“Why are you crying Fayde? I only hope to see you smile one last time. Was I useful? Was my sacrifice worth something? Am I really going to die in this place, is this the fate of all Dragonkin? To die in battle… leaving those they love behind?”

Allein struggled to breathe as she watched Fayde, Reia and Laila run desperately towards her. She was still in her dragon form with a long black lance protruding from her body. A pool of blood was beginning to form beneath her, but she couldn’t feel it. In her mind, in her world, was only one thing.

She only wanted the sight of the one she loved, to be her last memory.

“With this.. I’m satisfied.”

The sounds and smells of the world around her had already faded and her sight was beginning to blur. She held onto her sight with all her strength, not allowing it to fade.

Fayde had rushed towards her and was panicking as he placed his hands on her and shouted towards those around him. Allein couldn’t hear his words, nor could she feel his touch, but she was happy because she could see his concern.

She was ready to pass on, having finally been able to show her devotion at the cost of her life. Her consciousness faded as she slipped into a dream.

In her dream she felt warmth and comfort. She could feel her father’s aura surrounding her and embracing her with a father’s love.

“Is this what it means to die?” She thought.

“You are not dead just yet.” A voice replied, it was a voice she longed to hear and one which had almost faded with time.

“Father?” She could barely force out the words. It was almost as if she were afraid of facing him once again, or even worse, losing him a second time.

“Allein, my daughter. I’ve longed to see your face. If only just to say that I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you and for the burden you and your brother have had to suffer alone. In the end, your father failed. I was wrong all along. Your mother and I, along with all the rest of your siblings, were nothing more than puppets to be used in some grand design. Some of us were separated… but most of us died in that cruel and terrifying war. I am not just a passing memory, a fleeting voice that will soon fade. Know that you have always been loved, goodbye Allein.”

With that his voice faded and even though Allein cried out into the stillness, there was no reply.

“Father… Why!?”

Anger steeled her voice and a desire for revenge welled up within her. Everything that had happened, all of her suffering, the deaths of her family members, and the struggle that had been forced upon her were all because of one thing.

The Void.

It was both a blessing and a curse. Without The Void, she would never have been. However, because of The Void, she had lost almost everything.

“I must live!”

She could suddenly feel warmth… and tears.

----------------------------------------

“Fayde, will she be okay?” Asked Reia, her voice wavering nervously.

“I don’t know, I have used all of my remaining VP in order to heal her. We are connected with the ‘Mark of the Void’ and my special ability ‘Molecular reconstitution’ should be enough to heal her. Now that the lance has been removed, her wound has closed and she is breathing... although barely. I can still feel her lifeforce through the ‘Mark’ so she is still alive.”

Fayde breathed a sigh of relief but soon anger swelled within him.

“Did you see who attacked her? I have never seen a lance like this before.” Asked Laila.

“I don’t know, but I have a feeling we will soon find out.” Replied Fayde a little too aggressively.

He abruptly stood up, but wobbled and almost fell if not for Reia supporting him. Healing Allein had greatly weakened him as it had cost him all of his VP and even some of his HP. Her wound had been too grievous and he ended up overdrawing his power by quite a bit.

Fayde surveyed the battlefield and didn’t notice anything particularly off. The enemy had mostly routed at this point and his warriors were making quick work of the survivors.

Everything seemed to be going well, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of something sinister lurking somewhere nearby.

The energy in the air was strange, but he couldn’t locate the source of the phenomenon or of that previous surge of energy which brought Allein down.

“Laila, can you see anything with your Demon eyes?” Fayde asked.

"Let me check…”

Laila’s eyes changed to crimson as she observed the surroundings.

With her Demon eyes, she could see all types of energy which would appear in varying colors. Elemental energy would appear in colors pertaining to each element, she could even see the power of the Void.

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Her eyes came to rest on one specific area and she focused intently, unsure of exactly what she was seeing. It was a color she had never seen before, but it was vivid and rapidly approaching.

“Watch out!” shouted Reia before jumping and pushing Laila out of the path of the strange burst of energy.

It had happened so quickly that Laila hadn’t had time to respond. Luckily, Reia sensed the energy and was able to push Laila out of the way before it could harm her.

“Hehehe, looks like you found me. I guess it’s time I showed myself!” A voice that instantly filled Fayde with disgust called out.

It sounded as if the voice were speaking directly in Fayde’s ear, but when he turned his head in surprise, no one was there.

“Magic... “ Fayde mumbled before shouting out, “Show yourself!”

“No need to shout, I am right here. And here.. And also here!” Several voices combined and reverberated in the surroundings confusing Fayde and the others.

There was no way to determine the point of origin as the voice seemed to originate from several locations. However, soon, a lone figure walked casually towards the group. He appeared as if from thin air. The strange, tall, and garish looking man had definitely not been in the spot just a moment before.

“What the fuck, is that an elf?” was Fayde’s initial thought after noticing the man’s appearance.

