THE LAST WAR

It finally happened, he mused inwardly. The golden draped over the fluffy clouds, bending unnaturally, carrying a whiff of faint, crimson hue. The rays broke and fluttered, cascading through the dark fortress and the s.h.i.+ning islands...o...b..ting it. The light cut straight into his eyes, though he didn't blink. For the first time since he killed Eos, the dawn of the sun arose. It was still cold, but it was bright. So bright.

He found himself choked with a strange influx of emotions; his heart stirred, causing blood in his veins to rapidly swarm his senses. Something got stuck in his throat, similar yet different to the time he was lying motionless in the bed. More… appeasing, perhaps. He couldn't say.

Sitting on the far-eastern wall, right at the corner with the southern one, he was isolated from the brim and bust of the fortress itself. He was isolated from the sounds and woes and chatter. It was peaceful. Worthwhile.

He'd too much to think and decide, yet little will to go through with it. He'd come to realize that understanding the reality was an art, and he certainly was not an artist; both too selfish and selfless, proud and naïve, headstrong and hypocritical. There were certain things he wanted to make real, such as ensuring his army lived victimless, in a war of millions. n.o.body need tell him it would never happen – he knew. Yet, he wished to make it happen all the same.

Lino had already recovered halfway through; his skin regained its healthy l.u.s.ter, his one, healthy eye the light that went dim for a few weeks, his muscles definition that they never truly lost, but was hidden beneath the countless wounds. Reminders still ran freely throughout his body, but he didn't mind. He had far too many scars to care much for each one of them.

"—woof?" a whimpering bark caused him to glance sideways where Non lay on his belly, looking at Lino with wide and round and questioning eyes. Its fur had turned faintly grayish, his size ever-the-same.

"Nothing," Lino replied with a faint smile, extending his left arm and rubbing it over the dog's back. "Just a bit dulled, is all. You hungry?"

"Woof, woof!!" the dog excitedly wagged his tail, quickly stirring to his feet, extending his tongue and las.h.i.+ng out while a rain of saliva sprinkled over Lino's clothes.

"Ha ha ha, f.u.c.kin' h.e.l.l, you're one dirty-a.s.s dog," Lino chortled, still taking out a peculiar sort of fish – two-headed, diamond-glistening boulders half Non's size altogether. The dog's eyes lit up wonderfully as he dove right into it – swallowing the entire fish whole. "Oi, slow down man! I've only got like five of them!"

"Woof, woof!!"

"No, you're not getting any anymore!" he fired back somewhat angrily. "That was your reward!"

"… woof, woof. Woof…"

"Humph, sulk all you want," Lino shrugged as the dog limped back down, seemingly sulking. "You should have savored it properly."

"—how mad have you become to resort talking with a dog?" Lino chuckled, glancing down at the bottom of a ten-meters tall wall where Primul was standing, looking up in faint wonder.

"Says a guy who can't climb a f.u.c.kin' wall."

"I can climb it just fine. I just choose not to."

"You need help?"

"Could use some."

"Fetch him."

"—what now---hey, s.h.i.+t, that hurts!! f.u.c.k, f.u.c.k you, you d.a.m.ned dog!!" Primul cried out angrily as Non jumped off the wall, bit him by his thigh and pulled him up as the dog ran straight up the wall as though his paws immediately glued themselves to the stone with each step. He threw shaken Primul over as Lino caught him, stabilizing the faintly-shaking man. "That… that isn't a d.a.m.n dog…"

"Ha ha ha," Lino laughed freely for a moment, taking out two gourds of ale and handing one to Primul. "Don't be too shaken. Virtually every Dragon on the islands is this guy's pet at this point." he added, petting Non behind his ears.

"… yeah, that's not weird… at all." Primul mumbled.

"What's up?"

"… I just wanted to check up on you." Primul said. "You looked really terrible when they carried you back in here."

"… I imagine I did," Lino replied. "Though I can't claim to remember."

"Any permanent effects?" Primul asked.

"… pretty much just the eye," Lino said, pointing at his closed, left eye. It wasn't by choice, though, as he was physically unable to open it. "I got off lightly… all things considered."

"—don't try your luck too many times, Lino," Primul said, taking a sip of ale. "There's only so many times you can put your body through it before it breaks. All things said and done, we are still human. Our capacity to do all the things we do will never override that."

"… someone's grown more hopeful, huh?" Lino grinned, taking a sip as well.

"I learned from the mindlessly optimistic, after all."

"—aye, I hate that f.u.c.king guy. What a p.r.i.c.k."

"You shouldn't," Primul said. "He's… quite an inspiration, actually."

"—have you told them yet?" Lino asked, the tone of his voice growing heavy.

"… would you have wanted us to tell them?" Primul asked back.

"… the young will take it the best, I imagine," Lino sighed. "To them it will sound just like another opportunity to prove themselves. As for the rest who merely sought shelter underneath my banner… ah…"

"They'll understand," Primul said. "They have to."

"… Origin War…" Lino mumbled, sighing right after, lowering his head, gazing into the emptiness down below. "Why does it feel… like it was inevitable?"

"…"

"You live and learn, I suppose," he took in a deep breath, looking up toward the ever-rising sun on the horizon. "Let's go. Call the council."

"… are you sure? You can take time to recover more." Primul asked cautiously.

