"Your presence here is not in accordance with Reinmer's judgment. Already you've sown chaos and sent Demon cults throughout the continent. It's time to return to Reais, King."

He sprints after King, arcing the halberd to smite as she trips over her own feet, backing away. Snapping her fingers, King summons and falls through a portal, narrowly escaping.

The tear in space spits us out over the forest canopy. King twists in her descent, fingertips gloved with wind. Firing away on the exposed warrior, she screams at me, "Nil! The Gods sent them. They're trying to take us back, trying to stop us!"

She rolls as she lands, dodging another swipe from the ready halberd, stepping into another portal and popping out behind him. Her fingers cradle wisps of mana that sublimes into a solid ball of ice. Chucking over, the warrior doesn't hesitate to swat it aside, only for it to implode, locking him in a mold of rock and solid ice and putting out his flames.

One she's sure he's imprisoned, King starts off running into the depths of the forest. Her eyes scan every animal and creature hiding among trees, in the undergrowth and in burrows.

"Nil! Say something!"

"What should I say? Good luck?"

"You buffoon! If that Hero manages to send us back to Reais, then what happens to the pact? What happens to us if we fail to save Lumina!" She stops at the base of one of the largest trees in the forest. Something furry creeps behind it.

"I'm not sure I care anymore about these ambitions of yours, King. Sent back to Reais? I don't prefer that. I might have only fought to survive, but it was in my best interest."

"You fucking narcissist," King seethes.

A snowy beast rises at King's voice, yawning and pushing aside trees with its step. It towers several feet over King, its arms thick and wider than our entire body. Its black, wet nose sniffs us out before its yellow eyes and broad mouth peel into a sneer.

"Demon," it speaks.

"Werebear," King acknowledges as the sentient beast picks up a club as large as its arm. Seeker, empowered with wind and mana, cuts through its chest before it can lift the club over its head.

Choking, the Werebear lets out a deafening roar, reverberating throughout the forest as Seeker turns around and makes fourteen other entry wounds, sending it crashing at King's feet.

"A dying roar. You'd better hurry."

Snorting, King cuts into herself, pouring blood out of the wound. It floats as the mana between her fingertips turns emerald green. The blood coagulates as she whispers Necromantic curses over the Werebear's corpse, filling it with the tainted blood. Its fur and flesh ripple, falling off as the curse takes root.

"King!" the unmistakable voice of the Hero calls out. King doesn't spare a look, far too involved with her spell.

He charges and Seeker zips out to challenge his approach as King stitches and boils the soul of the Werebear into evil. The forest rattles with activity. Trees crack and tumble aside for an enraged group of twelve Werebears swinging clubs.

Neither Hero or Werebears falter at the sight of King. The Hero ignites with an incredible power and charges in with his shield raised and halberd trailing fire. Three of the Werebears take the first swing to flatten King and whatever else happens in the way—their blows are pre-empted when the dead white Werebear explodes.

Rib, fingers, parts of skull, hip, and legs shrapnel all over, impaling the Werebears and pelting uselessly at the Hero's shield. He bashes into King. Tackling her to the ground, he straddles and presses, pins her down with his armored weight.

Twirling the flaming halberd to its tip, he breathes heavily beneath his helmet. "Now you perish, King, for carnally sinning and attempting deification." He pulls back his arm to execute before the emerald green-eyed Werebear leering behind him swings, batting his body through the thick bark of trees and long branches like a dog's ragdoll.

Getting on her feet again, King takes an uneasy breath, staring down the drawn-out line of destruction the Hero's body did.

"Demon!" one of the unturned Werebears growls.

The corpse ignition cursed only four out of the twelve. Idle, Seeker snakes through the air and down the open maw of the offending Werebear. Glancing over to the cursed Werebears, King says, "Curse, then kill," pointing down the destroyed path.

"They won't be enough. Not if he's truly a Hero."

Snapping open a portal to Dersen, King leaves the Werebeasts to battle it out. "He is. They're eager at this age, full of Teirs' blessings and nigh immortal. You remember, don't you? Or do you not care that Teirs only cares when you cause a fuss but never when you're on your knees, begging for his mercy with a cold mother, daughter, or even brother in your arms."

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The jab doesn't fail to get under my skin. Even though there are memories and shrouds haunting me throughout the day, I'll never get used to it. I'll never forgive myself.

"You're right. If there are Gods, then they should prove it, but they don't. They never will, at least not in a way we'll ever understand. Have you ever thought that all you're doing will surely serve the same status quo you're trying to break?"

Strolling down the Dragon-burnt path, the single Runic undead snarls out a greeting. The pile of armor is stacked up beside a grotesque corpse pile—even while diligent, the evil creature can't resist its nature.

"Good job," King says, cheekily patting the ghast's cheek. "I mean that to you as well, Nil. All that time in there you've been thinking, haven't you?"

Waving her fingers, she forcefully yanks mana around the air, twisting and bending it to her immediate, haphazard whims. Inhaling, King makes a fist, suspending individual pieces of armor as a rapid necrosis dissolves the flesh off the corpses.

Whispering away, a single eye burns with emerald flame as King merges the two, crudely spawning dozens of Runic undead. Many still rot and steam, but the Hero won't be too long from here, so King hurries and orders the magic-capable undead. "Go out. Spread the curse, kill, and burn every opposition."

