[Kara] Chapter 35: Revelation (Patreon)

Hayder stared at the statue of the minotaur from a distance as a group of children huddled around it and exclaimed in excited voices. Most of the gathered soldiers had already dispersed— not because they wanted to, but because he had sent them to go about their duties and help dismantle the camp to get moving for the day.

With the forminac attacks ostensibly dealt with, the Captain of the First Company felt like he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. It was a brief reprieve. However, it didn’t mean that they had made it to safety just yet.

They were still in the middle of the Ashfields, under-equipped and running out of rations. These were dangerous lands, so they could not let their guard down anytime soon. Even still, some soldiers thought that they were safe now, especially with…

“Hey, did you hear what happened?”

“With the utlas bear casting spells? I know, that’s insane, right?”

“No— not that. Well, I mean, yes that is part of it. But I’m talking about what its owner did.”

“You mean the human?”

“That’s right. Storms above, she held off a hive of over ten thousand forminac soldiers, all on her own.”

“Seriously? I thought it was just a thousand of them…”

A pair of soldiers whispered to each other as they sat down and ate their breakfast. A third soldier joined them and harrumphed.

“You’re both wrong.”

“Who are you?”

“What are you talking about? Are you saying the human is a liar?”

“Hah— you’re both so misinformed. The human didn’t fend off only ten thousand forminac soldiers, it was over a hundred thousand!”

“Wait, are you for real?”

“I don’t believe it…”

“That’s right. If I were to hazard a guess, the human is stronger than even Warlord Dhofruid had been in his prime!”

“But that’s impossible! Warlord Dhofruid fought against the humans and won so many battles…”

“Do you think the human is as strong as Dark Lord Koros?”

Hayder’s eyes flickered as he overheard their conversation. He frowned and faced the three soldiers.

The third soldier scoffed. “Well, of course—”

“The three of you! Stop slacking off! Finish off your breakfast and get back to work already!” Hayder called out.

The three soldiers blinked, before standing to attention. They saluted him and quickly finished their meals. The Captain of the First Company sighed as he drew away from them. Perhaps he was too harsh. But he hadn’t liked the direction their conversation was heading in— many were starting to think that everything would be fine now that Kara was around. And Hayder didn’t like that.

Besides, those soldiers did need to get back to work anyway. That was what Hayder told himself as he turned away and strode back towards his tent. He paused only when he saw an elf standing at the entrance, arms crossed.

Caius raised a brow at him. “Cursed souls, don’t you think you’re pushing your men a little too hard, Hayder?”

The Captain of the First Company shook his head. “I am pushing them just as much as I am pushing myself, Caius.”

“Well, I think you’re certainly pushing yourself too hard.” The elf smirked. “Don’t you know how to do things in moderation?”

“Unfortunately, that is not something that’s possible any longer,” Hayder sighed.

“Why not?” Caius asked.

And it almost seemed like a stupid question. But Hayder knew the intent behind it— that now that the forminac queen was dead, the survivors of Alyona should be able to afford some rest. But still, he pushed them all to their very limits, even now.

“I understand that everyone wants to get some rest,” he said as he closed his eyes. “That they think we are finally safe after what Kara, Angel, and Uzbug did last night. But their actions do not change our circumstances.”

Caius frowned at that. Hayder opened his eyes and swept his gaze over the encampment.

“We are running low on rations, and we are still trapped in the Ashfields, surrounded by threats that could kill thousands of us at any moment. A massive volcano could erupt and wipe us all out, or we could stumble into another hive of forminacs. If a powerful-enough fire elemental discovers our camp, we would all be turned to ash.”

The Captain of the First Company spoke bleakly as he stared at the group of children running around the minotaur statue’s feet. Caius eyed him, the smirk the elf normally wore gone, replaced a more serious look.

Hayder continued, “Our situation may be better than it was yesterday, but the overall problem we face has not changed. The Sanctuary City of Alyona remains destroyed, and Dark Lord Koros is dead.”

Caius shifted where he stood when he heard that. He looked down at his Travel Satchel hesitantly, before reaching for an object.

“Right, that reminds me—” he said as he produced a black object into his hands. “I forgot to tell you about this.”

Hayder’s eyes flickered when he saw what it was. “That’s… the Helmet of Alyona?”

