Chapter 11 Story Night

Night falls on the Outer Gate Outpost. As the dark sky rolled in, silent also creeped in, but this is not the ordinary silent that the outpost used to know. For the past few days, the cycle of day and night has come and goes without any major incident. The silent that brought since just become a serene melody of changing time, rather than an omen preluding storm of fire and blood.

The sentries that are stationed on top of the battlements stay vigilant even in that moment of tranquility. Their ever-watching eyes peered through the dark, but their mind is ever-wishing that there won't be anything coming through the dark. An uneventful guard duty is a rare luxury which everyone hopes to enjoy. However, one of the sentry indulged himself while on duty. Sits and leans to the parapet on top of the gate house with a book on hand to read. Unusual behavior from a sentry on duty, but that sentry is a first lance.

Sora flips a page from the book. Insufficient lighting from a torch next to him forces the officer to read slowly. Time to time he moves his glasses to adjust its position. It is true that Lucas, Sora's Jaeger friend, said that the glasses are indestructible. However, in the past battle it took a slight dent in the frame. No longer a perfect fit, the glasses now tend to slide down Sora's nose.

As he flips another page, Sora notices someone approaching him.

"Ah, there you are, Amamiya," he greets the person without even leaving his focus from the book.

"That's my line," says Amamiya. "You're supposed to be in bed. Lack of sleep is not good for health. Especially for an old man like you."

"Haha. Very funny, princess."

The insult managed to draw Sora's attention. He stops reading and looks at the battlemage.

Amamiya sits next to the first lance officer.

"How do you know it was me?" she asks.

"Well, you are the only one here who smells like a burning leaf," Sora replies.

As per usual, such tactless comment is countered with a punch from Amamiya. However, this time that rebuttal was not accompanied with a pout, rather with a smile.

Sora and her share a kiss.

"Seriously though, you should get some rest," Amamiya grips her companion's hand. "You've been pushing yourself too much lately."

"I know. It just… I feel anxious with everything," Sora everts his eyes.

Amamiya gently reached to his cheek.

"Come on. I know you are the first lance, but you do not need to carry everything alone. You have me, Maximillian and the others."

"Thank you. I…," Sora taps his fingers on the book. "Fine. I'll go to sleep after I finish reading this."

He shows the battlemage the book he has been reading.

"Yeah. About that book, what is it about? You've been reading that since we got here."

Sora closes the book and shows the cover.

"Age of Creation: The Myth and The Stories," Amamiya reads the book title.

"It's the only book I manage to smuggle out from the library," said Sora. "I keep reading it to distract my mind and because I am also bored. As you notice, just like a safety razor, video games have not yet been invented in this place."

He opens the page he read before. "Truthfully, I'm tired of this book. I probably already remember most of its content since I've been constantly reading it."

"Then, how about you tell me about it?" Amamiya offers a request.

"Tell you about what?" Sora asks.

"The book. About its story."

"Why? If you want to know the story, you could read it yourself."

The first lance hands his book to the asking person.

"I'd rather you tell me." The person, which is battlemage Amamiya, declines the counter-offer.

"And again, why?"

"Because I ask you to. Did you forget I'm your girlfriend?"

"How could I forget?" Sora reminisces about the mission his unit and Desmon's Jaegers conducted. "You confess to me after you kiss me, AFTER we've been chased throughout the night by a horde of boggards. And along way back to the outpost, you didn't stop dancing and prancing around like giddy school girl."

"Very kind of you to remember the details," Amamiya embraces her lover and kisses him on the cheek. "So, please tell me the story. Pretty please. It's your princess' order."

"I thought you renounced that title," Sora sighs, then faintly smiles. "Oh what the hell, I'll read it for you."

The giddy princess claps in excitement.

"It all begins in nothingness and with two beings."

***

In the beginning, in the emptiness of space there were two beings, Ulm and Nalm. Motion and Static. The two danced in eternal perpetuity. In their dance, they will split, expand and create. Filling the vast empty space that surrounded them. They did this again and again and again. Until nothing remains from them, except for their husks and essence. From the husks emerge two deities, Umala and Nuala. Umala is The Father Who Creates and Nuala is The Mother Who Preserves.

Umala takes the last remains of their parents' husks. Combining some of the essence that floating freely in the space, he creates eight spheres. A moment after their creation, Umala juggles the spheres. The spheres move in order and harmony between the creator's mighty hand. However, when Umala stops, the spheres move out of order, chaotic, erratic and colliding with each other. For this, Nuala takes some of the essence and creates a being as mighty as they to keep the sphere in order. Then, emerge Neme, The Keeper of Balance. With threads coiling on her fingers, Neme binds the spheres and restricts their movement. Once again, between the path that weaves from Neme's threads, the spheres move in order and harmony.

