The father was carrying the logs, the mother was singing to his unborn brother, and he was looking at the sky, wondering what’s past that, and how he could touch the stars. A loud thud broke his dreaming mind, looking ahead, his mom was rushing to the father, who had dropped the logs and fell below them. They were laughing, he couldn’t figure why, but felt happy watching them. - TO BE EDITED

Femel found himself in a warm place, it was a room, dimly lit by a candle. To his right there was stone, so it was in front and at the back, not to the left. The stone below him was covered by leather and furs, he was covered by one himself. Looking to his left, he could see a wooden door, the small cracks letting him see a raging storm outside. He didn’t want to move, as the sound of the cracking of wood in the fire reverberated in the room. He heard footsteps, a figure passed in front of him, it was a woman, wearing a long, white dress. He didn’t know who it was, but felt safe around her. Then, another, the figure was taller and wearing pants dirtied by mud. He didn’t bother him, just briefly stopped in front of his bed made inside the wall.

His eyes were closing in, he felt the warmth of the fire touching his skin, the light of the candle at the end of his bed bothering his eyes a bit. The smell of the burnt wood feeling nice to him. He struggled a bit deeper in his bed, the fur covering his neck, a bit of sweat from all the heat on his forehead. He heard the murmurs of the two figures going up and then silence. “Finally, peace” he told himself. He didn’t know why, but felt right. As darkness started to settle in, where only the light of the candle reached, he heard a voice. It felt new to him, to hear a voice, yet it was familiar, something which he had heard countless times before. The voice was speaking to him, it came from straight above him. There might’ve been another bed, but he wasn’t sure, he didn’t want to move.

The voice kept calling him, by his name. “Femi, Femi. Wake up, we must leave,” the voice told him. He opened his eyes, looked through the cracks once more, there was the storm still going. He didn’t want to go. “It’s fine, we’ll be back. But I want to show you something,” the voice could hear his thoughts. “Look, if you come, I will give you something too. How’s that? You see something and you get something. Can’t ask for a better deal I must say,” he giggled. He felt good staying in bed, not moving, but the voice was compelling him. The storm outside, he thought wasn’t worth it, but if he could laugh while seeing and having something, then he weighed it as a good proposition. “Come then, and I’ll make you laugh some more,” something above him changed, and to his left, a short figure dropped. He could see the face of the figure, it reached for him inside.

“Fine, let us go, brother,” he took his hand, and together, they walked into the blizzard, their feet barren and only thin clothes to protect them. But, while running through the storm, Femel could feel a warmth inside of him, and while they could not see anything, he would have the image of a place inside his head. A place that was warm and they could be happy, much happier than he was inside the house.

He slowly opened his eyes. The ground below him felt cold, colder than it should’ve. In front of him, he could see Uel, she was fighting Amel still, whose eyes were glowing strong in the night, sparks erupting from within. She closed the gap in a swift move, but before she could do anything, the ground below her shifted and moved. A memory from years past flashed the boy’s mind. He felt as if he saw something like this, he couldn’t tell what though.

“You will pay with your life, Uel!” Amel cried, Kinak, Eve and Hran fighting the constructs and Omega. Amel was thinking at unprecedented speeds. He was accounting for all possible scenarios, simulating all there could be. In most of them, Amel would bleed out with the hole inside of his chest, and die. But there was a way out of it, and Uel had to be buried for it to happen.

Uel found herself trapped in the earth below her feet. She tried to jump, but the earth would clutch her legs as if alive, which pretty much was, as Amel had infused his light into the ground and brought it to life. While this normally wouldn’t work, since the diverse composition of the ground would be too much to handle on its own, and far too impractical. Fueled by rage and a much more powerful light, his light was able to quickly adapt and discern the different kinds of minerals and components in the ground, even the blood and flesh of his brother. This was much like when he entrapped Umshaow’s apparition, except it was far more potent and large, an area deep below their feet, having his light surging throughout, communicating with Amel, and Amel back to them. Each piece of the ground could be counted as an individual construct, so Amel was controlling hundreds of thousands of such pieces. The commands were simple, thus it didn’t take more than it had to in order to make the ground obey him.

Uel started to attack the ground, melting and making it explode, but it was in vain. The more she fought back, the more the ground would resist and slowly adapt to her struggle. Before the ground enveloped her, she realised of the most dangerous aspect of it, so she closed her eyes, mouth and covered her mouth. Once buried, Amel walked over the spot where she was, the ground turning and swirling until it led her deep below.

“Uel!” Kinak screamed, blasting through the constructs and making his way through. Omega tried to stomp him, but he pushed against the construct’s foot and made it fall on its back. Hran and Eve followed, Hran ready to take off the boy’s head himself. But, upon seeing the bloodied scene which Uel had left, he found himself conflicted. Femel, to him, felt like one of his many grandchildren, daring, young and bold, much like his first children were. Even so, what made him stop was Amel. He was standing in front of his brother, his eyes bearing great animosity to anything around him. The air around him felt almost thick. He was confident that he could take his head with one swing, but what would happen after? He saw how Uel was swallowed by the ground, was he to make a step where the little menace was, would he be swallowed too? He couldn’t risk losing himself before the war had even ensued.

However, the same didn’t stand for Kinak, who tried to dig the ground up, but to no avail, the ground would simply put itself back together and keep Uel sealed deep below. He turned towards Amel, his weapon drawn, then brought upon the young man. He was stopped in a flash by Hran, who could tell by the fluctuations in Amel’s light, that he was ready to bury him deep below the second that blade touched him. “Why do you stop me?! Must I fight my way through you to avenge our sister?!” Kinak raged.

“She’s not dead!” Eve screamed from her place. “I can follow her light, she’s trapped, but not dead. Fast! Kill the boy so-”.

“No one touches him, or we will never see her again,” Hran almost threatened instead of Amel. Amel kneeled, took Amel’s cold body up in his arms, he could still feel the life inside of him, but it was weakening fast.

He turned towards Eve, a couple of constructs helping him hold Femel. He was crying sparks of light, the other three were watching in bewilderment. Only Elde was known to be able to cast light from her eyes, let alone allow it to course to such a degree. “Help him, and I will free her. Try anything, and by my brother’s name, I will bring all of your kingdoms, and you three, to an absolute ruin,” his words weren’t empty threats, as the army of constructs dispersed itself into the forests nearby, only Omega and the Primas remaining. “If you understand, hurry and help him, his life is slipping away, and that is your count down before I bring the second calamity upon this light forsaken world.”.

