Under the cover of the luminescent night sky, the group navigated the islands with swift and silent movements, their journey was not without peril nor easy, they encountered several groups of enemies along the way, but they sneaked by them and managed to prevent any more fights from breaking out, it was clear that the area was teeming with enemies, and their organized behavior suggested multiple commanders orchestrating the search.

After some time, the group located a secluded spot that offered a measure of security, it was a much-needed respite mostly for Max, a chance to rest and plan their next moves.

The pause in their journey also allowed the growing questions and concerns among the group members to come to the forefront.

Layla, aware of the mounting curiosity and uncertainty within the group, realized it was time to seek some answers, she turned her attention to Marcus as the only source of information they had because of Max’s situation, with the group gathered around in the relative safety of their hideout, Layla prepared to question Marcus.

Estelle and Zindah having established a perimeter with guards positioned around the area and in the canopy above, settled in.

Zindah, again being expressive, broke the silence first "Man, they are persistent, aren't they?" she commented.

Estelle responded with a nod "Yes, and more skilled than the people we usually fight, they’re definitely above an average soldier in terms of skill and strength" Zindah, with a characteristic nya, turned to Layla with a more direct question "Why can’t we just kill them all, Lady Layla?".

Layla let out a sigh "Because we need to know more about them" she explained "It would be dangerous to simply attack them directly, who knows what kind of tricks they have on them, we can’t risk Master’s safety".

At the mention of 'Master' Zindah and Estelle's eyes instinctively shifted to Max, feeling their gazes, Max looked back at them.

Zindah, unable to contain her curiosity, finally asked Estelle "Is that Master?"

Estelle nodded in confirmation “But…” Before she could elaborate further, Layla shot her a look that halted any further discussion.

Layla addressed Zindah's curiosity with a gentle but firm tone "It is him, but right now he is unwell" Zindah's feline characteristics were on display as she tilted her head to the side, a gesture of curiosity.

Intriguingly, Max observed Zindah's gesture and, almost surprisingly mimicked her action, this unexpected behavior caught everyone off guard, and their expressions quickly turned to ones of surprise.

Noticing the group's reaction, Max looked around at everyone before asking "What?" His voice conveyed genuine confusion.

Marcus, seized the moment to engage Max, and asked with a hint of concern "My lord, are you alright?".

Max's response was tinged with a mix of sarcasm and resignation "Excluding the fact I have no memory and it's hard to move and breathe, yeah, you could say that".

Marcus couldn't help but smile beneath his mask at Max's cynicism "Well, at least your cynical side is the same, my lord".

"So I was cynical?" Max asked a flicker of curiosity in his tone.

Marcus, sensing an opportunity to lighten the mood and perhaps spark some memories for Max replied "Oh yes, at first it was terrifying until I understood you were joking with most of what you told to us" His words were accompanied by a small genuine laugh.

The small moment took an unexpected turn with Zindah's peculiar behavior, her feline curiosity was evident as she crawled closer to Max, stopping a short distance away from him, the group watched in silence as she brought her face near his mask and sniffed him several times before muttering, "Strange".

Layla, confused by her actions asked, "What is?".

Zindah looked back at the group, her expression one of perplexity "I’ve never smelled anyone like this before" she said.

Estelle, equally confused, asked her friend for clarification "How so?".

Zindah's answer only deepened the mystery "His smell is empty" she explained.

The group exchanged confused glances, prompting Layla to probe further "What do you mean by 'empty'?".

Zindah seemed to struggle to articulate her observation "I don’t know" she admitted "I didn’t notice at first because we were moving, but…" She paused, her gaze shifting back to Layla "I couldn’t find his scent".

Then, turning her attention back to Max, Zindah continued "It's like no one is here, but…" Again she hesitated, her head tilting in a gesture of bewilderment.

"But I see him here" Zindah concluded, to emphasize her point, she reached out and gently poked Max on the helmet with her index finger.

The group, deeply confused by the implications of Zindah's observation, looked to Marcus for insights that might shed light on the perplexing situation Layla, with a sense of urgency and seriousness in her demeanor, addressed him directly "Marcus, you are the only one who can shed some light on this, what happened before you made your way here?" her eyes locked onto his.

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Marcus met Layla's gaze, his expression solemn behind the mask, he glanced toward Max "I wish to know as well" Max said, his voice carrying blunt yet a curious tone.

Acknowledging Max's request, Marcus nodded and turned back to the rest of the group, they instinctively formed a closer circle around him.

"Well, I don’t think my own story is of that importance, so I'll get it out of the way first" he began, his voice steady but reflective "I joined you after your men saved me from being a slave in the port city of Asof. I was sentenced to spend the last of my days there, working in the mines nearby. Then your men came seeking recruits for your military. The choice was simple: live as a slave until I died from exhaustion or serve and live well for a while, and die on the battlefield."

The group listened in silence, their attention fixed on Marcus, the luminescent plants that Zindah had gathered cast a soft glow around them, creating an atmosphere akin to a campfire.

