Tribunus Pavonikos and the 13th were struggling to hold their position. Many had forgone their usual arrangements and positions in the cohort to focus their attention on maintaining the shield. Their survival depended on it, but those at the front were dwindling with each breach. At the back, Healers were tending to the heavily injured. The wounds inflicted by normal magic were easy to heal, even for a soldier trained only in field healing magic, but these weren’t ordinary wounds; the Kaevan magic used by these Daimons was difficult to heal. The best they could do was ensure that the afflicted didn’t die from ichor loss.

The 13th had depleted most of their Focus potions but the Caputidaimon showed no sign of tiring out as it continued to ram into the Dome. Pavonikos observed the beast long and hard, but the opening he sought eluded him. It was tempting to believe that their enemy was impenetrable but Pavonikos remembered one crucial lesson during their training under Laevinus.

Everything has its weaknesses.

Several of the horns pierced the shield once more, only held back by the efforts of the soldiers in the front. A few more soldiers were caught in the barrage. Pavonikos immediately turned their attention to heal them quickly. They watched many of them rise back up, still shocked from the wounds they had sustained and survived, but they couldn’t help but linger on those few who lay still…

No, don’t focus on them now, the Soothing spell told the Tribunus. There were still so many others they had to keep alive. Pavonikos’ eyes drifted up towards the dreadful sound of another crack above them all. More horns were about to breach through. They cast their gaze over to where the horns were aimed.

Meanwhile, Valerian remained with his fellow Soothers, shutting out the danger looming above them whilst they pushed the rising fear down. The horns pierced all the way through, raining fire upon them once more, but the efforts of the Soothers had not gone in vain. Emboldened, soldier formed a sharp wall of steel and managed to sever a few of the horns to protect Valerian and her other fellow soldiers. Her eyes shut but what she had done had not gone unnoticed by the Tribunus. The Caputidaimon’s horns had been severed. But how? Its shields should have protected it. Unless…

Pavonikos observed the horns carefully as the beast made another attempt to ram against the shield. Their eyes glimmered. The Golden Dome had been so strong that the Daimon’s own shield shattered the moment the horns pierced through. With the horns unguarded, they could be severed. It was a big risk but there was hope yet!

“Healers,” Pavonikos called, “Assist the front!”

The Healers left the wounded safely at the back of the cohort. They gathered behind the rows at the front and waited. Next, Pavonikos ordered a line of Brightsilver to be formed a step in front of the dome. Once they were done, Pavonikos gave the next order.

“Advance!”

The rest of the 13th looked at him as if he had gone mad.

“But sir!” one said. “If we do that, its horns shall breach the shield!”

“Let them through. Once they do, we may cut them down!”

Seeing what his plan was, the 13th followed the Tribunus’ order. Most had seen the horns cut down yet they feared that once those horns got in that they’d all fall before they had their chance to strike. But it was worth a shot.

The Golden Dome began to weaken as several rows of the 13th lent their Focus to forming shields over themselves. Pavonikos and the rest of the healers braced themselves for the carnage unleashed by the Caputidaimon’s many horns. With a shrill crack, the horns breached through the dome again. Many were caught up in the fire, shields breaking but regenerating. Their pain was numbed by the Soothers. Their bodies, quickly repaired by the Healers. Pavonikos galloped back and forth healing as many as they could at an incredible rate. They continued to push forward until the metallic line was between what was left of the dome and the front row.

“Elevare il Admantis! Cut the horns down!”

A sharp wall of Brightsilver rose up. Like a reverse guillotine, it severed many of the horns. The Caputidaimon buckled backwards, trampling on a few of the Minoridaimons underneath. Its shield had weakened enough for the 13th to destroy the eyes on its many knees. With renewed vigour, the 13th pushed forward back to their original position. When the Caputidaimon’s last eyes were burnt out with rays of light, it collapsed in a dead heap.

The other wings of the legion were seeing results too; Caputidaimons from the East and West lay dead. All that was left was the one to the South. Laevinus’ earlier attack had cut down the Daimons to a thin line. At first, the Daimons had tried to push away anymore fog attacks, but there was so much ichor in the air, making another fog thick enough to blind it was no problem for the human soldiers and Monoceri.

Laevinus didn’t take his sights off of the Caputidaimon once. Forced to the front, it surrounded itself with other Daimons. Wherever it went, it was always closely shielded. The human soldiers tried to jostle it out of hiding by raising the terraining suddenly to knock it upwards. Their plan would've worked, had it not been for the surrounding Daimons gripping their captain to protect it from several elemental missiles. Laevinus almost lost sight of it when it fell. His eyes caught sight of it rushing around the battlefield, scarcely avoiding a rain of lightning infused daggers brought forth by the 2nd division.

