“Forgive me, Lolpy.” Kaldiro rubbed his hands together. He was feeling cold, old and helpless. “Just one more campaign.” His bones ached, protesting against his mind, driving it into another war.

Kaldiro was too old. He had wanted to spend his days with the children. Little Hamny had just started to grow her real teeth, Zeo was preparing to enter the army, and Hene had asked out Vicky. A couple of siblings were now old enough to search for work, and another couple were about to get married.

Those were all important points in the kids' lives. Kaldiro had thought he would be able to spend time with them and accompany them. It was all that he had left.

Yet, he was standing in front of an army yet again. Kaldiro looked behind him at the determined faces of the brave warriors. They would not stop, even if innocent children stood in their way. They would slaughter them all.

Their shiny armour, glistening weapons and sharp minds. They would use it all to reach for the Eternity. Rows upon words, thousands of trusty swords raised against the chosen target - these soldiers were what kept the Empire safe.

Kaldiro looked back at the podium set up in front of the standing force. The chosen General for the offensive was giving his speech. Chareny vaxed about the great purpose and stopping the evil. He praised everyone and regretted that it came to this.

It was a great speech, all things considered. But Kaldiro was not moved. He agreed the cleansing had to be done, but he did not want to dress it up as anything else but slaughter.

“-stands with us. Our God’s chosen will lead us in our path. With the ‘Torch’s’ fiery gaze, his judgment will pass over the land, destroying the corrupt!” Chareny’s voice boomed.

That was the sign. Kaldiro straightened, ignoring the pain in his back. He held his chin high and walked to the podium.

Normally, Kaldiro would have moved with the Temple’s forces. They were more effective, faster, and knew the true danger of what lay inside Tordgo.

Unfortunately, that was not Kaldiro’s choice to make. There were always a few Inquisitors accompanying the troops. Because of his blunder with Perhey, he was forced into this.

It was not a desired position. It meant babysitting a bunch of hot-headed men and women eager to prove their worth. It meant the Inquisitor responsible for the army had to keep them away from the true danger and, if that failed, take care of the corrupted people.

But the Temple’s politics had never been where Kaldiro had exceeded. And when a wealthy merchant, famous for his generous donations, made a lot of noise… Rightfully so, but…

Kaldiro sighed. If only he had managed to protect Perhey, he would not have been strongarmed into this position by the Elders. Yanto had come with his lap full of accusations, forcing the Temple to listen through the language of money.

And Yanto wasn’t wrong. That battle still did not sit well with Kaldiro. There had been too many mistakes.

Failing to kill Silinth and the kids… Losing his ward and bringing the boy’s ashes back to a grieving father. Letting the corruption spread…

Kaldiro had trully failed. He roused himself from the thoughts, finding himself standing on the podium next to Chareny. The general nodded, giving him a spot before the expectant faces.

The worshipful, awestruck faces sickened Kaldiro. They did not see him for what he was but what he represented. His fame had grown too large for a simple servant of God.

But now, he was the ‘Torch’, not a simple servant. He was a legend, centuries old and a bulwark against all evil. His presence was what protected these people's homes. He was not a man but an ideal - a role very familiar to him.

“My children,” Kaldiro’s voice carried freely over the suddenly silent field. His eyes passed over the young generation of the Empire. He recognised a few - a couple he had raised himself.

They had not listened to his objections and joined the war - no, obliteration of human lives. “For centuries, we have fought, kept our homes safe. For centuries, the enemy has sat at our doorstep.” He was suitably vague.

It was prudent to not tell them too much. “Again and again, we have smitten it, chased it, tried to erase it from these wast lands.” He rekindled the old grudge against the Great sinners. “Years ago, in the last war, we thought we had dealt with the danger to Eternity. We fought a bloody war and left our friends and brothers and sisters in those cursed lands. We won and scorched the previous Kindom.”

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“As we did in the war before,” Kaldiro raised his voice, letting flames spread from his body. It was all for a show, but motivated soldiers had a better chance of surviving. “And the one before that!” He inwardly apologised to Chareny, who had to hop down from the podium to avoid the billowing fire.

“There had been many wars!” Kaldiro raised his flaming fist. “And we won them all!” He swung it down to emphasise his words. It was a shame there was nothing to shatter with his fist. “And we will win again!” His roar echoed above the field.