The elf nodded as he held it out. “Koros gave it to me. He said that as long as there is someone who wears it, the city of Alyona will never be gone. I thought it would be appropriate for me to give it to you. Because of everything you’ve done for us over the last week.”

The Helmet of Alyona looked like a mix between a crown and a helmet, complete with a visor that completely masked the wearer’s face. It had been around since the times of Dark Lady Alyona herself, worn by all of the Dark Lords and Ladies of the Sanctuary City of Alyona.

Knowing this, Hayder waved a hand dismissively.

“Keep it,” he said as he turned away from Caius.

The elf blinked a few times. “Wait, what? But this is supposed to be—”

“It’s the Helmet of Alyona.” Hayder nodded. “It’s supposed to only be worn by the ruler of Alyona. So that is why I don’t need it. Nor do I even deserve to hold onto it.”

“What do you mean by that? You’re the one getting us through this mess, so shouldn’t you…?” Caius pursed his lips, not finishing the train of thought.

“I am not fit to be a ruler, Caius.”

It was a simple statement. But it was a response to the statement left unsaid by the elf. Hayder looked back towards the three soldiers. They were grumbling as they dismantled a nearby tent, shooting sidelong glares towards the Captain of the First Company.

He exhaled deeply, “A ruler must be either feared or loved by his or her people. But I am neither loved nor feared. I do what is necessary, and that is often distinct from what is loved. Furthermore, I am not nearly strong enough to be feared…”

Trailing off, Hayder looked down at himself in frustration. After everything that had happened so far, he had certainly gotten stronger. His manacore had advanced from Tier 23 all the way to Tier 29. Such a drastic increase in power over such a short amount of time was hardly ever heard of, even during large-scale wars.

But even though he was the Captain of the First Company, he was not nearly as strong as the strongest of Alyona had been. Dark Lord Koros was said to have reached over Tier 50, while Warlord Dhofruid had reached Tier 40. Hayder knew that High Magus Xhrkr was closing in on Tier 40 too. And that was not to mention those like Zlokeraton the Cursed Mystic or Elder Klogg of the Swordtooth Clan who were above Tier 30.

And they were all dead. Now, Kara was the strongest of the survivors of Alyona. If Hayder had to wager a guess, she was equivalent to someone with a manacore in somewhere from Tier 33 to Tier 37. While Hayder wasn’t too familiar with how the System worked for humans, that would mean she was roughly around Level 70 in whatever her Class was.

If she even has a Class… Hayder’s eyes darted to Kara who was sitting with Angel and watching the children play with the minotaur statue.

And that was not to mention that the utlas bear was probably nearly as strong as the Captain of the First Company right now. So he was painfully aware of how much he was lacking in strength right now.

“Perhaps if I were either feared or loved, I’d be willing to accept the mantle of ruler. However, I am disliked for what I do. You, yourself, would describe me as this, would you not?”

Hayder eyed Caius with a small grin.

The elf paused. He looked down at himself, before chuckling softly. “You are quite uptight, and everyone does think you need to loosen up a little bit.”

“And I am aware of this reputation,” the Captain of the First Company said, shaking his head. “That is why the Helmet of Alyona belongs to someone else, not me.”

Caius chewed his lower lip apprehensively. He looked down at the Helmet of Alyona and asked, “But… what do I do with this?”

Hayder shrugged as he walked into his tent. “That is not for me to decide. But you can hold onto it— who knows? Maybe Koros survived, and he will return to collect it one day.”

“That’s—” Caius started.

But the Captain of the First Company disappeared into the tent, leaving the elf standing out there, alone.

—--

The survivors of Alyona continued to make their way through the Ashfields. Just as Uzbug predicted, there was not a single attack from the forminacs coming for revenge for their queen’s death. Although, that didn’t mean there weren’t any complications on their journey. There were still other threats and monsters wandering the dangerous terrain.

However, they were minor nuisances at most, easy to deal with. And while it seemed that the rest of the journey through the Ashfields should have been a smooth and easy one, it turned out there were still a plethora of issues for them to deal with. Particularly, amongst themselves, rather than from an external source.

Firstly, there was the whole problem with the orc clans. Ever since they arrived at the Ashfields, the orc clans had been traveling adjacent with the survivors of Alyona, but they hadn’t offered any help during a single battle. They were simply following the safe route through the dangerous terrain.