The Caputidaimon eventually broke out of its patterns and headed in a specific direction. The Minoridaimons followed and began to concentrate on one side of the Golden Dome as they followed the Caputidaimon’s lead. Laevinus followed their movements. He soon realised that the soldiers there were beginning to tire. Cracks were forming more easily on the dome in that particular spot. With fewer of its own soldiers at its disposal, it was now focusing on any weak points in the Golden Dome. It was becoming desperate.

Laevinus had one problem. The Caputidaimon was closely guarded and it was harder to get a good shot at it now. Wherever it went, there were always several Mimoridaimons glancing off any attacks. It seemed invincible where it was but Laevinus knew there was no such thing as invincible.

Its form was clearer now. It was bigger and had many more heads upon its body. The Daimons around it weren't just guarding it. They were part of it. Laevinus’ eyes narrowed with realisation; earlier, it had been gathering more heads. The Daimons had increased in strength, unleashing more spells upon the weakening shield. Just as the soldiers began to falter, Laevinus saw the Caputidaimon poke its heads out, all eyes aglow. Ultraviolet light intensified, vaporising the residual golden fog that hung in the air. The heads pointed towards different parts of the dome. Several bolts of ultraviolet energy arced out of their heads and through the air.

Before it could break the shield on several spots, enough soldiers had rushed over to mend and reinforce it. The force of the attack had knocked several on their backs. Some weren't so lucky; on other sides of the shields, the dome had shattered. Where some were standing at the blast, only smouldering ashes remained. Daimons flooded in but were pushed back out. Those who didn't escape before the Golden Dome was repaired were left at the mercy of soldiers engulfed by rage thanks to the Soothers. The Caputidaimon quickly receded back to the safety of its minions, shielded against the return fire. Like before, it had been too fast for the soldiers to land a hit on it.

The Daimons began to spread out again. Laevinus traced it to another weak point in the Golden Dome. He had seen the slim opening before when the Daimon first emerged from the safety of its minions. It was time that he used his specialty against it.

“On my signal, shield your eyes!”

All of the soldiers obeyed. Reluctant or not, no one dared disobey such an order from their Bellaxus; their lives depended on it. They backed away a few steps from the Golden Dome and formed a small wall of stone. Laevinus took a long drink of Focus potion and crushed the vial. His eyes began to glow brightly. The glass shards reformed into lenses, hovering over his eyes in a line to form a scope. His eyes began to form more intricate circles and symbols as he readied himself to strike.

The cracks formed once more and the Caputidaimon reared its heads once again. The moment he blinked, all facing the South saw his signal, took to the cover of the walls and shut their eyes. A great gaping hole was opened in the Golden Dome.

In the blink of an eye, a thin beam of light shot out before stopping right in one of the Caputidaimon’s eyes. Blades of light exploded out of its heads and shot out in all directions with a melodious shrill. Anything that saw those blades was swiftly cut down, blades cutting through all eyes that saw them. Once the music stopped, Laevinus ordered his men to open their eyes again.

The fighting continued and the soldiers scrambled to quickly reform their side of the Dome. Several soldiers fell at the hands of the Daimons that poured into the ranks, but the Daimons themselves were weaker now and much easier to take down. Looking out into the battlefield amongst the piles of dead Daimons, all could finally see that the Caputidaimon’s headless form sprawled out amongst the corpses.

With the final Caputidaimon falling, hope swelled amongst the legion. But that moment only lasted for a scant few moments. The remaining Minoridaimons did not flee, they continued fighting with the same ferocity they had under their commanders.

Laevinus had sensed their hope faltering. Shutting his eyes, he let his rallying cry be heard by all.

“Don't lose hope now! Victory is closer than you think, Legionarii. Just one final push!”

At hearing his words, the legion felt their courage renewed. Gradually the Daimon’s numbers began to dwindle and hope returned to the legion. The wings of the legion opened up and pinched the remaining Daimons on one side, facing against the head. The tail opened up, unleashing the 1st cohort. Laevinus and his soldiers galloped out with their Monoceri, building speed as they rounded past the wing. At last, they ran through the Daimons.

When the last Daimon fell dead, the legion could finally breathe and close their eyes in relief. Some cheered, most were silent. All felt incredibly lucky to be alive. Laevinus surveyed the area and the legion. Though the losses were minimal, they were still losses. Though he didn’t show it, it made his heart sink to see some of his men and women weeping for the dead. Amongst the mourners was Tribunus Pavonikos, who like the Duxus had ordered their men to go about the battlefield to collect eyes for the Final Rites. As Pavonikos waited he had set about helping the other healers tend to the living; those with grievous injuries that no field healing spells could mend. Their supplies had dwindled and most importantly they were dangerously low on Focus potion.

