Nero gazed thoughtfully over the wall into the distance.

A strong wind blew through the vast forest that stretched seemingly endlessly beyond it.

It had been half a week since they stormed and took control of the three major strongholds in the wall. Koal and his organization now had authority over this camp. Initially, there was chaos, but Koal quickly regained control. He formed his own small army and established a new government system. Nero was amazed at Koal's skillful and quick responses.

He looked to the side and saw Koal climbing up the ladder. Koal nodded at him and then turned around.

Nero also turned around and looked down at the sea of mortals gathered beneath the wall, cheering for Koal. Like an ocean of people, they had assembled on the former wheat fields, eagerly looking up at Koal. Uriel stood right next to Koal, and further behind stood Nero and Koal's wife.

Koal raised his hand, and almost immediately, silence fell over the massive crowd.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to freedom!"

Koal spoke loudly so that as many people as possible could hear him, but there were still individuals in the crowd who were chosen to spread his words.

Cheers spread, and Koal waited until it quieted down again.

"For centuries, longer than anyone here can remember, the magicians have oppressed us, ordinary humans. But three days ago, we turned the tables. We successfully managed to strip the magicians of their mask of immortality and confront them with their own mortality. Finally, we are free. From now on, we can choose our own path and are no longer forced to silence our mouths. We are no longer compelled to feed their children or tend to their animals. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the smell of freedom!"

As renewed cheers erupted among the mortals, Nero nodded to a guard standing at the bottom of the stairs. The guard gave a signal, and three individuals with sacks over their heads were brought up onto the wall. One of the guards handed Nero a freshly sharpened sword.

The three prisoners were positioned in front of Koal.

"These three magicians are the leaders of this camp. These three magicians are responsible for every mortal who entered this camp and gave up their freedom due to false hope," Koal announced.

Koal gave a signal, and Nero stepped forward. He removed the sack from the first person's head, revealing an old man with a long gray beard. His mouth was gagged, but the hatred in his eyes spoke volumes.

"This is Lord Vulrix. He was responsible for spreading the news of the camp to the outside world and luring new mortals in. He was also in charge of the task halls, assigning us our duties," Uriel explained, stepping forward.

The crowd started to boo the man. Uriel raised his hand and after a while, the uproar subsided.

"In memory of all our brothers and sisters who came to this camp in the past and died here, his head shall roll! Nero, if you please," Uriel requested.

Nero nodded and stepped forward. With a swift and precise strike, he severed the man's head from his body.

Nero stepped back, and Uriel removed the sack from the second person's head. An elderly woman seemingly in her late fifties came into view. Her hair was short, and gray patches had appeared in some places.

"This is Lady Isar," Uriel began. "She was in charge of the security of this camp and ensuring that everything ran smoothly."

Uriel smiled at her. "Let us thank her for being so inept at her job."

The old woman glared at him with equal hatred.

Uriel redirected his gaze to the crowd.

"Nevertheless, her head shall roll for all the mortals who died in the last few days during our attack. We lost good men and women because of her! Nero, it's your turn."

Nero stepped forward again, swung the sword, and cleanly beheaded the old woman.

Uriel went forward and removed the sack from the last person's head. A young woman came into view.

"This is Lady Alyssa. Her family has been running this camp for centuries, and she inherited this position from her father. Her family is among the founders of this camp, and with her head, it shall fall. We shatter the chains she has given us and take her life. This is the beginning of the end of centuries of oppression! Nero, carry out the execution!"

Nero stepped forward, and amid deafening jubilation, he severed Alyssa's head from her neck.

Nero returned to his position and wiped the sword on a fine cloth. Uriel had also made space, and Koal stepped forward again.

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"And now, let us celebrate our victory. We will hold a feast in honor of all those who fought by our side and in memory of those who have fallen for us!"

With that, Koal bid farewell, and they descended the stairs together. They emerged from the small building into the crowd. Guards had gathered around Koal, keeping the other mortals away from him. The celebration began. It was grand, and almost every mortal in the camp had come.

They had prepared all kinds of food and as much beer as possible. The atmosphere was joyous, and soon it grew dark. A big fire was lit and they started to burn the taskboards and other remains of the mages.

Koal sat at a long table, with Uriel beside him. They were both appointed as the lords of this camp and held the highest positions. However, neither Koal nor Uriel drank much and was lost in their own thoughts.

Hundreds of people approached them, shaking their hands and chatting with them.

The hours passed quickly. Most people were now drunk, laughing and boasting with each other. Koal stood up and looked at Uriel.

"I have to take care of a private matter. Can you hold the fort here?"

Uriel nodded and continued conversing with the woman, engrossed in a superficial discussion. Koal turned to bid farewell to Nero but was surprised to find him gone.

"How long has he been gone? He's probably tired," Koal speculated.

Koal dismissed the thought and focused on more pressing matters. He set off towards the second district, heading home. It took him some time, but he finally arrived.

