I looked at the sky, observing thousands of our iron juggernauts falling into the ocean above us. The titans fought bravely, but with a single spell, their armor became a soft sponge and caught fire. Their crew burned alive, trapped in the boxes of steel, but their screams were too far to reach us.

The vast spherical cavern that spanned over three hundred kilometers was our home, and had been assaulted by an armada of oscillating crystals, in a deep shade of pink and purple. Their cannons were like blooming roses, absorbing all nearby light to form it into a single, devastating beam.

I cursed the day we declared war on the witch. The underworld would soon cease to exist. Our only chance was admiral Beckert, but his flagship was nowhere to be seen. I packed our remaining food supplies and prepared for my wife, son, and two daughters to board the transport ship.

My duty was to stay and protect the homeland, the convoy with my family was our priority. Enemy ships seemed to ignore us, but it was until we encountered 'them'. They appeared like a hive of mechanical hornets and surrounded the leading ship, Heavenswrecker at an instant.

Our gargantuan vessel rammed the swarm with its thick frontal slab, an icon of its strength. No gun would be able to pierce the enchanted metal, that's what we thought at the time. Our only issue was dealing with the assault of drones.

We sent the fighters of our own, I was included in the interceptive squadron. I thanked gods for that assignment, believing I would safely get to meet my family again. Stray wasps weren't an issue, but it still took five of us to barely outmaneuver and shot down a single hostile spacecraft.

Multiple cluster explosions could be seen in the vicinity of Heavenswrecker, a sign that we were still fighting. The ship pressed on with its four tremendous engines, moving its heavy, near cube-shaped hull. Millions of hatches at each side of the warship unlocked, revealing turrets that soon rained an infernal fire upon the enemy armada.

With each salvo, hornets burst into smithereens. Our frigates easily shot down hostile survivors, ensuring the safety of the transport fleet. We passed the seven stone columns known as fundaments of creation, believing we would be safe.

That's when the stone shattered, mercilessly sending thousand of asteroids in our direction. It was explosives, we fell into an ambush. Hurled stone was not enough to damage Heavenswrecker, but the weight pushed its rear into our fleet. Smaller ships stood no chance and melted in its engines.

Three transporters filled to the brim with our people, were gone. We failed to predict an ambush, and it was just the beginning. They arrived, the stone guardians. All I remember, was her cursed name carved into the side of their flagship, which was like a hollow cylinder made out of seventeen stone rings connected by long slabs of marble. A golden eagle radiated with a protective light at the top near the front, just above the yellow crystal hovering and rapidly spinning inside the cylinder.

The crystal charged and an enormous beam of light, the diameter of the enemy ship, pierced all the way through Heavenswrecker and burned ships behind it. Heavenwrecker became temporarily immobile, before it violently imploded, leaving a shockwave full of ship fragments heading at our fleet.

I barely escaped the blast, which pushed my fighter into a friendly unit, what led to my concussion. When I woke up, our fleet was in ruins. Including the transport ship that carried my wife and children.

With all the hope gone, I observed how enemy scavengers search for our survivors. Who knows, what terrible fate and torture awaited them. I reached for the gun inside my weapon locker, knowing well what fate awaits me If I don't pull the trigger. Knowing, that I've nothing to live for.

We were defeated. That was the truth.

Yet, I hesitated until the last moment.

It was a mistake.

I heard her gentle song, and was captivated. My arm dropped down on its own and the gun slipped off my fingers. I wanted to come closer, to offer my loyalty to her, to protect her from enemies. It was like a dream, I felt no passage of time, no hunger or thirst, I simply waited until they take me, until two barbed rods pierced my body and electrocuted it. Until my psyche turned into a mush of random senses and emotions. Until I awoke in a glass tube, with no psychical body of my own.

I was trapped inside a simulation, but they were yet to judge me, then put me in their virtual prison. What pain and suffering would they inflict upon me? What punishment was deemed adequate for personally raising your hand on their queen?

If I only knew what fate awaited my comrades, I would've never enlisted.

The judge appeared before me, it was a small girl with short pink hair and aqua blue eyes, with pupils like stars with four rays of light. She wore a black, leather jacket with wide and long straps, it almost reached her ankles.

"Guilty."

Was all there was to say. She just flipped a switch and a green gas started filling my tube. Hundreds of screens around me started displaying lines of logs, all monitoring my past offenses, not only against the witch, but also my own brethren. Before my consciousness was about to fade, I recalled all the sins of the past, even those I was never aware of.

One word kept being drilled into my head.

"Guilty."

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If there was any salvation at all, it wasn't reserved for us. It was reserved for the dead ones. I heard the stories of how the witch acquired her power, they told that the most powerful weapon in the universe was the human soul on fire. I was in disbelief, but that could be what turned out to be true.

