The swamp had thinned considerably from the past few days. However, it was still not enough to look at the bottom, the land down below.

And that should have been obvious even from my perspective.

The swamp stretched for kilometers. So much that I could not see where it ended. The only thing that could even be considered as the swamp borders was toward the direction of the walls, where green mist or a type of fog existed, trying to stretch further. Though it could never succeed. Every day someone would come and burn the land, turning it scorched and pushing the swamp back.

"Hmm, it will last forever."

"What will?"

Bob asked, walking beside me.

I turned my head back to look at him.

"The swamp. It never seems to end, just from the few weeks I have spent here and I am already sure this swamp will not be defeated."

Bob frowned, stopping in his tracks. He glanced down at the swamp flooding with monsters' blood that flowed back into it like a river.

"But we just did, right? See the blood; that's proof we won."

I followed his gaze, glancing at the river of dark blood. It held a strong pungent smell of flesh and iron mixed with it. Under the grey sky and dark clouds, it looked nothing but ominous, as if the apocalypse had arrived early.

My face remained the same even after some seconds passed, as I answered evenly.

"We have won, but that's just a temporary thing. I won't even call it a victory, Bob. I think you understand what I truly mean. This swamp will never lose anything—it just takes back what we kill. The dead monsters? They all will be woven back sooner or later. But think of the human casualties on our side. When we die, we don't come back." I said, my voice getting gloomier as my eyes remained fixed on the same spot.

Then, as if taking a short breath, I added.

"The swamp will never lose; we could only fight and die to stall it forever."

"Ah."

Bob frowned, as his breathing hitched under my sharp words.

I didn't need to sugarcoat my words for him to hear. Even now we had waited before moving forward for one reason only. The soldiers who had fallen needed to be given a proper funeral and not be left to get absorbed in the swamp.

"Those words are unusually harsh, Captain Asher." Bob muttered.

"And I seem to enjoy the present more than the future."

I nodded.

"That's up to you." I said, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

"I live only for the future. You all… you live for both. That's something I envy."

Bob smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes and looked strained.

"I honestly don't understand what you said just now."

I sighed, shaking my head.

"...Nothing. Just forget what I said."

Bob remained silent after, not speaking a single word, lost in thought. I wondered if he was thinking about what I had just said but then stopped dwelling on it for long.

Our boots hit the wet ground; the swamp started to vanish slightly as we reached closer to the forest.

The wind went still, a chill air filled the surroundings and the lights went dim.

The dark forest, as we called it, was like a line stretched by black ink through the land and mountains.

While it was called a line, it was still massive. So much so that we couldn't cross it. Well, the size wasn't the real issue. The monsters dwelling inside were the real reason.

Though I didn't get the time to look much deeper into it, I too wanted to explore Kalista a little more. Though fear still existed, gripping tightly on my heart and stopping me from doing anything foolish enough to kill myself.

"We are here." A loud voice boomed through the legion of soldiers.

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I stopped in my tracks and looked ahead, seeing Captain Lenz walking with a sharp gaze and a sword hanging on his waist.

"What's happening now?" From my left I heard Bob mumble in dissatisfaction.

I shrugged and didn't reply, waiting for Lenz to speak.

He spoke about the goals and the reasons we had arrived here. Though it was short and rather unfriendly, it reminded soldiers of their duty. However, I couldn't take it seriously. Not as much as others, at least.

In any case, my turn to come forward soon came; bidding a small goodbye to Bob, I started moving to the front.

The army, consisting of hundreds, was moving in a direction that was all they were aware of. However, I had something else waiting for them in stores.

That was why I needed to guide them.

"Oh, Captain Asher! Did you get your rest?"

Sion greeted me with a friendly smile.

I tried to smile back but remembered the creepy and eerie scene of not long ago. Where covered in monster blood, how close we stood and talked about something only we could know of.

"I did. Though I was just waiting for the dead bodies to get their proper send-back. I was not sure we would get enough time to do that. But it was nice that we could."

"I see. That's quite thoughtful of you."

Sion nodded, keeping a smile on her face. Her small and thin face looked dark under the shadows of clouds gathering above. Her voice was small and soft, though her surroundings were damp and dark.

Sensing my gaze linger for longer than expected she smiled wryly and scratched her cheeks.

"Is there any problem?"

I licked my lips and shook my head, turning my gaze to glance at the man coming our way. His footsteps were loud and clear even in the swamp.

Though unpleasant to hear, it came as something murky.

"Oh, Awakened Sol, did you bring the map?"

"Yes, I did."

The man, named Sol, said in a hoarse voice his eyes were baggy as if he had gone through quite a number of sleepless nights. His skin was pale, an unhealthy color covering his complexion.

'He is like a corpse.'

I thought, wincing silently.

The way his body felt loose and dry didn't help his corpse-like face. He was carrying a sword on his back, a short sword with a curved edge. It was looking like a sickle if nothing else, something no one would expect to see in a war.

"That's great! Please bring it here, Captain Asher. May I ask for your input here then?"

I hesitated but then took two steps forward, coming closer toward Sion, who held a map in her hand.

"This is the place where we are right now."

She pointed to a small mark at the bottom of the map.

The place was just below a dark portion of the land, seeming to be made after several trials from the efforts of many expeditions. I lingered on the place she pointed for a moment and looked around to see where we truly were.

Sion and Sol said nothing and waited patiently for me to finish.

"We need to investigate this place, right?"

I pointed to the east of the map, a little over the top.

It was one of the less dense corners, bordering another mountain, while the trees had stretched far and wide to cover the place in a sequence of darkness.

"Hmm, we need to go till there. That's not only our destination but also like the final spot we will be looking for. Captain Lenz and others have decided to look through many areas such as this and this."

She pointed to more areas, one after the other.

"Oh, also, we had hoped to clear this region of monsters if we get the chance." After pointing to all the places, her finger stopped at one place as our gazes met briefly. We remained silent as those fleeting seconds stretched for longer and longer. Her gaze seems to look through my eyes, reflecting the silver in her own dark pupils.

However, she seems to be looking at something much deeper than I thought.

I couldn't understand what she was thinking as we stood close, almost a breath away.

"Ahem."

I pulled back, embarrassed.

Sion did the same, turning her head away. I couldn't see her expression. However, she didn't look exactly angry, from the looks of it.

Sol, who had let out a loud cough, kept a hand in the shape of a fist above his mouth. His eyes remained closed as he then opened them soon after, looking at us both with stern gazes.

"We all are busy, so I hope you both understand what I am saying right now."

My mouth opened up to say something, but I closed it soon after. Sion nodded, understanding the urgency just like me.

"I am sorry; please continue."

Sion told it with a faint smile.

Sol, as if feeling uncomfortable, raised one hand to scratch the back of his head. The silence, however, didn't last any longer. He began to speak, to give his report of the surroundings. The briefing was quick and precise, as I got a general idea of what had happened in the past few weeks inside the forest; of course, at that time I was also in the forest myself.

"I see. Thank you for your input, Sol. I appreciate that."

Sol shrugged, his deadly gaze now landing on me.

"What about you, Captain Asher? Any inputs you would like to add?"

Sion asked with a curious look on her face.

"I do; we have a lot of places to check. The expedition will likely last for a while, a long while at that, with no end date. I had recently checked these places." I pointed to some of the markings on the map.

"We can leave them alone for now and focus on another thing."

Sion frowned but didn't argue back.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

I smiled, no, almost grinned, pointing at two places at once.

"Let's start with investigating from here…. And clear this place first."

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