Dark clouds rolled over Middlen as the gathered legion captains all looked up at the platform where Ferrum could be seen kneeling.

We were in a plaza, near the centre of the city, but no civilians were allowed in.

Luno said that this was only for the knights to see.

As for me, I sat next to Luno and Caligo on an invisible platform that overlooked everything.

Standing behind us were the Helma and Yilon.

Nothing was said as a certain silver knight walked towards the platform where Ferrum knelt.

The knight held in his hands two Sickles which were attacked to the silver chains which hung from… nothing. I couldn’t see what held them mid air.

The knight threw his Sickles forward and it seemed as though they had a mind of their own because they wrapped their chains around Ferrum’s wrists.

Caligo then stood up and raised his hand created a ball of light above Ferrum.

A pillar of dim light then fell onto Ferrum, but it’s here that I noticed that Luno was clenching his teeth.

His eyes were steady, yes and they did not stray from Ferrum, but as for his face…

I looked down at the platform and a single moment of silence passed before a torrent- no. A plasma beam with the diameter of a water tanker fell onto Ferrum, sending out a massive shockwave.

We all then watched as Ferrum, the platform and the city’s stone roads were vaporized.

Luno then stood before walking towards the edge of our platform.

“Hark, mine knights! Ye who carry mine banner and march in mine name. For too long have thee aloud the thorns of corruption wrap themselves around thine people and for too long have thee sat on thine hands, birthing the grossest display of negligence in all of history. That time has ended. The time when thee allowed mine kingdom to crumble. Henceforth, thee are but soldiers, servicemen and ye will not find rest until our banners fly high once again, is that understood?” Luno asked and it felt as though his voice echoed out across the kingdom.

The knights all stood attentively as Luno glared at them.

He then returned to his seat only for a certain knight to suddenly appear in front of us.

She fell to her knees as I inspected her dark armour- no. It wasn’t so much dark, but more so covered in so much ash and dirt, it had been blackened.

“Ferraya… there is much work to do. I trust that thee will see to it that our plans are carried out smoothly.” Luno said but the knight didn’t respond.

“Now go.” He said and the knight disappeared shortly after.

Actually, all the knights below began disappearing.

We returned to the Lunar Hall where we allowed Luno to sit in silence for a bit.

“Ferraya and her men previously called the Araena mountains their home, no?” He asked.

“Yes, father.”

“Did they encounter any dragons at all in the past?”

Caligo frowned.

“No.”

“That is concerning. The level of incompetence thee all displayed guarantees that the dragons yet live and yet… none of them have been sighted in almost four hundred years… go. Tell her to send a single legion north. We have to be sure.”

Caligo nodded before suddenly disappearing with five of the seven Helma.

Luno then tapped his chin before letting out a faint drone.

“How badly did the boy wound relationships between mankind and the Rendaro?”

I unthinkingly groaned and this was seemingly all Luno needed to know.

He signed before standing yet again.

“Gregar. Take us far south. I would like to speak with those who my son wronged.”

The Yilon walked up to us before teleporting us to a point a hundreds of meters above the field where so many soldiers died.

The Kommátia planes.

The vast fields of death were bathed eerily by the light of the afternoon sun but something was different.

Below us was a camp filled to the brim with soldiers, but before I could focus on the base, several Kommáti appeared around us and leading them was a rather familiar looking giant warrior clad in dark Draconic armour.

“State your name and intent or die!” She barked.

“You will respect his majesty-“

Gregar tried saying but Luno raised his hand, stopping the silver knight.

He then walked up to the woman and loudly inhaled.

“I am Luno Corriandos, King of Lanceberg and I have come to speak with your representative.”

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The woman silently eyed all of us before suddenly disappearing.

The Kommáti remained although since they barely moved they looked like dark phantoms.

The giant warrior eventually returned onto she had two other giant warriors by her side and in front of them was a man dressed in a dark grey uniform, his black hair cut short and his dark eyes glaring at Luno and I. Standing next to him was a small beautiful woman dressed in a beautiful form fitting matte black dress which had long sleeves. Her pitch black hair and eyes added to her already intense aura and sitting on her chest was a small metal sigil depicting two crossed swords above a circle.

I gasped upon seeing the look she was giving Luno.

It was… disgust.

It looked as though she couldn’t even bear looking at any of us especially Luno, but her dark Rendaro eyes remained where they were.

Locked on to the Moon king.

“Greetings. I am Luno, King of Lanceberg. What should I call thee?”

“I am Deag and this is Shiru, Katsíki’s regents and current leaders of the United Expanse Forces.” Deag said with a voice that was laden with hatred.

I couldn’t help but instinctively step back out of fear that he would order the giant warriors to attack us.

“Regents? May I ask where thine lord is?”

“You may not.” Shiru said without missing a beat.

“I… see. Well, Pardon my rudeness, but could we find somewhere more accommodating to have our talk?” Luno asked.

“Yes.”

Luno nodded before teleporting all of us to a small patch of grass in the middle of the Kauretia Valley.

The wind then seemingly disappeared and we were swallowed by silence.

I looked around and saw that not much had changed.

I assumed that someone had erected a barrier.

“Firstly, I would like to apologize for the damage my son caused. I… was preoccupied for the longest time and although that is no excuse, I do so sincerely hope that we can move forward together in these dark times.” Luno said but both Deag and Shiru remained silent.

