Afternoon

Their fear was slowly flushed out as Egil returned to consciousness and was restored to full power, but being at full force wasn’t enough to destroy or kill Mal at the start of the war. This worried Egil, as he would generally have no problem suppressing and killing his enemies in a fight. However, he awaited his wife's return to the camp he and his soldiers had laid near a river far from the battlefield, towards the west.

He stood near a tree, resting his body weight on the tree as he ate an apple that had fallen from it; the breeze was refreshing after being healed fully. He gazed at the setting sun as the orange hue matched the light blue horizon to provide a stunning scene. This also meant that he had to be ready for a solid plan of action, as they would be near to flank Mal’s army and catch them with the element of surprise.

In the distance, he could also make out a figure walking towards the camp; he whistled calmly, this alerted the soldiers, but they continued doing what they were, so it would seem like all of them were not on guard and didn’t realize the approaching figure in the distance. Egil dropped his right arm and relaxed his hand slowly. Tiny yellowish sparks flew as he was ready to summon one of his axes if the situation got serious.

The figure approached closer, and Egil and his soldiers realized it was none other than Juli, Egil’s wife. They all breathed a sigh of relief and arranged food and water for her. As soon as she laid her eyes on him, she started running and jumped onto him. This made both of them fall on the grass together; the evening light from the sunset poured onto parts of their faces that were shaded by the leaves of the tree above them. She hugged him tight and planted her head in his chest, sobbing.

The soldiers left the campsite to scour for resources and supplies for making a small fire and to give their commander, whom they held heavy respect for, some much-needed privacy.

He embraced her softly, letting her pour out her feelings first. She looked up at his battle-rigid face, which held a soft, calm expression inviting her emotional outpour. Tears rolled down her eyes as she closed them and dug her head back into his chest, feeling his slow embrace around her back.

“Never tell me to do something like that again.” She said as she began to cry, with Egil rubbing her back to soothe her down.

“I never will; I promise you will never have to go through anything like that again.” He stated softly, continuing to rub her back.

“I am glad you are alright; please never leave me like that. Retire from the army and the state after this. We can live together, fulfilled, away from this life of destruction, pain, and sorrow. ” She said, sobbing as she looked up at him, tears still filling her eyes.

“Don’t worry, we will; I am glad you returned with no major damage. ” He said as he looked down at her.

“Your consoling skills are non-existent.” She exclaimed, digging her head back into his chest again.

“I know, but someone has to protect the place we all live in. If I don’t, then we all will die.” He said, still embracing her.

“They can find another worshipper for Vi’Tabah; we can leave all this behind.” She exclaimed in a soft voice, filled with sobbing.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“I know..and I wish I could,” Egil explained in a calm and soothing voice, rubbing her back as her tears seemed to calm down. “Let’s build a home together someday,” Egil added further.

“We need to have a dog, then a small garden full of flowers.” She hugged him tighter as the soft words escaped her mouth.

They lay down on the grass, embracing each other like lost lovers, falling asleep, and feeling comfortable in each other’s embrace.

The soldiers returned to find them both asleep; to not cause any disturbance to them, they continued working nearby and quietly not to make much noise. The sun had completely set down, and one of the soldiers made a fire; they poured more logs into the fire to make it prominent.

The night breeze was cold as they grabbed big stones to put around the fireplace to sit on; one was preparing fish they had caught from the nearby river. Egil opened his eyes slowly as the cold wind struck his body; he looked around to see Juli sleepy softly as she lay on her chest. He propped his head up to see the soldiers working to set up the campfire. He got up ever so slightly to not disturb her sleep before sliding her off completely and gently resting her on the soft grass to help the soldiers.

“Let me help with that,” Egil said as the soldier struggled to pick up the big boulder; Egil picked it up quickly and put it around the campfire; now, there were 7 boulders around the campfire, plenty for everyone to sit on.

“What’s the plan, boss?” One of the soldiers questioned him while claiming his place on one of the boulders.

“We’ll flank them; the emperor is creating a barrier around the state. It should be able to take a few hits, giving us enough time to reach them and attack with full force.” Egil stated while claiming his seat on one of the boulders.

“Then we should alert them while you take on her, I apologize, boss, but you’re far stronger than us five ordinary soldiers.” the soldier stated, looking at Egil for his approval.

“Then, you guys can head out before Juli and me,” He stated as the soldiers packed their bags.

“Take care, Boss; thank you for leading us so far.” The soldiers said altogether, these voices filled with compassion and gratitude as they walked off into the darkness towards their city.

It was now Juli and Egil left behind. He looked over at Juli, sleeping peacefully on the grass; he sat on one of the boulders as the bonfire burned before him. He thought about how he could defeat Mal.

Maybe sealing her could work? Or should I go for just outright killing her? I don’t think I’ll get the chance to. I have to immobilize her somehow.

Time to call him here.

He adjusted his posture as he sat cross legged on the boulder. His spine straight as he closed his eyes, hands clenched in the middle, resting on his legs.

The wind blowing around him slowly settled; he could feel the air around him vanishing, and the sounds made by the forest were reduced to none. He couldn’t feel his surroundings; his senses couldn’t sense anything around him. It felt like he was in a void.

He opened his eyes as they sank into the void, trying to find any trace of sensory input. The pupils dilated heavily as they increased and increased in size, covering the whole eye. A figure in the distance approached Egil, sitting cross-legged on the pitch-black ground.

He looked at the figure as it approached him slowly. Egil didn’t feel anything, as his mind and the other four senses, except his eyes, were devoid of input. The figure seemed to have big protruding fangs, its skin color being dark red. It had six arms, one holding an axe in its hand and another carrying a pot on both sides. The last hand on the left side had a beaded necklace, with the final hand on the right side holding a severed head on the right side by its hair.

I … need to be guided.

You have all you need.

What do you mean by that?

I have given you all.

But I am not up to it… Not even a bit. She’s too strong.

You know what needs to be done.

But how? I don’t know…

Your deeds will lead you to it, only one option will remain.

He jolted with his eyes opening wide, his head turning rapidly to see that only seconds had passed, and steam was rising from his body. He stood up and stretched before walking over to Juli, who was still asleep.

A sudden violent noise entered his heightened ears as he looked in the direction of the noise, which was very far away. The battle between the Narakian Army and Mal’s army had begun, and they had reached the city's border. He patted Juli’s back to wake her up as he looked at her warmly. The smile hid the rising anxiety inside him; he had no solid plan to defeat her, and improvising wasn’t an option. He could only hope that whatever help he got from his God would click for him on the battlefield.

The fate of his whole city and many lives in the hands of the blessed man. The Final Battle was about to begin…