-Break-

Throughout all of Tir na n-iontas, the news of the defeat and deaths of two of their most valuable warriors spread like wildfire. The people’s fears exploded as both a hero blessed by their ancestors and a man known as untouchable fell.

Many went to the houses of the Red Branch and shouted their grievances at all those who would listen.

“Are you not the strongest within the empire!”

“The reason you have these castles is because we trust you to protect us.”

“Beastkin are superior to humans, stop losing you fools!”

“What is the point of warriors who cannot win battles!”

Throughout the empire, these grievances kept growing eventually turning into revolts. But the Red Branch didn’t have any time to quiet them down, as everyone who could fight was on the front lines punishing the humans back.

The main army of the Laoch and Lúcogadh moved to intercept Charles Animus who was charging headfirst into the beastkins land, but during the battle both Dedad, and Ruan, the heads of both the Laoch and Lúcogadh respectively fell in battle to Charles.

This caused all of the nearby armies with the exception of Líra’s to return to the borders to push him back, and with the aid of Treasa and Lugh the forces of Charles Animus were slowed down but they advanced nevertheless.

The first year of the war had passed and the beastkin territory looks like it has had large bites taken from in on all sides, and one man currently looks at all of this trying to hold it all together.

Location: Tir na n-iontas; Ríchathaoir Dhanu

Φ Sitting in his office surrounded by papers, Conchobar looks to the man standing in front of him, and says, “Please make sure Aisling has someone around her at all times, we don’t need her making more attempts on her life. It is hurting morale in Gorias due to her popularity.”

“Yes, my king.”

As he leaves Conchobar sighs and says, “We can’t stop him. It is like he is some god chosen by the heavens who must win every battle he is in.

Ronald, Dedad, Ruan, and many other warriors have fallen by his sword, Lugh told me if their fight had gone on for longer, he would have died as well.

But worse than that are Charles's generals. The strongest among them can rip armies apart by themselves. The only person able to make leeway is Líra in the ocean, but since the warrior known as Maugrine has arrived on the sea we have had our progress pushed back there as well.

I don’t know or have any answers, and morale is dropping every day he advances. The only hope we have now it to bring Scáthach back from the eastern border to engage him in combat.”

An image flashes through the high king’s head of his master lying dead on the ground and he says, “No, Charles Animus attacked us knowing full well of Scáthach, and he has a power like her so there is a good chance that he has a countermeasure for her. We need to be able to get more information.”

Looking at the reports on the table, he says, “But our prisoners won’t speak no matter, how much we torture them. I have seen people with faith in the fact that they are alive, weaker than these men’s loyalty to Charles.

Right now, this entire war, no this entire battlefield is being completely dictated by that human, and there is nothing that can be done to stop him except throwing our strongest into the wild.”

Getting up, he looks out the window, and says, “Is everything we have accomplished, everything my people have built, and my family has ruled going to end during my reign? Am I really that much of a failure?”

Suddenly the doors of his room burst open, and dishevelled Medb walks in and says, “Conchobar!”

Turning, he says, “Sorry, but now isn’t the time.”

Slamming her hands on my desk, she says, “YES IT IS! I have found a way out of this mess!”

Conchobar stares at her with a tried look, but as he sees the excitement, and life in her eyes, he says, “What did you find?”

“Before I tell you I am going to need you to agree to two conditions. First, I need you to send Lugh to the most remote battlefield you can put him on, and second I need full command over all the Druids in the country right now.”

Conchobar says, “Fine, but this better be worth it.”

-Break-

Location: Fort Dílis

Φ Throughout the battlefield in front of himself, Ogier along with his men carve through the beastkin in the first skirmish of infantry.

He has his legacy activated on his eye, and unlike before where everyone could see what he was seeing, this time he can see through everyone else’s eyes.

With both a long and short dagger in hand, he moves throughout the battlefield positioning himself to cut down his opponents but as he does, he notices that the amount of beastkin around him is not decreasing.

Stopping for a moment, he tries to take it all in, but then a beastkin attacks him from the back and he dodges before cutting that beastkins arm, and throat.

But as the beastkin leaks blood from its throat, Ogier notices something and shares his vision with every human on the battlefield. Through Ogier’s eyes, he sees the body of a beastkin completely regenerate in a couple of seconds.

The beastkin which healed throws a little pill into his mouth and then attacks Ogier again.