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Laevinus galloped by Pavonikos’ side. The Tribunus was dismounted from Cyane and he stood over the eye-scorched corpses lined up before him. Their head was lowered, eyes staring. Not once did Pavonikos take their eyes off the dead. Laevinus dismounted and stood beside them.

“You did what you could.”

“I could have done more.”

“Tribunus,” Laevinus said, turning Pavonikos to him, “There was nothing more you could have done.”

“No. I don’t believe that one bit. If I had seen some other way…”

“Even a Caputi Scholaris of foresight cannot see everything in the heat of battle, let alone you.”

“And that's a failing on my part! They wouldn't have had their lives cut so short if I hadn't been so blind. They shouldn't have died here.”

Laevinus frowned. It was as if he were talking to a younger version of himself. It was this kind of naivety that brought him so much misery in his years as a leader.

“You made your decision. If you did not give that order when you did, who knows how many more would have been lost? We must focus on the living, to make the sacrifice of the dead count.”

Laevinus knew that look on Pavonikos’ face; they weren’t convinced in the slightest. Laevinus put a hand on their shoulder.

“If we try to save everyone, we may very well end up saving no one. Remember that well, Tribunus Pavonikos.”

As they both mounted their Monoceri, Laevinus looked around at the state of the legion. They couldn’t advance further like this. He would have to contact Duxus Gallus and Duxus Aquilina of the 12th to send more supplies their way.

Just before he could close his eyes, there was a bright flash of ultraviolet light from the North of the legion. Following this, there was a great cry of pain from the 13th legion. Nearly all of the Draekslanni doubled over in pain, clutching their heads. All of the corpses and nerves seemed to gravitate towards the source of their pain.

Laevinus felt his breath catch in his throat. The Daimon that appeared before the legion looked more human than any Daimon he had seen before. It climbed out of the pile of corpses, still connected to many nerves which now pulsed with life. It was adorned in a robe with its own flesh-coloured nerves, pulsing with ultraviolet, dripping with gold. Its hat was made of much of the same material, merging with the top part of the head whilst several stolen eyes lined the band, all iridescent and brilliant like the eyes that all Ludcetan citizens bore. Its eyes glimmered and each exit was promptly blocked off by walls of hardened flesh and warped stone.

The legion quickly reassembled. Laevinus remained in front of the 13th and called the rest of his cohort to him; in a situation like this, he wasn't going to remain far from his student like before. The Golden Dome reformed but much weaker. Many tired eyes watched the strange Daimon approach, feeling their fear strengthening beyond what the Soothers could calm with what little energy they had.

“Stand ready!” Laevinus commanded

It appeared to glide across the battlefield. Upon careful inspection, the nerves and flesh below it propelled it forward; each pulsing dendrite stuck and detached from the bottom of the flowing robe.

Laevinus gave the signal, each cohort attacked the Daimon with everything they had. All of the elements, every construct and a great explosion of lights struck it, but it hardly budged. Several soldiers sought to contain it but that did very little to slow it down; its shield merely pushed everything away. In Roya, mental attacks did nothing to it. It swallowed up the most mind-numbing of thoughts without showing any signs of weakening. It was as fruitless as shooting water at the Morningstar. Nothing seemed to stop its advance. It was clear to the Magister Bellaxus that this thing before them was a Princidaimon.

“Pavonikos.”

Laevinus pushed something into the Tribunus’ hand. A small metal ball with various engravings. Socketed at its top was a clear white stone made of the same rare material used to make all doors and gates. It glowed with the symbol of Lumis.

“A Teleportare?”

“Quick! Get out of here whilst you still have time!”

Tribunus Pavonikos held the ball in their hand. All they needed to do was pour what little Focus they had left into it and they’d be return to Lumis, safe. Instead, they stowed it away.

“Tribunus, what are you doing?!”

“I’m not leaving everyone behind.”

“Go! That’s an order, Tribunus!”

“I won’t condemn another soldier to death. We’re making it out of this alive!”

Pavonikos exchanged a look of disappointment before galloping off to continue rallying the rest of the 13th. Laevinus reached out to them, but there was little he could do now. Immediately, he closed his eyes, sending word to the 12th to begin closing off the city entirely. They cannot let that Princidaimon out, no matter what.

The taste of fear was growing in the air. Valerian was working even harder to pour his Focus into keeping the soldiers around him calm. He could already feel his eyes drooping and his Soothing spells had weakened enough that the soldiers were beginning to falter. He saw several breaking away from the ranks after one Soother collapsed from exhaustion. He was quite tempted to do the same but that little voice from his spell was urging him to remain awake. With no chance of rest, there was only one thing left to do. He downed his last vial of Focus potion. He drank it up so fast that he almost felt ill - at least the discomfort was keeping him conscious.

