Ethan revelled in the stunned look on Alissa’s face when he transformed into his humanoid form.

“Let’s see if she’s telling the truth,” Ethan thought. “Laila should be able to handle herself, considering she broke through.”

“Why me, though?” Laila asked.

“Because you’re human,” Ethan said. “I can’t pass as one. You can infiltrate the group, and I have a feeling that you’re quite resistant to the mind control now.”

“I see,” Laila frowned and shifted on her feet. “So, what? We head into the city and do what exactly?”

“Try to find some way to break people from the mind control,” Ethan explained. “Once you do, find some secure place and hunker down while I deal with the Invaders. I’m confident, based on the strength of the demons, that I’ll be able to handle them, but they may have some surprises waiting. Maybe waiting until the Invaders are dealt with would be better?”

“No,” Alissa shook her head. “If we wait, more people will die. Jason, the leader, will also expect retaliation from you at some point. If the Invaders are gone, he’ll immediately start fortifying his position, making it far harder to get in. I’d prefer to have a few days, but that’ll mean more death. I’d say a few hours for us to get to the city, then begin your attack.”

“Fine,” Ethan sighed. “Laila, does that sound good to you?”

“Yeah,” she nodded but frowned at him. “Why are you so, uhh, good, by the way? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it, but I expected you to argue against helping them.”

“I wanted to,” Ethan grumbled. “It’s not just the quests that changed my mind. I’m still fighting against these new instincts that tell me to swoop in and take over entirely, to be a tyrant and kill anyone who opposes me. I’m trying to retain my humanity and balance the cruelty with kindness. Maybe I’m overcompensating, but I’d rather be too good than to fall into cruelty. Make no mistake, though, should I be betrayed again, I won’t show mercy. Consider this your only chance, Alissa.”

Alissa nodded and looked to the ground.

“I see,” Laila nodded. “I get it. I’m barely feeling any change in some parts of my personality. I can’t imagine what it’s like for you.”

“Mhm,” Ethan sighed. “Anyway, let’s get this show on the road. I’ll walk with you to the road, then I’ll split off.”

“Wait,” Alissa frowned. “You’re going in this form?”

“Yeah,” Ethan nodded and raised his hand, looking at his claws. “I’m curious. I haven’t experimented much with this form and must find its limitations. I can shift into my dragon form quickly if needed.”

“Alright,” Alissa didn’t look convinced but didn’t argue, and the group headed off.

“You’ve changed, Ethan,” Alissa said as they reached the bottom of the mountain.

“Oh, have I?” Ethan glared at her. “I would never have guessed.”

“I mean,” Alissa sighed and closed her eyes. “You’ve grown a backbone.”

“It helps when I can crush anyone with a flick of my tail,” Ethan grumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Alissa said softly. “I never thought about how we treated you before. Mother and I took you for granted.”

“Yeah,” Ethan growled, his hand clenching into a fist and trembling slightly. “You did, and when I asked for help, I was turned away, given excuses. You couldn’t help me because you were too busy, Mother was tired, you had other plans, on and on. When I worked two jobs to support you and Mother, I survived on stale bread and scraps for months at a time. And still, you couldn’t help me when I needed it.”

“Oh,” Alissa’s eyes were downcast as they walked. “I didn’t-No, there are no excuses. I regret many things, Ethan, and how we treated you is one of them. I wish to make amends, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to do so.”

“Right,” Ethan grunted. “We’ll see.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up again.

“What are your plans for the city's people once the Invaders are gone and the mind control is dealt with?” she asked.

“No idea,” Ethan sighed and glared at Alissa. Laila padded beside them. “I have no interest in ruling, or I don’t want to, while my instincts tell me to. What do you want to be done?”

“Let me and Laila handle the people,” she said. Laila glanced at her with wide eyes. “Once we’ve secured the people, we’ll find someone who can lead without compromising their humanity and integrity.”

“Easier said than done, Alissa,” Ethan shook his head. “Power corrupts. The best people may still fall in time.”

“I know,” Alissa sighed. “It’s not perfect, but we can make it work. Just promise me one thing: don’t act rashly, don’t swoop in and terrorise people. You will only cause fear and make it harder to build a community.”

“That suits me fine,” Ethan said. “I’ll remain on my mountain, go hunting and fight the Invaders when they appear. You can deal with everything else.”

“Not what I meant,” Alissa grumbled. “But, fine, for now.”

They walked the rest of the way, through the forest, to the road, in silence.

“Right,” Ethan said. “This is where we split up. There’s a pillar near the army base. I’ll handle that one first. Good luck.”

“Yeah,” Laila nodded. “Good luck.”

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Ethan watched them go for a few seconds.

“Is she genuine?” Ethan wondered as he summoned a sword to his hand. It had been a while since he’d used the katana. “I hope she is. Despite everything, she’s my sister. If only things could return to how they were when we were kids. Before Dad lost it.”

He shook his head and began walking. The pillar of black light pierced the sky before him, and Ethan couldn’t help but smile at the thought of fighting a bunch of undead.

“I feel like I’m on an adventure,” Ethan smirked.

He arrived at the road leading off the highway toward the army base and followed it for a while before turning off into the forest.

