I win again, kid," Dietrich declared with an unenthusiastic pump of his fist accompanied by the cheer of a few people who sometimes bet on who would win. He then casually started back to his chair as if nothing happened and dozed off once more. People then started to run at Mors to help him while others stared in bewilderment, still not getting used to the two of them.

"Ah, poor Mors, that’s another one for Dietrich. He sure doesn't like holding back, doesn’t he? How many is his now, more than a hundred?"

This was a routine. Everyone would always see the two fighting against each other, but no one truly found the reason adventurer to why. Everyone found it like a running gag, but there’s so much more to it. There was a painful truth that Mors hid from the others, and he was alright to be mocked by everyone, loss after loss. He spoke of atonement and retribution, until the very day that he would overcome his greatest hurdle yet.

I and a few others knew that’s why I can say for certain.

As I look at the two, I remember my old mission when I was sent to that sacred Grove. That was where I found the two of them, the untold story of Dietrich and Mors.