We arrived at the doorsteps of the last remaining stronghold of humankind, or so the god messengers told us. The stone walls that defended Azuma were full of soldiers with their eyes on the sky and others patrolling the perimeter.

It had been a year since the gods had appeared in our world and all that was left was my birthplace, my sister and father would probably still be alive. I wasn’t really loved in Azuma. Hopefully the people had already forgotten me after eleven years.

Security was heavy at the entrance and our mute princess, followed by our blind companion, announced our arrival. “Open the gate soldiers, we come with haste to find the travelers of Mercury!”

The soldiers began moving restlessly trying to find their commander, after a few minutes a small door on the gigantic wooden gate opened and a small man came out. “Which messenger gods guide you?” he asked confidently knowing that at his back were hundreds of armed soldiers pointing arrows at our group.

Lara answered “I am guided by Turm and Samuela princess of Minami is guided by Hermes!”

Gossip began on the ramparts of the stronghold, a princess had come all the way to Azuma. The commander wasn’t as convinced as the soldiers behind him.

“We haven’t had travelers come through this gate in more than two months, how did your party of misfits manage to make your way here?”

Samuela looked confused and relayed a message to Lara so she could ask a question “Samuela would like you to explain. What do you mean you haven’t had travelers come through in a month, our gods have told us that a group with a farmer crossed this very gate not long ago?”

The commander gave our group another look and answered “That group was five hundred men strong, guided by a powerful god and lost around three hundred men before they got to our gates. When they arrived they were bloodied and hurt. Your group seems far too healthy.”

The commander made some sense, apparently all the humans were dying and here we were ten random people asking to come inside the last remaining stronghold on earth without a scratch on us.

It helped a lot that Samuela was a very good healing magician.

Lara called upon Turm and Hermes and the gods appeared “Let us through commander, Prometheus will be waiting for us and we have a farmer that could aid in our troubles.”

I hated the gods every time they used my profession, I was trying to hide behind Alfar when the commander yelled. “What farmer?!”

My group of so called companions pointed towards me and the commander took a closer look and opened his eyes as wide as humanly possible. “IT’S THE FIEND!!” he yelled as he ran back towards the castle “CALL GENERAL TOBIAS!! THE FIEND IS BACK!!”

I hung my head in resignation, time to meet father. My traveling companions had dumbfounded looks on their faces.

“What?!” I asked them, as even the gods looked at me strangely. Drógar came close to me and whispered “I think everyone wants to know what just happened.”

No shit I thought to myself. I looked at everyone “Let’s just pretend nothing happened, at least we’ll get in pretty quickly now!” I said feigning enthusiasm.

After thirty minutes of being ogled by the people on the ramparts and my own companions my father opened the gate and came marching with twenty guards at his side.

“What are you doing here Kami?” his gruff voice hadn’t changed at all, he now had gray scattered across his beard but his long black hair remained unchanged.

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“Why are you asking me, I came here because this people brought me here.” My father studied the group around me.

“You are not welcome here son, you know that.” This man was too square for his own good, the world was coming to an end and he still didn’t want to let me inside the fortress. At least he had called me son.

“I think old laws shouldn’t apply anymore don’t you think father?” I said pointing at the desolation around us.

He shook his head.

“Just because the world has spiraled into Chaos does not mean that laws and traditions should be set aside, you shunned your King, your country and your family when you left us. We had hopes for you and you destroyed them when you departed. The King will be here shortly. He will decide what to do with you.”

He turned to look at the rest of the party and told them to stand at his side. Fulmar, Usok and Filio’s family except Lara moved next to my father but everyone else stayed next to me. Filio urged her blind daughter to walk to his side but she reneged and stayed beside me.

“What are you doing?” I whispered to the people behind me. “You should move to the other side, right now I have no idea if I am safe at all.”

The group didn’t make a move and I sighed in resignation. We had to wait another thirty minutes for the King to arrive and I was tired of walking so I sat on the ground.

“Rise Kami!” I heard my father order me. “The King is here.” I took my time to stand up, it wasn’t like I’d be going anywhere anytime soon. Surprise suddenly hit me when I saw a young man instead of an old one receiving our group. I looked around for Alfar, I would need to hide behind him again!

Just like my father moments before the King surveyed our group. When his eyes fell on Cora he spoke for the first time “How dare you show your face here woman?”

We all turned to look at Cora and she defied the king with her stare.

Samuela raised her hand and asked Hermes to talk for her “Princess Samuela wishes to ask for forgiveness, It was her who liberated Cora from your harem. We needed her skill for the voyage and Azuma was being attacked by the gods. We had no time to ask formally for her help.” The king spat on the ground.

“What skill? She is nothing more than a fourth wife!” I took this opportunity to hide behind Alfar, not only was the King pissed that I was back, but I had unfortunately fucked his wife, and me and the man had a lot of history together.

The flying god answered “Kurana Salim is one of the best fighters in the land and our voyage needed warriors. King I am sorry for the offense, but we bring her back without a blemish.”

Again I had fucked his wife.

The King thought of this for a while and nodded once “We are not in a position to be squabbling about petty issues such as this, when the war is over we will revise these issues. For now all is forgiven.”

His eyes fell upon Alfar and ordered him to move. I was again the center of attention.

“Fiend, it’s been a while.” I walked up to my old friend and asked “Since when do you call yourself Salim?” I gave him my hand and he didn’t take it.

“Since when do you call yourself a farmer?” he questioned back. We stood there for what felt like ages without saying a word.

“You look like a diseased new born baby.” He said of my hairless appearance.

“I fucked your wife.” I said pointing towards Cora, his lips turned into a smile.

 “I fucked your sister, she is my first wife.” I smiled in return.

“Did she open the rift?” The King’s smile faded away. “No, but some of her dumb friends did, I cut their balls and had them bleed to death in the square.”

I grimaced at my friend’s ruthlessness. “Are you sure I’m the fiend?” he put a hand on my shoulder “Oh, I’m sure it is you.”

The King turned to my father “General Tobias, I’ve known Kami for a long time I was there when he decided to leave my father and you. Chain him for now and bring him to the palace. As for the rest of you” he pointed at my companions. “You are needed at the council tonight, we will expect you.”

The King left us there without another word. My father came closer and whispered to me “You are very lucky son.” I looked at my father and said something I thought I would never say “It is good to see you father.”

Cora came close to me before I was chained and asked me “What did you tell my husband? You knew him from before?” I sighed as I remember our times at the academy. “Yeah he used to be a friend, maybe he can be one again.”

Cora squinted at me “Yeah but what did you tell him to make him smile?”

“I told him that I had fucked you.” Cora was left there standing with her mouth open as I was chained and escorted towards the castle.

I needed to convince Salim to let me go so I could train magic again, I had forced myself to forget all that I had learned but now I needed it back.

I had a god to kill and some trees to grow.