With meat and water in fur skins, I made sure no one followed in this dense forest. "We are destined to defeat the demons, for the great war has just started." I growl, Thadius listens to this nonsense?! He looks over to me and I smile, "That's a very nice imagination you got." The man stands and turns, "Are you deserting?" I clench my fists, "These children are my duty." His face scrunches up, his voice aggressive, scratchier, "Let's have a talk when they're asleep." He really wants everything to be normal again?! There's no going back.

Daylight turns to night, I tear up meat into small bites. I never even raised a kid, what do I do? The amber-eyed Slim steals a sliver of meat from my fingers. I turn and he laughs, I laugh too. Gladius and Thadius give each other their own halves, then hug. I shed tears and look up as everyone else laughs, You would have loved this, Sofiel.

No clue how long it took, but the children fell asleep. I glare up at the angel, "So you wanted to talk?" "These children are the future. They're coming with me." I stand, "You will not raise them for a war." He stands up, "I can and will. Fate says we shall win, the oracles told us so." I snarl, "Tell that to my comrades that stayed put, while I took these children so they wouldn't die as well." "They must not see that far out. The arch-oracle, his dying words is that we'll all die without the heroes of tomorrow." The Arch-Oracle was my supervisor. He said that too many sunsets ago. "You won't be taking them." He raises his spear, "Then your body and blood shall nourish this forest."

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Bright and orange reflective sets of eyes watch from the shadows. I pull out the knife and he goes to slice me. I jump back, hunch over to grab my arm, searing pain. He makes his next move with determined eyes. He stabs and I slice at the spear, it goes to the side, I close the distance as he gets ready to block. I cut the spear's shaft in half. He kicks me back and squares up. I raise the knife, These children will make most of their choices! Fate will be what they decide!

I square up, These children, they musn't be corrupted! I know it's fate, they will drive back the demons! He raises the knife, but he flashes, each one, a different being. Demonic left wing, Angelic right, frail human body, Void children, all Nephilem. Millions of them flash by as he charges towards me. I quiver as he's almost to me.

I swing the knife down, Thadius calls out in a demanding tone, "No." I halt and I turn to him. His metallic eyes stare back, a blank, kind of hopeful expression. I whisper, "Leave at dawn." He clenches his teeth. "I'll be back, probably with the resistance we have left."