"Immanuel?"
It was a familiar voice. The voice of a friend. When Immanuel opened his eyes he found Selene Renier's face in front of him. Her anxious gaze prompted him to get up quickly.
"I'm fine… I'm fine," he exclaimed as he wiped his jacket.
"Why are you here? I thought you were going to stop Galorian."
He didn't answer right away. He didn't know how to tell her what he had been through, he didn't even know how she would react.
Immanuel turned away from Selene in an awkward way. She, with a sharpness worthy of an eagle, immediately realized that her friend was hiding something serious from her; she didn't pressure him. Pointing to the wooden door behind her, she asked:
"You want a drink?"
He agreed and the two left that stone house.
Milawata was an area of the Tower inhabited by hundreds of buildings that seemed to be children of Ancient Greece. Around that settlement stood the Wood of the Nymphs.
The people who lived in Milawata wore clothing of various sauces: there were those who preferred old-fashioned clothing and obviously there were also those who wore more modern clothes.
Immanuel, feeling a maritime heat mixed with a subtle smell of the coast, was struck by a strong nostalgia.
"Welcome home, Immanuel," Selene said.
"Home sweet home ..." he murmured as he savored with his eyes the beautiful Milawata, illuminated by the sun.
"A lot of things have changed since you left," she said. "How long is it? Seven, nine months? Time has flown."
"How did you find me?" he asked interested.
"You were lying on the floor of my house. You were asleep. When I got back I found you there. But how did you get there? Is it a new power? Was it Galorian's work?"
"No ... it's ... complicated."
"I imagined. Aren't you going to tell me what happened?"
"Let's sit down first… it's a long story," he replied.
The two entered a tavern. The owner welcomed Immanuel with the same affection as a moved father; to both of them he offered the best table, on a terrace with a good overview. When the two mugs of beer reached the table, Selene's questions began:
"Can you explain to me what happened? Were you able to kill Galorian or not?"
"No," he replied regretfully. "I failed."
"So ... what are you doing here?" she asked confused.
"Well ... it's ... difficult to explain ..."
"Do it," she ordered with an authoritative look.
"I was able to find Galorian in Twangste after months of searching. I had prepared a plan to kill him but things didn't go well, indeed, my entire strategy was completely neutralized."
"What do you mean?"
"Galorian has had some kind of weapon built that is capable of inhibiting our powers."
She said nothing, but her eyes expressed grave doubt.
"I know, it's hard to conceive," he said, scratching his head. "But that's the way it is and ... well, that's not all."
"What else is there?"
"I'm dead. Technically."
She fell into a funeral silence. Selene's eyes and mouth were wide open. She didn't even make a sound.
"I was killed by Galorian but ... I was brought back to life."
"Yes …? Um ... and who did ..."
"A certain Hush de Void. I don't know how to define her ... maybe she's some kind of divinity, but she gave me a second chance that I'm not going to waste."
"So you're here to take revenge?"
"Yeah ... if only it were that simple ..." he muttered.
"Uh?"
"Hush de Void wants me to do something for her first, otherwise she'll blow me up. Literally."
Selene took a deep breath and emptied the mug of beer in one gulp. As the mug hit the wood, she exclaimed:
"These are so many things to digest, Immanuel. A little too many ..."A short pause. "For a start, I've never heard of this Hush de Void. I don't think she's a deity. There are only seven gods, and none of them bear that name."
"I know. I realize it's hard to take my word for it ... but everything I'm telling you is true."
"You don't understand, it's not a problem of trust …" she said after stealing Immanuel's glass. She also consumed the second dose of beer. "I trust you, I've always trusted you. Together, you and I, we have fought against demons of all kinds and protected the Sacred Fire. But hearing you say you're dead is… weird. I mean, I've seen you face worse enemies than Galorian. How could that worm ..." she corrected herself, "right, he used that weapon you mentioned. But how did he get it? Was it given to him along with his balls?"
"Demons. From what I know there's the hand of a demon called Agares." He paused for a moment followed by a heavy worried sigh. "Listen, Selene, the Sacred Fire ... is it still protected by the Wall of Gaia?"