Φ The King of Murias Medb had made a breakthrough in one of her many experiments. She had learned that through cannibalism, and the help of druids one could make inherit the powers of a beastkin for a short period of time.

It requires two things, the flesh and blood of a beastkin which was a Fanalis, or one close to being one, and the power of druids to combine them with plants to improve the potency of the blood, which accelerated the rate at which the characteristics were inherited.

It was an incredibly limited and specific method, as all traits gained had to not require any special organs that were in the subject beastkins body, and within the entire empire, there was one person who perfectly fit the bill for becoming materials.

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Location: Gorias Prisons

Φ Within the prison, a couple of beastkin walk towards the cell of Setanta Ó Faoláin is in, and say, “We’re back.”

In his cage sickly and weak surrounded by flowers which blow a numbing toxin, Setanta says, “I missed you, now how about you get rid of these flowers so I can move?”

The beastkin man handles Setanta and then rips off one of his arms before putting it in a back. Setanta tries his best to hold in the pain, but its presence is visible on his face.

One of the beastkin says, “My son recently went to war for the first time. It was during the start of this conflict. He had always admired the young talent in the empire and wanted to stand beside them.”

As Setanta’s arm regenerates, they cut it off again.

“He loved our young king of Gorias Setanta, Cú Culainn, the next high king. But his hero wasn’t there on the battlefield with him, he was sitting here in his cell, while his precious humans killed and slaughtered his people.”

“This is merely the outcome of the path we were on, even if I was on the battlefield with your son, the hatred we have festered all these years would still overcome us all.”

The man punches me in the face, and says, “You’re a disgrace to your race. But now even the body of scum like you can be used for our greater benefit.”

Taking out a rusty sword from his side, the man brutally cuts off Setanta’s arm making efforts to inflict as much pain as he possibly can with each strike, until Setanta’s body cannot continue.

This process happens day, after day, after day the entire second year of the war, and it grants the beastkin the power to push back against the humans who they hate with all their hearts. The warfare throughout the entire map becomes far more equal.

And the boy’s body and mind are ravaged by the attacks he takes, with his only solace being the girl who visits him each day.

Sitting in his cage with him, Minagrain cries over Setanta’s body, and he rubs her face saying, “It is ok. I made a choice, and got the consequences, at the very least my people are able to survive off of this.”

She gestures, “But even though you wanted to go to war with everyone, they kept you here and Conchobar is using you as a scapegoat for all of the people's hatred. Now they torture you every day, and threat you like livestock, it isn’t fair.”

“What isn’t fair is the fact I get to have such an amazing wife. Most people wouldn’t even have the opportunity to dream of such a thing, yet I get to live it. So please leave me I don’t take in any of these flowers ’ toxins.”

Ignoring his wishes, she kisses him and nods her head no.

“I see, then at least let’s talk about something happy.”

Minagrain, gestures, “They have been keeping a human in the castle, and I have become friends with him. I made a human friend.”

“Really? That’s amazing.” With a sick smile, Setanta says, “I am sure I will have a lot to discuss with him.”

“Don’t bully him, he is sensitive!”

“I AM JEALOUS, SO I WILL!”

The two’s chat is the only thing that brings life into the eyes of the boy who feels like he is losing himself by the day, but he manages to smile through it.

But still, all those days come to an end, because the beastkin couldn’t hold up in the end.

2 years and four months into the war the beastkin homeland was invaded by Charles Animus’s army.

-Break-

Location: Gorias Prisons

From the top of his cell, an explosion occurs that sends debris everywhere, which Setanta is able to deal with due to his regeneration, and after recovering.

The young boy turns to his cell, and see it has been blasted open, so he picks up his withered body.

Φ With my chains still attached to my body, I drag my body out of my cage, and as I do through my weak ears, I hear the sound of chaos and combat above me.

But through all of it, I can only say one thing, “Minagrain, Minagrain, I need to find her.”

Moving as fast as I can, I exit the prison and head back to the surface where I see my castle destroyed, and the lands around the area burning. As I look around, I try to remember how everything looks, and the thought of it starts to break down my mind.

But the image of Minagrain makes my body start to move towards the castle.

As I move my hearing gets better and better, until I start hearing the atrocities and violations of my people occurring everywhere, their pleas, and their cries ring in my ears.

But I can’t stop moving, I need to make sure she is ok, that she is alive.

