It had been many years since he last saw them, so he had almost forgotten they existed—the Azure Sea Company he formed several decades ago, the Ashwolf Clan, the marauders, Old Yule, the ten commanders, and the rest. Oscar glanced over the younger Fenu from head to toe, astonished by the rejuvenating effect of advancing to the next major realm. The old wolf who tried to marry off his granddaughter to him was no longer marred by wrinkles, his arms of steely sinew and shining skin. Struggling to speak, Oscar panted as one of his blue antlers cracked loudly, a branch falling off and shattering like ice on the ground.

"Hurry, young lord! You don't have time." Fenu frantically gestured for Oscar to follow, knowing of Oscar's Guise and its drawbacks.

Oscar blinked, Fenu's figure quickly scampering behind the icy slope. It seemed he had no choice and rushed after Fenu's trail, but the snow wasn't kind to his plight, piling on and covering up the faint tracks. Fenu returned and grasped Oscar's arm, dragging him further down the base of the snowy mountain. They turned a corner, and Oscar saw a dazzling cavern, the walls of smooth, dense ice as icicles dangled from the ceiling like the finest chandeliers. Here, the chill diminished to a soft cold that pressed gently on his face, not harsh and lacking a frosty bite.

"I found this network of caverns a few months ago. They extend far deep underground and spread to wide areas. It may take over a hundred years to search the entire place." Fenu breathed into his hand, lips spouting flames that clung to his palm. Oscar breathed easily as the warmth of the fire spread, looking in the countless columns of ice, corridors leading to parts unknown. Fenu stopped before a series of caverns, mumbling softly as his gaze flickered to each one.

"Don't remember?" Oscar asked, tilting his head, confused at his advisor from the Burning Valley.

"Got it!" Fenu clapped his hands, smiling as he pointed toward a certain cavern. He merrily strode over, the tapping of his steps echoing sharply against the smooth ice.

"Fenu," Oscar called out, bending under a short ceiling of icicles, "How did you become a Marshal Exalt? What happened to the Azure Sea Company?"

Fenu laughed, patting his chest, not too hard as if he believed his bones were weak, the instincts and habits of an elder seemingly hard to break free from. The rejuvenated elder brushed his hand over the healthy bed of black hair. "After you and the miss left, Master Sevon and Adam helped for a few years before leaving. Our good luck hadn't run out even after you all left. Every so often, in Shattirma, large continental lands can crash into one another."

"You crashed into a more powerful continent?" Oscar suspected this since the Burning Valley was limited to Knight Exalts due to the weaker concentration of Ein, losing the right to natural grade-four resources and ample Ein for advancement to Marshal Exalt.

"Even better. Our lands crashed into two others, with the same problems as the Burning Valley. But after the untimely crash, the Eins of our three lands combined and gave birth to newer Ein. Ah, you should have been there, young lord. You and the miss would have loved the sparks. The entire Burning Valley trembled with glee." Fenu lively retold the story, gesturing and exclaiming with varying emotions like a stage actor. Evidently, he was enjoying his new youth. Fenu's voice darkened, "War erupted. But we were stronger, taught by you and the others. Their lands also had varying factions. They easily fell apart once we bought out a few of them."

"What kind of lands are they?" Oscar slid through a narrow gap, wondering how far Fenu had traveled.

"One was an ocean, and the other was a forest. With the command structure you put in place, we expanded into the conquered lands. It had been almost a hundred years since then. I quickly broke through to the Marshal Exalt after the new Ein graced our land and became a Greater now." Fenu sighed and scaled a frost-ridden cliff. "I have to thank you, young lord. This future was impossible once, but you achieved it for us. We all owe you our gratitude."

Oscar leaped onto the cliff and stuck his heels into the ice, afraid of slipping. Faint shadows lurking behind icy pillars attracted his gaze as it darted to each one. Slowly, they emerged, and Oscar's eyes raised, his pupils flickering with a mellow light as he recalled many of them. A burst of pain swelled in his chest, forcing a wince from his brow as his hand palmed his heart. Darkness misted the edges of his vision, and the faces of those he wished to forget flashed before his mind.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

They lined behind Fenu, who turned to him and knelt, clanking his knee on the ice. The others followed suit, the sounds of their dropped knees striking Oscar's body like spears thrusting through him. Oscar was dripping sweat, his arms and legs turning pale as a sheet, numb and shaking. He didn't want to hear it. Having Fenu bow alone was fine, but not this, not again. Their figures overlapped with warriors of black and gold, symbols of an aegis decorating their medallion. But the next words from the eleven kneeling by his feet made his heart lose control, but the blood grew colder with each beat.