After the ordering of spheres, both Nuala and Umala continue their parents' duty to fill the void with new creations. They fill the eight spheres with all kind creatures in various shapes and manners. Their prancing, running and dancing. But alas, those creations are mere unliving constructs. Their movements are chaotics, their behaviors are indecisive. Due to such nature, Neme, as a Keeper of Balance, sees them as an abhorrent creature and will always destroy them. Time and time again it happened, whenever the new constructs are finished, they will soon be destroyed. It saddened Nuala. For the next creation, she petitions Umala to create something that is just a simple construct. She wants to create something that is alive. Something that she can be taught and nurtures. Umala understands the request, but he also feels wary. He feels there no living being that could inhibit the still barren and empty spheres and even if they manage to create living creations, Neme will destroy their new creations before he and Nuala manage to teach them any knowledge. Umala rejects the petition, causing Nuala to fall into deep sorrow, and weeps. For her role as a preserver cannot be fulfilled.

Nuala continues to weep and weep. So long that she weeps, her tears flood one of the spheres, turning it into a world that is covered by ocean. Umala finally relent, and grants the request with two conditions. One, Neme cannot directly interfere with creatures or the creation process without being asked first. Two, the sphere must be shaped into a world that can sustain living creatures. Nuala agrees wholeheartedly, but Neme still has doubt. She agrees, but also gives warning. If the creatures beget chaos, she will destroy them.

The new era of creation begins when Umala takes one of the spheres and spins it between his hands. The floating essence moves rapidly around the sphere. Alas, this set the sphere ablaze, turning it into a world filled with fire and brimstone. Nothing can survive in such a harsh world, not even an unliving construct. Umala then takes anothers sphere, this time he spins it slowly. The floating essence fills its surface, then hardened. Turns the sphere into a world of stones and jagged rocks. No living being can inhibit such a place, but constructs can survive since they are never alive. Umala weaves the essence that is not yet hardened in that world with the rocks and the stones into constructs with an image of perfection. Thus, the first golems, the living mountain, the lord of stones, created. To prevent drawing Neme's ire, Umala makes the golems in immobile condition.

"They only move according to your teaching," said The Father Who Creates.

Reluctantly, Nuala told the golems to move, and they moved. She told them to walk, and they walked following her instruction. Nuala is overjoyed. She teaches the stony constructs various knowledge. But first and foremost the Mother Who Created taught her first unliving children is how to order their world. With her guidance, the golems level the ground that filled jagged rock with their massive legs. With their unimaginable strength they build many giant stone castles and palaces. And with their hands they carved the mountains into colossal thrones. With its nonliving denizen's effort, the barren world has been built into a kingdom of stone. Yet, the golems are still just a simple construct. Whenever Nuala averted her gaze, they would return to their immobile state. Soon, Nuala realized the reality of her first unliving children. Her teaching is just a mere instruction for the golems to move. The stony constructs will never remember the knowledge that is being taught to them, moreover understand and convince it. Hence, the Mother falls again to her sorrow.

Neme shares Nuala grief for the golems. She also started to favor them for what they did to shape their world. For that, she bestowed them with two gifts. She tears a piece of cloth from her long shawl and cuts it into thousands smaller pieces.

"I bestow this gift so that you can preserve the knowledge that has been taught,"said the Keeper of Balance as she put a piece of cloth to each and every golem.

Then, Neme cuts one of the threads that coil her hand and bind all the golems' limbs and body.

"And with this gift you shall move freely to keep order and balance. To preserve the world that you have shaped and built," said her as she watches the constructs start to move on their own.

With the ability to move and knowledge from Nuala is stored inside them, the golems act as the living denizens of the stone world. And their first act is to build a titanic tower in the very center of their world. A massive tower that was entirely made of stone pierced the roof of the world. A tower that is devoted to the Mother who gave them the knowledge to order the world. Nualatara, the Spire of Nuala, is what it's called and also the name of the world where it was built by the first unliving children.

Alas, all that effort still cannot sooth the Mother Who Preserved from her sorrow. Frustrated, she took one of the spheres. With her breath, she blows the floating essence through the sphere. The essence swirls around it, cuts through it and is absorbed to its core. Finally, freeze the sphere's surface, turning it into a world of ice filled with frozen tundra and icy ravine. Yet another world where living beings cannot inhibit.

Umala is furious with what Nuala has done. In his wrath, he spins the world, trying to revert back into an empty sphere. However, this stirs the essence inside the icy world's core. Without knowing it, Umala's hubris is creating the first living creation. From the depth of icy ravine they emerge, frozen mortals. Their skin is blue and coffered by ice crystal, their eyes cold and blue. When they reach the world surface, they roam aimlessly. Not knowing what to do or where to go.

