“Hello there.” The Ashiron general stated as he walked close enough to Isil.

Isil stood, and patted the dirt off her pants. “General,” She nodded to him, smiling slightly.

“I would like to thank you for your assistance with the trachyon earlier. Had you not been able to distract it, I fear it would’ve crippled out mages and left us defenseless.” The general said politely.

Would’ve done much more than that had you not stole my kill… Isil thought to herself. “It’s of no trouble. The thing had already swallowed my horse whole, I had reason to attempt to kill it.”

“That much is understandable. On the topic, how will you get about? We are far from civilization out here, and it would be very time consuming to travel on foot. Would you like to come with us?”

“That’s a very kind offer. Where might you be headed?”

“Our destination is one of our military camps across the Eitrl, just southwest of Suugant. It should be easy to get a horse from there.” The general kindly suggested.

Isil smiled and accepted the offer, thanking him for his generosity. On the inside, however, she was extremely suspicious. Surely the man wasn’t an idealist who only saw the best in people. Surely his head was not so full of flowers and rainbows that he did not suspect her as a spy. Granted, the man was young, but was most certainly not dumb. Becoming a general in any army was no mean feat. Corruption and bloodlines would make advancement easier, but you at least had to have some skill to obtain higher ranks. His actions left her utterly confused about his purpose.

Despite her misgivings, she followed him. So long as an attacker didn’t catch her utterly by surprise, she was confident she could handle whatever was thrown at her.

-_-Time Passes – Perspective: Ashiron Royal Army General Maxim-_-

The woman was most definitely someone to watch carefully. Though she seemed younger than him, someone who had become a general at the ripe age of 37, she was very powerful. A single spell from her was powerful enough to sear through a trachyon’s leg in a manner of seconds. What’s more, it was cast in a single second, and after casting the first, she had instantly prepared five more of those same balls of fire. That simple demonstration alone had certainly inspired fear into his heart.

He had conversed with his mages after having them come under his command, and he knew the limits of their power fairly well. The mysterious mage’s use of that single spell had surpassed the limits of an entire battalion of royal mages. Therefore, when he had willingly led her into the convoy, he was uncertain of his own decision. However, the power that the mysterious mage showed… he wanted it badly. He led her here in the hopes that she was both unaffiliated and not hostile to Ashiron. He could already imagine the destruction he would be able to cause to the Empire if he could control her. If he wanted her allegiance, he knew a large sacrifice was necessary. But just what would move her…?

There was, of course, the use of one of the rare ‘Mind-Wipers’ the Confederacy had. Her power was considerable, and it would be difficult to get her to lower her guard to allow a ‘Mind-Wiper’ to wipe her. What’s more, those fools in the Senate would demand that she be kept under their own control, instead of Ashiron’s. If one of the fools messed with the brainwashing that would come after the ‘Mind-Wiper’, the results would be disastrous.

An easier way was to simply buy her loyalty, but the only problem was her asking price, or even if she was willing to be bought. Another was to earn her loyalty, but that was far too time-consuming and uncertain to work. His last idea was to make her indebted to Ashiron or him personally, but there would be precious little chances to do so unless she was willing to stick around, which he doubted she was.

Maxim’s options weren’t as numerous as he liked, and brooding over it only made him pessimistic. What’s more, she seemed familiar, like he had known her at one point. He sat down at his desk, gazing over the map of the continent. As he drummed his fingers on the table, his mind turned back to the war situation. Controlling the mysterious mage would be next to impossible, so his thoughts turned to more tangible questions.

His gaze wondered over the Deadlands, thinking about the dangers the monsters inside it posed. Suugant was close to the Deadlands, if one could consider seven hundred kilometers close. Magic beasts were terrifying things however, and even the Empire would fall within weeks if they all charged, and that was only because it was so expansive.

Let’s just hope that nothing leaves, otherwise the Sovereign will…

Maxim froze.

It… it can’t be…

His body trembled.

Di-did I seriously try…

His breathing grew heavier, and he clutched at his chest. He looked over his shoulder slowly, as if in pain. His eyes searched wildly for something only he knew. He rose from his chair, his breathing becoming more and more labored every step. He tripped and fell to his knees, but he stretched out his hand and grabbed a book off his bed. He opened it, fingers trembling harder with each turn of a page. He turned the pages, all while struggling to rise.

Stolen story; please report.

Suddenly, he stopped. As if time had frozen, he stood there. His swimming eyes lost their vigor, and dulled. The spark in his eyes went out, and his grip on the book slackened, allowing it to fall to the ground. The impact caused the pages to turn and reveal a page. On the page was a colored drawing of a woman. It was an odd angle. The woman’s back was mostly turned, leaving only a portion of her face revealed. She did not hold a sword, but instead a silver cylinder from which a golden beam roughly the length of her torso extended from. It was obvious lots of effort was made into depicting the woman’s face, rather than the rest of the body.

The most prominent feature was her left eye. It glowed with an orange and red light, the artist’s skill making it seem like live flames. A thin, jagged scar ran through the eye diagonally, faint enough that it seemed nearly healed. Her long black hair scattered in the air, as if receiving a strong wind, revealing pointed elf ears. Even in just a drawing, many could tell that she was a beauty. Though the scars were not present, and the eye color was closer to brown, it was the same face as the mysterious mage he had invited in.