"Yes why?"
"Galorian wants to put out the Sacred Fire. That's why he allied himself with Agares."
"Son of-!" Selene tossed the glass mug off the terrace. Her face, painted with anger, subsided after a few minutes. The woman heaved a nervous sigh. "We must stop him."
"I know."
"We have been chosen to defend the Sacred Fire from the forces of Chaos."
"I know that too."
"But two years have passed since the Breach War. We had destroyed the Tree of Chaos. How did Agares get into the Tower?"
"I don't know," he replied bitterly. "I have no idea. Without the Tree of Chaos, no demon can enter the Tower. Yet ... yet Agares has found a way, and now she collaborates with Galorian."
Selene left the table without saying a word.
Immanuel followed his friend out of the tavern and into her house. Selene took her trusty bow from an old trunk, with which she had killed hundreds of monsters, and, with a determined look, asserted:
"Let's put an end to this now. Whatever happened, we cannot let a demon attack the Wall of Gaia. The Sacred Fire must remain alight."
"You're right, but I can't help you. I must first complete the assignment that was given to me," he said without hiding his regret.
"I understood it immediately, but that doesn't change things. You should know how difficult it was to erect that magical wall. If it were to be destroyed… it would be the end," she concluded in a dark tone.
She was right. Immanuel knew this. Obviously, the idea of letting his best friend leave saddened him, but he couldn't stop her from protecting the Sacred Fire. For this they were chosen by the Seven Divines, their purpose was to defend the Sacred Fire from any threat.
Selene was just doing her duty. Immanuel was aware of this; he silenced his discouragement and, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, said:
"I won't stop you from going … but don't go alone. It's a suicide."
"I'm not stupid," she muttered. "I know perfectly well that I will need reinforcements."
Selene left the house together with her friend.
The Wood of the Nymphs was inhabited by tall chestnut trees, squat cherry trees and ancient oaks. Venturing on those earthy roads was not dangerous, at most you could risk meeting wolves ... but they were never inclined to attack humans.
The howl of the cool wind carried that wild aroma that soothed Immanuel's troubled soul.
His mind was embraced by images of him and Selene, children, playing together in the green.
"Do you remember our first deer?" Immanuel asked with his eyes absorbed in his memories.
"Yes," she replied, smiling. "I remember you were never good at hunting, while I was raised by my father."
"I broke the bowstring at least four times."
"When you saw the deer, you said, 'I'll take care of it, I'll take care of it' and, having pulled out the bow, you tore the rope and looked at me with two shiny eyes" she laughed.
"It was not my fault. It was the bows that were ..."
"... too fragile," she finished the sentence with him. "Ahah! Good times, really… everything was simpler in the past."
"Yeah," he said nostalgically. "If only we could go back ..."
"Don't say that. You know I don't like it," she scolded gently. "It's okay to think about the past, but we can't live constantly yearning to go back. What happened happened. We have to go ahead and live our life."
"How did recite the Book of Truth?" He thought for a moment. "Here: 'Five hundred years of life await you, five hundred years of servitude you will do; five hundred years of loyalty and love to the Seven Divines. Live. Die. Live. Die. Always protecting the Light of Reason'."
"This is our life. We can not complain."
Immanuel preferred to keep quiet about the truth he had learned from Hush de Void, the truth concerning reincarnation. He had no intention of upsetting his friend, especially not before an important mission.
The two stopped at the foot of a crystalline lake: the Lake of the Nymphs. On the right, on a quay behind which a humble wooden house had been erected, there was a young fisherman with an athletic and dark physique.
"That's why we're here ..." Immanuel said in a low voice.
"If I'm going to hunt for demons, I'll have to take Hortio with me," she said.
The two approached the young Publius Hortio. When he, immersed in fishing, saw the two former comrades arrive, he jumped for joy and hugged them both. Selene was more inclined than Immanuel to return the hug.
"How much time! I'm happy to see you again!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.
Hortio, without too much delay, led the two to the hut.
Selene sat down on a wooden bench while Immanuel preferred to stand. Publius offered them both fish soup; only Selene ate it; Immanuel preferred to leave the bowl on the table.