The excited rows of soldiers returned the roar with one of their own. They forgot their discipline, threw their hands in the air, and raised their weapons.

Kaldiro ignored it, hoping the commanding officers would not punish anyone for their emotional outburst. Then again, he noticed most of the officers joining the upheaval.

After a sufficiently long moment had passed, Kaldiro swung his hand horizontally, cutting the noise and restoring silence. “But!” He let the word hang in the air.

“But we made a mistake.” Kaldiro let the flames behind him turn turbulent, roaring and all-encompassing. “They always returned, the cursed people of the past. And why is that?” He posed a question, not waiting for an answer.

“Because we were too soft!” Kaldiro now sold the sin they were about to start. Yet, he didn’t stop. “We didn’t kill everyone, leaving the helpless, children, old people and other dregs alive. We didn’t burn everything. We left some fields untouched. We instilled new governments. We didn’t raze their temples.” He counted on his fingers.

“And where has this brought us?” Kaldiro asked another question. “To another war! To another path where many of you might lose lives. It leads us to another sacrifice we now must make for the sake of Eternity!” His voice was full of rage. “How can we tolerate it? He asked another question. “We can’t!” And he answered it.

“So what shall we do?” Kaldiro wasn’t done. His voice was every-raising - boosted by the Divine and his magical capability. It thundered, filling the voice with his and his God’s will.

“We shall finish it once and for all!” Kaldiro let himself shine with the overwhelming might he possessed. “We shall cleanse the land, leave nothing behind.” His merciless words shook the world. “We shall destroy the roots of the evil, raze the pestering, foul cities. We shall banish all souls that inhibit the cursed Kingdom. We shall make sure our families stay forever safe from the taint.

“We shall leave no survivors. We shall shatter their cradle. We shall ensure the world and our people are safe. We are the heroes!” Kaldiro was relentless. “We are the saviours! We are the righteous! We must not let our hearts waver!”

“No matter what, we shall prevail. We are the future and eternity!” Kaldiro knew it was time to end the speech. The burning zeal in everyone's eyes was enough. He couldn’t push them more than this.

If Kaldiro went too far, he would be making inhuman zealots of them. That was not his goal. They still had to return to their families to heal their wounded minds after the horrors they were about to commit. They still needed to continue to support the Empire and build it for future generations.

“We are the hammer of righteousness!” Kaldiro didn’t let his regrets show. “And we will not be stopped!” He spoke with surety. “Again! What are we? We are HEROES!”

As the last word blanketed over the field, a magnificent cheer broke out beneath it. The so-called heroes repeated the ‘Torch’s’ words. They called themselves heroes, oblivious of how they would be asked to kill children, desecrate holy places and end all life in their path.

Kaldiro kept his tears from spilling. He scorched any signs of regret from his face. His feeble, old stature momentarily was that of a young man, full of spirit and hope for life - yet untainted by what the world held.

Then, he stepped off the podium. Kaldiro walked back to his place at the front of the army, letting General Chareny retake the spot.

Here, Kaldiro’s job was done. But there were more armies for him to brainwash into madness. He would wait for the little Chareny to finish, then head for the next gathering of children.

There, Kaldiro would become the ‘Torch’ once again. “Soon now, Lolpy. This must be done.” His mutters didn’t travel far, leaving everyone else but his God oblivious to his wishes.

Walking closer to the lines of excited lines of troops tormented Kaldiro. He knew many of them would not survive the campaign.

Perhaps at the start…

Tordgo was weak - much weaker than the Empire. And they were already at war, having moved their supplies and regiments to the opposite end of the country.

But once King Oispio realised what the Mualtra Empire was doing…

Kaldiro shuddered, knowing how powerful someone could become once cornered. An assured death was a great motivator - in some ways, greater than what he had done today.

These sins…

Even if Kaldiro knew it was for everyone’s sake, he knew Lolpy would not have approved. He hoped she would forgive him in time when he joined her in the Eternity.

Behind him, the clamour didn’t stop. Even as the General spoke, they watched the ‘Torche’s’ wide back, ignoring the actual age Kaldiro was.

As the prepared speech came to a conclusion, Kaldiro sighed. He had to move now and hurry towards the next act.

For tomorrow...

For tomorrow, the Kingdom of Tordgo’s end would begin.