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Chapter 32

Chapter 32

After I reported to the war council about my suspicions that the emperor was the divine guardian of war, the generals decided it would be best not to make that information public. The revelation would only affect the army’s morale, and we were already fighting an uphill battle. A report was hastily sent back to the capital, but the situation only reinforced our need to wait for the Yamadian army, who were still over a week away.

On top of all that, after I mentioned that the only supplies I found were minimal and that the entranced soldiers seemed to be sustained by divine power, they decided there was no point in launching sabotage missions against them.

“It seems like the only option is to wait… and hope we can hold out if the enemy goes on the offensive.” General Wheeler said with a heavy sigh. Even a novice like me knew that it was unlikely that things would go smoothly. We prepared what we could, brainstorming possible fortifications and increasing the patrols along the walls.

The next day, the orders received were as expected: Defend until reinforcements arrived. I sat atop the wall, in the same spot as before, looking out over the plains. I focused my senses on feeling for the foreign stella, and now that I knew it was there, it was relatively easy to sense. The whole situation left me incredibly uneasy, but there wasn’t anything I could do to ease my worry. After confirming there was still no movement in the enemy camp, I focused on myself and started my meditation. It had become a routine for me to enjoy the breeze and setting sun at the end of every day while I worked on controlling my stella and discovering what kept affecting my mind.

About an hour later, I heard footsteps on the brick approaching me and opened my eyes to see Lucia. “Any luck today?”

“Nope.” I shook my head with a small smile. I had discussed my situation with my friends to see if they had any ideas. We hadn’t been able to come up with any solid theories, but it still helped to verbalize them. “It feels like I’m right on the verge of connecting with it… but I just can’t get there yet.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, actually.” the knight sat down beside me, putting her back against the wall. “Both times it has happened, you’ve fought against it, right?”

As I remembered the night the assassin attacked, I realized I had been so consumed by anger that I hadn’t resisted the pull much. “The first time… I just let it happen. It hadn’t felt like I lost control, but that my intentions aligned with my emotions.” I stared at my hand and made a fist. “Unlike that time, when it was directed at you and Abel, I truly didn’t want to hurt you… But the thoughts were still there, and when I resisted…” I trailed off as I realized what Lucia was trying to say. “Maybe trying to force it out isn’t the answer,” I say, staring at my hand.

The knight nodded, and my goddess seemed to agree.

“It would make sense. Whatever this phenomenon is, it’s still a part of you.” Aurora said, humming in thought. “Perhaps the best course of action is to wait until it happens again, then meet it with acceptance rather than fear.”

I clenched my fist, my heart pounding at the thought of letting those dark thoughts take control. “It scares me to think that those feelings and actions might truly be my own…” I say, my voice trembling slightly across our bond.

“Even if they are, it will never change who you are, my guardian.” My goddess's warm voice helped ease the fear in my chest.

“Thank you for the insight. I’m lucky to have you as my friend, Lucia.” I say, turning to her.

Her face flushed slightly, and she looked away. She’s so adorable! Even if she is older than me… “I didn’t do much. I was just voicing ideas until one stuck.” She stood up, brushing herself off before pulling me up as well. “Dinner should be done by now. Shall we go eat?”

I graciously allowed her to change the subject and nodded with a laugh. “Yes! I’m starving! Do you know what’s on the menu?” I asked, holding my stomach dramatically as we walked. The rest of the night passed peacefully as I enjoyed sitting around the crackling campfire with my friends and Anthony’s squad, talking about nothing in particular. When the sun finally vanished from view, allowing the night sky to take its place, Lucia and I headed to our tent, ready to let sleep claim us.

“What’s wrong, Audrey?” Lucia asked, pausing with her hand on the flap of our tent as I stopped, staring at the myriads of twinkling stars above.

“Nothing,” I say simply, still looking up. “I just wonder how people like the emperor can seek to hurt others when we all share the same beautiful sky.”

She moved to stand beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder as she also took in the starry expanse. “It’s human nature and nothing more. For good to exist, there needs to be bad. How would we know the difference otherwise?” Lucia sighs as we look at each other, giving me a wry smile. “Humans are inherently greedy creatures. Whether it’s money, love, happiness, or something else… We want what we want, and we strive to hold it within our grasp and protect what’s ours. Some of us are just more considerate of others while doing so.”

The knight turned away, moving to enter the tent once again. “It’s that consideration that really defines who’s ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ If you think about it that way, we are no different than the emperor at our core. We just have different standards for how we pursue the goals we set.” With that, she disappears into the tent, but I look back at the sky, admiring how beautiful the moon shines this far away from the city.