The numbness of the flower starts to wear off, and I move while infusing spirit energy throughout my body. I dare from room to room, saying, “Minagrain, Minagrain, Minagrain, Mina-,”

Looking forward I see a group of soldiers with bloody fists standing over a body whose face looks unrecognizable.

One of the men standing over her body says, “Find the boy, I don’t care where she hid him I need his body right here in front of me! If we don’t, everything we planned will be nought!”

Φ Setanta seeing this lunges forward and attacks the five men in front of Minagrain, but spirit energy surges through all of their bodies, and they fight back against Setanta.

At first, he gets a few good blows in, but one of the men noticing his eyes are locked at Minagrain throws this sword towards her body, which Setanta move to knock away, and in that moment the other four move in and pierce Setanta’s body.

Setanta’s body starts to regenerate with the swords, and then one of the men with a smile says, “Silver hair, wolflike traits. Hey, this brat is are other target.”

The men talk amongst themselves, but Setanta who is still pinned in one place due to the swords turns his head to Minagrain, and says, “Minagrain wake-up, Minagrain come on we still haven’t talked to Ferdiad yet or gotten married. So please get up and stop being silly. Our entire lives are ahead of us, so no time for this.”

One of the men cut off Setanta’s tongue out of annoyance, and then they drag him away as he stretches his hand toward Minagrains body, which stretches out towards Setanta as well.

Tears and blood roll down his face as he struggles, but in the end, he is taken by the men.

-Break-

Riding around desperately on their horses, the five men run around the area far from the human armies looking for something. Setanta tied to one of their horses has no life in his eyes or his mind. To an onlooker, he would be nothing more than a corpse.

But using his healed tongue he still manages to mutter, “Minagrain.”

And these words start to annoy the riders, so one of them, stops and brings out his blade, and says, “Be quiet we don’t have time for your nonsense.”

Then he moves to cut off Setanta’s tongue yet again, and as he does, Setanta looks at the destroyed Gorias from a distance and cries tears that carry his very soul within them.

As these tears fall to the ground they turn into ice, and his spirit energy decreases. However, this phenomenon is ignored by both Setanta and the five men.

Φ I regret all I have done, I regret all I have thought, if I could go back in time I would take it back, but I can’t do that anymore, all I can do is just die, and let this life of mine rot away as punishment, as penitence, and at the end, I hope I can see you one more time Minagrain.

But before that, I at the very least need to go bury your body.

I push back against the man who holds me and then grab the restraints they use to tie me to the horse. As my hands touch them, they freeze and break, and I start to run forward using this miracle.

I must do this, I must! It is the last thing I have to do before I die!

As I run one of my legs is cut off by the man behind me, and I fall to the ground.

My body is finished from regenerating day after day, I can’t move anymore or else my healing will give out and I die.

With tears falling from my eyes again, I say, “You can’t even bury her you foolish idiot!”

The man walking over to me says, “This brat has powers as well. We can’t keep him anymore.”

With his sword in hand, he prepares to rip off my head. As I look up, I see my reflection in the sword, and it is that of a pathetic man, one so worthless that I wish it death from the bottom of my heart.

As the sword comes down towards me, I relax and close my eyes, but it never hits. So, I gaze at what has happened and see that in front of me a man dressed as some form of jester with a mask over his face in front of me.

Looking at the man with the sword, he says, “Bullying kids is only what scum does. Though I guess to me you’d also be considered a child.”

The other men ride towards us, but then I see for flashlight and then all of their riding comes to a stop.

Then walking up the hill a woman with a case in her arms comes and a strange bow in her other comes up to me.

The bow in her arms turns into blood and goes into her body, and she says, “Look at the state this foolish conflict has left you in.”

The man in the jester outfit says, “Should you be doing this? You only came here to record the events not interfere.”

“One million.”

“What?”

“This child would have been the millionth innocent I would have seen die, and I just decided that today was enough.”

“So, are you going to take responsibility for that life?”

Picking me up and holding me, the woman says, “On the name of Cordum. No on the name my mother gave me, Mable Lux I promise I will take responsibility for this life.”

There are many events in my life I would say there are 7 critical moments in my existence. Meeting Ferdiad, saving Aurelius, but the most important one that will ever happen to me was the day I met the woman named Mable Lux.

Yet my biggest regret was that I didn’t stare longer into the two blue voids filled with stars where her eyes were supposed to be.