As Kazius would walk back with Alice, Damon, and the townspeople… They would approach where Azanor and Eve were providing defense.

It was then they would witness quite the sight. There were piles upon piles of bodies, showing many Frost Giants made it this far. There was a pile of bodies stacked together where Eve sat on top. She would giddily kick her legs as if she was simply sitting on a balcony. What was odd about the bodies is that many were missing their heads, but there were no heads around to be found. Azanor sat next to Eve, looking at her with quite the infatuation.

“It seems you did very well.” Kazius admitted, shrugging it off.

“Eve took care of most of them.” Azanor admitted with a shrug. “I sat on my ass most of it.”

“It was fun! I protected the town, just like you said!” Eve exclaimed giddily with a salute.

‘I am really getting curious about what she did, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. I will probably find out eventually… I doubt Eve even understands what she did… Still… What is she?’

Eve and Azanor would both jump off the pile, joining them.

“We saw that blast you did… That was quite something. In all my years, I haven’t seen anyone pull anything that crazy.” Azanor laughed out, “I am staying since I somehow ended up making new friends… But you still aren’t slacking off when it comes to keeping me entertained.” He mused, looking up at the sky. The clouds were struggling to return to normal after such an event, though it was hard to see since it was night.

“You know me… Natural performer and all that.” Kazius joked back at the Demon. “Anyway, come on… Let’s go to town. I want to discuss something with all of you.” He would add.

With that, the group would head back, getting quite the hero’s welcome. They were surrounded by cheers and howls from the towns people they had protected. They seemed to specially heap praises at Kazius… It looked like Damon and Caleb had really talked up the whole Chief thing.

Damon seemed quite content with the situation, after all, the male had gone from getting insults left and right to now getting praises. He seemed happy, but there was an something off about his goofy expression. He likely was still yet to forgive the town fully in his heart.

The group would soon be welcomed by Caleb, who remained unchanged, like Luna had been. Was it a trait of half-bloods or was their elf heritage that strong? Regardless the poor mage looked exhausted. Then again, while he had gotten sleep, he had spent last night looking for Damon and then had to hold up a barrier for a whole town after a simple nap. He was holding out like a champ.

Caleb had circles under his eyes, showing said exhaustion. “I am glad you are all safe… and not a single casualty. I am glad I listened to Damon about you.” He admitted.

“Yes, he told me everything… Including how you two made me Chief behind my back.” Kazius stated, his expression serious as he raised a brow. The poor mage at this seeming to look like a fish out water.

“T-That was… A-About that…” Caleb attempted to stammer out. Damon as well seemed particularly pale.

“I’m just joking, don’t worry. I’m not angry. I accept, but you really should have discussed it with me… Come on, I know you’re exhausted, but we all must talk. I want you all to know what you are getting involved in.” Kazius stated, feeling guilty for teasing the tired man, but it was his way of getting even.

Alice would stare at him in confusion, it seems she didn’t think Kazius was keeping something from them. She looked a little hurt, but also relieved. Azanor seemed to have quite the expression though, likely realizing this was about what the two spoke of earlier. Damon and Eve looked about as equally confused, though Eve was more so lost than anything. Still, they all seemed ready to follow Kazius.

As they walked to the Chief’s home, the towns people would make way to the entrance, vowing in respect until the group went in. The situation was almost bizarre for Kazius, but it felt almost normal as well…

Once inside, Kazius would go change into some new clothes. Leather armor with some metal guards. The clothes were simple, but he was eager and appreciative to be rid of his Holy Knight garb. Once change, he would meet the others in the dining room. They would all sit in the massive dining table with enough room for them all and more.

“Alright… First things first… I must ask, what is with the towns people? They seem so different and eager… What did you tell them?” Kazius decided to ask.

“Well, it isn’t what we told them necessarily… With you figuring out Luna’s plan… I began to have my suspicions, but it seems in addition to manipulating them with words, they were under the influence of a mind affecting spell… I don’t know when she got the ability to cast such a spell… But it is a type of suggestion-based hypnotism magic… Very advanced and hard to detect. She used that to magnify hatred… And that combined with her words… The town was at the palm of her hand…” Caleb stated with gritted teeth, clearly upset he never noticed. “I am a failure as a mage for not sensing something like that.”