Publius, having sat down, glanced at Immanuel.
"So why are you here?"
"You will leave with Selene and face-"
"Since when do I take orders from you?" he asked defiantly. "You were never my commander, don't assume you have any authority over me."
"You will do your duty, Hortio" he said with his arms folded.
"So ... let me understand: you go away for ten months without saying anything to anyone, then you come back here and claim you have the right to tell me what to do?" He paused briefly. "You have no respect for me. At least Selene has deigned to visit me once a month, where have you been?"
"To avenge my brother's death!" Immanuel exclaimed furiously.
"That's enough!" Selene thundered. "Both! We are comrades in arms, for the love of the Seven! We faced legions of demons in the Breach War and together, the three of us, we destroyed the Tree of Chaos and built the Wall of Gaia." She paused quickly. "We have to support each other."
"You don't have to make these speeches to me," Hortio pointed the finger at Immanuel, "but to him. He is the one who left without telling us anything. He's the one who cut ties with us."
"Galorian was not my friend, you were the one who recruited him ... remember?" Immanuel asked gravely.
There was a moment of silence.
"Are you accusing me?" said Hortio in shock. "I'm not to blame for what happened to your brother. It was Galorian, not me. How could I know-"
"It was your responsibility!" Immanuel raised his voice again. "You should have inquired about him before recruiting him. Because of your negligence-"
"I said stop!" Selene slammed both hands on the table. "You two are acting like children! This is not the right time to have these discussions! If you want to beat yourself up like brats, that's fine! But now we have more important things to think about."
"What things …?" asked Hortio confused.
Selene then explained the whole situation to her friend.
Hortio's reaction was a mixture of terror and concern; but both emotions were overruled by strong suspicion.
Hortio grabbed a trident, his trusty weapon, which was attached to the wall; he aimed his weapon at Immanuel.
Immanuel didn't accept the insult and prepared to fight.
Selene intervened to calm the clash that was heralding.
"A dead man who comes back to life? No, no. I bet there's a demon's hand," said Hortio.
"We can't know, Publius, put the weapon away," Selene ordered.
"It wasn't a demon," Immanuel said aggressively. "That creature wasn't a demon, I'm sure."
"And why should I believe you?" Hortio protested, determined to fight.
"Trust me, Publius ... you can trust me, can't you?"
Selene's voice soothed Hortio's soul. He lowered his weapon and left the house, embarrassed by the reaction he had had.
Immanuel thanked the woman but she, in a cold tone, said:
"Don't thank me, sooner or later you'll have to prove you're not in the hands of a demon."
"So you also have the same suspicion?"
"Just because I didn't have a tantrum doesn't mean I trust this Hush de Void."
"Selene ... I'm sure it wasn't a demon ..."
"Tell your face," she countered, pointing to his face, which expressed his deepest insecurity.
The woman left the hut and was reunited with Publius Hortio.
The young blue-haired warrior addressed the woman with words of despair:
"I didn't want to behave like that ..."
"I know."
"I'm sorry, really, it's just that ... I don't trust him." He paused for a long time. "I thought I knew him, but after everything that has happened lately ... I don't know ... he no longer seems like the man who fought alongside us."
"You don't need to justify yourself to me, Publius. I understand how you feel and I don't judge you for it ... but I need your help."
"Do you want to convince me to fight alongside you?"
She nodded.
"You don't need to convince me," he said, smiling. "I'm always ready to fight alongside you."
There was an exchange of affectionate smiles.
Immanuel, as soon as he left the house, addressed both of them in a brusque tone:
"While you fight the demons, I will have to take care of this Atalya." He turned to Publius. "Have you ever heard of a certain Valentus Polaris? From what I know, he has been residing in Milawata for a couple of years."
"Mm ..." he said, scratching his chin. "Maybe …? If you are talking about the guy who lives in the forest, then I advise you to be careful. It seems that he doesn't like visits, especially from foreigners."
"What do you know about him?"
"Very little. All I know is that he lives in an old fortress three days from here. I know he is a kind of hermit, an expert in magic ... but I don't know anything else."