And that had upsetted a lot of the survivors of Alyona. Especially after rumors started going around of what the orc clans had done two nights ago, refusing to protect any dark elves, and even demanding their women in exchange for safety.

Considering that most dark elves were rather puritan when it came to such subjects, that had caused many dark elf men to act in outrage. They hurled rocks at the orc clans as they traveled parallel to one another. Many of the orcs threw rocks back in retaliation. But there was no real clash between them, because Bushra and his company formed a line between them, preventing any real fighting from breaking out.

But that had only exacerbated the second problem— that there was a growing discontentment on Hayder pushing them all too hard. He was right in saying that he was disliked for his pragmatic policies. He wasn’t loved, nor was he feared. Many grew to resent him because he didn’t give them any time to rest.

While the Captain of the First Company was acting in the best interest of everyone in mind, he was also overexerting the ordinary citizens of Alyona. Those whose manacores were barely even Tier 1 or Tier 2, unable to fend for themselves, let alone traverse the landscape of the Xor-In Mountains.

Caius walked alongside them as he heard their whispers of disdain.

“Does he think we’re soldiers?” a dark elf man asked.

“Roach shells, we’ll die of exhaustion at this rate…” another— a troll— said.

“Dark Lord Koros would not allow this if he were here!”

The elf’s eyes flickered when he heard the last statement. It was a declaration of sorts. And it seemed to be a shared sentiment amongst a lot of the survivors of Alyona. Mostly with the non-combatants. But hearing it frustrated Caius.

“Hayder doesn’t even know where he’s leading us! If Dark Lord Koros were here, he’d know what to do!”

Especially when the elf had to hear it again.

“My son died because of those ant-monsters! If Dark Lord Koros were here, my son would still be alive!”

And again,

“If Dark Lord Koros were here, those cursed orcs wouldn’t be—”

And again.

“If Dark Lord Koros were here—”

According to everyone, if Dark Lord Koros were here, nothing would’ve gone wrong. And hearing that just grated on the elf’s nerves. Part of it was how they seemed to imply that as long as Dark Lord Koros were around, nothing would ever go wrong. And yet, none of them seemed to consider that he was there during the destruction of Alyona, but he wasn’t able to stop it.

But Caius knew that wasn’t the main reason why he was so upset. There was more to just the delusion that the people of Alyona seemed to hold that made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. He didn’t know what it was, until they stopped to make camp for the night once again.

Sitting alone in his tent, having dropped the Helmet of Alyona on the ground as soon as he entered, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, I don’t have to hear their damn complaining any longer…”

The elf closed his eyes as the muffled voices from outside the tent seemed to vanish. He felt the unsettling sensation fade away, before he caught a glimpse of the black helmet, and the upset feeling filled him once again, his thoughts drifting back to their words.

If Dark Lord Koros were here—

“But he’s not,” Caius snapped as he sat up. “Koros is dead. He’s gone. Why does everyone think he’s going to suddenly come back?”

It was a deluded hope. The elf was acutely aware of the fact that Koros was dead. He had accepted this outcome even before the Dreamers attacked Alyona. Koros would die to Adam, and Alyona would fall.

The same outcome happened to Vera and Dark Lady Orvana. And the same outcome would happen to Tatania and Yulia. Even if their rulers would try to fight back. It would be to no avail.

Adam would kill them all.

“And he will kill me,” Caius said, looking down at himself.

The elf had already accepted his death long ago. Just like he had accepted his own death from the very beginning.

“So why haven’t they accepted that Koros is dead?” he asked as he gritted his teeth.

And Caius was answered with silence. He shifted where he sat as the uncomfortable sensation grew stronger. Glancing back, he saw the Helmet of Alyona staring at him again. Its gaze bore deeply into him as he clenched his teeth.

“What, are you waiting for Koros to return too?”

The elf fully realized that he was talking to an inanimate object. But he felt like voicing out his frustrations on something. Especially when he didn’t know what it was.

“I just don’t understand it,” Caius said as he looked up towards the flaps of his tent. “Why does everyone think Koros will return? Even Hayder of all people hoped that would happen…”

Clenching his fists, Caius felt the unsettling feeling grow even stronger. He tried to calm his breathing as he placed a hand on his chest. And that was when he realized what he was feeling.

His heart was aching. It hurt, and he didn’t fully comprehend why. He just tried to brush away the pain as he voiced his thoughts.

“Koros is dead. So why does everyone… why do they…?”