I wonder what the world would look like if people worked in the interest of others instead of themselves. Wouldn’t that mean everyone is taken care of in turn? But I knew better than anyone that Lucia’s words rang true, so I pushed the naive thoughts away, entered the tent, and settled in for the night.

***

My eyes shot open as my stella reacts to something. Quickly sitting up, I listened intently for any disturbance outside the tent but didn’t hear anything. Still… Something’s wrong. I get off the cot I had been on, shaking the dredges of sleep away, and move to wake Lucia, who responds quickly due to her training.

“What’s going on, Audrey?” she asks, the sleep already gone from her voice as we both hurry to don our armor and swords.

“I’m not sure, but it’s not good,” I say as we exit the tent. Judging by where the moon is currently, we’d only been asleep a few hours. It was still the middle of the night, so the camp was deathly silent, save the few patrols along the walls and through camp. We stopped a pair of soldiers and asked them to wake Abel up, and then Lucia and I ran to the wall. As we climb the stairs, the feeling in my body only gets worse until we overlook the field between the two armies.

“I can’t see anything…” Lucia mumbled as we peered into the darkness. The moon was only a sliver in the sky, so there wasn’t enough light to clearly make out anything, even in the open plains.

“Try infusing some stella into your eyes, my guardian.” My goddess suggested, and I did just that. It took a minute to find the right balance, but now I could clearly see in the darkness as if the sun were out. I could even see further and with more clarity than usual.

“I didn’t know this was a thing! Why didn’t you mention it sooner?!” I asked while scanning the field, but I didn’t hear my goddess’s response as my eyes found the source of my discomfort. My heart freezes as I turn to Lucia and push her back toward the stairs.

“Sound the alarm! The imperials are attacking!” Being the ever-capable knight, she doesn’t even turn back to question me, ignoring the stairs as she launches herself back into camp with a spray of water. I turn back to the field, where I see what I can only describe as a horde of soldiers approach. They hadn’t even made it halfway across the field, but thanks to my enhanced vision, I could see that the soldiers were still expressionless under the control of the emperor's divine power.

They held no actual formation and just walked toward the wall in a constant stream that stretched all the way back into their camp. The shouts of alarm started to ring out from the tents behind me, and I could hear the clanking of armor and weapons as the kingdom’s army began to wake up and prepare for battle.

Refocusing, I narrowed my vision on the imperial soldiers at the front of the advance and gasped when I saw one of their gazes meet mine, no longer holding that lifeless look. His face twisted into an expression that sent a shiver down my spine, with a grin that bordered on crazy. We were still so far away from each other, but I could tell he was looking right at me. Out of reflex, I channeled mana through the shadows, impaling the soldier with a shadow spear that vanished soon after. A small part of me grimaced at the sight of killing someone, but I knew that the imperial soldiers were nothing more than puppets at this point.

Yet, I wasn’t spared from that insane look as the next soldier's face warped into a manic grin, as if something possessed them. Again, the soldier’s eyes immediately locked onto me.

“I really don’t like this…” I said to Aurora as I quickly impaled that soldier as well, trying to ignore the unease that was once again building in my chest. She murmured her agreement, and then I froze for a moment before panic overtook me, the pace of my attacks increasing tenfold in fear as I killed enemy after enemy, my attacks losing all precision as I just focused on stalling them for as long as possible.

Because the imperials started to run.

***

“We need more arrows!”

“Someone bring me a mana potion!”

“They’re climbing the walls!”

I rushed through the shadows along the wall, controlling dozens of shadow tendrils as they stabbed and pushed back the invading force. We had been defending the wall for a few hours now, and the cracks of dawn were starting to shine over the horizon. However, none of us could stop to appreciate it as the imperial soldiers rushed the defenses.

Thankfully, their mindless state meant they couldn’t do much more than charge blindly with swords drawn, not a single arrow or spell being loosed from our enemies. The divinity in their bodies made them overwhelmingly resilient to our magic as well. The only ones who seemed to be able to hurt them with spells were the most powerful among us—namely, Abel and I and a few court mages. Even Lucia was struggling to wound the imperial soldiers with magic alone, though she was still managing.

Even physical attacks didn’t do much; killing a single enemy took dozens of arrows unless they were struck in the vitals. They paid no heed to their own injuries or the death of their comrades, and each body that piled up only allowed the next imperial to climb slightly higher. The scent of blood and fire permeated the area so thoroughly that I swore I could smell it even in between the shadows as I moved from one end of the wall to the other.