They were speechless. Hran couldn’t have imagined that even there were four of them, this one boy had the capacity, power, to threaten all of them and their kingdoms. While they couldn’t ignore his threats and the spreading constructs, they obeyed. Even approached the two brothers, the constructs and Amel slowly letting him back to the ground. “What do you hope to accomplish? I can heal your brother, but what you just did, it will warrant war with all the kingdoms,” Eve warned him, as she stood looming over him, her skin slightly glowing, while her eyes let out sparks at times. Her long, blonde hair, was flowing in waves as she stood at the tip of her feet. The wound in Ame’s chest was deep, the blood was gathering fast and his breath was nowhere to be found.

“Once you save him, I will show you all what I hope to accomplish. Now, focus, your sister’s life is in as much danger as my brother’s” Eve saw there was no place to argue with him. She placed her hands on top of the boy, and started to let her light go into his body. But, much like Amel had expected, it was of no use. Femel’s body spent the last two months adapting against the light, so it would prove hard to make it work. Eve ceased her light slowly, seeing as no progress was being made. “Keep going, it slows the bleeding,” she knew that, but she didn’t understood the point, he wasn’t going to live long without his heart and lungs which were missing.

Hran and Kinak were standing over the portion of ground that had swallowed their sister, Kinak still trying to dig up the dirt. “It’s pointless, it can rearrange itself, you saw it,” Kinak didn’t listen, kept digging. “Besides, I warned her not to do it, since the boy wasn’t stable.”.

“You should’ve killed him then,” Kinak stopped his digging. “You’re growing another one, a human which would be able to cause a disaster. And he has already set in motion that. All those machines, once they arrive in towns, villages and cities, without the soldiers to defend them, they will be massacred. One by one, like the Apostle did to our people,” Kinak grabbed at some collars around his neck. Hran couldn’t look at them, they were the remaining bones of some of their children. “Do you dream of them? I do, they’re haunting my dreams, my nightmares… my days.”.

“There won’t be another calamity, stop saying these things,” Hran touched his brother’s shoulder, dropped to his knees next to him. “I will protect us, like I always do. Remember what we promised our creator? That we would respect his commandments and make these lands a paradise of which he could be proud of,” Kinak put back the collars, looked at the ground.

“Do you think she can save him?” he looked Hran in the eyes. He was searching for an honest answer, which only he could get from Hran, as his eyes could see any truth or lie someone was trying to tell him.

“I don’t,” Hran took his hand away, put it together with the other, then on his sword. “So we’ll at least avenge her,” Kinak nodded, looking towards where Eve and Amel were.

“I don’t think he will last much longer, what are we waiting fore?” Eve asked the boy, who was thinking, his eyes closed, giving commands to all the constructs there were nearby. “You and your brother. You could’ve still made it out alive, maybe even have a little beautiful home, somewhere on a hill,” she was trying to reach a more human side of Amel, trying to maybe appeal so he wouldn’t kill countless humans.

“You, those which stand atop of us all, the small ones, really think you understand what we are? How we think and what we feel?” he opened his eyes, the glow steady, sparks getting out here and there. “You don’t have even the smallest idea of what we think, and what we’re willing to do,” his words making the light of the tall woman tremble. Then, from within the nearby forests, the rumbling of feet and limbs could be heard, as the trees were shaking. “Now look, what one of us, the small people, are willing to do when another is in danger,” by the hundreds, constructs with different animals started to appear. Amel had to filter the good ones from the bad ones, as they were all killed by this time, and he could only afford to try this once.

“You’re trying to-but this is madness!” Eve protested, pulling her hands away. Amel took her hand and brought it closer, his light infused body allowing the sufficient strength for him to do so.

“Don’t tell me what is madness, keep your hands on him, this will be hard as it is, I don’t need you fumbling your way around,” his words made Even want to slap him. Once this was over, and her sister free, ‘I’m going to show this boy some manners,’ she thought. Then she realised that there was no rage behind her thought, although the one who was ready to kill her sister stood before her. It was his young appearance that made her let her guard down, or maybe the way he took gentle care and even risked it all for the sake of him. She would do the same, that was why she was letting her guard down, if it meant fighting an Apostle or even sinning, she was willing to do it all for her siblings.

He went through all the organs the constructs have brought. Half with hearts, half with lungs. They would be incompatible for his brother’s body, since his body functioned differently that normal. Even after the blast, his body was adapting to the way he sustained the injuries, developing measure for future such developments, although it was uncertain if a future would be. This meant that adjustments had to be in place, thus the reason as to why he wanted the organs off of a dead animal. While the cells were still in large alive, he could use his light to kill then en masse, then infuse his own light into them. So he did, the first one failed, the cells died too fast and he didn’t have time to infuse his light. More attempts went by, until he had a heart in his hand, beating by the will of his light, which became its own. This was dangerous, he knew, for if the light was still considered foreign by his brother, even though it was the cells that had it, and not his body being invaded by it, it would result in the heart or lungs suddenly stopping, Femel dying not too long after. He placed the heart inside, then Eve ensured every artery was in place by using her light to tie them to his heart. Once done, she observed that his body was growing a resistance against her light.

“We must hurry, he’s adapting to my light,” even if she didn’t tell him, he knew how strong Femel’s body was against foreign forces and objects. “The heart, it’s actually beating,” she watched in wonder, and then thought of the many great appliances his power could have. But Amel didn’t care, all he wanted to do is save his brother, no one else.

He then found the proper lungs, did the same, and it took him longer. Finally, after a couple of minutes, he was able to find a suitable pair of lungs. Eve did the same, and managed to attach the lungs, healing a small portion of where they were burnt away from. Sealing the wound would’ve been beyond her capacity, Amel being prepared for that also. Omega had descended upon them, pulling out one of the molten steel cores it had, and gave it to Amel. “I’ll need your light to melt this for me, think you can do it?”.

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” and she pressed her hands on top of where he placed the molten steel, infusing it with his light. Once Eve started to smelt it, he made it move in such a way that it would take a shape to cover the hole in his chest. Eve’s light, while it was aimed smelt the steel, also was accepted by Femel’s body, allowing for the core to be surrounded by flesh, making it seem seemingless in how it fit inside his body. With a sudden cough fille with blood, Femel gave his response, that the operation was a success. “It worked! Your idea worked!” she looked at him, excited for how he was able to bring back from the dead his brother. Such a procedure would be next to impossible for her, and seeing the young man come up with such an idea on the spot, was beyond impressive to her.

