"You don't seem to be unfazed from the situation you're in," Freia says, as they consume their meal.

"That's a lie, I'm more than rattled by what I'm going to do next. All of us are a monster to each other. There's a quote that 'He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster... when you gaze into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you...' A fitting word that defines us, don't you agree?"

Upon his words, Freia was shut in silence for she knew he was speaking reality. Her first impression when she met him was a scoundrel, a jester a no more than an uninteresting man. But as she perceives how he manipulates and the destruction he caused. Freia was now taking back what she thought of him, and this time she was rather scared of him.

They continue their meals in silence, even after they finished their meals. Only awkward silence between the two.

Packing things, Akatosh returns to where he will hold his final step. But before taking a leave he notices Freia was following him.

"We should go our separate ways."

"Wait let me go with you."

"You what?" Akatosh implores seeing the hampered Freia, who's anxious to fight the soldiers of Endregar.

"My father didn't want me to join the war, so I had to sneak up and steal some armor, that's why I was able to come this far."

"And why?"

"What?"

"Why are so you eager to face the soldiers of Endregar?"

"I-I-- It's because I despised them! I absolutely despised them--"

"And why is that?" Akatosh implores unfazed by her emotions.

"Because they took what's dear to me! --"

"How many? Is it ten people, is it a dozen?" Akatosh implores now with cold eyes.

"I--"

"Tell me? Are those dearest to you equal to the annihilation of the kingdom of Endregar?"

"That's-- That's" Freia stammers unable to blink from Akatosh's eyes.

"What if I bring you hundreds of Endregar's people, tied and helpless. Farmers, Innocent children, a kind soldier who's forced by his king to kill. A pregnant woman and a baby, tell me would you butcher them for the death of your dearests? Is one of your dearest love equals to a thousand soul?"

Freia couldn't fire back at him, since his words truly struck her moral aspect.

"You have no idea what shit is about to happen, but anyway if you want your retaliation so badly. I'll welcome you for a show."

Freia who was now havering her emotions follows Akatosh. The day was still young, and for Akatosh, when he saw the armies of Endregar using the old road, his heart thrills.

Standing in a different place where they can over watch the situation. He saw the armies of Endregar stop where the road would ascend. He can tell they're surveying the road full of barricades. Without hesitation, the soldiers of Endregar wave magic that detect traps nor any anomalies regarding any types of magic.

Having nothing detected, the generals send dozens of troops. Forcing, dozens of their soldiers to climb the steep road.

While watching, Freia saw her father descending bringing only two convoys.

"Father!" Freia worriedly said, and before she goes to join her father Akatosh stops her. Grabbing her biceps, "Let me go!"

Freia struggles for a bit but after Akatosh's adamant. She then summons an energy sword. And just as she did, Akatosh quickly releases her.

"A word then... If you manage to be alive after the show, I do hope for sympathy to the other side. And good luck princess."

Now all alone but watching them moving like ants, he watches the princess galloping to reach her father. And when she does, Akatosh can tell they're arguing at each other. In the end, King Reigal IV submits to her daughter's stiff-necked personality.

"I would like to meet your commander in chief." King Reigal said towards the soldiers of Endregar who were climbing the road.

They look at each other's faces and decide to let the king pass.

"Ah... It's an honor to meet you King Reigal. I am Alfren, the storm of Endregar." Says one of the generals who had long-grayish hair.

"Pleasure's all mine, I have heard of you. The man who stains his hand from the blood of the thousand he liquidates."

"Some may call me that, but I prefer the other one. Anyway, I heard you have problems with your allied dwarf."

"Whether or not our alliance is a faux or not is not your concern."

"Oh... Then what reason did you come here for?"

"A remittal."

"Amnesty?"

"Yes, I'm offering a remission for the sake of our kingdom. For the welfare of our peace, and the life of every soul standing here."

"And in what return."

"Privilege, the kingdom of Keshoval will take into account the desired contract."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Alfren smirked and slowly reject the king's proposal, tearing the contract in half.

"Very well then..." King Reigal implores and returns to his army giving them the news.

"What now father," Freia said after his father announced the news to the soldiers.

"I want you to return to our kingdom and deliver this letter to Ariendal De Shilvia."

"I don't want to... I'll stand here with you."

After waiting for some hours, Akatosh saw the armies of Endregar begin climbing. Easily smashing the barricades, once they were at the range. The armies of Keshoval engaged in their long-range attack. Casting magic missiles, poisoned arrows, fireballs. In return, their adversary counters with magic barriers as they too fired long-range attacks. Even then, Keshoval was holding the upper hand since they hold the higher ground. But for some reason, they couldn't completely overpower the mounting perseverance of their enemies.

While they were busy killing each other, Akatosh waited and waited. Until the two opposing armies gap a distance of fifty meters. At that time, soldiers of Keshoval charge through hoping they can push their enemies back. Only to be brutally killed by the generals, worst Alfren was enjoying the battle easily disposing of his incoming enemies.

"Well then, let the show begin," Akatosh said calling Amaragnum to light the fuses.

Borrowing his hand, with just a flick of his finger unearth a destructive force. Erupting underneath their feet, blowing and tearing their flesh. The metal shards scattered like bullets piercing and desolating their armors and flesh, killing them instantly. Even some of the Keshoval's soldiers were caught in the explosion.

For a second’s pass, Akatosh and Amaragnum trigger the second explosion shaking the land once again. Shuddering the cracked rocky cliffs, it created a landslide of large boulders. It wasn't a war anymore but a massacre as the remaining Endregar soldiers awaits their brutal death.