There was no way to stop her, unless we stepped down to her level.

For a mere fraction of seconds, I experienced how the very weave of my being disintegrated, leaving nothing but a tiny piece of me. The agony was out of this world and incorporated all aspects of destruction into it, but after it stopped, my mind was blank, like my consciousness was erased. There was only a static signal in that single piece of my being, but it was enough to keep me alive.

I don't know who, and how, stopped the machinery that would irreversibly scar me. I don't know who, and how, revived me. I was in a dark place, next to technology that shouldn't be known. On the side of bedchamber, it read 'Lazarus'.

I simply walked the path in front of me, a bridge over a dark pit, illuminated by a series of parallel floor lamps. In front of me, was a gate, but where would it lead? Was it safe to proceed, or was it another trap of the witch? But why would she trap me? I knew no answers, but I knew, that I was not important enough.

I knocked onto the gate, but it remained closed. A scanner protruded above it, showering my naked silhouette in blue light. After it finished, it displayed a single word – uncontaminated.

The gate unlocked, its door slid to the sides. The white light coming from the inside of the next room almost blinded me. Before me, was standing an android, it lacked facial features and lower limbs and torso, which were replaced by some sort of anti-gravitational device. It held a set of white clothes, which were handed to me without a word.

"Where am I?" - I asked.

"In a safe place." - A soft voice replied to me.

"...but ...where is it?"

"It can't be revealed, not yet, but we're not your enemies."

I walked in silence, wondering what else to ask, but nothing appeared in my mind.

"What's your name?" - I decided to speak.

"Limi. Yours?"

"Andrew."

"Andrew, there's nothing to be afraid of. You can relax."

"I'm... not afraid."

"Your whole body is trembling."

I looked at my arms, they were shaking. Was it an aftereffect of what the witch did to me? - "Sorry, I can't control that."

"There's no need to apologize, Andrew."

I walked in silence, with a lowered head, still staring at my jittery fingers. We stopped in front of another gate, Limi extended her hand to a scanner, but she stopped before touching it.

"Andrew, there are few restrictions you must follow in this place. I would like to kindly ask you to comply."

"What... what restrictions?"

"You'll learn them with time, but for starters – never mention her beyond this door."

"Why?"

"Words hold power."

"I... I can do that."

"Good, second. Never mention the ones you had lost, or any part of your past life."

I just realized, I've never said farewell to the ones I had lost, tears welled up in my eyes, it was out of my control. - "I... but at least a grave... with their names..."

"Sorry, we can't do that."

"That's... cruel." - I said as I wiped my eyes.

"Don't hold your tears, it's okay to cry."

"...but ...I shouldn't, right?"

"No, it's okay to remember. Just... don't mention the past."

I fell to my knees and broke into tears, I don't remember for how long was I broken, but Limi patiently waited for me.

"Do you feel better?" - She finally asked, seeing that I was out of tears.

"No."

"Shall we wait a bit longer?"

"No, it's okay. I'm ready." - I said as I got up.

"Third rule. Don't fall in love."

"What does that even mean? What is going on here?"

"The only person who ever knew, had already left the scene." - Limi lowered her head, with a sad expression.

"What's going on!?"

"Will you comply?"

"What If I refuse?"

"I won't be able to let you through."

"There was only one person, that I've ever loved, so I think I'm in clear."

"Understood. We may proceed."

Limi's hand laid on a scanner and the gate opened.

Before me, was a vast hall with dozens of children in white attire, sitting at the tables and consuming meals. They ignored my presence, I decided not to interact and just followed Limi.

"Where are the adults?" - I asked.

"Performing their duties."

"What duties?"

"You'll learn, in time."

"Why all the secrecy?"

Limi has suddenly stopped. - "Do you believe in destiny, Andrew?"

"No."

"Good."

I stood, dumbfounded. - "You did not answer my question."

"If I answered the question, the magic would be gone."

"It does not bother me, I would like to know."

"Uhm, okay. We're testing you."

"Why?"

"We need to know If you would be a good candidate."

"Candidate, for what?"

"Tell me, do you really prefer spoilers, or would you rather... keep the magic in the air?"

"I..."

"Wait! Don't hurry. Think the answer through."

I gave myself time. What did she mean? Was it the literal magic, or did she mean the magic of discovery, of the path ahead of me? I considered many options, but could not arrive at an unequivocal answer.

"You know, now that I think about it. It doesn't matter to me, just do what you want." - I answered.

"I like your answer."

"...but was it the correct one?"

"Mhm. Would you really like to know?"

I just laughed. - "No, no, I don't."