"Where I have to go?" he asked grimly.
"North East. It will be a long journey- "
"It doesn't matter."
He turned his back on his former comrades in arms.
"Good luck, Immanuel," Selene said.
"Yes… good luck to you too. We will meet again on the battlefield."
He left.
The night covered the Wood of the Nymphs with its starry veil but Immanuel didn't stop to sleep. He took short breaks every two hundred meters and resumed walking at a moderate pace.
He was not afraid of the dark.
The sounds of the night didn't bother him.
He was cold. He was focused on his goal.
A fleeting remorse ran through his thoughts, regret caused by the way he had abandoned his best friend, but that couldn't derail his path.
From the darkness came a growling beast. This monster walked on two horse legs and scarred trees with long black claws. Its fur was pale and its goat face had two blood eyes. The two large horns resembled those of an ibex.
The beast roared exhibiting its sharp teeth.
Immanuel stopped. In an annoyed manner he asked:
"And you ...? Where are you from?"
He didn't expect an answer, but the beast's attack caught him slightly off guard. He managed to dodge the claws and, as soon as he got into a fighting stance, he saw the beast leap towards him. Immanuel rolled on the ground. As soon as the monster's hooves lifted a curtain of dust from the ground, Immanuel struck the terrain with his foot and exclaimed:
"Begrenzung!"
A cobalt-colored magic circle surrounded both him and the beast.
The two were shoulder to shoulder.
The monster tried to turn around to hit that man who, compared to it, was much shorter.
Immanuel, in a cold tone, said:
"Well what's going on? Can't you hit me even though I'm so close?" He paused for a moment followed by a sigh. "I don't expect a Pale-Lilin to resist my Magic. Let's finish this antics, beast."
Immanuel turned. He clenched his fist. And he exclaimed aloud:
"An Sich!"
The fist, wrapped in celestial energy, hit the monster. The body of that creature didn't suffer any superficial damage, but within a few seconds it exploded into so many bloody limbs that dyed the surrounding vegetation red ... and Immanuel too.
The magic circle disappeared and the man retraced his steps.
It was a familiar voice. The voice of a friend. When Immanuel opened his eyes he found Selene Renier's face in front of him. Her anxious gaze prompted him to get up quickly.
"I'm fine… I'm fine," he exclaimed as he wiped his jacket.
"Why are you here? I thought you were going to stop Galorian."
He didn't answer right away. He didn't know how to tell her what he had been through, he didn't even know how she would react.
Immanuel turned away from Selene in an awkward way. She, with a sharpness worthy of an eagle, immediately realized that her friend was hiding something serious from her; she didn't pressure him. Pointing to the wooden door behind her, she asked:
"You want a drink?"
He agreed and the two left that stone house.
Milawata was an area of the Tower inhabited by hundreds of buildings that seemed to be children of Ancient Greece. Around that settlement stood the Wood of the Nymphs.
The people who lived in Milawata wore clothing of various sauces: there were those who preferred old-fashioned clothing and obviously there were also those who wore more modern clothes.
Immanuel, feeling a maritime heat mixed with a subtle smell of the coast, was struck by a strong nostalgia.
"Welcome home, Immanuel," Selene said.
"Home sweet home ..." he murmured as he savored with his eyes the beautiful Milawata, illuminated by the sun.
"A lot of things have changed since you left," she said. "How long is it? Seven, nine months? Time has flown."
"How did you find me?" he asked interested.
"You were lying on the floor of my house. You were asleep. When I got back I found you there. But how did you get there? Is it a new power? Was it Galorian's work?"
"No ... it's ... complicated."
"I imagined. Aren't you going to tell me what happened?"
"Let's sit down first… it's a long story," he replied.
The two entered a tavern. The owner welcomed Immanuel with the same affection as a moved father; to both of them he offered the best table, on a terrace with a good overview. When the two mugs of beer reached the table, Selene's questions began:
"Can you explain to me what happened? Were you able to kill Galorian or not?"
"No," he replied regretfully. "I failed."
"So ... what are you doing here?" she asked confused.