As the group of ghasts comprehend the order and scatter past her in every direction, King's knees give out. She breathes a cold fog, and our fingertips sting with slow-building necrosis.

Panting, she picks at the [Soul Crystal] on her choker, absorbing Essence as it oozes out into the delicate fingers and heals them to completion. "I had the same time, more even, to think of why I deserve to fail," she says, picking herself up again.

"Give it some more time and you'll see, you'll understand that the right thing to do is end this tug of war. If you want to rid the world of evil, then you're going to have to rid the world of good." Gingerly snapping her fingers, she summons a portal ahead. "I'll eat the Gods for what they're worth and start everything afresh. A clean, unsoiled world, Nil, a world where little girls never have to drown. If you won't help me, then I'll trust someone who will."

The portal shuts behind King as she waltzes into a tall, wide, golden room. Lumina sits at the head of a table with a delegate of Orcs, the Arch-Priest of Vuius standing behind her being the first to notice King with a snarl.

"King…" Lumina starts with a noticeable edge—Valery's done well to peel off the previous pliability King had over her. "You're a topic of concern for our newest friends, the Orc nation Denkel."

King shakes off all signs of exhaustion and delivers a convincing giggle that has several of the large Orcs. Their tusks get in the way over concealing their glee—even now King puts [Mesmer] to use.

"That's wonderful, glad to hear you've joined the cause for freedom," King says, taking a seat beside the best dressed and least affected of the Orcs.

A keen intelligence lies behind the dark gray eyes peering down at King. The lead Orc delegate clears his throat and lets the friendly smile drop. "The name is Ynel. Lumina tells us you call yourself…King."

King only smiles, so Lumina interjects, saying, "King, Denkel is over on the northern side of the Empire, but their battles with Sainid aren't what has brought them here."

"It isn't what brought me here either," King mutters under her breath, the halberd-wielding Hero plaguing her thoughts still.

Lumina continues, "Dozens of ships have come ashore, King. Not ships from any known nation, but belonging to a cult, a rapidly growing cult that worships some Demon from Reais. Do you know anything about this?"

Sneering, King counters, "Have you asked Valery about this? I think I've told you I can't open gates to Reais. She's the only one with that precious power, isn't she?" Her fingers drum against the table in a rising crescendo.

Lumina takes a breath and looks across the Orcish delegates. "Ynel, everyone, I'll have to brief you another time. King and I have matters to discuss."

Hearing that and the scrapping of chairs as the Orcish delegates leave, King rests her fingers but points at the Arch-Priest still hovering behind Lumina. She shakes her head, "No, he stays. Valery's enlightened me to your manipulations."

Rolling her eyes, King scrapes forward with her chair, chaotically pushing every other out of the way until she's right beside Lumina. Snatching her hand, Lumina gasps, but King only purrs and pets, "I've come from Dersen, Lumina. It's destroyed and, like the Orcs, I've discovered a new enemy."

Concern furrows her brows as she asks, "Who? How many are there?"

King, still massaging Lumina's single hand, answers, "Three."

"Only three?" Lumina starts. Worry turning to doubt, she snatches her hand away. "What is this?"

"Before I tell you, I have a question for your Arch-Priest, and then one for you."

Nose held in the air, the Arch-Priest fiddles with the symbols of Vuius hung on his neck. "Ask away, Demon."

"Where is Vuius?" Silence takes the room as the Arch-Priest slowly stutters. "Has she raised a Hero from the elves? Has she sent her wisdoms?"

The Arch-Priest gathers himself and coughs out an answer, "It's like I keep telling Her Majesty. Vuius will make her will and guidance apparent once Hescaria is free of sin, once we have repented for our transgressions."

King nods, accepting the answer. "Lumina, even the heavens aren't free of evil, what makes you think Hescaria, or the entirety of Ire, ever will be?"

"I… don't know if I think that anymore," she says, rattling the Arch-Priest and filling King with dreadful glee.

"Vuius has not returned, and she may never return. But there are other evil Gods still, and they've sent down their gladiators to aid the Sainid in Hescaria's destruction. Even regarding this, Vuius has not spoken a word." King steals Lumina's hand again, clenching it firm in hers as she bears her eyes at Lumina. "It's time to stop fighting like a child. Vuius has orphaned Hescaria, so you must become its Queen Mother. You must use everything in your power."

Confused, Lumina looks between King and her hesitating Arch-Priest. "Heroes."

She turns and rasps, "There are Heroes… fighting against us?" King nods and she chokes, "Valery was right, we have become the monsters."

"No! No, Lumina. Anyone living in this loveless world has to survive somehow. This is it—this is how we survive."

"Is it?"

"What's the alternative? Submission? Your head rolling down the Emperor's steps while he and his consorts plunder Hescaria and sell its people?" King cups her cheeks as the pressure behind Lumina's eyes builds, "Help me to help you. Give me the word, and we'll have Kyis before long."

The first sobs break through, and she rests her head on King's shoulders. The Arch-Priest mutters something, but Seeker caresses the back of his head to make him shut up.

"Do it then. I'm not sure how much more of this I can stand. I can't breathe half the time," she confesses.

King, smiling, says, "That's all I needed to hear."

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