"Fenu, the advisor, and the division captains greet the young lord!" Their shout silenced the pounding in his ears, but now the shout ran rampant in his thoughts, gaining in volume. Sweating profusely, Oscar held down his groan and eyed each one. As his gaze swept past, they all introduced themselves.

"First Division Captain Desmond stands ready!" Desmond, the former leader of the marauder gang, smiled fiercely. His face had more scars, indications of the intense battles he had fought. His rippling Ein that cracked the ice beneath him was definitely a Greater Marshal Exalt's.

"Second Division Captain Fen Arcwolf greets the young lord. It has been a long time, indeed." Fen smiled gracefully. Oscar recalled she was Fenu's granddaughter. Last he saw her, she was a Middle Knight Exalt, and now she was a Middle Marshal Exalt. A realization struck Oscar.

"Where is Arc?" As Oscar asked about Fen's father, the second division captain since the formation of the Azure Sea Company, everyone lowered their head, shadows darkening their faces. It was clear as day what had happened to Arc.

"My father failed to enter the Marshal Exalt realm and died shortly after," Fen wiped some tears while Fenu turned away, gritting his teeth. Desmond clenched his hands, drawing blood that painted spots of ice into scarlet red.

"I see…." Oscar remained silent, then resumed to the others.

"Third Division Captain Lilian Harris will fight the young lord!" Lilian smiled and clapped her hands together. She was a Middle Knight Exalt.

"Fourth Division Captain Noben is here to represent the Meyer Family! My father would have been overjoyed to meet you once more, young lord!" Right, the previous captain was a man named Novis, who Oscar remembered always had a piece of jerky in his mouth. Oscar grimaced slightly.

"Fifth Division Captain Alda Irongrip is here to crush the enemies of our young lord." Alda bashed his gauntlets together, sparks spewing from scraping metal. He was a Greater Knight Exalt.

"Sixth Division Captain Rowan here and breathing." Rowan adjusted his glasses.

"Seventh Division Captain Eveline is always here to cleave our enemies!" A Middle Marshal Exalt, Eveline pounded the head of her great axe on the ice, shaking some icicles off their bases that clattered on the floor, ice shattering into powdered snow.

"Eighth Division Captain Malvo here in place of my fallen grandfather. The Drakes will serve." Malvo Drake stomped his heavy boot on the ice. He was a Lower Marshal Exalt.

"Ninth Division Captain Magnus Steele will carry out your will!" Magnus was the calmest, his voice undisturbed.

"Tenth Division Captain Asher Wiele is still here. With my husband, we will not shirk from our duty." Asher coughed into her lone sleeves, smiling toward Desmond, her husband. She turned back and said, "Our daughter, Aster, whom you named, is not here. We stalled her progress to avoid her being here. So rest assured, young lord."

"The Azure Sea Company is assembled once more to follow under your command, young lord!" Fenu exclaimed, and everyone nodded.

More pain, more irritation rotting in his heart as Oscar felt his lungs tighten, less air traveling down his neck. Clamping his mouth shut to avoid gasping, he looked at his one remaining blue antler, his shaken mind unraveling it, pieces chipping away and flickering out of existence. He quickly asked Fenu where his quarters were so he could rest. Fenu happily obliged and led Oscar to a chamber with a makeshift bed knitted from furs stacked on one another. Oscar closed the door, finally alone, and wheezed, his arms and legs giving in as he clattered to the floor.

'Not again. Why me? Why always me?' Oscar grasped his chest, a chilling pain spearing through his ribcage. The faces came back. Fred. Emily. Everyone. He pulled himself up but stumbled and slammed his knees against the ice. 'How many more am I to lead to die?' Desperate, Oscar reached into his space pocket, swiped his gaze across the myriad of plants and herbs from Volten's treasury, and pulled several out. He munched on them, the foul, bitter taste filling his mouth, green liquid dripping down his chin. Since he was more resistant, the rampaging Ein from ingesting raw herbs didn't hurt too much.

He went on the bed and buried himself in the fur, his teeth clacking madly as his joints and bones creaked. The last blue antler cracked and fell apart, his Guise fading like a dying flame. Oscar gulped, his heart beating normally as the last chill exited his mouth. Still, the question stabbed into his mind. 'How many more am I to lead to die?'