I’ve gazed upon the faces of my Soulweavers, how barren they look. They stare on blankly, as if their minds are lost. My subjects avoid them, and pity them I do for that. They did not deserve such a fate, but their sacrifice will not be in vain.

-From The Recently Deciphered Notes of King Arneshal, 4th Grouping

Galeon flitted in the sky like a bug, distracting foes as he went. He grabbed sheathes off of two Ravenishtani Afterburners and threw them away. Angered, they started to chase him through the sky.

Below him, on the battlefield, the talwars fell onto dirt, and an elephant trampled over one of them. The elephants charged through the ranks of soldiers without a care, while archers seated on them loosened arrows. They impaled the Phasgorian troops, causing cries of pain. A single elephant, more adorned than the rest, charged ahead of its brothers.

This elephant was flanked by Devourers, and had a sheen of metal on its skin. Nothing stood in its path as it mowed down everyone unequivocally. Duke Lambre was especially distraught, having to reorganize his plans around a single wild animal.

Someone, get that thing away! He shouted the orders to the Afterburners. The hallowmancers went blasting towards the elephant, but couldn’t come too close. The Ravenishtanis would always drive them away, and the beast continued to destroy cannons, slings and barricades alike.

Nothing could drive away the elephant, and Lambre was becoming increasingly desperate. The beast had already caused enough damage, and the Ravenishtani soldiers were using the opening to swarm inside and slaughter his men.

It shouldn’t have gone like this, Lambre thought, as he dispatched a soldier with a spear. The morning had looked so promising for their troops. It had started off with a quick march, surrounding one of the closer supply lines to Latren. With the Stronghold secured, the region around it needed to be under Phasgorian control, or so the King had ordered them.

When they brought their troops to fight, they hadn’t expected Ravenishtan to be prepared. A herd of elephants is what greeted them, tusks bared and ready to run them through. Now it was too late for them, and they had to deal with the consequences.

Surround the elephant. Third and fourth squadron, take it down, no matter what! Lambre’s Afterburners sent back a confirmation, and a swarm of them descended upon the beast in an instant.

Though Ravenishtan tried to keep them away, the Afteburners pierced through their defences. They felled the small carriage atop the elephant and retreated, leaving jets on the elephant’s body. The animal trumpeted, the sound ear piercing. And then it took off into the air, slowly rising into the air on the thrust of numerous jets.

It tried to dangle its legs below itself, tried to wrap its trunk around a tree to gain leverage but even that didn’t help. Multiple Afterburners fell to the ground, no longer able to support their flight with their lessening bewl supply.

And when the animal had gone far into the air, where it was seen by everyone, the jets dispersed. The beast let out a final cry as it went tumbling to the ground. It hit the ground with the sound of a cannon firing. A shockwave of force erupted from its point of impact, and a dust cloud formed in the air.

People stopped to watch the fall, and when the dust cleared, only a corpse remained. The battered body of the elephant had no life left within it, and the sheen on its skin had vanished. Lambre clicked his tongue at the gruesome sight, sparing little pity for the animal.

Now’s our chance, men! Regroup, resupply, and charge! He shouted the order at all his men that could hear him. they raised a cry of victory, and started running towards their enemies.

****

Rozu scoffed at the sight of the elephant, finding it disgusting. The Armon would not be happy about the death of that particular asset. Least of all if he knew it had been lost in a simple skirmish instead of a grand battle.

And that’s what Rozu considered this. This wasn’t a battle for something as important as Latren. It was a supply line, used by those who weren’t gifted with the blessing of hallowmancy. Utterly useless to someone like him, but he had been sent regardless to help in the fight.

He’d been told not to search Dero out, not to worry about a single soldier when his mission was just to disperse the Phasgorian ranks. Rozu had planned on listening, if only so he could avoid his head being chopped off, but he’d abandoned that plan soon after.

The only reason he was here now, fighting mundane soldiers and weak Bladeborn, was because he hadn’t found Dero. He’d so wanted to end the man’s life and felt disappointed at being deprived of the opportunity. Luckily, that disappointment hadn’t lasted long, when some soldiers thought they could attack him.

They’d laid a trap for him, springing a net as soon as he crested a hill. Rozu had been shocked at first, but ripped through the net easily enough, before taking out each and every one of their pitiful ranks. Now the last of them lay in his hands, begging for his life.

He was begging, but Rozu couldn’t understand a word of what he was saying. He looked into the man’s eyes, and just how pathetic he looked, and couldn’t spare the effort. He thought of how angry it would make his colonel if he found out, and thought it would be amusing. Rozu let the man out of his grasp, to his shock.

He didn’t waste a moment, however, scrounging up his spear and running away from Rozu quicker than ever. Rozu turned his eyes instead to a greater challenge, and that only came from people like him. Bladeborn.

Bladeborn sat atop cavalry and assaulted the Ravenishtani. They would stab them with their spears, pull them out and wipe away the blood before moving to other soldiers. One of them saw Rozu standing idly by, and almost ignored him. That was, until Rozu brought out his Katar.