Several wings unfolded from the robe and hat. All at once there was a flash of ultraviolet light that filled the entire district, momentarily blinding all that beheld it. As their sight returned, the afterimage of an unknown spell hung in their eyes. The legion began to tire quickly. All of their spells shot towards the Princidaimon barely made a dent in its shield.

“Halt! Reserve your Focus!” Laevinus ordered. Sending that order alone made him feel drained, as if he had unleashed his earlier attack on the Caputidaimon.

Laevinus gritted his teeth. With the legion close to going blind from exhaustion and passing out, they were cornered. Even he was down to his last Focus potion. With their exits blocked it was unlikely that they would all survive this. But he had to try, for Flavius’ sake.

He ordered several cohorts to break down the walls behind them. Those facing the Princidaimon were ordered to concentrate their efforts on slowing it down. More and more people on either side were becoming too exhausted to continue. As a result more collapsed. Amidst it all, Pavonikos and the 13th were rallied to carry those who had fallen. The Tribunus was determined to not leave a single man or woman behind, but he and the others could only carry so much, even with their freshly constructed wagons - building those alone had caused several of the 13th to collapse.

The Princidaimon had caught up with the legion. It held out one hand and pressed it against the dome. A single eye opened up on its palm and in an instant, the Golden Dome completely shattered to dust.

Fear, like a terrible collective scream of every soldier, overwhelmed Valerian. It was far too much for him to handle, so much that the Soothing spell he had in his own mindscape had shattered. Losing his concentration, he opened his eyes to Tirra. He wished he hadn't.

Several soldiers next to Valerian fell to their knees and he almost stumbled over several more. Before they collapsed, Valerian entered Roya and tried in vain to place a spell strong enough to wake a normally comatose person up. The spell disintegrated the moment it tried to touch their minds.

Drat… I'll have to do this the old fashioned way.

He tried travelling into the mind of one of his comrades, only to feel a sharp jolt that made him back away in confusion. When he rearranged his thoughts, it all started to make sense; that Daimonic spell on them was behind all of this, he was sure of it. He looked around as more of his brothers and sisters in arms fell unconscious, locked in a strange dream within their dimmed mindscapes. He began to fear that he was about to do the same. So so tired…

But he couldn't fall asleep now.

He snapped his eyes back open to Tirra; the lack of Focus was already causing his Tirran eyes to darken at the edges fast, but he could still make out what was around him. The sleeping bodies of his comrades lay all across the Craft’s District. Some had fallen asleep before they could even drink the Focus potions in their hands. Mumbling an apology, he collected what vials he could and guzzled them down. He was losing Focus faster than he could recover, but it was enough to tide him over. Crawl. Drink. Crawl… The Magister seemed so far away.

Adiuta Magus…

He finally crawled over several sleeping Monoceri before finding two familiar faces in the distance. Tribunus Pavonikos lay close to the Magister Bellaxus. Laevinus had him held close to his chest to shield him. Valerian forced himself to down all of the Focus potions he had borrowed from his comrades. By the sixth and last vial, he felt close to throwing up but he felt awake enough to properly concentrate again.

Valerian looked up; the strange Daimon was fast approaching him. With its approach he felt those same whispers strengthening in volume, sucking away his energy. With that, he crawled as fast as his limbs could carry him over to the Magister. His hand gripped onto the cloth of one’s cloak and he shut his eyes. With every bit of Focus he had, he opened his eyes to Roya, piercing through the Daimon’s spell until he found himself in someone else’s Mindscape. He was marching along the rest of the legion and up ahead he saw the Magister Bellaxus. He implanted his waking spell as fast as he could within this mind, feeling exhaustion pulling back towards his own Mindscape. To pleasant dreams.

“Please! Wake up! The legion is in danger-“

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The legion had finally liberated Lidantium from the Daimon scourge. It wasn’t easy and there were losses, but Pavonikos had done what they could to ensure that the rest of the living returned home alive.

The Tribunus couldn’t wait to return. There was so much they needed to tell their father and the rest of the Magisterium.

Tribunus Pavonikos was pulled out of those thoughts. They felt a strange sensation as they marched past the city gates.

“Is something the matter, Tribunus?” asked the Magister Bellaxus.

Pavonikos looked around before shaking his head, “I thought I heard someone calling out to me.”

The Magister paused for a moment, eyes closed. He opened them again with a smile.

“Pay it no mind. Let’s get this over with so we can get back home sooner.”

Pavonikos nodded. He looked back momentarily before continuing onward. Still, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy as he recalled what he had heard.