“Leave us alone,” he pointed towards the ground where Uel had been buried, and slowly, she rose back from the depths. “Your sister may need you, her arm is bleeding and all,” Eve looked into his eyes, seeing the relief and peacefulness that enveloped him. She brushed her long hair to the side, trying to make sense of the boy before her. One moment he was threatening to burn all the kingdoms, then he had such a gentle look in his eyes, holding his brother’s head. ‘Maybe he is just a kid, with too much power,’ she thought to herself. Then, she saw Uel coughing, Kinak and Hran glad to see her again. Before she could go over, Kinak stood up and headed straight for Amel. He didn’t want to give him a second to recover. Amel already expected him, Omega stepping between him, Eve and Kinak. “One more step, and you’ll end up down like your sister,” he threatened the large man. Kinak didn’t take it kindly, ready to take a step forward, while Amel’s eyes started to glow stronger in their intensity.

“Enough!” Eve shouted. “He’s a boy for the creator's sake! How many of us have to try fighting him, before we realise he’s just a boy who has been lost from his path?!”. The sudden revelation of Eve surprised Hran. She was going to kill him herself, some change of heart taking in this short period of time.

“A boy? We’re able to stand against one of the Apostles, which is able to kill millions of us humans on a whim, and he showed us that he could kill one of us, one of the stronger of us,” his hand clutched at his weapon stronger, he made his step.

Amel released his light into the ground, Kinak saw it, and jumped, but didn’t matter as Omega crashed its fist upon him, the molten steel inside of its hand suddenly changed in shape, and heat erupted from it. It was something Amel didn’t expect, but welcomed the new interaction between his construct and material. Kinak touched the ground, and in an instant, it started to swallow him whole as well. “Amel!” Eve cried to him, he was looking at Kinak, not escaping him from his sight, as his eyes started to erupt with sparks violently. Then, the sounds of skin meeting skin could be heard. Her hand slapped the boy’s face, making his light flutter, losing concentration for a moment, the ground giving way and letting Kinak escape.

“Good sister, now ki-” before he could finish, Eve gave him a sharp look, a deep frown on her face. She returned her face to Amel, who was still stuck on the fact that she slapped him. It wasn’t that the action hurt him, or even offended him, he just didn’t see it in the countless simulations he ran through his mind. It wouldn’t have been possible for him either way, as the change of heart wasn’t something he could add to the variables.

“You were told to stop by your brother, haven’t you? Why aren’t you stopping?” her words struck Amel in a deep place, which made him clutch at his chest. For a brief moment, the image of his mom flashed before his eyes. Eve returned her gaze to Kinak, who was trying to avoid it. “You get Uel to a safe place, I will deal with her wounds, and don’t come back to try and kill the kid, he’s under my and Hran’s protection,” Kinak looked at Hran who nodded in agreement, then took Uel defeated and left.

Once they were gone, Hran asked “Change of heart?”. Eve stood up, looked down at the boys, then went to Hran’s side.

“I saw the look in his eyes, those weren’t the eyes of a murderer or criminal, but of a hurt soul,” Hran approved with crossed arms, both looking at them. Amel hugged Femel, constructs showing up as Omega made its way into the forests. The constructs started to build a tent around them, the scattered soldiers gathering once more to the camps to finally rest. “I think they can still be saved. I don’t think we have to kill those which did bad, we can find them a way back to the light.”.

“Maybe,” Hran looked up at the sky “but I guess we won’t know until we try.”. He then looked at Kinak and Uel, “And in order for us to try, we must first accept our own mistakes.”.

“Femi, the storm stops ahead, hurry up,” the voice called for him, running far ahead. He was trying to keep up, but the more he tried, the further the voice got. He felt lost, alone and he was cold. He didn’t laugh nor were something for him to see or have. He felt betrayed for a moment, then, the voice could be heard once more. “C’mon Femi, get up, I’ll find you if you get lost,” he grabbed the figure’s hand, and got up to his feet. They ran some more, past a forest, a river and mountains, all of them in just mere moments. The winds started to slow down, the snow was no longer falling. “Here we are,” the figure stood at the top of a hill, Femel followed, stumbling and falling along the way.

“What is this?” Femel found his voice, the green grass below his feet feeling different than he remembered.

“This is what I wanted to show and give you, brother,” Amel’s face started to show up on the figure’s head. Ahead of them, stretched out fields and hills that were going beyond the horizon. “Our kingdom, isn’t it beautiful?”.

“Ah, yes. Our kingdom… our… king-” slowly, he opened his eyes. There were no walls around him, but the cloth of a tent. At the end of the bed on which he was, a used candle that had burned all night. To his left, Amel stood with watchful eyes.

“It wasn’t easy, you know? To bring you back from the dead, that’s not easy thing to do, not even for me,” he was eating a piece of meat in front of him, Femel wanted a piece of it. “Want this? You will have to take it from me,” Femel had no issue with it, snatching it with a swift motion and eating it like a starved animal. “Well, would you look at that, as if you weren’t killed last night.”.

Femel choked on his food, then said “Killed? I don’t remember anything about that. The Last thing I knew, was smoke all around them, then… well, I woke up here.”. He kept eating the meat then.

“No surprise you didn’t, you suffered some good injuries, lost a lot of blood and were one step away from joining the Creator,” Amel opened the curtains of the tent, the cold morning air rolled in. “Anyway, I didn’t get a glimpse of sleep, send for me after you woke up properly, you might not be able to move for a bit”. After Amel had left, Femel tried to remember the lost memories. There was nothing in his mind that told him of what happened last night. There were glimpses from it, a sudden pressure in his chest, then some voices, shapes and large fields. Those were the things he could recall. There were some constructs around the tent, ready to receive commands.