"Well ... it's ... difficult to explain ..."
"Do it," she ordered with an authoritative look.
"I was able to find Galorian in Twangste after months of searching. I had prepared a plan to kill him but things didn't go well, indeed, my entire strategy was completely neutralized."
"What do you mean?"
"Galorian has had some kind of weapon built that is capable of inhibiting our powers."
She said nothing, but her eyes expressed grave doubt.
"I know, it's hard to conceive," he said, scratching his head. "But that's the way it is and ... well, that's not all."
"What else is there?"
"I'm dead. Technically."
She fell into a funeral silence. Selene's eyes and mouth were wide open. She didn't even make a sound.
"I was killed by Galorian but ... I was brought back to life."
"Yes …? Um ... and who did ..."
"A certain Hush de Void. I don't know how to define her ... maybe she's some kind of divinity, but she gave me a second chance that I'm not going to waste."
"So you're here to take revenge?"
"Yeah ... if only it were that simple ..." he muttered.
"Uh?"
"Hush de Void wants me to do something for her first, otherwise she'll blow me up. Literally."
Selene took a deep breath and emptied the mug of beer in one gulp. As the mug hit the wood, she exclaimed:
"These are so many things to digest, Immanuel. A little too many ..."A short pause. "For a start, I've never heard of this Hush de Void. I don't think she's a deity. There are only seven gods, and none of them bear that name."
"I know. I realize it's hard to take my word for it ... but everything I'm telling you is true."
"You don't understand, it's not a problem of trust …" she said after stealing Immanuel's glass. She also consumed the second dose of beer. "I trust you, I've always trusted you. Together, you and I, we have fought against demons of all kinds and protected the Sacred Fire. But hearing you say you're dead is… weird. I mean, I've seen you face worse enemies than Galorian. How could that worm ..." she corrected herself, "right, he used that weapon you mentioned. But how did he get it? Was it given to him along with his balls?"
"Demons. From what I know there's the hand of a demon called Agares." He paused for a moment followed by a heavy worried sigh. "Listen, Selene, the Sacred Fire ... is it still protected by the Wall of Gaia?"
"Yes why?"
"Galorian wants to put out the Sacred Fire. That's why he allied himself with Agares."
"Son of-!" Selene tossed the glass mug off the terrace. Her face, painted with anger, subsided after a few minutes. The woman heaved a nervous sigh. "We must stop him."
"I know."
"We have been chosen to defend the Sacred Fire from the forces of Chaos."
"I know that too."
"But two years have passed since the Breach War. We had destroyed the Tree of Chaos. How did Agares get into the Tower?"
"I don't know," he replied bitterly. "I have no idea. Without the Tree of Chaos, no demon can enter the Tower. Yet ... yet Agares has found a way, and now she collaborates with Galorian."
Selene left the table without saying a word.
Immanuel followed his friend out of the tavern and into her house. Selene took her trusty bow from an old trunk, with which she had killed hundreds of monsters, and, with a determined look, asserted:
"Let's put an end to this now. Whatever happened, we cannot let a demon attack the Wall of Gaia. The Sacred Fire must remain alight."
"You're right, but I can't help you. I must first complete the assignment that was given to me," he said without hiding his regret.
"I understood it immediately, but that doesn't change things. You should know how difficult it was to erect that magical wall. If it were to be destroyed… it would be the end," she concluded in a dark tone.
She was right. Immanuel knew this. Obviously, the idea of letting his best friend leave saddened him, but he couldn't stop her from protecting the Sacred Fire. For this they were chosen by the Seven Divines, their purpose was to defend the Sacred Fire from any threat.
Selene was just doing her duty. Immanuel was aware of this; he silenced his discouragement and, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, said:
"I won't stop you from going … but don't go alone. It's a suicide."
"I'm not stupid," she muttered. "I know perfectly well that I will need reinforcements."
Selene left the house together with her friend.
The Wood of the Nymphs was inhabited by tall chestnut trees, squat cherry trees and ancient oaks. Venturing on those earthy roads was not dangerous, at most you could risk meeting wolves ... but they were never inclined to attack humans.