Nuala takes pity on these unintended creations. They are alive and have all right to survive and keep on living. And with such a notion, Nuala gathered all the frozen mortals in a vast field of tundra and named them Istvarn, children of crystal ice. Then, she gives them the knowledge that she had been taught to the golems for the Istvarns to create dwellings. Once again, Nuala is overjoyed when the frozen mortals walk in four separate directions and start carving icy mountains into fortresses. To ensure their survival, Nuala melt the world core to reduce the coldness of its surface. Then she takes a handful of scaly rock and shapes them into wingless ice drakes.

The drakes' scales are as hard as the rock which they created from, but their flesh is warm and tender. They also have fiery hearts that could be used to ignite the hearth of every fortress. Once again Nuala takes a handful of rocks. Rocks that are covered by ice crystals and shaped into wolves with crystal mane. Proud creatures that roam the tundras and the snowy hills. Their meat is lean, but their hide is tough, fit for the Istvarns to make garments that could help them brave the harsh icy world. Some of these ice-covered rocks are too small to be shaped into wolves or drakes. They were shaped into crystalline foxes. Their eyes are able to see through darkness, their long ears are sharp and can catch the quietest and the most obscure sound. With their slim body, the foxes can travers between small tunnels and crevices with ease. Their small yet strong and swift legs making them adept climbers of the icy ravines.

In her excitement, Nuala keeps shaping the icy world, turning some of the tundras into forests of crystal pines whose floor is covered with green moss and indigo mushrooms. Preoccupied, the Mother does not know what her children, the Istvars, doing inside their mountain fortresses. The children of crystal ice built a frozen foundry inside their home, creating weapons and armors from the crystal. They filled the fortress kennels with tamed drakes and wolves. Deep inside every fortress there is also a quarry where flaming rocks are brought to the surface.

In one seemingly predetermined moment, the Istvars leave their fortresses. And from the same four directions they gather on the vast tundra where Nuala first summoned them. Four groups of Istvarns face each other. One which every Istvarn accompanied with a crystal mane wolf, their fingernails were sharpened into claws, and they carried javelins of pinewood and crystal. One which every Istvarn rode an ice drake and carried a mace which its head made of flaming stone. One which every Istvarn wore crystal armor and carried shield and spear. One which every Istvarn carried stone warmaul and battleaxe and brought along with them warmachines filled with brimstones from the world's core.

This gathering serves one purpose and one purpose only. War. The Istvarns fiercely attack each other. There is no side but their own. There is no ally, only enemy. Following their initial nature ordained, they battle in perpetual carnage. As they were created with wrath of Umala, and so their heart was filled with a flame of fury. As the Creator's hubris shaped them with intent of destruction, their mind was tangled with chaos. And so, the children of crystal ice vowed to wage war with each other for eternity.

In the sight of unimaginable bloodshed, Nuala screams in horror. Neme with disgust raised her hands. She will destroy the Istvarns who were created from chaos and their world which tainted with chaos. However, Umala stops the Keeper of Balance. He argues that if she destroys the icy world, Neme will disturb the balance since it was created from one of eight spheres. Umala also says that Istvarns, whoever they might be, are living and sentient beings.

Convinced, Neme lowered her hands. Instead of destroying the Istvarns and their world, she puts them into deep slumber, turns their crystalline skin into their shackles and coffin and entomb them inside their own mountain fortresses. With that, the chaotic struggle of the Istvarns was stopped, and their world received a fitting name. Kriggrivar, The Tomb of War.

After all that happened in the frozen world, Umala and Nuala realize one of them alone cannot create a world for living beings or living creations. As their parents before, Ulm and Nalm, they need to work together in harmony for a proper creation. As such, they decided to try once again to be shaped into a world.

Neme reluctant to give another sphere. Four spheres already turned into broken worlds by the whim of the Mother and the Creator. However, seeing their newfound resolve, she is willing to surrender one last sphere to be shaped into a world for living creation.

At first, Umala begins by doing what he previously did to the fire world. He spins the sphere between his hands with streams of floating essence, setting it ablaze. Then, Nuala blows a cold breath toward the flaming sphere, quenching the fire. Steam of clouds rises as the fire dies, enveloping the newly shaped world. The surface hardens as it cools down and ash scatters on top of it. From these ashes, again emerge unintended living beings. They are tall, slender, elegan. Their hair as black as charcoal, their skin as grey as the ash whence they come from, their ears are long and pointy. When they emerge, these creatures gaze upon Nuala graceful and radiant presence with their violet colored eyes, and kneel. Because they were created with the harmonious effort of Nuala and Umala, there is no chaos that clouded their mind. As such, when they bask upon Nuala, they feel the breath that gives them life and recognize her, the Mother Who Preserved, as their matron. And thus, Asvar, children of the ashes, or later known as Dark Elves, was born.