And the elf’s vision blurred. He blinked a few times, bringing a finger up to his face in confusion. He touched his cheek, and he felt something wet there. His breathing continued to quicken as even more droplets of water slid down his face.

“I— what is this?” Caius asked as he saw the tears dripping down onto the palm of his head. “I am… crying?”

The last time he had cried was twenty years ago— when the city of Catherine was destroyed by his own father. Back then, he had barely been a teen. Some elves would still consider him a child. But now, even though he was twenty years older, he was crying.

“Why?”

Caius didn’t understand it. He wiped away his tears, trying to hold back his sniffling. But his body uncontrollably shook as he gasped for breath.

“Why am I crying?” he asked the question to no one but himself.

And a voice spoke in his head to him. It was not anyone else’s voice. Nobody was in the tent except for him. So it was his own voice— his own subconscious thoughts— that answered his question for him.

Because Koros is dead, it told him simply. That is why you are crying.

“What?” Caius blinked a few times, only for his vision to blur again, overwhelmed with tears. “But why would I cry? Why would I care…?”

His heart stung as the words left his mouth. He caught himself, looking up to see the Helmet of Alyona. He picked it up, wondering if this was some sort of mind magic spell imbued into the helmet, but when he sensed nothing there, and his lips tightened.

“I barely even knew him…” he tried to convince himself, tightening his grip over the helmet.

But as he spoke, his heart ached even more, and his mind flashed with memories. He recalled all the times he spent together with the Dark Lord of Alyona— starting from the very first day he arrived, rejected and scorned by the rest of the captains, but defended by Koros.

Caius continued to cry as he remembered all the other moments he spent with Koros. From how he’d just climb into the office to chat about the most mundane of things, to how he’d get reprimanded for getting into a fight with the city guards for harassing a prostitute.

All those memories played in the elf’s mind as he stared down at the Helmet of Alyona.

But then a final memory flashed in his mind. Dark Lord Koros, standing tall, even without his helmet on his head, facing down Adam and a swarm of nightmares.

“We aren’t even friends,” Koros had said back then. “I’m not doing this for you.”

And Caius dropped the helmet to the ground as he felt a dam breaking in his heart, and a deluge of tears fell from his face.

“We weren’t even friends…” he choked, hugging himself tightly. “So why do I feel this way?”

Even as the elf asked himself these questions, he knew the answer to it. He knew why he felt this way. And the reason was simple. It was because as much as he tried to deny it, he knew he had always cared about the Sanctuary City of Alyona.

He knew that he had always considered Koros a friend.

But he still tried to reject that feeling. Because he had been afraid of losing it all again. No— because he knew he would lose it all again, and he didn’t want to experience that pain again. So when it finally happened, he had been numb to it.

However, since Caius thought he knew it was going to happen, he hadn’t even realized it had actually happened. He still didn’t realize that Alyona was gone, and Koros was dead. That was why hearing the delusions he did upsetted him. Because he subconsciously understood that he was the one who hadn’t accepted what had happened.

That he had been the one who refused to accept that Koros had died.

Caius hadn’t been upset at them. They weren’t the ones who were being delusional— they had been clinging onto a semblance of hope. It was him who was being delusional. He hadn’t even processed what happened in the slightest. He thought nothing would change. But everything did change.

And now, he truly realized that what he had been anticipating had become a reality.

He fully understood that Koros was dead.

That was why Caius wept.

He hugged himself as he lay next to the Helmet of Alyona. He didn’t know how much time had passed. But he no longer denied reality.

He knew his friend was dead, and that was why he cried.

Caius remained where he lay throughout the night. At some point, he must have fallen asleep. But when he woke up, he remembered what happened, and he continued to cry. Until he no longer had tears to shed.

And the sun began to rise over the horizon, giving the inside of the tent a faint orange glow.

The elf wiped at his face one last time as he rose to his feet. He remembered what Kara had told him the day after Koros had died— when he apologized for hiding the truth from her. And he recalled the hopeful faces of the survivors of Alyona.

“They’re still holding out hope, because they don’t know the truth,” Caius whispered as he raised his head. He picked up the Helmet of Alyona and took a step forward. “But they need to know the truth. Even if it will hurt them.”

He exited his tent, his resolve showing through his green eyes.

“They need to know the truth about the Dreamers.”