The howl of the cool wind carried that wild aroma that soothed Immanuel's troubled soul.
His mind was embraced by images of him and Selene, children, playing together in the green.
"Do you remember our first deer?" Immanuel asked with his eyes absorbed in his memories.
"Yes," she replied, smiling. "I remember you were never good at hunting, while I was raised by my father."
"I broke the bowstring at least four times."
"When you saw the deer, you said, 'I'll take care of it, I'll take care of it' and, having pulled out the bow, you tore the rope and looked at me with two shiny eyes" she laughed.
"It was not my fault. It was the bows that were ..."
"... too fragile," she finished the sentence with him. "Ahah! Good times, really… everything was simpler in the past."
"Yeah," he said nostalgically. "If only we could go back ..."
 |
| Immanuel (BikoWolf) |
"How did recite the Book of Truth?" He thought for a moment. "Here: 'Five hundred years of life await you, five hundred years of servitude you will do; five hundred years of loyalty and love to the Seven Divines. Live. Die. Live. Die. Always protecting the Light of Reason'."
"This is our life. We can not complain."
Immanuel preferred to keep quiet about the truth he had learned from Hush de Void, the truth concerning reincarnation. He had no intention of upsetting his friend, especially not before an important mission.
The two stopped at the foot of a crystalline lake: the Lake of the Nymphs. On the right, on a quay behind which a humble wooden house had been erected, there was a young fisherman with an athletic and dark physique.
"That's why we're here ..." Immanuel said in a low voice.
"If I'm going to hunt for demons, I'll have to take Hortio with me," she said.
The two approached the young Publius Hortio. When he, immersed in fishing, saw the two former comrades arrive, he jumped for joy and hugged them both. Selene was more inclined than Immanuel to return the hug.
"How much time! I'm happy to see you again!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.
Hortio, without too much delay, led the two to the hut.
Selene sat down on a wooden bench while Immanuel preferred to stand. Publius offered them both fish soup; only Selene ate it; Immanuel preferred to leave the bowl on the table.
Publius, having sat down, glanced at Immanuel.
"So why are you here?"
"You will leave with Selene and face-"
"Since when do I take orders from you?" he asked defiantly. "You were never my commander, don't assume you have any authority over me."
"You will do your duty, Hortio" he said with his arms folded.
"So ... let me understand: you go away for ten months without saying anything to anyone, then you come back here and claim you have the right to tell me what to do?" He paused briefly. "You have no respect for me. At least Selene has deigned to visit me once a month, where have you been?"
"To avenge my brother's death!" Immanuel exclaimed furiously.
"That's enough!" Selene thundered. "Both! We are comrades in arms, for the love of the Seven! We faced legions of demons in the Breach War and together, the three of us, we destroyed the Tree of Chaos and built the Wall of Gaia." She paused quickly. "We have to support each other."
"You don't have to make these speeches to me," Hortio pointed the finger at Immanuel, "but to him. He is the one who left without telling us anything. He's the one who cut ties with us."
"Galorian was not my friend, you were the one who recruited him ... remember?" Immanuel asked gravely.
There was a moment of silence.
"Are you accusing me?" said Hortio in shock. "I'm not to blame for what happened to your brother. It was Galorian, not me. How could I know-"
"It was your responsibility!" Immanuel raised his voice again. "You should have inquired about him before recruiting him. Because of your negligence-"
"I said stop!" Selene slammed both hands on the table. "You two are acting like children! This is not the right time to have these discussions! If you want to beat yourself up like brats, that's fine! But now we have more important things to think about."
"What things …?" asked Hortio confused.
Selene then explained the whole situation to her friend.
Hortio's reaction was a mixture of terror and concern; but both emotions were overruled by strong suspicion.
Hortio grabbed a trident, his trusty weapon, which was attached to the wall; he aimed his weapon at Immanuel.
Immanuel didn't accept the insult and prepared to fight.
Selene intervened to calm the clash that was heralding.
"A dead man who comes back to life? No, no. I bet there's a demon's hand," said Hortio.
"We can't know, Publius, put the weapon away," Selene ordered.