I jumped out of the shadows, a waterblade leaving my hands as I attacked an imperial that had managed to climb the wall. He was pulling himself over the crenulations when my water blade cut deep into his chest, causing him to fall back to the ground, knocking down a few of his fellow soldiers on the way.

“We can’t keep this up!” Abel said through gritted teeth, shooting lightning down the wall towards the horde as I turned to face him. “They just keep coming, and it’s taking more than we have to keep up with them…” The court mages were already at their limits, relying on mana potions to keep going, but it was harmful to their bodies to overdose on them. Despite our massive reserves of natural mana, not even Abel and I could go at this rate forever, even if we were faring better than the others. My stella extended my abilities even further, but I still felt the physical exhaustion that came with hours of constant fighting.

“There has to be something we can do…” I mutter, striking down another soldier who managed to scale the wall.

“Our troops are already stretched thin… and they are losing hope at the lack of damage they can do with normal weapons.” The prince said. We both tried desperately to come up with a plan that would give us some breathing room, but we were interrupted by a soldier shouting as he ran towards us. The emblem on his arm marked him as a messenger, and the blood drained from my face as he collapsed to his knees, heaving with exhaustion as he made his report.

“The right flank has been breached! The enemy has established a hold on the wall!” He said, voice trembling with panic. “Our troops are being slaughtered!”

“Go, Audrey!” Abel said, kicking an imperial in the chest as he attempted to crest the wall. “I’ll handle it here and try to think of a plan, but we can’t let them gain any more ground. Push them back!” He ordered, and I nodded before sinking into the shadows and heading to the right. I left the shadows a minute later to see Lucia for the first time in hours. She was facing down a dozen enemies practically by herself, covering the escape of the other troops as they dragged the wounded away.

My friend was covered in scratches and blood but didn’t seem to be gravely injured, much to my relief. Her blade danced with precision, covered in a layer of water as she moved through the enemies, deflecting and evading strikes as she cut them down one by one. I resisted the urge to look away as she drew her sword across a man's neck, the spray of blood coating the wall as he fell.

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Despite her strength, I could tell she was pushing through her own exhaustion. As four imperials moved to surround her, my shadows lifted them off the ground, snapping their necks before sending their lifeless bodies over the wall.

“Thanks for the assist, Audrey,” Lucia said, wiping the sweat from her face and pushing her matted sky-blue hair out of her eyes. “They’re coming from further down the wall. Let’s go.”

“Wait a moment.” I grab her arm, using my holy magic to heal up her wounds and restore some of her stamina. “Now we can go.”

We move down the wall, forcing our way through any enemies we find, which are quite a lot. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve killed… But I was numb to the senseless slaughter by this point, and I knew it was either us or them.

“Audrey…” Aurora said, her voice laced with concern.

“I’m fine, Aurora. It’s just how the world is, right?” I pause my thoughts momentarily as I draw my sword for the first time, realizing I should conserve my mana for now. I sidestep a swing from a female soldier, then thrust forward with a yell as I pierce her chest, pulling my bloodied blade free as she falls to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. “I can’t hold back… not if I want to protect the people I love.”

With determination burning in my heart, I continue to cut down those in my way, any wounds I take healing almost immediately thanks to my magic. Together, Lucia and I finally reached the part of the wall that the imperials had claimed and saw wooden ladders on the outside, allowing for easy access. We cut down the rest of the imperials, then push the ladders away from the wall, watching as they crash to the ground.

“That’s odd… The Imperials haven’t used any tools so far. I haven’t seen any of them carry more than a weapon.” Lucia says, looking down at the horde of soldiers who were now trying to climb the wall barehanded again, none of them making an effort to use the fallen ladders again.

“Someone must be directing them,” I mutter, my mind flashing back to the start of the fight when the soldiers had that insane expression. However I looked at it, there was only one explanation. “I think the emperor's power allows someone to control them directly… Maybe even the emperor himself is taking control.” I think aloud with a hand on my chin.

“Lady Guardian! Dame Lucia! We’re so glad you’re alright!”

“Thank the heavens our lady guardian is okay!”

Reinforcements started to swarm in, following the path of destruction Lucia and I had carved across the top of the wall. I gave the knights and soldiers a reassuring smile before looking toward the imperial camp, where the endless stream of soldiers was still appearing. Thirty thousand really is a lot… Shaking the thought loose, I turned back to the soldiers.

“Don’t lose strength now. As long as we’re alive, we can still fight. Keep an eye out for any changes within the enemy, and instruct the other units to do the same.” I still wasn’t accustomed to giving orders, but I did my best to sound like a proper leader. “I’ll be heading back to the prince. What will you do, Lucia?” I ask, looking at my friend.