Suddenly, as Maxim was just beginning to move, he sensed an intangible presence close by him. Instantly, he was frozen by the surge of power he felt coming from it.

“You are Silenced.” Words without voice sounded, declaring law.

Maxim’s mind shook, the shock instantly knocking him senseless. By invisible hands, the book on the floor was closed, then dragged into the air and was slowly turned to dust. The presence retreated, and Maxim was left alone in his room.

With a blink, he returned to his senses. He looked around the room in confusion. He pulled slightly at his shirt, noticing how sweaty he was.

What was I doing again?

-_-Perspective: Main-_-

The convoy had finally arrived at their destination. Isil rolled her neck, the sometimes violent shaking of the wagon having given her multiple aching joints. The camp resided on their side of the Eitrl, protected from view by a copse of trees. She could see Suugant in the distance, its Emperor’s Tower rising high into the sky. A large wall defended the insides of the city, while large plots of farmland resided outside it. Isil thought back to her previous sojourns to the city.

The people of Suugant were much like the rest of the Ulblaadaan Empire, war-hungry and stubborn. Most of the men in the city were either in, or had served in the army. Even the women were often rude and demanding. These qualities often led to conflicts between the citizens, which could only be settled through violence. Rather than having fights in the streets, the Emperor established the Emperor’s Tower.

The Emperor’s Tower functioned not only a symbol of the Emperor’s power, but also as a fighting arena. The grounds around the Tower were meant for settling conflicts between non-citizens, citizens and non-citizens, and citizens and other citizens. However, inside the tower was much like a dungeon game. Climbing the tower was meant to prove your worth as a warrior. The higher you climbed, the more respect you earn. On the top floor, you would challenge a Tower Guardian. This tower guardian was someone who had either bested or matched the Emperor in one-on-one combat.

Defeating said tower guardian would allow one the honor of challenging the Emperor or replacing the tower guardian. It would not matter what option the challenger chose, they would earn respect only second to the Emperor. Be it man, woman, or child, all could earn their fame through the Emperor’s Tower. For all its war-mongering actions, the Empire was a surprising bastion of equality.

Of course, Isil had no intention of challenging the Tower. She had already done that in the capitol, and felt exhausted just thinking about it. She distracted herself by rolling a blue marble around her fingers. It was one of the few entertainment items she had brought with her on the trip. Normally, she would practice magic to cure her boredom, but she certainly couldn’t show off with so many mages around. She was fairly certain that her magic was not on the same level as rank and file army mages.

“Looks like we’re here.” One of the mages, Terkil, told her.

“I see. It’s hidden quite well.” Isil remarked, noticing the complex array of camouflage spells.

“I’m surprised you can see it. The camouflage algorithms took our mages ten years to make, and there’s four of them here.” Terkil laughed, impressed with her perceptions.

Camouflage algorithms were mage constructs that dictated how illusions reacted to the world. A high-quality camouflage algorithm like Terkil had mentioned was very expensive, but could make a giant standing in a flat plain practically invisible. It was because Isil didn’t know how to make a camouflage algorithm that she was restricted to only disguising her face in minor ways, like hiding her scars and making her ears seem human.

“It’s mostly due to my mana perception – it’s hard to see with sight alone.” Isil laughed and shook off the compliment.

“Then you’re already far better than me, I could never get mana perception down. In training, we -” Terkil began to talk excitedly.

“Terkil!” A different mage cut off his next words.

“Ah, sorry,” Terkil apologized to the mage, then turned back to Isil. “Sorry, we’re not supposed to talk about our training. Top secret, you see.”

“That’s fine. I understand.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking...” Terkil seemed to hesitate.

“If you’re worried about offending me, then don’t be. I’m sure you don’t mean anything by it.”

“Well, it’s just… I noticed you seemed very capable – I don’t think I’d be able to cast a fire spell that spread that quick, nor conjured more right after. I know it isn’t polite to ask about training methods and all that, so I was just wondering… How long did it take you to train that well? Would I be able to achieve it in my lifetime?”

“Ah, so it was an age question. Don’t be so nervous about asking something like that, I’m a mage too. Any mage worth his salt will tell you magic takes a long time to perfect. Besides, even if I was as old as your grandma, wouldn’t my youthful looks still be a source of pride?” Isil couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Right, that was silly of me,” Terkil laughed in embarrassment. “Still, do you think I’d ever be able to reach your level?”

Isil pondered over that for a moment. Her strength was due to the fact that it came from when the world was still a game. Without a leveling system, she didn’t know how a person could match her. However, she didn’t feel the need to be so pessimistic about it and break the young man’s enthusiasm. It could still be possible through a series of lucky breaks.

“Well, you not be able to walk without a cane by the time you do, but it should still be possible.” Isil stated.

“Ah…” Terkil deflated a little. “Well, at least you think I’ll reach your level sometime.”

“Don’t be so dispirited, my predictions are often inaccurate.”

Terkil opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the all-stop order. The wagon jerked to a stop, shaking Isil’s head around and getting hair in her face. She calming brushed it out of her face, thinking she might need to tie it into a ponytail. She got out with the rest of the mages in the wagon. She quickly began moving to the front of the convoy to meet up with General Maxim.

Though she maintained her cool exterior, she was reaching the end of her rope. Turbulent emotions boiled inside her, waiting to spill out. Her questions only gnawed more and more at her heart. She had to find answers in the ruins, or it would destroy her.