"It wasn't a demon," Immanuel said aggressively. "That creature wasn't a demon, I'm sure."
"And why should I believe you?" Hortio protested, determined to fight.
"Trust me, Publius ... you can trust me, can't you?"
Selene's voice soothed Hortio's soul. He lowered his weapon and left the house, embarrassed by the reaction he had had.
Immanuel thanked the woman but she, in a cold tone, said:
"Don't thank me, sooner or later you'll have to prove you're not in the hands of a demon."
"So you also have the same suspicion?"
"Just because I didn't have a tantrum doesn't mean I trust this Hush de Void."
"Selene ... I'm sure it wasn't a demon ..."
"Tell your face," she countered, pointing to his face, which expressed his deepest insecurity.
The woman left the hut and was reunited with Publius Hortio.
The young blue-haired warrior addressed the woman with words of despair:
"I didn't want to behave like that ..."
"I know."
"I'm sorry, really, it's just that ... I don't trust him." He paused for a long time. "I thought I knew him, but after everything that has happened lately ... I don't know ... he no longer seems like the man who fought alongside us."
"You don't need to justify yourself to me, Publius. I understand how you feel and I don't judge you for it ... but I need your help."
"Do you want to convince me to fight alongside you?"
She nodded.
"You don't need to convince me," he said, smiling. "I'm always ready to fight alongside you."
There was an exchange of affectionate smiles.
Immanuel, as soon as he left the house, addressed both of them in a brusque tone:
"While you fight the demons, I will have to take care of this Atalya." He turned to Publius. "Have you ever heard of a certain Valentus Polaris? From what I know, he has been residing in Milawata for a couple of years."
"Mm ..." he said, scratching his chin. "Maybe …? If you are talking about the guy who lives in the forest, then I advise you to be careful. It seems that he doesn't like visits, especially from foreigners."
"What do you know about him?"
"Very little. All I know is that he lives in an old fortress three days from here. I know he is a kind of hermit, an expert in magic ... but I don't know anything else."
"Where I have to go?" he asked grimly.
"North East. It will be a long journey- "
"It doesn't matter."
He turned his back on his former comrades in arms.
"Good luck, Immanuel," Selene said.
"Yes… good luck to you too. We will meet again on the battlefield."
He left.
The night covered the Wood of the Nymphs with its starry veil but Immanuel didn't stop to sleep. He took short breaks every two hundred meters and resumed walking at a moderate pace.
He was not afraid of the dark.
The sounds of the night didn't bother him.
He was cold. He was focused on his goal.
A fleeting remorse ran through his thoughts, regret caused by the way he had abandoned his best friend, but that couldn't derail his path.
From the darkness came a growling beast. This monster walked on two horse legs and scarred trees with long black claws. Its fur was pale and its goat face had two blood eyes. The two large horns resembled those of an ibex.
The beast roared exhibiting its sharp teeth.
Immanuel stopped. In an annoyed manner he asked:
"And you ...? Where are you from?"
He didn't expect an answer, but the beast's attack caught him slightly off guard. He managed to dodge the claws and, as soon as he got into a fighting stance, he saw the beast leap towards him. Immanuel rolled on the ground. As soon as the monster's hooves lifted a curtain of dust from the ground, Immanuel struck the terrain with his foot and exclaimed:
"Begrenzung!"
A cobalt-colored magic circle surrounded both him and the beast.
The two were shoulder to shoulder.
The monster tried to turn around to hit that man who, compared to it, was much shorter.
Immanuel, in a cold tone, said:
"Well what's going on? Can't you hit me even though I'm so close?" He paused for a moment followed by a sigh. "I don't expect a Pale-Lilin to resist my Magic. Let's finish this antics, beast."
Immanuel turned. He clenched his fist. And he exclaimed aloud:
"An Sich!"
The fist, wrapped in celestial energy, hit the monster. The body of that creature didn't suffer any superficial damage, but within a few seconds it exploded into so many bloody limbs that dyed the surrounding vegetation red ... and Immanuel too.
The magic circle disappeared and the man retraced his steps.