—--

“You really did a good job, Angel,” Kara said as she patted the utlas bear.

The two of them made their way back towards their tent from the bonfire at the center of the encampment. They had indulged in an inordinate amount of food, being rewarded for their efforts today against the forminac queen. And they thought they would have a relaxing night, after everything they had been through.

But they slowed to a halt as she spotted a small group huddled over a campfire. There was a circle of armed folks gathered around them— dark elf guards and burly orcs alike. Kara exchanged a glance with Angel.

“What’s that about?” she asked.

He shrugged, before pointing at a figure amongst the group.

Kara narrowed her eyes. “Is that Hayder? Wait, no…”

And that was when she realized she recognized most of the people gathered in the small group. There was Tashia, Bushra, and the captains of the companies there. And while she didn’t recognize most of the orcs sitting across from them, she recognized Kurg there too.

Even though he was now the Elder of the Swordtooth Clan, he sat quietly with his arms crossed as another, larger orc spoke up against Hayder.

“—and why should we be expected to aid you in your troubles when you have done nothing for us?” the large orc harrumphed.

His fellow orcs nodded in agreement with him, except for Kurg and a handful of younger-looking orcs. While Kara didn’t know for certain what the discussion was about, she could easily infer that it must have been a meeting regarding the rising tensions between the orc clans and the people of Alyona. She drew closer with Angel, eavesdropping on the conversation they were having.

Tashia spoke up as she placed a hand on her chest. “Senior Olarg, we are not asking for you to help us, we are simply asking for your cooperation—”

But she couldn’t finish as the orc pointed accusingly at her.

“We did comply!” he bellowed as the Captain of the Second Company almost recoiled. “Cursed souls, we complied with your damned lockdown, and it led to the death of our Elder! It led to the death of the Elder of the Ironhide Clan, the Elder of the Rockbite Clan, and so many more of our people!”

Kara bit her lower lip as she remembered what happened to both Golag and Klogg— they had died so quickly and easily, even though they were supposed to be such important people. Just remembering that sent shivers down the young woman’s spine, reminding her of Adam’s overwhelming power.

Olarg shook his head as he faced his fellow orcs. “We shall not cooperate with you bloody people any longer!”

He was met with cheers from almost everyone standing on his side, except for a handful of orcs, including Kurg. Tashia pressed her lips into a thin line, and Bushra folded his arms, looking ready for a fight.

But Hayder simply raised a hand, stopping any of the other captains from doing anything, while drawing the attention of the orcs. The cheering quietened as the Captain of the First Company spoke seriously.

“Senior Olarg, this is no longer a matter of your people aiding us in our trek through the Ashfields. This is simply the issue of your provocations.”

“Oh?” Olarg cocked a brow at that. “And how exactly have we provoked your people? As far as I can tell, your rowdy citizens are the ones who started throwing rocks at us this afternoon.”

“But that was only after a group of your orcs started mocking someone who lost their wife!” Tashia protested.

Olarg scoffed at her, “You have no proof of that.”

She gritted her teeth, but stopped herself from lashing out. Hayder glanced between them, and he must have realized the same thing Kara did. This conversation was going to lead to nowhere if it continued in this direction.

So Hayder looked towards the younger orc sitting quietly next to Olarg. “Elder Kurg.”

Kurg blinked, hearing his name be called. He raised his head as Hayder continued.

“As the Elder of the Swordtooth Company, I would like to hear your perspective on this matter. After all, as the leader of the largest orc clan, I believe your opinion should be considered first and foremost.”

Hayder held Kurg’s gaze. And Kara, too, was curious about what the orc had to say. While she didn’t know him that well, she knew he had a good heart. That was why he had stopped harassing Arjin after he found out she wasn’t responsible for Grok’s death.

Kurg eyed Hayder’s expectant look. The orc opened his mouth—

But Olarg snorted. “Kurg is still young and inexperienced, even if he is our Elder. He has left me in charge of handling matters such as this as he sits back, observes, and learns to become a fitting leader for our clan. Isn’t that right, boy?”

Olarg wrapped an arm around Kurg’s shoulder and sneered. Kara saw the way the younger orc’s hands balled into fists. She could tell he didn’t like this. Hayder must have noticed this too as his eyes narrowed.

But before Kurg could even give a response, a loud horn echoed throughout the camp. Kara blinked as Hayder immediately snapped to his feet.