“I apologize for the overly excessive fanfare, I hope you enjoyed my little present. Truly a wondrous thing, a dragonlance, isn’t it? Hahaha, designed specifically for killing disgusting beasts like her. What filth, all of you. Yuck, disgusting. Even the thought of Humans and Demihumans tussling together makes me want to vomit. You know exactly what I am talking about, don’t you Fayde? Hahaha, I guess you are one of those deviants that enjoys the company of beasts.”

Fayde felt his teeth were about to be crushed as he clenched them in anger. He had never been so enraged before and even the sound of the elf’s laughter was like a grating sound grinding at his nerves.

Reia and Laila’s expressions also turned unsightly and the Demihuman warriors acting as Fayde’s guards were growling while glaring murderously. Felicia, who had also joined them at some point, was hissing like a stray street cat. They were all clearly seething in anger at the man’s demeaning statements.

“Shut the fuck up you son of a bitch!!” Fayde couldn’t control his anger as he shouted at the seemingly elf-like man.

“Now now, no need to get so angry. It’s not as if I expected anything more of your kind. Haha, aren't you all just monkeys? Nothing wrong with a little fun amongst filthy beasts. Anyway, enough of the pleasantries.”

“SHUTUP! I’m going to kill you, you bastard!!”

Fayde pushed Reia away and attempted to rush towards the object of his rage but his weakness once again rose up causing him to falter.

Again Reia ran over to support him and help him to his feet. Felicia also rushed out to support Fayde while Laila continued to observe the man carefully with her Demon eyes, hoping to find a weakness.

“You fell right into my hands Fayde, as expected. Using up all of your power to heal your precious beast and leaving yourself in a weakened state. Just ripe for what I have in store for you, but don’t fret, it’s not as if I aim to take your life. If I wanted to do that, you would already be dead.” The elf-like man said arrogantly, his voice oozing with self confidence.

“Fayde, calm down. There is something off about this man, you can’t let your anger control your reason.” Reia whispered in Fayde’s ear.

“She’s right Fayde, just don’t listen to him! I’m going to smash him into a pulp!” Felicia said with a slight glint of madness

“You’re not helping the situation Felicia…”

“Well, time’s up. The goddess has a use for you Fayde and so she sent me to you with an invitation hahaha, one you can’t refuse! Activate the formation!”

A sudden surge of power enveloped the area and locked on Fayde’s aura. Fayde was in a weakened state and although he tried to push the strange power away from his body with his own aura, he could only hold it at bay for a single moment before it wrapped around him.

He continued to struggle to the best of his ability but he could tell it was in vain. Laila could see the vast energy swelling through her Demon’s eye and she frantically looked for a weakness in the formation but because of the complexity of it, she couldn’t find one in such a short amount of time.

Reia attempted to use her own magical aura to aid Fayde but it proved futile as the strength of the formation was too great. Because she was no longer holding on to Fayde, she was pushed violently away from him by the power of the formation which continued to surge.

Felicia continued to hold on for dear life as if by holding on to Fayde she could anchor him to the spot. She didn’t have the ability to use magic herself and it was all she could think to do, as if brute strength could resolve all problems.

The wind began to kick up and whipped violently in the area around Fayde. Those around him had to brace themselves as the power continued to surge further until it became unbearable. It was difficult to see what was happening, but they could all feel the terrifying power of the formation. They had no idea what the formation was capable of, but they all had anxious and distraught expressions.

The only one who looked on with glee as he laughed almost deliriously, was the elf-like man who had appeared from nowhere.

“You know Fayde, I have to say that I am a little upset. I was really hoping to kill you, I was even dreaming of it. Unfortunately for me… the goddess has other plans for you. Tis a shame, truly. I think your skull would have looked great as a mantlepiece, hahaha. My name is Glafandal of the Aelfwynne, remember it. Bye bye Fayde, perhaps we shall see each other again.”

Glafandal smiled cunningly as he waved in an almost coy manner not befitting the situation that Fayde found himself in. It was obvious that Glafandal was merely toying with him and this only enraged him even more.

He could do nothing, though, as a glaring light filled his vision. He couldn’t see anything, and the grass and hilly area he had previously found himself on had faded away into still silence. The only feeling that still remained was an increasingly tightening sensation around his waist, and then weightlessness.

Reia, Laila, the Demihuman warriors that had been guarding Fayde, and Glafandal were the only ones that remained.

Glafandal smiled wickedly at them and said, “Now that my job is done here, it’s time for me to depart! Hahaha, bye now~!”

A similar power had already begun surging around him without their notice due to being distracted by Fayde’s predicament. Just as with Fayde, a blinding light surrounded him and he disappeared with the light.

The sound of his almost delirious laughter remained for a few moments, carried by the wind and then silence.

“Fayde… no..” Reia cried, falling to her knees in despair.

She had no idea what had happened or what exactly that spell was. She at least knew that Fayde was alive because she could feel him through the ‘Mark’ although the connection was weak.

Laila was no better, but she did not fall to her knees or cry. However, her eyes gently shook and her heart seemed to skip. She clenched her fists as if to crush them. She almost looked as if she were a maddened beast.

As for Felicia, no one even noticed that she was gone.