He opened the door and stepped into his silent and empty house. Christina was still out with her mother, but they should be returning any moment.

He needed to hurry.

He went to the kitchen and retrieved one of the large knives, then returned to the hallway and entered the basement through the door.

Lighting a candle in the corridor, he approached the final door.

After unlocking it, he stepped inside. Gerald raised his head, glaring at him with hatred.

"We did it," Koal declared. "We killed all the mages in this camp. About four hours ago, we beheaded Alyssa."

Gerald's expression twisted.

"I see you know her. I mean you knew her,"

Gerald's face distorted, locking eyes with Koal.

"Are you satisfied?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Koal inquired.

Gerald spat,

"Do you really believe the mages will let this go unanswered? None of you will survive."

"The mages won't care about that," Koal retorted.

Gerald let out a cold, forced laugh.

"Still don't get it, do you? This camp isn't the result of a few individual mages. It was established by the state. Governments organized every camp. Everyone here is just a proxy. They will unleash an army upon you, Koal, one you won't stand a chance against. They won't spare anyone—no women, no children, and no elderly. They will ensure that nobody dares to rebel against them ever again."

Koal shook his head. "Even if all that were true, it doesn't matter. The news of our rebellion will spread. People will understand that the mages have been exploiting us, and the spark of the uprising will ignite in their hearts. Even if we all die, the world will undergo a transformation."

Gerald remained silent, simply staring into Koal's eyes.

Koal raised the knife. "And lastly, we have Lord Gerald," Koal declared loudly as if addressing a massive crowd again.

"He is the reason I ended up in this camp, but his worst crime was attempting to harm my daughter, Christina Koal, and rob her of her potential. His head will roll last, but it will mark the beginning of a turning point..."

Gerald stared deeply into his eyes and kept silent.

Koal fell silent as well and stepped forward. He grabbed Gerald's hair and placed the knife against his throat. After a brief hesitation, he delivered a deep, heavy cut.

...

Koal bounded up the stairs. His wife and daughter had just entered through the door. He smiled, embraced them, kissed them both, and held them as tightly as he could. Then they moved to the dining table while his wife started preparing something in the kitchen. Koal conversed and laughed with Christina, who seemed full of life and joy. But their pleasant mood did not last long, as a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back with you," Koal said.

"Yes, I'll wait," Christina replied.

Koal left the kitchen and approached the grand front door. He opened it, and standing at his doorstep was Siril once again, completely cloaked in black.

"Hello, Koal. I am here to fulfill my promise!"

...

Nero crept through the darkened streets of the Ascension Camp. The sounds of the celebrating crowd had long faded behind him.

Nero knew it would only be a matter of days before this camp would be stormed by the mages. He knew they would never let something like this slide. They would unleash a massacre.

Nero had heard a similar story in his own world. A king who rebelled against the church and was severely punished. And that was a king; here they were mere mortals.

They would slaughter them like animals. Only the likes of Koal and Uriel would be captured and tortured to extract all information from them.

He finally reached the West Gate. He approached it swiftly but abruptly stopped. A curse escaped his lips as he saw a large muscular figure standing at the gate.

"Halt!" the person commanded. "Lord Koal's orders. Until everything is settled, nobody is allowed to leave this camp!"

Nero looked at him with cold eyes. "Don't you know who I am?"

"But of course, Lord Nihil," the man apologized.

"Then step aside and let me through!" Nero hissed angrily.

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, that won't be possible. Koal specifically instructed me not to let anyone through."

Nero dropped his heavy bags to the ground and drew his sword. "Then I guess I'll have to kill you!" Nero whispered quietly and launched an attack.

The man screamed in surprise and tried to dodge, but Nero had already struck him with the sword. It was deeply embedded in the man's chest.

Shocked, he looked at Nero and fell to the ground. Nero sighed and was about to pull the sword out of the man's chest when a roar sounded beside him. Nero tried to dodge, but it was too late.

A heavy blow struck his side, sending him flying. He spat blood and tried to get up, but a powerful hand grabbed him by the throat. Furious eyes stared directly into his, and Nero's hands went to his throat. He couldn't breathe. He thrashed around, but it was futile. The man stood there like a wall.

"You killed my brother... and now you shall pay!" the man said with anger. Nero stopped resisting and became limp in his grip. The man smiled and released him. Nero fell to the ground, motionless. The man turned to go to his brother's body, but suddenly a sound came from behind him.

Confused, he turned around and saw Nero slowly rising to his feet. "You're still alive?" the man asked in surprise.

Nero didn't respond. He focused. He felt it flowing through his blood and now he needed it. He raised his hand, fingers outstretched. The man stood there, bewildered.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he asked.

Nero didn't answer but ordered it into his hand. He sent it into his fingers. And with a golden light, strange yet warm, the magic burst out from his fingertips.