But while Deag’s face remained twisted, Shiru's look of disgust had changed somewhat to one of… apathy.

I couldn’t really tell whether she was actually listening to any of what Luno said.

“Ahem! If thou art still willing, I would also like to establish trade relations. I know very well the toll war can have on people and I would like to offer what help I can.” Luno said and again, they remained silent.

This seemingly bothered Luno, but before his face could even shift to reflect that, Shiru and Deag spoke simultaneously.

“Is that all?”

Luno smiled weakly.

“Unfortunately, no. We have yet to discuss specifics like when I will send aid, what form it will come in and how thee will receive it.”

“May I be frank with you, Moon King?” Shiru suddenly asked.

“Please, call me Luno.”

Shiru simply clasped her hands together and I saw that it was with so much strength, her hands slowly grew red.

“You speak as though without a doubt what you want will happen. I’m not sorry to say, but that is not how things will go. If you send help, as you call it, we will simply send it back. Does that mean trade will not be an option? Not at all, I just hope you understand my- our feelings. Our people are still reeling, so do as you will but leave us be for the time being.” Shiru said with half closed eyes.

Luno nodded before looking around.

“I understand. Once again, I apologize for my son’s actions and if there is anything I can do to mend relationships between our people, send a massager carrying your name.” Luno said as he turned to leave.

“Oh, there is something you could do that would make me consider everything you said.”

“Oh-“ Luno’s face twisted into a frown upon seeing a faint smile on Shiru’s face.

This seemingly also caught Deag by surprise and so he raised a brow at her.

“W-what condition dost thee propose?”

“Kneel.”

Shiru’s words were painfully clear in the silence of the barrier.

“Excuse me?” Luno asked while turning to fully face Shiru, who’s face was still ecstatic.

“For five hundred years, your kind has brought nothing war and suffering to this world. Surely kneeling would be the least you could do in the name of reparation.”

Luno struggled hiding his shock and anger.

He turned to the Yilon and saw that they were all ready for battle but it’s upon glancing at the giant warriors, who stood with crossed arms, that Luno’s eyes lowered.

“That… I cannot do.”

“And that is completely understandable, Moon King. Return to your throne, take care of your people and oh- just a word of warning. If your son is seen anywhere near our borders, he will be killed.”

This was the last straw for Gregar, who teleported right next to Shiru while swinging his sword in an attempt to decapitate her, but what happened next, I could not comprehend.

Gregar quickly let go of his sword just as one of the giants grabbed it.

A loud cracking noise then filled the air and we all watched as the silver sword shattered in countless pieces but that wasn’t caused me to tremble with dread.

The one armed giant knight walked back to his spot behind Shiru but the space he had grabbed remained shattered and the broken remnants of Gregar's swirled endlessly within.

The giant knights then accompanied Deag and Shiru to a safe distance away from the cluster of broken space.

They then disappeared and even then, the fissure remained.

“L… let us return to the palace.”

The Yilon glanced at each other before teleporting us back to the Lunar Hall where Luno fell onto his throne just as Caligo ran to his side.

“Father! Where didst thee go? And… what happened?” Caligo asked as Luno rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“How… how much pain does one have to experience… for them to feel such hatred?”

“Father?” Caligo called.

“Kneel, son.”

“Pardon?”

“Do it.”

Caligo nodded before walking to the front of the throne where he knelt.

“All those who were guilty have been or are being punished. Now the time has come for me to cast judgment unto thee.”

Nothing was said as Luno tapped his temple repeatedly.

“Thine head is wanted far south, but no father would willingly give their son’s head to anyone and so I am left with no other option but to restrict what thou canst and cannot do. Henceforth, the only floors thine feet shall ever touch shall be those of both royal palaces. Thee will assist Gera, Ranak, Zuri and I on a purely bureaucratic level.” Luno said with a deep sigh.

I then turned to Caligo, who’s head remained lowered.

“Now leave. And Cento, inform the others of my son’s status.” Luno said prompting everyone to leave.

I followed Caligo out of the Hall and we made our way towards the teleportation platforms, but he stopped a few meters away from them.

“What happened?” He asked and I explained everything that occurred during Luno’s interaction with Shiru.

“I see.” He said before stepping onto the platform.

I joined him and we made our way to his palace.

Unfortunately, I had work to do in Helia, so I accompanied him to his room where I kissed him goodbye.

I then made my way to a certain town in Helia which was bustling with activity.

Countless men, all dressed in brown overalls, could be seen helping the villagers rebuild.

These men were all under my watch and I believed that not only were they the key in rebuilding Lanceberg, they were also proof that people could be redeemed.

I made my way to a certain tent a few meters away from the town where Kulea was hard at work.

She had confessed to me that although she knew that she could never be with Caligo, she was more than happy doing whatever it took to make him happy.

I told her everything that happened and she gasped as I joined her in reading over various reports.

“Would it not be better if we wiped out the mud crawlers right now?” Kulea asked.

“What do you think Caligo was trying to do in the Kindling War? Their numbers are small, yes, but… even now, I can still see it. An irreparable fissure in the very fabric of space. They are a force which will not cede without pushing back just as harshly or even more so.” I said while thinking back to what happened to Gregar's sword.

These thoughts would go on and haunt me even as I slept.

I also remembered Shiru’s eyes.

Eyes that were filled with hatred.

A hatred that was directed at all humans.