Femel tried to remember what happened, but couldn’t no matter what. He then thought about Amel’s words, flashing images coming before him. When he tried to get off from the bed, his breathing got heavy and his artificial heart started to pump blood too fast for him. It took it a few moments, then adjusted to Femel. Femel tried to walk, his chest felt much heavier than before. His body could sustain the weight, but it felt so different that it made him trip over and fall. Some constructs went inside tent, saw that he was find and waited for commands. Femel, finally understanding what’s going on with him, he looked below the shirt, saw a chest that wasn’t his, where his heart was, a glowing light from below the skin. When he touched, he could feel it as if it was his heart, except the rhythm was different and its strength lacked a bit. The artificial heart could gather information from all around itself, including what Femel felt, so it started to adjust the way it pumped blood and how it did. Femel was scared of the thing in his chest, as it seemed to have a life of its own, then matching the original rhythm and strength better. He started to breathe heavier, but the lungs didn’t know how to process the information, so they took air in at random moments, irregular to his drawing breath. This made his head light and found himself on the floor. The lungs eventually learned how to proceed when he was breathing heavier, and made a steady rhythm with the intake of air from his nostrils and mouth.

When on the floor, watching the curtains of the tent flutter in and letting the sunlight come through, the images on his head started to flash more and more stronger. Then, all of a sudden, the wave of information, together with his dream, flooded his mind. It hurt, so he struggled on the ground. The constructs tried to help, but were kicked and flung out of the tent. Primas entered to deal with his strength, and while they were managing, his strength surged with the use of his artificial heart and lungs, letting his body perform better. The four Primas were thrown out of the tent as well. He managed to calm himself down after a bit, Amel getting the news from his Primas, thinking it would be best if he left his brother alone.

After he got his memories back, he brushed the sweat from his head and go in the bed, trying to sort his thoughts out. ‘I died,’ he thought, ‘for a few moments I died. And my brother saved me somehow. With these, things, inside of my chest,’ he panicked for a little after, thinking about he dealt with the First Six. He then calmed down after getting out of the tent and seeing soldiers around as well. He couldn’t have known of what happened after he fainted from the blood lost, but his brother entered an agreement with the First Six, with Eve and Hran as their watching guardians for the war to come and beyond, if they manage to wash off all of their crimes and the offense brought to Uel.

Inside of his tent, Amel made the last adjustments to his constructs, and then finally was able to get in his bed. He got the light out of his mind, the flow of information ceasing and him able to calm the storm inside. His other half of his army didn’t encounter any issues during the night, advancing at good speed around Mouner and soon into the mountains. While his other half, has been reduced by a couple hundred constructs after what the First Six have done. His Primas were hit the hardest, only nine remaining. However, those nine Primas were able to almost perform to Uel’s strength, her light not included in the formula, but once they were complete, he had no doubt that his constructs may be able to fight any of the First Six by themselves. Unfortunately, to him, Omega couldn’t get any good experience, as its main use was basically for intimidation because of Femel’s actions. However, he was sure that after some fights with the monsters provided by the Foolish King, a much stronger Omega would emerge with ease, further aiding his efforts.

The night prior, Kinak and Uel have been told to no longer approach or challenge Amel and Femel, as their contribution to the war was too great to ignore, and in the case of a fight, they would lose many soldiers to his constructs. Amel has told them of his other half of the army, not where they were going, but the fact that they were out there, so if conflict arose between them again, he could match up to half of their army. The prospect of having at least half of their people die, made Kinak and Uel understand that if there was to be punishment for Amel, it would have to come after. Amel made a case for why not only he shouldn’t be punished, but why Uel herself would have to endure some sort of punishment, as she placed at risk the integrity of the army and safety of her people and other kingdoms by doing what she did. Appalled by the fact that he used himself as a danger which she dared challenge, Uel was ready to fight once more, which proved Amel’s point just right. Hran and Eve could tell the game he was playing, but the facts weren’t to be denied, Uel acted out of emotion and hastily made a decision which could’ve resulted in many losses of their army, which eventually could’ve led to the destruction of all six kingdoms.

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Uel had no choice but to bite her own tongue and retreat, seeing that her siblings wouldn’t side with her, and even defend Amel. Kinak couldn’t try to argue for Uel, as her actions were starting to make him doubt what he thought was right. With the four of them split into those which thought Amel should be punished, and those who thought Uel should be, they thought it would be the best if a trial was held after the war, with the other two present, Mou and Elde. Amel didn’t like the idea of a trial where Mou, the one who hunted him for years, would be the one to decide his fate, but seeing as it would be next to impossible to defeat all four of them, and his brother needing to stand still and rest, he agreed to the terms for the time being. He knew that once his constructs made their way into Mouner and fought some of the monsters, stronger constructs would emerge. He also sped up the process of thinking in his mind by infusing more light, allowing himself to develop the new system for the Primas faster, so if need came to be, the Primas would perform at at least twice their past ones.

In Opeldes, Amel could see thanks to his constructs, that the siege had resumed early in the morning, only a short break for the monsters during the night. The soldiers on the walls started to look even worse than yesterday, with Elde nowhere in sight. Word of their current situation would come along they way during the day, Amel not telling the other First Six of what was happening. He had proposed to them for him to tell them of what was happening, by the price of excusing his brother of his crimes and letting him free once the war was over. Uel thought the offer was outrageous for just bits of information which she didn’t see how it would be useful. Hran tried once more to argue for it, since the information would be a powerful tool to use, because, since he thought in his mind the issue of Opeldes falling, in the case everything went wrong, they would at least have a plan to rebound from. However, Kinak told him there was no need to worry, as their sister should be close enough with her army, that the city would get reinforced and the army of the Foolish King would be pushed back. But to Hran Amel’s constructs were still of higher value, as they could send and get information from both inside the city and Eve’s armies that were marching towards Opeldes. Amel had the larger picture in mind, as he kept the constructs all around the city, and could’ve let them know that haste should be made, sicne Eve’s armies didn’t seem to be anywhere nearby. Amel had sent some constructs around, on their way to Eve, and by the time the joined armies of the kingdoms reached noon, and closing in to the Opeld Bridge, Amel would have his constructs give him information that Eve’s armies were enganged with another force of the enemy, another ten thousand strong monsters. This would change the course of the war facing forwards. Eve’s soldiers were fighting really well, but paired against the monsters of different shapes and abilities, her army would struggle on even numbers, as the monsters didn’t possess an order to them, and would attack more independently than as a unit. This would’ve proven a good thing for an orderly army, but again, facing the far too different types of creatures and ways of fighting, no effective measures in dealing with them were found. What was worse, in places, some of these monsters started to work off each other’s strengths and weaknesses, making them a formidable force. Eve, who didn’t have any experience in the matters of war, would have to maintain a posistion of defence mainly, as she had to wait for the others to first deal with Opeldes, then reach for her.

