"I'll see you soon," Samael said as he hugged Lilith tightly, transferring his warmth to her.

The girl snuggled deep in the boy's arms as she nodded. Although they didn't wish to separate, there was nothing they could do. This was for the best.

"Hey, 10 months," Samael reminded the girl as he held her cheek, his gaze focused on hers.

"10 months," Lilith said.

"Come on, Samael, the warp is igniting soon," Icarius said.

Samael shifted his gaze at the man as he ruffled the girl's hair for the last time. "Keep safe."

Walking towards Icarius, the warp portal began to ignite, casting shadows around them. Taking one last look at the surroundings, Samael remembered the time he spent here. All the good and the bad. Casting one final look at Lilith, Samael's vision was engulfed in blinding light.

Seeing Samuel's figure vanish, Lilith's smile slowly died off as she exhaled, facing her grandmother as she spoke. "Let's go, Grandma; I'm ready."

"It seems you are," Aphemis said as she strode off, followed by the girl. It was time to train and prepare. She cannot laze around when Samael's doing his best, especially not after what happened to him. The thought of how powerless she was made her hurt and burn.

Meanwhile, Desmond watched Samael's leave along with some of the other Nightwalkers. However, his attention soon shifted when a few figures approached him.

"Are you Desmond?" The man asked, to which Desmond nodded his head.

"Upon orders by the high table, you will come with us along with the last remaining night walkers," the man said.

"Why?" Desmond asked warily. However, he did not see any form of ominous aura from the man.

"Upon the request of Samael the grim hound, we were told you guys have great potential—potential that the high table can use," he said.

"So once again, Desmond and the remaining Nightwalkers, you guys will be coming with us."

***

As the light of the portal vanished, Samael inhaled as he felt his head turn. Although not as worse as the first time, it was still a nasty thing to experience.

After some time, Samael looked around the place, the apparent bustling of the camp they were in now slowly sinking to him.

So this was Servan, the city that is in constant war with those that lay beyond their towering walls.

The frontlines.

Observing his surroundings, Samael can see hundreds upon thousands of warriors walking around, their weapons bare for everyone to see. However, they were different—far different from those in Tera.

These people were like steel walls under the unwavering waves of monsters, their scars and the sharp glint in their eyes testament to the amount of battles they've been in.

But Samael can't help but notice the unrest in the air. Even though the camp was busy—way busier than even Stellaris itself during their fight with the grim wolves—there was a form of tension hanging high in the air.

When Ishkar said the monsters have been more persistent than ever, I didn't expect the situation to be this bad, Samael thought when a voice echoed behind them.

"Are you all done watching the warriors of Servan?" A woman said, startling Samael and Ajax for they did not notice her presence.

Reacting fast, Samael and Ajax dashed back as they brandished their blades.

"Not bad," the woman praised when her figure vanished, appearing behind the two. "But you'll have to be faster than that."

"That's enough joke around, Alicia," Icarius said.

"Eh, you're no fun. Since when were you like this?" Alicia asked as she walked beside Icarius.

"This is Alicia, a fellow warrior of Servan," Icarius introduced.

Alicia stood at a towering 6 feet and 2 inches, way taller than some of the men of the camp. Her physique was also phenomenal; her muscles were akin to those of steel wires interloped together. She also has a massive scar near her jaw.

But contrary to what some might believe, she was not wearing any form of heavy armour; rather, she wore a simple tank top with some steel armbands covering her forearms, paired with steel knee guards and boots. Her skin was pale brown, matching the heat of the place.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Alicia, captain of the second regiment code name "Sand Dwellers," she said as she shook the two's hands.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Ajax," Ajax said.

"Samael," Samael followed.

"They're no fun either," Alicia commented.

"Enough of that; where's General Luminari?" Icarius asked.

"The general? Well, where else if not in the command post?" she said. "Come on, I'll lead you there."

Following the woman, they passed by multiple large tents before arriving at one bigger than most and more reinforced.

"They're here to meet the general," Alicia said to the guards on duty.

"Name?" The guard asked.

"Ya blind? Can't you see who these guys are?" Alicia asked.

The guard took another look before his eyes widened, his eyeballs nearly pooping out.

"I didn't recognise you, master Icarius. Please forgive me," the guard said as he hastily made way.

"It's alright," Icarius said as he went inside.

Inside stood multiple figures, many of whom were influential individuals. Noticing Icarius, the general's face brightened.

"Icarius, friend! Finally something good!" He exclaimed as he rushed over.

"Luminari, you bastard, you're still overworking, huh," Icarius said as the two erupted into loud laughter.

"You're still as shitty as ever!" Luminari fired back. "I think you came here for Ishkar?" he asked.

"You got me. Where's that man anyway?" Icarius asked.

"Guess," Luminari said.

"Oh," Icarius said as he realised.

"Yeah, you sometimes act like you don't know the man," Luminari said. "Come on, I'll help you get there."

Hearing this, the personnel inside the tent grumbled, their voices interspersed.

"But the meeting isn't finished yet, general!"

"I ditched my lunch for this."

"General! I thought we'd talked about this!"