“That’s…?” Kara frowned.

And Hayder looked towards the bonfire at the center of the camp. “That means we’re being attacked.”

He nodded towards the other captains, and they immediately moved. They rushed towards the bonfire as a large crowd gathered there. The orcs exchanged glances, unsure of what to do now that the meeting had suddenly adjourned. However, some of them seemed to share the same ‘amusing’ idea.

“Another attack?” Olarg grinned, getting to his feet. “I have to see this…”

And the orcs slowly trailed after the captains to the center of the camp. Kara just furrowed her brows. She looked towards Angel who wore the same knowing gaze she did. Even though the horn was being blown which signaled an attack, there was no fighting.

“Something else must be going on,” she said as she strolled forward. “But it’s definitely not an attack…”

—--

Caius stood there, before the gathered crowd as he held the horn in his hands. He had stolen it from one of the guard tents when the soldiers there weren’t looking. After the ambush that had happened in the middle of the night the other day, everyone knew that the contingency in the case of a night attack was to gather at the large bonfire in the center of the camp.

That was why Caius had stolen the horn. So he could gather everyone here.

He stood on top of a few crates he had stacked up on top of each other as he surveyed the crowd. There were already over ten thousand people gathered here after a few, but he waited even longer for more to come. He spotted Hayder, Tashia, and the other captains charging in, prepared for battle. But there were no monsters to be found.

And when it looked like most of the camp were finally present, he blew the horn once more.

That drew everyone’s attention towards him. Caius cleared his throat as he unfurled a Speaking Scroll and placed a hand on the runes etched onto the parchment. It shone with a dim blue light as he spoke up, his voice echoing across the crowd.

“I apologize, everyone! That was a false alarm! I just needed to gather you all here to speak with you!”

But his words were met with a variety of mixed responses.

“What is going on?”

“So… is there no attack?”

“Storms above, why are we even here?”

“That’s a good question!” Caius said, pointing at the dark elf who had asked that last part. “And don’t you leave just yet. I see you folks running away.”

He pointed at a group of dark elves and trolls alike as they started to stream away from the crowd. They glanced back at him, and Tashia frowned.

“What is Caius doing?” she asked, turning to Hayder.

His eyes were narrowed, but he didn’t have a response for her. Caius took in a deep breath as he nodded at them all.

“If you’ll just listen to me for a moment, I’ll tell you all the truth about the destruction of Alyona.”

A susurration washed over the crowd as the elf spoke simply. He saw all the watching faces. So many folks he didn’t know mixed with those who he remembered helping throughout his time in the Sanctuary City. All of them looked confused, exchanging glances as they asked questions quizzically to each other.

“The truth about the destruction of Alyona?”

“What is that elf talking about? Is he crazy?”

“I think we should hear him out— I heard he was friends with Dark Lord Koros!”

Caius shifted uncomfortably as he heard that. He looked down at the Helmet of Alyona hanging from his belt, before raising his head. While he saw mostly confused looks, there were those amongst the crowd who knew what he was going to talk about.

All of the captains. Everyone from Kara to Architect Magus Uzbug. They all stood there, realizing what was going on. Tashia was alarmed, turning to Hayder with round eyes. But he didn’t react. All he did was eye Caius curiously.

The elf took in a deep breath, knowing he could continue, “That’s right— we kept a very big secret from all of you. Even most of you soldiers didn’t know this, either. But the truth is…”

His audience leaned closer, their eyes peering into him. Caius hesitated. He wasn’t certain if this was the right thing to do. But he knew it had to be done. And he sighed.

“Those nightmares that destroyed our city? They didn’t come about from natural causes— they were created by a group called the Dreamers.”

Caius heard a few gasps. But his announcement was met with more confusion than anything else. He knew there was a lot more to explain, so he continued.

“Well, they can hardly be called a group, because they’re just a pair of individuals. But they were the ones who brought the nightmares to destroy our city— they are the ones responsible for destroying all our homes.”

“But who are they?” someone asked. “Why would they attack us? What have we ever done to them?”

There were many voices agreeing with that sentiment. Utter confusion as to why their livelihoods would be ruined for no reason. But that was not the only question being asked.

“And why would you keep this a secret from us?” another person yelled.