“I’ll come with you. It’s clear our defenses won’t hold at this rate; we need a new plan.” With that, we ran back across the wall until we found Abel sitting on a nearby crate with a canteen. I could tell through the shadows that the defenses were holding up without us for the moment, causing a sigh of relief to escape me.

“Have you come up with any ideas?” I ask, sitting beside him on the crate and pulling my own canteen from my pocket dimension, taking a refreshing sip.

“Maybe. But it could backfire horribly.” He said, pausing for a moment. “With us being so outnumbered, we can’t afford to stretch our forces too much, but that’s exactly what’s happening. The more imperials that march across the field, the more spill out to the sides like water against the wall. We’re having to keep adjusting our defenses to meet them.” He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “I think we should open the gates and lure them into a trap.”

Lucia and I both held our breath for a moment as we considered it. “You’re right; that is an incredibly dangerous plan,” Lucia said. “If the trap fails, or they break through…”

Abel nodded with a frown. “If that happens, we lose. But if we keep to our current course, we still lose. I think we have to take the chance.” We sat silently as the screams and sound of battle echoed around us as we considered the options.

“What exactly do you have in mind?” I finally ask.

“The imperials have no thought of their movements beyond attacking; even now, they just climb the walls like wild animals. I think if we intentionally let them in through the gate, it will take pressure off the wall itself.” He looks down the walls, watching the countless soldiers of our army desperately holding back the invading army. “If we use our earth mages to set up a kill box behind the gate, we can take care of large groups at once and conserve our supplies.”

Lucia and I both nodded thoughtfully. “Don’t you need to discuss this with the war council?” I ask.

“Nope,” Abel said nonchalantly. “I am a prince, after all. I have the authority to change our battle plans. I just wanted second opinions, but it seems like we’re all in agreement.” With that, he hops off the crate. “Audrey, will you gather the earth mages?”

“Of course!” I say, then sink into the shadows. It took nearly half an hour to gather everyone since I didn’t know every mage personally. I just passed a message along as I went, asking anyone with earth magic to meet up by the gate. Eventually, I found the squad I was looking for and appeared right next to Anthony, who had nearly jumped out of his own skin upon my arrival.

“Gah! Don’t startle me like that, Lady Guardian!” He yelled, and I couldn’t help but giggle at his reaction.

“My bad, I didn’t mean to scare you. Prince Abel desperately needs earth mages if you’d be so kind as to head toward the gates.”

He nods at my request, turning to the rest of his squad who were defending this section of the wall. “Russell! You’re in command until I get back! All of you better be alive when I return, got it?!” He shouts, then turns on his heel after getting a resounding cry from his squad, heading across the wall to the center. I take a moment to heal everyone in the area of any wounds they may have, taking the opportunity to check on Hailey.

“How are you doing?” I ask as I pull her away from the crenulations, letting one of her teammates cover for her for now. “Are you hurt anywhere?” Without waiting for an answer, I cast my holy magic anyway.

“Thank you, Audrey…” She says, trailing off as her eyes flick back to the imperial army below us. “I can’t say I’m doing fine, though. This is my first time in real combat. I didn’t think killing our enemies would impact me so much, even after everything you’ve told us…” The condition of the imperial soldiers was something the generals had announced to the entire army in hopes it would help the newer soldiers shed their reservations.

“Don’t worry… I’m right there with you. I know for a fact the next time I sleep, I won’t be having good dreams.” I say with a wry smile, putting a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “Just keep in mind who you’re fighting for.”

She nodded, her eyes burning with determination. “I know. That’s how I’ve been pushing through.” We talked for another minute before I had to go. I couldn’t waste any more time on a hellish battlefield like this.

“Stay safe, Hailey. Don’t you dare get killed.” I said.

“I have no intentions of dying today, Audrey. You as well.”

With that, I enter the shadows again and arrive at the gate right as Abel is discussing the plan with the earth mages, who all break away to start preparing for the massive walls he wants them to construct.

“Is that enough mages?” I ask when I exit the shadows, and Abel nods.

“Good enough for now, at least. Let’s clear the area so they can work.” We both climb the stairs to the top of the wall again and see three groups of mages scattered around the gate. Massive amounts of mana begin to flow from their hands and combine, and a few seconds later massive walls of hardened earth rise from the ground. The earth walls are over double the height of the defensive wall and connect to both sides of the gate, ensuring no cracks to slip through. Another wave of magic comes from the mages, and dirt stairs appear on the outside of the walls, giving an easy way to climb to the top.

Lucia joins us on the wall with a couple dozen knights in tow. Seeing that the walls are done, she orders them to head up the stairs and wait.