Hran II tried to appeal to Amel to give them any information he had, but given the way he was being treated, him and his brother, and the issue of Uel and Mou probably wanting to have him dead, he didn’t have any reasons to reveal his knowledge. His army, the other ten thousand, could return from their mission and make short work of the enemy armies, even arriving earlier than their armies there. But again, there was no reason for him to do so. He would rather have his army assault Mouner and kill the Foolish King himself, the Prima he sent, tasked with the mission.

As the second day of the march draw to a close, they received word that Eve’s armies have still not arrived, and scouts were sent to get a hold of their position, while Opeldes was starting to look really bad, some monsters getting into the city and burning the houses, no sight of Elde inside of it either. The three siblings were at a loss, since they had little to no information about the battlefield, and the only one who had the information, was withholding it until he was given what he wanted. Uel had snapped at Amel during the war meeting, but then he reminded her what happened the last time she did so, and that she drove the three of them in their current predicament, since she was unable to look past his and his brother’s life of mistakes due to her virtues. Uel didn’t like how he talked to her, but the truth remained as it was: her actions had dire consequences and were seeing them unfold. After further discussion amongst the three of them, Uel and Kinak had finally agreed to Amel’s terms, but Amel had changed them.

“You want me to apologise? What sort of game is this boy?” Uel asked Amel who watched her with a blank face. “After the fact that you dared raise your hand against your makers, you also demand more after we agreed to your terms?!” Uel slammed her fists on the stone table inside the tent, cracking it. “I will kill you before I apologise to anyone,” Hran placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her deep into her eyes. Uel brushed his hand off, and straightened herself, calming herself before another fight would emerge.

“I want you to apologise because my brother almost died, due to your hasty decisions and illogical responses to what I’ve done so far,” he placed his hands on the stone table, infusing it with his light and allowing it to fix itself, then took his light back. “Now, look at the map,” he pointed with his finger at Opeldes, then at Cipenfeles, from where Eve was supposed to come from. “You’ve sent your scouts to understand the position of Eve better, but that won’t end up well, you all probably know by now that a rival force has hit her. You just don’t know how large and where, but I do,” the others widened their eyes. “Apologise and forgive my brother of all his crimes, or you’ll have a really nasty surprise when we get there.”.

Uel wanted to beat up Amel, even kill him if possible, but Kinak and Hran wouldn’t let her. Amel suddenly held a greater measure of power than thought prior. His constructs were able to infiltrate virtually anywhere as long as there was space for them, so having access to greater amounts of information was natural. But it was also how he could use this information. If they arrived in Opeldes and there were two armies instead of one, and Opeldes and Eve’s armies fell before they could arrive, then all of a sudden Amel would make all the difference. It was a perilous place to be in, but if they didn’t make use of Amel while they still had time, then it would become a great chasm for them from where they wouldn’t be able to escape.

Uel wanted to scream and lash out, but her brothers were there to stop her. She couldn’t believe the situation they were in, that they depended on this boy to ensure they were going to win, and the fact that he posed such a threat for them while still pretending to be allies with them. Her pride was too great to allow for things like apologising and forgiving, but then she thought of her siblings, Eve and Elde, who were fighting with their lives on the line, while she had a problem with forgiving a little boy and saying sorry. She clutched her fists, approached Amel, who had a few Primas outside the tent, even enhanced his mind with more light as she took her steps forward. It was one of the many possibilities, that she would kill him then head into a suicidal rush for Opeldes after finding out that Elde would die at the hands of the monstrous army. He was prepared to use every ounce of his strength to guard his still injured brother, who had to recover the lost blood from the night prior.

But, again, against the better judgement of his mind, due to the countless unknown factors and the sudden changes of heart, he saw as Uel bent her knee and stood before him, apologising in her own manner, without words. He looked at Hran and Kinak, they were both as surprised at him, so this was it, her apologising. “And my brother?” he asked her, his eyes wide still expecting her to jump off her feet and kill him on the spot.

“He’s forgiven, you have my word. And that of my brothers, I assume” she glanced back, they both nodded. She lifted herself to her feet, put her arms together and said “Now tell use, what is the siutation?”. Amel smiled at her, a small, genunie smile. Despite his grudges against the First Six, the fact that she was willing to do what it takes to save her siblings and as many humans as possible, showed him that deep inside, they cared more about those than the Commandments left by Kilon. The common ground which they shared, planted the seed of trust between those two mortal enemies.

Amel then explained to them the current situation of the war, how Elde has not been seen by his constructs which have managed to sneak inside the walls, and only around half the supposed soldiers that had to be inside were there. Following where Eve was, she was struggling against the ten thousand strong sent after her own troops, somehow the Foolish King being able to catch them off guard. Some initial heavey loses were due to the sudden attack of the giant force, but nothing that would worry the three of them too much. What seemed to be the largest issue, was the ten thousand strong monsters which have appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and Opeldes, which looked more empty than it should, with Elde not being around. They suspected she must’ve taken half of her troops and either retreated somewhere else, seeing as the city was lost, or trying to meet with their army at some other point. Whatever it was, not even Amel was able to find her troops.

They spent a portion of the night talking strategy and how they should proceed. Amel found himself enjoying the talk a bit, as all three of them could match his intellectual level, Hran proving even wiser than him. It was the the kind of talks he could never have. The three siblings also saw a different facet of the boy. While Kinak still didn’t consider him good to have around, Uel was starting to see how her actions may have made this boy hate her and the others. In her mind, the other humans should’ve abided by the commandments the same way as they did, not doing so, those humans should accept the death coming for them with open arms, and not struggle the way he did. It was a logic that didn’t allow her to see the use of those who have sinned, not until he had proven himself time and time again, and during the war meeting, seeing him smile at times, gave her a creeping warmth in heart. She saw in him the broken soul of a child that had to endure too much since he was born, and given the last event, she was amazed how the boy still held such a clear head on his shoulders, even managing a smile. She wondered that, given the same circumstances, would she be able to endure them as he did? She’s been blessed with power and wisdom since her creation, but her children and their children too, had to struggle against the world in order to gain a semblance of their power. So, how much would one have to struggle, even with a blessed mind, in order to attain their level of power at his young age? The question frightened her, because the answer might reveal how presumptuous she and her siblings had to be.