Caius steeled himself for what he was about to reveal next. “The reason why we kept it a secret is because we didn’t want to cause a panic— because we thought that if you all knew the truth, you’d lose our trust. And I’m not talking about just you folks here, but I’m talking about all of the Sanctuary Cities.”

His response just drew more questions from the crowd. He spoke up once again, and they quietened down.

“This was an agreement the Dark Lords and Dark Ladies of all the Sanctuary Cities made twenty years ago— after the destruction of the Sanctuary City of Catherine.”

Some of the more keen individuals gathered seemed to have an inkling of an idea of where the elf was going with this.

“Do you mean…?”

“I don’t get it—”

“That’s right,” Caius said as he nodded. “I know this, because I am a survivor of Catherine. But the one who was responsible for the destruction of Catherine is also the leader of the Dreamers. And the reason why the Dark Lords and the Dark Ladies of Alyona, Tatania, Vera, and Yulia chose to hide this fact from you is because…”

The elf placed a hand on his chest. He closed his eyes, remembering the death all around him. He remembered the questions he asked as he stared at the man he thought loved the Sanctuary City bringing it all to the ground.

“It was Adam, the Dark Lord of Catherine himself, who brought about the destruction of the Sanctuary City— my father.”

This time, there was a collective gasp from the crowd as they heard what Caius had to say. Immediately after, there were both questions and shouts of outrage. Some folks looked around in shock, while others were overwhelmed with anger. A few of them even looked accusingly towards Hayder and the rest of the captains.

But the elf continued, even if some of his words were drowned out by their voices.

“My father was the one who founded the Dreamers— who created the nightmares that destroyed all our homes. He is the one who destroyed Vera. He is the one who destroyed Alyona. And he will continue to go after the remaining Sanctuary Cities until they are also destroyed.”

Caius looked down at himself as he heard the shouting voices grow louder. He looked into the palm of his hand, still using the Speaking Scroll to talk, but only a few keen ears heard what he had to say next.

“My father will not stop until I am dead…”

He raised his head and stared at the crowd. The mixture of confusion and anger died down, becoming a collective sentiment which they directed towards the elf.

“Why?” they asked. “Why did you keep this a secret from us?”

Caius shrugged in response. “It is as I told you, the Dark Lords and Dark Ladies of twenty years ago decided that it is better to keep it a secret. But it is a secret we continued to hide from you, even until now. Even Dark Lord Koros, for all his strengths and his principles, chose to maintain this secret when he took over his predecessor.”

The crowd quietened down, almost overtaken by disbelief.

“Dark Lord Koros… lied to us?”

“That can’t be—”

Many refused to believe it. While others were driven to anger.

“How dare he trick us! And he calls himself a Dark Lord?”

But Caius raised a hand, placating the voices. “Do not take this as an attack on Dark Lord Koros’s character. He was my friend— I respect him more than I do anyone else in the world. So do not cast your blame on him. For the fault also lies myself, and the rest of us.”

The elf looked towards Hayder, Tashia, Bushra… the rest of the captains too. Even Architect Magus Uzbug lowered her head, almost in shame. Caius took in a deep breath as the crowd almost broke out into another babble of voices.

“That is why, I called you all here today. Because Dark Lord Koros is dead, and we need a new leader.”

Caius looked through the crowd, seeing their tired faces.

“We need someone who can unite us through our journey.”

But even more than that, he saw the confusion and fear that gripped a majority of the survivors of Alyona.

“We need someone who is strong enough to take over the mantle from Dark Lord Koros.”

And finally, he saw the hatred and anger so many of them wore.

“But we also need someone who wasn’t culpable for keeping this secret from you— someone you can trust, unlike us.”

Caius shifted back as he spoke, but he resolved himself. He saw the way the crowd seemed to nod along to what he was saying here. They agreed with him, and that gave him the confidence to continue. He searched for a single face through the crowd.

“That is why, I believe…” he started, before he found who he was looking for.

Bringing a hand up, he pointed at a figure that stood out amongst the masses of dark elves, orcs, trolls, and minotaurs.

“Kara,” Caius said the human’s name.

And everyone’s gaze turned towards her. Even Angel, who was sitting next to her, faced her with both his heads. She paused as she pointed at herself.

Caius nodded at her, his voice echoing throughout the camp. “I believe you should become the new Dark Lady of Alyona.”

And in response, Kara just blinked. “Uh, what?”

Author's Notes:

6.3k words. Thanks for reading :)

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