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This day marked the 24th Fivruory of the 505 year. The region’s climate quietly warmed up to declare the change of season. A snow covered land was already a picture of the past, as the ground showed a dry dirt or green grass. Following the cycling steps of the year, people changed their behaviour in harmony with nature.

It was no more the time to hole up in one’s home, lighting the chimney’s wood to heat up the room. Now it was time for living beings to awaken, to breathe the new air of the season of growing buds and hatching flowers. The water was no more halted by the frozen ambiance, and delivered its due to the land to give its strength back to the plants and the animals.

Regarding the mortals, they were used to those changes since centuries ago already, ever since they’ve been taught how to construct walls and light fire from wood. They raised huts, then lodges, and finally castles, joining their hands together to build villages, then cities, and at last whole nations.

When I was younger, I only looked at them as you would look at some smart fauna. Yes, they were skilled. Yes, they were quite capable. But nothing more. The gods told us to watch over those strange animals, perhaps they saw potential in them where I failed to do so.

Now, I understood where I was wrong.

They had every required competency to achieve absolutely anything, just like us. Intelligence, dexterity, and magical awareness. However, what we could use was different from what they could use. We already had everything when they only started to blabber on the ground. And after giving them the right tools and a few advices, they suddenly succeeded in everything by leap and bounds.

“So this is the strength he talked about…”

Ever since the mortals completed their homeland with a flag and a name, I felt a little bit more of respect for them. After all, they were still rude, uneducated, despicable animals who used any means to get their results. Anything was fine, as long as they obtained what they desired. Absolutely anything...

"You're giving that look again."

I have been scolded by my current interlocutor, a man who was sipping his tea with me. I was usually alone, giving thoughts to whatever crossed my mind during my breaks. Entertaining others was not my forte, especially when I wasn't in the mood to spend my time with some company, even amongst comrades. However, if he told me the truth, then I did have to correct my look and soothe the anger within my eyes.

The cup of tea in my hand was the perfect occasion to cool down. I gulped a small amount, enjoying the fragrance dwelling in both my mouth and my nose as the taste warmed my stomach through my throat. Mortals were distrustful beasts to my eyes, yet they could brew such refined delicacy. This discrepancy always confused me.

However, even though he helped me notice the fire in my gaze, that didn't mean I would forgive his uncourtly tone with me.

"I don't remember we had something to discuss this early in the plan."

I wanted to chase him away, alas this man was blind and deaf to any retort we could throw at him. He sipped a bit from his tea before speaking up to me.

"It is because we have time that we should discuss more about the plan."

"... This is stupid." I kept my thought to myself. This man here acted as if he was given the main role, probably thinking everything we planned so far orbited around him. This perfectionist side of him was how the plan became so concise, so absurdly precise in every of our defined steps. I had no qualm at first, as it helped us a lot in envisaging the best from the worst, but now... The plan was already perfect. The plan already had everything it needed. There was nothing more to discuss about it. What could this fellow worry about?

He probably just wanted to show off...

"I think we need to reassess the resources in our possession. Did you get the item as I suggested?"

"Here we go again..." I sighed, then answered with annoyance "No, I did not. I already told you, the object you seek is either lost, destroyed or sealed somewhere nobody has access to."

What he requested from me was a specific artefact the mortals forged to fight against the Black God. A weapon with the ability to ward off Eendis' benedictions, including his curses and swarms. A god slaying sword, an object from the old times of mortals. Now merely a name we could find in the books and the scrolls.

There was no way an item this powerful could be allowed to exist any longer after its objective was completed. The mortals either broke it down to pieces or locked it deep in their treasure chamber before throwing the keys away. Maybe the Black God himself managed to lay his hands on the weapon... But that could not be possible at all: the magic enhancing it was designed to repel anything related to him. If he couldn't take it with him... Then he would have destroyed it. That was where my certitude about the weapon's whereabout came from.

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"The armour is still with me, but-

-No amount of protection would suffice. We need to increase our offensive, not our defence.

-... That is why I hate you too."

I had to gulp down another mouthful from my tea to ease my pain while dealing with him. Maybe he didn't hear me, maybe he did and didn't care. That was why I hated those beings. How could you still call yourself a living being when your body resembled nothing but a shadowy mess, mimicking the forms of a humanoid. And the worst part was their innate arrogant attitude, as if the night became day thanks to them.

But there was still more.

The body being overshadowed by the soul meant the latter swallowed an overwhelming quantity of mana. Of course that was not the only condition, otherwise all immortals would end up in the same state as them. Of course not, there was something more in the lot. Something that... Eluded me. I either missed something in the equation... Or the amount to absorb was unfathomable, even for me.

We called those who achieved this level of magic magnitude "dalenhs".