Uel took Amel outside after the meeting. Kinak wanted to follow, but Hran stopped him, he wanted those two to be able to be alone and sort it out themselves. Uel took him somewhere in the forests nearby, his Primas following them between the trees. She knew they were around, it was the reasonable thing to do, she didn’t mind it. Omega also laid dormant not too far from where they were, Amel preparing to attack her in any capacity had she tried something. As they walked and the lights dimmed off, she created a small light at the tip of her finger. Amel suddenly was on guard, and the Primas ready to jump her, but she showed him that it was harmless. He looked carefully at it, and indeed it was. What concerned him, was he soft tone and that she tried to assure him.

“You didn’t grow up with a mother, did you, boy?” Amel watched her carefully, the light which he could barely read and her movements. The question didn’t bother him, it wasn’t as if she was the first one to ask such things.

“I did,” his response was short, he didn’t want to reveal more than he had to. He knew of Masters of Light that were able to read your memories and make you speak by asking the right things. He didn’t want to fall for such petty tricks.

“And your brother, how old was he when it happened?” her voice dropped, a tremble which Amel didn’t notice present. Amel still couldn’t figure what her intentions were, but the questions this far didn’t seem to intrude on anything important. It hurt his head when he was reminded of the past, but didn’t matter much to him.

“A year of age,” he stopped. “Are you going to tell me why you keep asking me these things? For all I know, you’re bringing me out here to kill me in silence. Is this your way to come to peace or something for killing a boy like me?” his self awareness was something uncanny, it made her nervous. She stopped as well some steps ahead, the light barely touching Amel’s face as the night inside the forest swallowed the light.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” she said under her breath. Her head was far above his, so he couldn’t hear her well.

“Have you said something?” he was watching the tall woman, her light was wavering. He took it as a sign that she was ready to do something. “Let’s return,” he turned away from her, leaving his back open. “Since you’re not going to kill me or do anything, there is no point in being there,” his words fell on deaf ears, and he started to make his way back. Uel stood there, in the dark of the night, luminated only by a light which slowly faded away. She cried. The woman, fierce like a bear and strong like a beast of the depths, cried in the night as the guilt started to overwhelm her. In her mind, she was thinking of all the struggle, all the bad that the boy had to endure, and still wasn’t like the Foolish King, who had part of none such things. He was an existence that made her feel conflicted, and that hurt her. She would’ve lashed out, but thinking back on what that last did, and to whom she did, she simply sobbed in silence.

Kinak and Hran saw Amel return first. His face was in a frown and his light was weaving in an odd way. They thought that he had done it, but a bit after, Uel got out of the forest. They didn’t notice at first, her red eyes and cheeks, but after she got closer, they saw it. She didn’t want to speak, and they didn’t know what to do, since this was the first time they saw her like this. So, Hran first, then Kinak, took her in their arms. Amel watched it from afar, and his head would start to ache, as the memories of his childhood flooded in. ‘Crying, consoling each other, and hugging. Why are you acting like you’re the ones suffering?!’ his rage was growing inside, but so was a warm feeling which he didn’t feel until then. It was his compassion. While it was buried deep underneath layers of hatred, rage and anger, the seed which has been thrown inside his heart, was starting to grow, and he didn’t like it. To him, feelings were a pointless, hard to control and dangerous thing. Uel was a good example for him, another being his brother who got in trouble more than once due to his anger issues or such.

Those feelings, he would cast aside in order for to survive, in order for both of them to survive. And so far, doing so, helped him immensely, especially after Om. His constructs worked and functioned as intended, since the emotion part of it he couldn’t control and was still trying to find out how to do it. Unknown to him, unless he allowed himself to put those emotions inside the construct, he wouldn’t be able to experiment, like someone who can’t know what food is bad and which isn’t based on smell alone. For him, tasting one bad food made him not want anything from the same table.

Femel, who has been resting for the past day, was visited by his unit. Those which didn’t get along, started to work together, as Amel’s absence on the battlefield became a possibility, and they had to prepare in some way. Amel was surprised at their initiative, brought by one man by the name of Eneel, a tall and blonde man, who was an alchemist of sorts. Combining fluids with solids and testing potential reactions between materials, was something he would do. Eneel had developed weapons for the war to come, which was why he was assigned in the special unit, a liquid made of molten steel combined with blood of either cows or sheep. To his discoveries, if blood was directly introduced into the molten steel’s core, it would cause a rapid expansion reaction, this combined with another bottle filled with water, then thrown in the near vicinity, would cause the steel to explode, creating a shrapnel bomb. He was also an avid writer, liking to write about events which unfolded during his travels and making small stories about them.

From all the people in his unit, Erneel would seem less likely to be the leader kind. The fact that he was, however, would enable Amel to better organise his people. And by giving him instructions, talking about how each of them were interacting and working together, Femel was able to finally bring his people together, work as a functional unit. While they were marching, he would have them perform exercises on the fields. It was chaotic and messy, but they were somehow managing. And with a little bit of practice, they were soon to be a somewhat coherent unit. Femel, on the dusk of the third day of marching, would recover at an incredible speed, allowing him to take control of his unit once more and march with the others. The heart and lungs were getting adjusted too, but he would have issues when he sparred with people, as his artificial organs had a hard time matching his speed and rhythm. They would get better the more he practised, but were an impediment which wouldn’t be able to fully be overthrown.

Amel didn’t tell him of the deal he made with the First Six, since he wanted to give it his best on the battlefield. He was also busy with his constructs, as by the noon time, they made it into the Mouner mountain range, which on the other side, had the country of the Lightborn, where Kilon resided. The distance between them and the Mouner kingdom, was not too large, as there were ways of entry between the mountains. However, neither the Lightborn or the Foolish King have tried to send troops in each other’s territories. For the Foolish King it would be a suicide advance, as a Lightborn alone could kill at least a hundred of his monsters, while Kilon, he was reknowned as one of the World’s Great Powers. During the peace period, Kilon had developed tools and structures to enhance his powers beyond comprehension, his light manipulation being at a level unattainable by mere mortals. But, even though Kilon was more than capable of dealing with the Foolish King and his armies, perhaps even by himself with the help of some other talented Lightborn individuals, he didn’t want to both upset Umshaow, wherever it was, and thought that humans should learn from their mistakes, deal with them. This would prove the wiser, but some were angry at his lack of action, all from the human side of course, as the Lightborn were the ones who argued against sending any help for the needy humans.