He taunted the man, who changed his tune and bore an expression of pure focus. He looked to be middle aged, creases running down his forehead and bags under his eyes. Past his prime already, there was no way Rozu could lose to him.

The man’s horse neighed and he rushed towards Rozu. On the butt of his spear was a jet, and he ignited it as he went in for a swing. Rozu let the attack pierce his off-hand, yanking on the spear and bringing the man along with it. Rozu kicked the horse and sent it running, while the Phasgorian went rolling on the ground. Rozu raised his Katar and stabbed the man through the neck.

Rozu then repeated the steps for his back and legs, snatching the man’s bewllan pouch so he couldn’t heal enough. He left him there to bleed out, drinking in from the bewllan to replenish himself. He took the spear embedded in his hand, using the bewllan to heal the injury.

Rozu tossed aside the pouch as another soldier approached him. this one seemed to be a Devourer, holding no weapon except a knife in her hands. Rozu plucked a piece of metal from his pouch, swallowing it whole and covering his body in metal.

The girl spoke some words to him, Yalesha Koncarde, Rozu didn’t understand a bit.

“I don’t understand your stupid tongue. If you’re going to curse me, use one of mine,” Rozu replied, yet the girl didn’t retreat.

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She pulled out some sort of material and Devoured it, leaving a rough and rocky surface behind.

“Wrong choice. Metal is stronger than rock,” Rozu said with a grin.

He lunged at her, bringing his katar down to stab. The girl sidestepped it, faster than him, before trying to slash at his body. Metal met metal and sparks flew, though Rozu felt a hint of pain. He kicked backwards, forcing her to dodge back, before switching his katar to the other hand.

The girl came in, swinging her knife while Rozu tried parrying it. He looked around himself and found a rock behind the girl. Rozu tried to hide his realization, as he tossed aside another swing.

Readying his breath, Rozu let go of his hallowmancy, his skin returned to its normal colour, and he felt lighter than ever. The dagger the Devourer had may have been small and quick, but her rocky material still weighed her down. Her swings were much too slow to catch Rozu. He took the opportunity to repeatedly punch with his katar, enhancing each swing with bewl.

It sent the girl moving backwards, even as she tried to gain the upper hand. Rozu kept pushing her, cracking her rocky armour while bending his own katar, until she tripped. She didn’t expect the rock behind her, falling over and landing on the ground.

Rozu didn’t give her a moment’s relaxation, enhancing his body and swinging a punch. It caught on her rocky face and cracked his skin, but Rozu continued the punch until her head met the ground, and indented it.

He removed his hands, the knuckles bleeding, and began to fix up the fractures. He left the body there, removing only the bewllan pouch to refill once more.

Rozu looked around at the battlefield, and found himself smiling despite everything. He had missed this. The war, the fighting. It was nothing but a constant distraction, and one he took part of without hesitation. This is where Rozu belonged, he knew, not within the position of a leader of some squadron.

An Afterburner dropped down in front of Rozu, and he was about to take the man on, when he raised a hand.

“I’m here from Colonel Aderah. He says you’re needed at the back lines. The Phasgorians are sending their Planars over,” the man told him curtly.

“And?”

“… He expects you to be there,” the man replied, confused at the question.

Rozu spat to his side.

“Tell him…” Rozu considered his words carefully. Mouth off to Aderah now, and he would never get the opportunity to face Dero again. He’d be thrown in the brig, or worse, he’d be executed.

“… Tell him I’ll be there,” Rozu finished, and the Afterburner looked inquisitive for a moment. Though he simply shrugged and flew off to deliver Rozu’s message.

The man himself looked at the distance between him and back ranks, and found it comforting. There would be something to idle his mind, after all.

****

Galeon dropped down into the forests once again, dispersing his jets and applying new ones. The Ravenishtanis didn’t expect it, and arrows flew at Galeon from all angles. But a single burst from his jets and he dodged the attack. He began to slide across the grassy surface of the jungle, dropping his enemies behind him as he did.

He heard the Ravenishtanis cursing at him, and sighed in relief. That should keep them busy for a while. Some of the Phasgorian Planars had set up traps in the forest, and he hoped that they would stop them from leaving too easily.

Galeon turned around a corner and met up with the Planar who’d come up with the idea. The man had bloodied clothing, though no wounds to show it. The man was crouching below and looking through a small portal, until Galeon approached.

“Good work, Afterburner. That’ll show those bastards!” he slapped Galeon on the back, chuckling.

He made a gesture and another portal came out of hiding from behind him. the green edged oval led to the edge of the forest, and he beckoned Galeon through it. Once they crossed, the Planar made another gesture and the portal winked shut, leaving them near the edge of the battle.

“What’s with the hand signs? Do Planars need to do that?” Galeon asked.

“No, but they look nifty to people,” the Planar joked, flashing him a smile.

“Battle’s looking to be wrapping up soon. I’ll group up with the other Planars and start evacuating troops at the duke’s commands. You do the same, Afterburner,” the Planar told him.