Luminari turned back, a deep frown in his face as he scowled. "Oh enough of that! Shush! We have a very important guest here! Have some shame!"

Without sparing them another glance, he wore a smile as he led Icarius out. Samael could only shake his head; he knows too well that feeling of having a laid-back boss.

On their way, the two discussed while Samuel and Ajax listened. It seems they were talking about the state of the sanctuary.

"Oh, it's bad, alright," Luminari said. "These bastards have been more persistent, and it started around two months ago."

Icarius's brows furrowed. "Two months ago?"

"Yes, two months ago, why?" Luminari asked when he saw Icarius's stare. "Oh. Are you saying this may have a connection to the incident in Tera?"

Looking around, Icarius closed in. "Listen, what I'm about to tell you is private information that was only disclosed to the closest members of the High Table."

Luminari's face fell to a frown. "Are you sure you want to tell me this?"

"I trust you," Icarius said.

"Then fire away," Luminari urged.

"About two months ago, a group of people attacked Tera. They orchestrated the destruction of the barriers, disabled the defences, and... planted something I've never seen before," Icarius elaborated.

"Planted...?" Luminari asked.

"Yes, they planted what we call a 'fell flower' under the heart of the city," Icarius said.

"What does that have to do with our current situation here?" Luminari asked.

"That's the thing; this fell flower had the ability to summon abominations through rifts," Icarius said.

Luminari's eyes widened, his lips parting. "Are you serious right now?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Isaac asked.

A heavy sigh escaped Luminari's lips. "Well, shit. But still, I don't see how that correlates with our situation. My scouts haven't detected nor seen any new rifts forming."

"That is true, but here's the catch. When that beast died, all the abominations near Tera also died," Icarius said.

"Just dead? As in, they fell one by one?" Luminari asked, in which Icarius nodded in response. "Are you saying there might be another flower somewhere and it's the one controlling the abominations we're facing? If so, why go aggressive now?"

"Perhaps it sensed the death of the flower in Tera and realised its existence had been revealed. Now, it's forming a wall between us and it because I know that once we kill it, the war will finally be over," Icarius said.

Luminari fell silent, a melancholic expression present in his face. This war had taken way too many, both young and old. Dreams, hopes, and futures were gone, and they didn't even know the reason. But now they're seeing something—a light at the end of this hellishly long tunnel. Maybe now humanity has a chance.

"Wait, that does remind me, you said a 'group' of people planted that flower? Who are they?" Luminari asked.

Icarius fell silent for a moment before he spoke, causing Luminari's face to contort in rage.

"They're from the Ministry of Light. A saint of one of the Cardinals."

"SON OF A BITCH, I KNEW IT!" he roared, his hands balling to a fist as his face flushed red.

Luminari hated the ministry so much that if given even the slightest chance, he'll take it as long as it brings down those Tyrants. But contrary to his beliefs, Luminari's past is just as complicated.

Luminari is a man in his fifties and is currently ranked Transcendent II. But what catches everyone's attention is his white hair and golden eyes.

Yes, he was once a member of the ministry.

But his role there wasn't all glorified and beautiful. It was harsh and cold, for he was destined to become an omen.

Omens are one of the hidden trump cards of the church. While they show compassion and all forms of kindness to the masses, they kidnap and train children in the dark, away from the very light they admire.

Omens are a group of assassins the Ministry possesses. These omens are trained since young and brainwashed with all forms of torture. As such, their sense of reasoning has been blurred and their conscience gone.

In fact, what killed the headmaster was an omen. One of high rank.

These assassins are greatly skilled in stealth and assassinations and have a plethora of skills that are lethal and forbidden by the ministry.

Currently, the one way to identify an omen is through their element and attire. Omen's can use light, but their light is murky and darker than the other users. This is due to the tainted teachings of the ministry. As for their attire, they all wear specific masks with specific numbers of slits or eyes. The higher the number, the stronger the omen.

So while Luminari managed to escape that hell hole, it was too late, as the ministry had already begun their training for him. In turn, he has obtained the common murky-coloured light the other omens possess.

"Calm down, Luminari," Icarius said.

"HOW CAN I? I'VE TRIED TO TELL THE PEOPLE OF THESE BASTARDS CORRUPTION YET THEY TURN A BLIND EYE!" Luminari scowled.

"I understand your rage. But being controlled by it won't help... at least not right now," Icarius said.

Luminari's rage halted as he asked. "What do you mean, not right now?"

"Well, the reason we're here is to prepare. Prepare for a war this world has yet to see," Icarius said.

Luminari's face slowly morphed to a large maniacal smirk. "I see."

"Oh, you've just begun to see," Icarius said as he looked ahead, where a man stood at a desolate battlefield with hundreds of corpses surrounding him.

"We're here," Luminari said as he backed away. "I'm going to leave now; I know very well how this man works. I'm going to save myself some trouble."

Icarius smiled wryly as he looked at the bulky man. It was about to get messy.

"ISHKAR!" Icarius roared, his voice echoing through the endless dessert.

Slowly looking back, a wide, ominous smirk appeared on the man's lips.

"So you've arrived."