“Don’t blame yourself… I couldn’t get to her because she used teleportation magic… She is a high rank mage that can use high tier magic… She had been hiding her abilities… She is more malicious than I thought… Who knows how long she has been having these vile thoughts for.” Kazius admitted with a sigh.

“T-Teleportation magic?” Caleb questioned in shock. His face looked pained. Then again, Caleb spent all his time studying magic and nothing else… He likely thought he was the gifted one when it came to magic, a prodigy like his father… And now he was not even the second-best mage in his family, it likely hurt his ego a lot. His miserable expression almost confirming Kazius’ assessment.

“Don’t take it harshly… You protected the town from any debris or force from our attack. You are a talented mage.” Kazius assured, Caleb at this still looking down though.

‘I will give him time… I don’t think I can cheer him up.’

Seeming to notice how upset and tired Caleb was, Damon spoke up. “After Caleb broke the spell, they were surprisingly reasonable… They ended up crying and apologizing to me. I told them not to thank me, but you, the new Chief… I… I forgive them… But…” He trailed off.

“I understand your lingering resentment, don’t worry… I… Will treat them fairly and care for them… To be honest… This will likely not be the last place to want me in charge.” Kazius admitted with a sigh. He didn’t know how to say such a thing without sounding egotistical.

At this Azanor perked up, “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Kazius began. “I suppose I will start from the beginning… For Damon and Caleb’s sake… Alice, Eve, and I are from a kingdom called Ratier. It was a kingdom once ruler by the king’s lineage with aid of The Church. I am sure you likely heard a bit about the war that happened with Demons… How heroes got together and established Zelphar, Ratier, and Thimdur after sealing away the Demons… Alice here is the princess of Ratier, descendant of a friend of your father, Caleb. To be honest, I don’t know how much of what I know is true anymore… The church lied to overthrow Alice’s family and take control of the kingdom… The church are likely not the only liars, in Zelphar, your father’s kingdom… They say he is dead, that he was assassinated by an extremist… Which is clearly not the case, he ran away and ended up in Vargstam… The Church is the ones who sent out the two that tried to kill us… Until Damon saved us. They are my former friends…. I was an orphan raised by The Church… I would have been one of them, had I not found out I am not human… In Zelphar, Ratier, and Thimdur… They hate anyone that isn’t an elf, human, or dwarf… They are seen as vermin to be killed… Since apparently in the war with Demons 1000 years ago… ‘Monster’ species, as they call it, betrayed the heroes that founded the 3 kingdoms… They are arguably seen as bad if not worse than Demons due to this… But again… These people conspired against Alice… They are liars at best… And our enemy… So, who knows what really happened 1000 years ago…” He explained. He knew it was a lot of information, but it was the basics. He looked at Alice, making sure to look at her to make sure she was okay with him airing her side of things too.

“In Ratier, there is… A ‘god’, or so they call him one… The Oracle… And his spirit is connected to an orb that the first High Priest found… There is a custom in Ratier for those who are of age to look upon it and see their future… And I had my ceremony before I had to flee… It was actually how I found out I wasn’t human.” Kazius continued. Alice would nod at his words while Azanor seemed to be deep in thought.

“In the vision The Oracle showed me… I had an army and a kingdom. Made of people like us… The people they call Monsters… And we were fighting The Demon King… Then I heard a voice talk to me… Saying I would be The Monster King… To be honest… I was a Holy Knight… And I supported the church without hesitation. They raised me, I thought the vision was bullshit… I believed in The Church, not The Oracle. At one point as I got older, I even began to wonder if I remembered that day right. The Oracle doesn’t directly talk to people, as far as I know… I really heard a voice though.” Kazius admitted.

At his mention of the Demon King, Azanor seemed to look concerned. He looked like he wanted to say something, but was holding his tongue… The group did not even know it was his brother, it was a fact only Kazius knew… He clearly had many secrets, but Kazius figured he had good reason to keep them. Of course, the information was a lot and likely overwhelming… Kazius had also never talked to anyone about such a thing. He had lived his life in fear of his fate, ran away from it… He had even sworn to not trust others after his squad’s betrayal… Yet here he was… Sharing his most important secret with his friends… Every second of silence was nerve wracking.

‘How will they react?’