Marcus continued "As you can see, I chose the latter and joined the third legion" His words painted a picture of his decision that was made that day.

Max's question broke the brief silence that had settled over the group "How big was this army I commanded?" he asked, seeking to piece together fragments of his lost identity.

Marcus responded, providing a glimpse into the scale of their forces "The Legion consisted of 250 fighting men and 750 reserves and support".

Estelle chimed in with a slight hint of skepticism "Not much of a legion" she remarked.

Marcus turned to her, his tone hard and direct "More than anyone can field in that cursed continent" he said, alluding to the challenging conditions of the continent.

Layla, seizing the moment, posed another question to Marcus "How many legions were there?".

Marcus's answer, however, was unexpectedly vague "Well, that is something I don’t know" he admitted.

The group fell silent, absorbing this surprising admission, Layla's frustration was evident as she responded with a hint of anger in her voice "This is not amusing me, Marcus. You don’t know what happened, you don’t know where you were going, and now this?" her tone conveyed her growing impatience with the lack of clear answers.

Marcus met her gaze, unflinching and resolute "This is how it always was" he countered, his voice firm "You know that, just as much as me".

Marcus's explanation offered a glimpse into the past several years that Max was not with her but still not enough information to inform something substantial "We were never told more than what we needed to know at the moment" he explained, shaking his head slightly "Hell, most of us didn’t even know where our supplies came from. In truth, all of us were given a purpose and a place to stay in that hell, and that was it. Follow your orders until you die" he said.

Marcus paused for a moment, allowing the weight of his words to sink in "Just like they told us from the start".

Max, still trying to piece together some parts of his past and the structure of the army he once commanded, voiced a logical concern "But surely someone knew something. There's no way an army can function like that".

Marcus nodded in agreement "Yes, there were some who knew more" he said, taking a deep breath before continuing "They were your soldiers, the ones who followed you. They served as commanders of the legion and the squads. They were the only ones who communicated between the different units, including handling logistics and higher orders".

“My soldiers?” Max asked, “Then what were you?”.

“Part of the Legion, under your rule, you did not bother with us”.

Marcus's narrative continued to shed light on the structure and dynamics within their military operations "But aside from that, we were blind to most things happening" he added returning to the previous point and emphasizing the limited knowledge the average soldier had "We were simply told what to do. We only knew you by name for most of my time there, but..." He paused, a smile playing on his lips, recalling a different story "You joined our legion for a while, mostly doing clerical work. You didn’t really leave your office much".

He continued, his smile growing "But you did spend some time with the men, including myself. That's where I met you and let me tell you, you were definitely different from what I was told".

Max, intrigued, asked, "Oh, and how was I described?".

Marcus's response was candid "Truth be told, scary, ruthless, cruel, and hard, but more than anything, divine".

The word 'divine' echoed in Max's mind, causing him to repeat it in confusion "Divine?".

"Yes" Marcus affirmed bluntly "You don’t remember, and the rest here don’t know. They didn’t see what we saw there, no mortal could survive there more than a day in the places you went to, and yet you did for years. How could that be anything other than divine?".

Marcus's story took a darker turn as he started to delve into the events leading up to their current situation, he turned to Layla, his expression grave, indicating the seriousness of what he was about to reveal "As for your current situation, this I also don’t know much about… only this," he began, his voice low.

"They came to our post" Marcus continued, the memory etched in his mind "I don’t know how many there were, but they were all dying, butchered. Some had missing parts of their heads, I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life".

He paused, closing his eyes as if reliving the horror of that moment "We were terrified more than any other time there. 'What happened?' we asked. 'Who could have done that to your men?' We didn’t know..." His voice trailed off, hinting at how terrifying the moment was.

"And then I was approached by them" As he said that he looked Layla straight in the eyes, Layla's reaction was immediate as she stiffened at the mention of 'them' She was the only one who understood the reason Marcus did not name them directly.

"They told me to take the device to an airship and fly to these coordinates, to protect you, that's it" Marcus explained "I took a group of my men and one of yours".

Estelle, piecing together some of the information, sought clarification from Marcus "One? Do you mean the one we saw near the airship?" she asked, her mind connecting the dots.

Marcus turned to her, his expression confirming her hypothesis, Estelle, processing this new piece of information, continued "Wait, the injuries he had weren’t inflicted on him recently then".

Marcus shook his head confirming her suspicions "No" he replied bluntly "He was like that when we left the continent".

Estelle, taken aback, pressed further for details "What? But wait, how long was that?".

"Two months" Marcus answered.

The revelation that someone had survived in such a grievous state for two months was staggering, Estelle struggled to comprehend the resilience and endurance it would take to survive under those conditions.

All she knew was that no human could.

Marcus then turned his attention to Layla, his tone apologetic yet earnest "I’m sorry, I don’t know much about all this. All I can say is that our master needs to survive no matter what. Whatever he was doing there, whatever he was fighting there, is still out there, and we need him, we all do".