The dark appearance of this man proved he possessed immense capacity of mana, probably enough to rival the gods. Probably.

Yet, the weirdest property about this condition was the alteration of our subjective view on his form. Basically, having the soul deforming your body did not hurt you, but changed how people perceived you. Some could mistake you for a woman, others for an elderly or a young boy, the image depended of the viewer's mind. I was conscious of the trick, rendering me immune with a little bit of focus.

"We still have a few days ahead of us before we must set the plan on motion, but this is all we have in our hands..."

I was surprised hearing him talking about a deadline.

"What do you mean? Didn't you say yourself we had enough time to re-strategize?"

The dalenh looked at the sky, so did I with the hope I could see what he saw. The sun was high in the clear sky, another beautifully wasted day idling around.

"It has been prophetised; the Three Days' Festival is the time we must look for, before the Fallen attempt to reconquer its heart."

"You think I don't already know that..."

I was an idiot expecting anything useful from this being. I watched the people running around, making preparations for the upcoming festival in Lagida. Looking at their sweat and their hurriedness reminded me of my time when I shined during military campaigns. Mortals were in dire need of a hero, being invaded by the swarms and devoured one by one under my eyes.

Where was this so-called protector of the world when they needed him? Where was this guardian who claimed he would defend everyone when the time called for it? I knew he was no myth, I knew he existed... I knew he was real. So where? Where did he go when we needed him the most?

The memories still shook me in terror and fury, the villages eaten by the demons, the castles falling under the sieges, the swarms charging at us with the sole purpose of satiating its hunger with our flesh, the soldiers falling at my side, the sky darkening under Its presence. I took the banner because nobody else had the audacity to come out. I was the only one who protected the mortals when the Black God invaded this world. I was alone ALL THOSE YEARS, fighting and fighting and fighting without rest, again and again, days after days, until I...

And when I finally repelled the demons, what awaited for me? How did the mortals welcome me when I came back with victory for them? I fought for their lives while they were running away thinking about survival.

I fought with them in mind, but they kept pestering about unavoidable casualties and collateral destructions.

I protected them, ALONE, because no one else was brave enough to stood up at that time!

I SAVED the mortals from their impending doom.

And yet... Those bastards... They dared! THEY DARED BACKSTAB-

Crac!

I blenched at the unexpectedly strident break in my hand; what a blunder from my part. The cup of tea I was holding now had a ugly split on the handle, I was dejected knowing I still held enough resentfulness to let my anger get the better of me. Fortunately, the hot liquid did not escape and stained my dress or the table's clean sheet.

"What a blunder..." I muttered to myself, giving up on the tea for now, or at least until I cooled down enough to think clearly again. No, I was no more in the mood to drink tea. I stood up from my seat, gathering my belongings for my departure.

"You hate him, I know. But you only need to wait a little more for-

-You're wrong." I interrupted him, sending an icy glaze at the dalenh. "I don't only hate him. I hate you all. All of you..."

I left the tea shop, not forgetting to leave some tips for the waiter before deserting the area.

...

I wandered in many streets, allowing me some time to cool down after my meeting with the dalenh. I did not dare remember his name, not anymore. Not after all what happened.

I desired peace. A peace anyone would agree with. A peace where nobody would be hurt, where people stood side by side with confidence. I wanted mortals to be united, not to be selfish little pests. But I had not the strength needed to accomplish it, so I spent my days... Drowning. Drowning in my own dream.

Everyday, I felt like I fought for nothing of value. I fought for a dream that could never become reality.

I... I wanted to cry, a little bit.

"Chaalith! What a surprise to see you here!"

Someone called my name. I turned around to see a pregnant yume smiling at me, her soothing presence was a pleasant sight to my eyes.

"Narufi! I thought you were forbidden to leave home."

I instantly brightened after meeting her. She was a mortal just like any other, yet I felt an affinity with her. She was about to give birth to a strong child, she was about to become a mother for a family.

We always chatted a lot together, walking around the parks and the markets to buy the ingredients she needed for tonight. I knew quite a lot about the culinary value of the food and the adequate techniques to cook them, teaching her what I knew to help Narufi in her motherhood the best I could.

"Oh, you know. Everyone keep worrying about me, yet I am so overjoyed I can't feel any burden. It's like I'm made of feather!"

I smiled even more listening to her.

I distrusted mortals, yet I liked this little yume.

I hated mortals, yet I enjoyed spending time with them.

I resented mortals for what they did to me... So why couldn't I hate them from the bottom of my heart? Why was I still... Happy, when I was together with them?

I am Chaalith, the cianala who saved the mortals when all hope was lost. I cannot forgive their betrayal... But I can't stop caring for them either.