"No," Lino shook his head, getting up. "I've hidden away long enough. I'll still give them a choice."

"… you've become a part of their hearts, Lino, especially after this time around," Primul chuckled as they slowly descended down the slope of stairs off the wall. "Whilst Two threw hundreds of thousands of souls at you to escape your grip, you sent away an entire army of Dragons to safety, taking a beating of a lifetime for them. The creatures have been praising you ever since they returned. You should see it, the way the eyes of your people light up when they talk about you. The world envies you, Lyonel. I don't think I've ever thanked you, actually."

"Thanked me?" Lino asked, glancing sideways at the content-looking face lit up by the golden rays of the sun.

"—you broke me out of a prison, both within and without," Primul said. "And given me a chance, however limp and short, to redeem myself as much as possible. I'll never rectify all the wrongs I've committed, but you've given me a chance to try. That is more than anything else I've been given in my life."

"… others can never give you what you don't want to take," Lino said, chuckling lightly. "More so than me, you gave yourself the chance, Primul. That is always the most difficult part. Accepting… we can do, be, better."

"…" Primul said nothing, nodding faintly and, without Lino even noticing it, slowing his steps by a single beat, pulling himself slightly behind the man. He walked with a faint limp he tried to hide, Primul noticed. Something finally clicked inside his mind, a jolted thought waking up the slumbering pieces; the difference between the two, between him and all other Empyreans, really, was quite simple – he was too stubborn to give up and give in.

They walked slowly and in silence, taking the stealth-laden pathways that circ.u.mvented the main streets of the fortress leading to the Meeting Hall. It was empty and silent. While Lino sat down, clearly tired, Primul pa.s.sed by and went to the hearth, firing up the flames and stoking them for a moment before turning around and walking back past Lino and out of the hall, telling the few servants outside to summon everyone.

It didn't take long for the hall to fill up with worried and relieved souls; they all walked in with rapid and fired steps, only ever relaxing once their eyes landed upon the figure seated on the central position. They all greeted him with wide smiles of joy, and he replied in kind, repeatedly getting up for a handshake.

Primul withdrew to a corner and observed in silence, something he very much enjoyed doing ever since he made the fortress his home. The packed hall remained ever-silent as those already seated waited for the stragglers to show up, yet n.o.body made a fuss over it.

By the time not a single, additional soul could fill it, barely fifteen minutes pa.s.sed. Lino glanced thoroughly around once before slowly getting up. Though he desperately tried to open both of his eyes, only one listened. He swallowed the bitter frustration and took a deep breath, letting go of the fears tangled around his heart.

"—Two has declared war," he said slowly. "An Origin War."

"…" expressions, especially among the veterans, quickly sunk and darkened.

"Is she insane?" Cain growled angrily.

"I thought she still had a remnant of conscience…" Alex mumbled in disbelief.

"Has she forgotten the meaning of the Origin War?!" Myveen joined.

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Soon, a symphony of voices hollered out, cursing out Two in means and manner that left even Lino temporarily stunned. A cold sweat broke out of his forehead as he realized that these old crooks hid a rather distinguished ability to put down another person.

"C-calm down, guys," Lino interrupted them at one point, stuttering faintly. "Cursing her out won't change anything. I'm sorry." he suddenly bowed down, startling everyone in the room except Hannah who was sitting by his side.

"—oi, lad, get up!" Cain cried out.

"No," Lino replied firmly. "I need to apologize. One way or another, I've let the personal grudge ferment and grow. If I had known better, I'd have given a leg and arm to kill Two before she had a chance to drag the world into our affairs. n.o.body here should be forced to tangle their lives into a war that will change the foundation of the world by ripping hundreds of millions of souls from it."

"—lift your head up, Empyrean," dozens of heads spun around at the sound of an unknown, calmingly melodic voice. On the other end of the table, near the entrance, a woman clad in pure silver stood. She was incredibly tall, towering over two meters, draped in a one-piece, draped dress. Her eyes seemingly shone in the shade of an overcast, wooden platform, drawing the onlookers in. "If anyone should be bowing in apprehension, it should be us." she added, gently pointing at the row of similarly tall men and women to her left who all nodded slowly.

"Lux is right," a man standing next to her echoed the sentiment; he was even taller, his black hair cascading down the broad back freely, high forehead carved in dark lines. "Hold your head high, Empyrean, and let us bow ours in eternal grat.i.tude." as though they communicated mentally, over twenty bodies bent halfway to the floor, causing a faint stir in the hall to drown out the silence.

"—what is done, it's done," Val said, changing the topic. "Regardless of who bows their head, we are still at war. Origin War, no less. We need to start planning. How long do you think we have?"

"Usually around ten years," Primul added from the side. "Length of preparations depends exclusively on the world's population."

"Ten years sounds about right," Alex nodded. "It should be enough for some basic preparations, but we'll mostly have to adjust on the go."

"We have all that we need here already," Cain said. "More than enough to win."

"—we will win," Lino said, sitting down, his expression growing cold and determined. "There is no doubt in regards to that. The only question is how to win while losing as little as possible. I promise you all," he added, his Will briefly breaking out of his sh.e.l.l, causing all the souls in the hall to shudder in fright for a moment, even Hannah's. "This will be the last Origin War Noterra will ever see…"

END OF VOLUME XVIII