Now the 80 000 soldiers of Endregar whom Keshoval feared were desolated in mere minutes. As for the remaining survivors, only three thousand were alive. Yet they were too shocked to move a muscle, all they could do was stare at the destroyed road. Morals sunken, and the soldiers of Keshoval didn't know what to do so too were their enemies. They could see bodies amputated, shredded flesh, innards scattered. And Alfren who was caught in the massive explosion was left dead on the ground with half of his body blown away.

Freia who was at his father's side couldn't bear to see such sight. And for a moment she remembers what Akatosh has told her. Corresponding to what had happened, the hero was dumbstruck all they could do was watch in silence.

Following the aftermath, Akatosh quickly left the place but felt desolated. Teleported to Ravalind without thinking, he goes to drink what he had done.

"Welcome to our world boy!" Amaragnum cheerfully implores at the drunk Akatosh. "Don't you worry, it'll go away."

"Fuck you and fuck this shit, fuck it all! Damn, I hate myself."

The night came, and the exhaustedly drunk Akatosh searched for a roof to sleep.

"Ohhhhh... Should I go there?" Akatosh says, going towards where he left the northern slave girl.

"Hello anybody home?" Akatosh called but, after a minute of no response, he then decides to fiddle with the lock. "Gahh... Why isn't working, did my lockpicking skill decrease?"

While working with the lock, the door suddenly flung open revealing Chifya.

"Well, hello there... I hadn't seen you when I brought that slave girl. Is she good?" Right away Akatosh suddenly vomits and without a second thought, he fell on the ground sleeping.

While in his state of slumber, Akatosh was in a dream. He was in a different place, in a small farmhouse. He saw a bright young man clad in armor, saying his farewell to an old woman who seems to be either his grandmother or his mother. Yet as the door closed blanketing the sad smile between the two. Out of a sudden, he was flung in a different place, he saw a man older than him, and too was saying his farewell to his sibling.

While in the state of observing, he could feel the tense emotion emanating from those people, people that he killed. And for the hundred times of beholding and sharing the past emotion of the dead. He saw again, the four horses of the apocalypse. This time was the second horse, the one who represents war or the war itself stepped forward.

Locking each other's eyes, Akatosh suddenly felt a thousand emotions of the dead searing his soul.

Unable to endure, what he was experiencing he suddenly awoke. Sweating and shivering, he instantly throws up on the floor. Creating loud barf, Chifya rushes in to see Akatosh now spewing blood.

"Geez... just what kind of alcohol did you drink."

"Stop! Make it stop! I had enough." Akatosh implores still remembering what he experiences.

"What are you saying."

Alarmed by his loud vomiting, Sheila and her friends rush to his room to see what was happening. When entered, they saw Chifya signaling them to move on.

"Are you hurt." Chifya implores, helping him recover as she felt his temperature decrease. And without hesitation, Chifya embraces him, as she cast her healing magic.

"It's warm... can you stay just for a bit."

"I understand, I won't be going anywhere."

"Thank you..." Akatosh mumbles slowly returning to his sleep.

Awoken by the warm sunlight, he saw Chifya waiting for him to arise.

"Drink this, it helps with your hangover."

"Thanks..."

After only taking the remedy, Akatosh quickly recovers. Surprise yet kept his silence waiting for Chifya to make a word.

"I heard what you did, about the northern girl that you brought here. Just what did you do this time." Chifya implores.

"The longer version or the shorter version."

"The specific."

"Fine then," Akatosh replies and goes to tell his story but didn't tell her about his explosive powder and how he decimated a thousand armies of Endregar.

"Endregar was driven to war because of you murdering the King's brother."

"Yes, but it's now over. And I hate myself for doing that."

"Over?"

After a few moments, an announcement was heard. Since Ravalind was closer, the armies of Keshoval first make their camp before dispersing.

"Miss Chifya! The guild calls for an emergency that those with healing abilities--"

"Got it... There's a meal downstairs for you and please stay for a bit. There's something I need to ask you." Chifya implores quickly attending to her guild's call.

In time, when opponents clash one leaves a victor and the other for the crushing side. When the conclusion came, the defeated armies suffers both moral and everything they hold. And the vanquisher will march through their kingdoms carrying their superiority, and prisoners to parade. However, this time was different for the armies of Keshoval came in silent. And to what they brought wasn't prisoners but their injured enemies.

It was a repel sight for their citizens to see, arms were torn apart. Disrupted faces, legs were severely injured, and worst gone. It was their first time to see such a gruesome war.

"Just what happen at the bridge," Chifya shouts at Akatosh who smothers on the bed.

"I don't want to, just go and ask the survivors they're the ones who know."

Chifya who was boiling her blood for answers suddenly calm down. Realizing that provocation wasn't his thing.

"Fine..." Chifya now says in a calm tone. "Just come down and eat when the food's ready." She continues going to wash away the smeared blood on her clothes.

The group stays silent as they ate their food, even Sheila who took part in the emergency couldn't believe what she saw. But the most broken face of them all was Akatosh who still reminiscing what he experiences.

"I'm sorry... To let you see such repulsive sight." Akatosh implores, slowly eating his food.

"You should eat first," Chifya says easily eating her meal.

"Oh... of course, um... do you have those sleeping potions. Mine's gone so, I was hoping if you could let me have some."

"We'll talk when we finish our meal." Chifya coldly replies.

Following their dinner, Akatosh awaits Chifya's sleeping potion while he contemplates the blue night sky in his room.

"Hey emotional dog, did you feel something different in here?" Amaragnum calls.

"Nothing, why?"

"Strange... There's something shifting, even I can sense it here in my dimension."

"Is that good news or bad news?"

"I don't know... it's still a faulty distortion but, I might be certain it's a bad one. I'll check a bit more, might have some fun in here than watching an emotionally damaged man."

"Your mom."

Amaragnum returns leaving Akatosh to have his time. And at that time the seal that was once keeping the demon prince was slowly cracking.