As he got closer, he began hearing the sounds of combat and soon broke through the forest line at the back of the base, where the trees had been cut down.

A steady stream of undead marched from the forest toward the base, where Ethan saw the wall had been torn down. Humans fought in the breach, holding the horde back, but he saw wounds and injuries mount on the defenders. Corpses littered the space inside the wall where the dead had been dragged.

“They’re doing well,” Ethan thought. “But, they won’t hold for much longer. I doubt the undead will tire, but the humans will.”

He turned his attention to the Pillar of Light.

“I think it’s best if I deal with the source rather than try to fight the horde,” he mused, retreated back into the forest, and circled around.

He approached from the side of the pillar, and the first undead creatures noticed him. A group of shambling corpses staggered toward him, and Ethan smirked as he dashed forward.

His blade sang as it swung through the air, and Ethan left the corpses to crumple behind him.

“I need to move fast,” he thought. “Defeat whatever is summoning them before they pile on top of me. Before I get tired.”

Zombies fell in droves as he dashed closer and closer to the pillar, and he began facing more vigorous opposition. The undead were packed around a central area, where Ethan saw a large, black crystal. In front of the crystal was a swirling portal from which a steady stream of undead marched.

Several towering abominations of stitched flesh and bone guarded the portal. They turned toward him with slow, lumbering steps, and Ethan snorted.

He channelled Qi through his body and into his sword, lighting it up in a purple blaze while tendrils of purple flesh emerged from him. The tendrils lashed out, grabbed the zombies around him, and twisted. The crunch of bones resounded as he passed, and he swung his sword through the leg of the first abomination.

The flesh dissolved as the purple flames made contact, and Ethan felt a strong pull on his Qi reserves, but he kept going. One after another, the abominations fell, and Ethan stood before the portal with several zombies hanging from his tendrils. Ethan frowned as he looked around.

“Is this it? He wondered. “I just need to destroy the crystal, and it’s over?”

He took a step closer and was sent flying backwards without warning as a pulse of black energy emanated from the crystal. Ethan tumbled several times before stopping as he crashed into a tree.

He glared at the crystal as he rose and saw another figure standing before it. It wore long flowing robes and held a long staff in its bony hand. Beneath the hood of the robe, Ethan saw a skeletal face with green fires in the eye sockets.

“A lich?” he wondered. His mouth split into a fierce grin that showed his fangs. “Could be interesting.”

He dashed forward and thrust his sword at the lich, but he encountered a barrier of Qi that deflected the attack.

Ethan didn’t let up, as he circled and kept up his offensive, but had to dodge away as a black and white beam erupted from the skeleton’s staff. It tore a deep groove in the ground but missed Ethan as he dove back in.

“Tough shield,” Ethan smirked. “But, not good enough. Let’s finish this before the bastard finds a way to stop me.”

He focused and pushed more Qi into his arm and sword, and with a final thrust and a roar, he pierced through it, creating a large hole in the barrier. Tendrils shot through the hole, wrapped around the lich and tore its limbs off.

A scream erupted in Ethan’s mind, and his vision swam, but he refused to let up. Soon enough, the lich was in pieces, and the crystal dimmed.

“That hurts,” he grumbled as he rubbed his temples. “Last-ditch attack? Well, it's dead now.”

Ethan panted and leaned against it, causing a message to appear before him.

[Invaders defeated. Destroy or deactivate Crystal?]

“What are the benefits of deactivating it?” Ethan asked in his mind, but there was no answer. “Maybe it could be reactivated and made into some training thing. Nah. Too risky. And I am not interested in going to the undead homeworld, so destroy it.”

The crystal turned to dust the moment he made his decision, and the pillar of black light winked out.

“Now,” Ethan frowned and looked around. “Let’s deal with the rest.”

***

Burt heaved for breath as he swung his club at the zombie before him and glared at the sea of undead outside the walls in despair. He backed away as three more zombies shuffled toward him, and two reserve guards stepped in. A ripple seemed to pass through the gathered undead, and they slowed down significantly. Seconds later, the pillar of black light winked out.

Burt stood frozen, gazing at the spot where the light had dominated for days.

“What happened?” he asked. No one responded. “How did that happen?”

Burt didn’t know, but he felt like he’d been saved. The zombies had slowed down, and while they still assaulted the base, they were sluggish and far less threatening now. He stepped back in with a fierce grin and hope blazing in his eyes. He was not the only one.

***

The next several days were strange for the survivors in and around the city, as the pillars that had kept spewing out enemies for days suddenly disappeared, one by one.

Jason frowned as he sat behind his desk and read the scout's report in front of him.

“Any sign of the ones responsible?” he asked. The scout shook his head. “Any sign of the dragon?”

Another shake of his head.”

“What is going on?” he mumbled before shaking his head. “No matter. Let’s turn this to our benefit. Spread the word that a special force of ours is the one responsible. We’ve been working hard to defend them, and they will now be safe.”

The scout nodded and was about to turn around when the door burst open in a blaze of golden flame. The fire swallowed the scout, and Jason’s desk became ash in seconds. He glared at the intruder, but the only thing he saw before his world turned into searing heat was red and gold hair and hate-filled eyes.