He said a little prayer in Lasz’s name, then made another portal. His eyes glowed green, and walked through the portal in front of him. The young Afterburner saw more elephants on the horizon, and thought he could help some of them move the other way. Duke Lambre can handle the rest, Galeon thought as he started to fly.

****

Lambre struggled with the defeat. There was no more here for him to win. Ravenishtan, despite losing their cavalry, were in a much better position than him and his troops. Ventorious had not granted him this victory, he knew, and Lambre was forced to retreat.

The organization was quick, at the very least. The Planars helped to bring the injured back, and the Ravenishtanis were too busy dealing with the remaining rampaging elephants to bother hunting them down. Galeon and the Afterburners made sure that the elephants were no longer an issue for them, as their drivers had long since abandoned the mounts. Galeon himself dropped down next to the duke once it was all over, and despite their loss, he seemed to be in a good mood.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” the duke asked him as he trudged along. Lambre had an injured man hanging off of his shoulder, bleeding and aching.

“Was I?” Galeon replied, idly.

“Do you even see what’s going around you, boy?” Duke Lambre accused him.

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“Then you could do the rest of us a favour and drop the smile,” Lambre snapped.

“I… yes, My Lord.”

He looked sullen all of a sudden, and the duke sighed.

“It’s like you can’t see the bodies around you, boy. It’s uncanny. Makes me think you’ve gone mad already,” Lambre told him.

“I haven’t, My Lord.”

“Then, why smile?”

Galeon shrugged.

“I get this feeling. Like we might actually find out how to end the war soon.”

“Because of that girl?” Lambre asked.

“Because of Leane, yeah. She knows things, she’s just forgotten them. If we can help her remember, maybe… maybe we could all go home?” Galeon asked sheepishly. He smiled slightly, but caught himself in the middle.

“You’re optimistic, boy,” the duke told him.

“I’m sure, My Lord. Very sure,” Galeon replied, then took the man out of the duke’s hands. Lambre would never admit it, but he envied the kind of mind Galeon had. Maybe it was a natural inclination of man to follow someone he knew to be better than him.

Or maybe he just needed something to keep him going after a year.

****

Rozu left another man dead on the ground while his ally flew away. He had thought for sure he’d cut him up enough, but the Afterburner must’ve had enough bewl to fly away. Whatever, a single bird didn’t matter in the long run.

He sat up from the man’s corpse, wiping his katar on his clothes before walking away. Rozu looked up to find that the rest of the army was receding. His bloodlust sated; he just watched them leave. Ravenishtanis passed him by, but most paid him no heed. Maybe they considered him fatigued, or mad, but he let them pass by without a word.

Someone patted him on the back and Rozu recoiled. He thought it was an enemy he missed, but it turned out to be just a Ravenishtani soldier.

“I wanted to thank you personally, sir. I thought those two were going to be the death of me,” he told him. Which… he looked down at the corpse beside him. Were they attacking someone else? Rozu tried to recall when he’d ambushed them, but the memory was a blur.

“That’s my job. Now go do yours,” Rozu told the boy, who looked surprised. When he didn’t move, Rozu glared at him. the soldier did a quick salute and rushed off, leaving him by himself once more.

That event repeated a few more times, as Rozu made his way back to the other Bladeborn. Pats on the back, words of encouragement, maybe even tears at a certain point. Even the colonel did him the service of leaving him alone.

Rozu walked past the camp and hid from those people, feeling emotions he hated. He stayed far away from them, tried to cut conversation whenever he could. It must have worked, for no one annoyed him soon after that.

He told himself that he didn’t care. Convinced himself he didn’t care, now that they’d demoted him to the lowest rank. They’d pat him tenderly with their hands, and the next day slap him with the very same. He was sick of the cycle, and didn’t want to involve himself in it.

He walked at the back of the procession of soldiers, who made their way back to the camp on foot. Those who were injured were carried on carts, and Rozu had to bear the sounds of their whining for the entire trip home.

Maybe, just maybe, if everyone was a Bladeborn, he wouldn’t have to bother with those cries any more. He tried to stifle the noise, but they always came through, leaving him annoyed. Rozu learned to deal with the noise, pushing it into the back of his mind as he walked.

“Hey, can you take over for me?” a Devourer asked Rozu, and he felt offended.

Me? I’ve the Form of something far greater than you, and you’re asking me to be your mule? Words couldn’t describe the disrespect he felt. Was he not hallowed? Did it mean nothing to these people?

“Handle your own cart. Don’t involve me,” Rozu spat at him, moving far ahead.

Was this going to be his life from now on? Would he be enslaved to those weaker than him until he was of no more use to the Armon? His Sharpness, for all that title meant, wasn’t even Bladeborn himself. He’d just surrounded himself with Bladeborn, and thought himself above the rest.

But he knew that he couldn’t go against the Armon. In fact, the Armon wasn’t his target anyways. Dero was the real target, the cause of all his misery. If the man had just died by Rozu’s arms, nothing like this would’ve happened. He’d still be a squadron leader, he’d still have respect from his peers, from his higher ups. But a single loss had set all of this into motion, and now it was his duty to end it.