While he would’ve liked to send some of his constructs inside of Ilianor with this opportunity, maybe see some of the esteemed Lightborn and even witness some of their light manipulation at work, he didn’t want to risk compromise his army. If even one Lightborn would deem his constructs a danger, soon more would come for his army, and could deal a potential lethal blow. Aside from that, his constructs started their march on the mountains, climbing like creatures of the underground onto them. This was in order to make it harder for any air surveillance from the Foolish King to get wind of them. He had scouts, able to fly as well, so, if an aerial unit was seen, he would have the constructs either bury themselves underground, or hide behind rocks. This happened a few times, and more often the more he got close. This was a good sign for him. If the city was still heavily guarded, it would suggest that the Foolish King may still be inside. Some of his constructs inevitably got destroyed on the mountains, as some beasts would attack them and he couldn’t leave any marks of struggle, or bodies. A few dozen would be lost in this manner, but nothing he had to worry about.

In Opeldes, the walls were heavy under attack. The monsters started to get more and more inside, and by noon time, they opened the gates, killing and burning everything. Eve’s army managed to push back on the enemy forces, but it was too late, as the flags of the Foolish King were flying into the wind of a devastated city.

The three siblings found themselves angry and wanting to rush by themsleves into the city. Amel, however, kept his head cool, especially since none of those people didn’t matter to him, but also because someone had to be the wiser in the situation and prevent a possible second heavy blow to the army. He also reminded them that there was no sign of Elde, and half her army. And, to everyone’s shock, Amel would receive word that Elde’s army had appeared in Elef, west of Cipenfeles. This, beyond the surprise, brought light upon the three siblings’ faces. Further, they were marching at high speed towards Cipenfeles. Elde was going to catch the army of monsters between her army and that of Eve, effectively destroying the larger of forces, as the one in Opeldes has been reduced to eight thousand, no more new monsters appearing or such from where Amel last spotted them to come from. This was thanks to a brave fallen commander that gave orders to throw every monster they killed on the walls, inside the city, then burn them. Amel was surprised himself, and curious how Elde had planned for this in advance. While he ran his simulations, he would arrive at a few conclusions. The right one, which he couldn’t know for sure, was that Elde dug tunnels below the city. This would usually take a long period of time and great effort. But with over a thousand people in her power, and her knowledge of the environment, the soldiers managed to make a tunnel running outside the city by the end of the first day since the siege. This was also in part thanks to some constructs which Mou had left behind. Elde took them up with her hands, and instead of letting them build how they were supposed to, she placed them against the tunnel, from where they started to dig the dirt in front of them.

With this, the First Six would start to gain the upperhand on the Foolish King, who was still unknown for his whereabouts. Amel still didn’t tell them about his second army advancing into Mouner, but after the recent developments, he started to consider it. The reasons were simple, if they managed to sweep up the armies fast enough from Opeldes and get the armies together. Then they would arrive about two or three days after his own troops. If they launched their assault from the front while they attacked the Foolish King from behind, then he would only have to fight half or less of the troops located in the city, and make it straight for the castle.

While Amel was analysing his options, the First Six urged their armies to hurry the pace. Even if Elde managed to strike a successful blow to the monstrous army, Opeldes was still being occupied by the Foolish King’s own forces. They didn’t know how long it would take those monsters to rebuild defences and turn the city into a fort of their own, but it would prove a huge issue. That, Amel could agree with. Even if they all but him died, he didn’t have a sure way of getting out of the Mouner city before he got flanked from behind. In order to execute his plan, he would need secure means of escape, so Opeldes had to be without enemy forces.

Their march came to a halt late into the night. By Amel’s and Hran’s approximations, they would manage to arrive in Opeldes by noon at the same pace. Kinak grew woried that the armies might not be in good condition, because of the fast pace and little rest, but Hran told him it would be fine, since Amel was going to be the one leading charge. Amel was surprised to hear that, although it made total sense. If they wanted to make him less of a threat, then shaving off his forces while taking care of the enemy ones, was the best available tactic in mind. While he didn’t like how they were thinking of using his troops, this was perfect for him as well. Amel wanted his constructs to be ablte to fight the monsters at a proper level. This wouldn’t be possible by training them against normal humans, and the information he had from the Primas after the fight with Uel, was only valuable for the Primas, as the rest of the constructs were built differently. So, having his current army gather information and be able to supply the other one with their experience, was a golden opportunity he couldn’t miss. The First Six found themselves a bit surprised, given his attitude to accept it, but they didn’t think much of it, as a way towards victory was being formed before they had the chance to fight, and it was partly because of Amel, who could supply them with the necessary information to take proper actions. This in itself would suffice for mostly anyone to be forgiven of their crimes, and Hran and Uel had already forgiven him. But the other four of the First Six would still have a word in it.

Amel sat in his tent, preparing for the fight of tomorrow. He implemented new variations of strategies and tactics the constructs were learning on their own. They had the night to practise them out, and from the simulated battles he ran by putting them against each other, the effects of his tactics were successful. Of course, he couldn’t practise for the siege ones, as there wasn’t anything around him to help him simulate those. But for those in the mountains, who would soon descend down into the city and fight all of the Foolish King’s troops, this was necessary. He had also received more information of the way a lot of those monsters fought. There mainly the inesctoid type and the animal kind, those represented the bulk of the army, or the foot soldiers. There were some that were more specialised and were looking less and less than anything alive. Those ones would be the larger, more demonic ones in nature. They had large horns made of different kinds of materials, presumably metals or wood, limbs which had either too many phalanges or limbs attached additionally to them. At first Amel assumed they were variations or combinations of the animal and insectoid kind, but upon some close inspection of some of the dead bodies, there were remarkable differences, which made those stronger and smarter than the others. He also saw a few in combat, as most seemed to be reserved for the late stages of the game. When one of them entered the front lines, the human soldiers would be killed by the dozens. Eve did her best, and from what could’ve been dozens of lost lives, she managed to halve the number of dead soldiers with her light.