“It doesn’t look like much.” She observes.

“The most effective traps are often the simplest.” Abel retorts. Once all the knights are in place, the three of us quickly inspect to ensure there are no cracks in the walls. It would be a nightmare if the imperials escaped en mass, and it would likely spell the end of our war effort. Once we were satisfied with the result, we ordered the knights to prepare and then ordered the gate to be opened.

The imperials flooded in like a stampede, filling up the space within the walls quickly as they trampled upon each other in an attempt to reach their enemies. Such a strategy would never work with an army that could think rationally, but it was just what we needed in this situation. I could hear the sighs of relief through the shadows along the wall as our army saw the enemies all start to refocus on the gates instead of climbing over the defensive wall.

We sat and watched as the number of soldiers in the kill box grew, until Abel deemed there was enough to strike. “Mages! Destroy them!” He shouted, and spells rained from above onto the congregated horde. When the smoke and debris cleared, most of the imperials inside the trap were dead.

“This might just work…” Lucia said hopefully. She ran to the edge of the wall, looking down at the constant stream of soldiers that had adjusted to run through the gate.

“Don’t jinx it, Lucia!” Abel admonished before smiling. “We still have a week until the Yamadian reinforcements arrive, so we can’t let our guard down.”

The rest of the day passed slowly, but our soldiers could finally rest a little. We had a rotation of squads taking care of the trap. Even though we were controlling the situation, an undercurrent of anxiety flowed through the camp. When night finally came, and I laid down for the night, I couldn’t help but groan with exhaustion.

“What a horrible day… I just want to end this war quickly and go home to Lydia.” I complain to my goddess. Lucia was already asleep in her cot, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

“I know, Audrey… I’m sorry you have to go through this…” She said, her remorse hurting my heart.

“It isn’t your fault, Aurora.”

“Maybe not directly, but the god of war has always carried a grudge against my sister and me. Being my guardian is putting you in harm's way.”

“I would be dead without you. And everything good I have in my life is because of being your guardian, so please don’t say things like that.” I said back sternly, and silence passed between us for a moment.

“You’re right. That was an inconsiderate thought.” She said, her voice lightening up a little. “I’ve never regretted you becoming my guardian, so I won’t start now.”

I nod happily, and the conversation changes to how the others at home are doing.

“Is it selfish of me to hope that Lydia misses me as much as I miss her?” I ask.

“I would say so.” she scoffed. “But that’s what love is, so I think it’s fine. And I’m sure the princess misses you.” I thought back to that amazing night we shared. The way she gasped for air under my touch… the warmth of her skin… The way we tangled ourselves together. I want to feel that again, but I also just miss her presence in general. Being apart from her felt like a piece of my soul was cut out, and I was left bleeding. Thoughts of Lydia had been the only thing keeping me going through all the bloodshed today.

“My guardian… Your thoughts…” I could sense her embarrassment and feel her blushing. No, wait. That’s me.

“S-Sorry. But It’s my head, after all… what do you expect me to do?”

“I’m aware! I know I’m the one breaching your privacy, but I’ve never had this issue with my guardians before!” She said desperately. “It really is difficult for me to close the bond these days… I can’t even imagine what will happen when you finally awaken.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Awaken? What do you mean?”

“It’s when a guardian comes into full power. Usually, it means attaining some sort of goal or understanding of oneself. Do you remember your lessons at the academy? Your instructor mentioned something called ‘divine artifacts’ That hold great magical power?” I nodded my head as I thought back.

“Right. He said that the church usually keeps things like that protected.”

“When a guardian awakens, they manifest a piece of their soul as a weapon. These manifestations remain in the world, even after a guardian's death. That’s what your history refers to as divine artifacts.”

“I see,” I say simply. “I’m not even at my full potential? Isn’t that kind of… crazy?” It might have been arrogant to say, but I already felt incredibly powerful. Another beat of silence passes before she spoke.

“I’ve grown used to it.”

“I didn’t know a goddess could sound so resigned,” I said back.

“Anyway.” She said, steering the conversation back on track. “What I’m saying is that despite your strength, you haven’t manifested your weapon yet.”

“Do you think it has something to do with that strange sensation when I use my stella?” I ask.

“That is my suspicion.” She confirmed.

I hum in my thoughts quietly, not wanting to wake my friend. It would be beneficial to grow even stronger. Maybe I could even end the war with such power… Then I can finally go home. Thoughts of seeing Lydia and Sasha again fill my thoughts as I drift off to sleep. Much to my surprise, despite the events of the day, I didn’t have any nightmares.

If only I’d known the nightmares were waiting until I was awake.