Femel made his way to Amel, wanting to see and talk with his brother before they entered the battlefield of tomorrow. The constructs were mostly missing from his tent, even the Primas were further away, Omega made its way further ahead, so their rushing march wouldn’t leave it behind. Amel could have it run across the fields, but the tremor of earth was able to break bones and cause those which weren’t good on their feet, to fall and injure themselves. Femel found himself glad that he was seeing less of his brother’s creations, as they all felt alive to him, and it wasn’t often that he could talk with just his brother. There was also the feeling that Amel was starting to open up, letting some trust for those around him. While it wasn’t true, Femel could at least believe it was for the moment, as his brother was preparing for a decisive moment in their lives.

“Hey brother,” Femel entered the tent, the cloth of the tent above his head, the light of the many candles inside, casting a warm glow onto him. Amel was standing on his bottom, his eyes staring into emptiness as they emanate an ominous glow. Femel grew accustomed to this before he was able to speak, but it would still make him feel uneasy at times. It gave his subconscious that his brother was possessed by something else while his mind was infused with light. And while that was partly true, it wasn’t completely so.

The glow inside of his eyes ceased, Amel blinked a few times then looked at his brother. He knew he would enter the tent, but given the amount of tasks he was performing, his timing was off for when to let go of the light. “Hey Femi, what brings you here?” Amel let his light go for a few moments, showing his genuine self to the only person he trusted in that world. Femel noticed the sudden shift in his demeanour and the air around them, it was the same pleasant feeling he had when his brother used to sleep with him and tough his forehead, brush his hair gently as they dreamed of a better future.

Femel took a place down, Amel lifted himself from the far side of the tent, and placed himself down next to his brother. Femel looked down, scratched his neck, as if he was going to confess to him a crime. Amel couldn’t read his brother’s intentions like he did others based off of his light. He had to learn a different kind of language for his brother, the body one, which could deceive the eyes. But Amel knew his brother would never try to deceive him, there were no reasons for it. Femel then placed his hands on his knees, his legs in a resting position. “So, tomorrow. We’re going into war, just as you said we would for so many years,” his tone was soft, awkward and to Amel, Femel seemed like the little boy he had to bring up to the young man he was that day. Femel was still a child in body, only thirteen years of age, but his mind was far ahead of his body. Although, sometimes the child of his age would show through, and this was one of those moments. It was a weakness of his brother that only Amel was allowed to see.

“We are, yes,” he placed his left hand on his brother’s. “And you’re going to give it your, get excused for the crimes you had to perform because of our twisted fate.”. Amel had the look of an old adult, who has seen too much and did things past forgiveness. Femel often watched his eyes, saw someone that wasn’t inhabiting his brother’s body talking to him. He knew this Amel, it wasn’t the older brother, but the competent genius that allowed them to live.

“You can stop doing that,” he took his hand from underneath his brother’s. “We’re alone, there are no enemies Amel,” calling his brother by the name had a strong impulse behind. Amel could feel his brother’s emotions, then realised that he wasn’t reciprocating his genuine feelings with some of his own.

“Sorry Femi, I just never know,” and there it was, as he let go of the light once more, the brother which Femel wanted. His eyes looked into his brother’s, the gentle yet worried look they bore, it was what he wanted. Amel could easily reproduce and mimic his genuine emotions, it wasn’t outside his range of skills and has made use of them in the past. But to Femel, he couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing. And unknown to him, Femel could sense beyond his facade what was true and what was not. “So, again,” he looked Femel in the eyes. Femel felt a shiver run up and down his spine. His brother was showing him something he had never seen before, a sadness and pain which he kept deep inside, for no one to see. His eyes wanted to cry, but his mind wouldn’t allow for it, not in front of his brother or anyone. He held his arm almost extended to his brother’s chest, Femel looked at it. “Do your best, brother,” Femel took his arm, squeezed his hand and looked him in the eyes.

“Yes, brother, I will,” they spent a few moments looking at each other, letting their feelings get through the touch of their skin. It wasn’t the light or even their bodies, those were powers which transcended the limitations of the body and mind. Something which formed between their souls and bonded them to a degree which not even the Sparks could forge. For those few moments, there was no time or space. It was the then, and nothing more.

Femel wouldn’t leave Amel that night, and Amel stopped training his constructs. That night, they spent it outside at the top of a hill. They were staring at the sky, talking of what they have done so far, and the things for which to look forward. The talk of their own kingdom switched on and off, as they would joke about which of the First Six they could defeat, and how the monsters they were going to fight looked. Amel didn’t have his pool of knowledge his light provided, so he made silly guesses and played off of his brother’s words to make jokes. From afar, Hran II watched them. He couldn’t get too close, as the Primas were still around, even when Amel didn’t control them, they were still faithful guardians with the power to understand their surroundings better than even humans.

‘Beautiful,’ he thought to himself, eating some roasted meat as he watched them. He sat there a while, then left, he didn’t want to disturb the sacrilegious moment in any capacity. He reported to his father that everything was fine, and then the whole camp of soldiers fell silent, as the dawn of the new day drew nearer.

The first sunrays hit Femel, then Amel, still atop the hill, covered by furs which a construct has brought, thinking of their safety even against the colds. Feme stretched his limb, saw his brother was still hard to wake up, the stress and strain on his mind, needed him to sleep far longer. And since he didn’t let go of the light for the past few days, his brain would need a few days or more to recover. But there wasn’t any time for that, his brother had to wake up. Amel eventually got up, enhancing his mind with the light to keep himself awake. Femel smiled when not seen, then his faded into sadness, seeing as his brother had to assume his other self in order to be of use.

“This is the day, Femi,” Amel stood up, stretched his limbs and let his arms wide open, as if to hug the Creator. “You’re going to make a new name for yourself,” he closed his arms, extended his right hand with his palm open. “And I, I will bring about a new age. One where the monsters that have twisted our faith, will be no longer, where our kingdom can be born.”. To Femel, it looked like Amel was on a high of power, like all his plans and efforts, led to this one moment. It was true, and Femel knew it to be as much, he didn’t like how his brother was looking though.

He placed his hand on his shoulder as he lifted himself up. “Indeed. Let us grab what is rightfully ours, Amel,” and still, he wanted some of that for himself. At least for a few short moments, during that sunrise, he wanted to feel as if he was the one in power over his fate, and not some force which he couldn’t understand nor contest. With his brother to his left, Femel felt, much like Amel, that he could grab the world and pull it where he wanted it to be. It wasn’t something good, he could tell, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.