Nuala sheds a tear of joy seeing the devotion of the newly born Asvars. Her tear dropped onto the world, and from that spot sprouted a massive tree. Its leaves are as brilliant as emeralds, its trunk shines like a star. From its far reaching roots, it also sprouted a vast verdant forest. Suddenly, the forest is rustling. There is small movement between the trees. Curious, Umala opens the forest's canopy and peers into its floor. From the cracks between tree roots emerge another unintended creation. These creatures have similar appearance as the Asvars. They are as tall and as elegant as the Asvar. They also have long pointy ears. However, their skin is white and brilliant. Their hair is gold in color. And their eyes are as green as the forest's leaves. When they gaze upon the mighty presence of Umala, they kneel. For their mind too not cloud with chaos, they recognize him, the Father Who Created, as their guardian. Thus, Visra, keeper of the forest, also known as Light Elves, was born.

With their mortal children now awake, Umala and Nuala begin to pass the knowledge of creation and preservation. Umala teaches the elves to build tools and craft medicines. Nuala teaches them how to tilled the land to plant crops and build houses. With that knowledge, the Asvars and the Visras start to shape the world for their own.

Life is thriving. Both elves folks work together in harmony. Forests that once wild and untamed, now filled towns and cities build among the trees. Plain of ash that once barren has now turned into a vast green meadow with a field of golden crops stretching as far as the eyes can see. The world is also continuously filled with new creations. Fishes filled the pond and the lake with geese and swans playing on the surface. Squirrels and rabbits roaming around the tree, and avoid being noticed by ferocious forest cats. Birds fly high above the forest canopy. In the meadow, wolves and deers roam freely and pridefully. And in the last stretch of plain of ash, mighty boars and bulls dauntlessly brave the barren land.

At one moment, when the elves finally reach the highest understanding of the knowledge that has been passed to them, they tap the hidden potential inside them. The Visras found out they could master control over nature. Tree roots will move away with their command, branches will bend to their will and grasses will bow as they walk. With their new found ability, the Visras no longer use tools to build. No longer they cut trees to make dwellings. They shape trees into houses, the forest into one big metropolis. With such deep connection, all Visras vow to no longer violate nature for their own wimps, they vow to guard and preserve the forest and only take what they need from it.

As when Visras found connection with the forest and nature. The Asvars found their hidden potential. Originally, Asvars are slim, now they are more muscular and rugged. Their nails now more akin to claw and their fangs grew longer. Asvars also attain the ability to dominate the beasts. No longer farmers must fear for their crops to be pillaged by the boars, the bulls or the deers. No longer travelers must fear for their life when walking along the plains due to being hunted by wolves or the giant cats. Now, the Asvars are the master of the wild and the beasts are their subject to their command.

Alas, those abilities are what drove the elves folks away from each other. The Visras not only forbade themself to violate the forest, but also the other. This is a predicament for the Asvars who mainly reside in the meadow. They need timbers for building houses and there are not enough trees to be harvested in the plains. Leaders of the Asvars plead the Visras to be given some of the woods from the forest in exchange for any product they have from the plains. However, their pleas fall into deaf ears. Day after day, plea after plea came from the Asvars, yet the answer was still the same. Angry and desperate, the children of ashes finally take the matter to their own hand. At the dead of night, the Asvars march toward the border between the forest and the meadow. With axes on their hand, the Asvars cut as many trees as they could and haul them into the cart drawn by bulls.

This unexpected transgression shocks the Visras. The gall of their neighbour won't go unpunished. Alas, when the Visran Justicars were going to the plains to demand answers, they were welcomed with fangs and claws of Asvarian warriors. Line has been drawn, and the conflict between elves folk has begun. As the Asvars prepare for the next incursion, the Visras pray on the foot of the great tree for guidance and help. Once again, sprouts come from the mighty tree's root. Each sprout then bears thorny fruits shaped like hearts. The bravest among the Visras, pick the fruits. They slash open their chest and thrust the fruit into their body. In an instance, those Visras transformed. Their skin becomes tree bark, their hair becomes vines and they grow as big as the trees. Those Visras have turned into Skoggens, tree people. The Skoggens are marching to the forest's edge and wait there to expel anyone who intends to harm the home of the Visras.

Undaunted by the presence of a new adversary, the Asvars charge toward Skoggens. Alas, their strength and mighty axes can defeat the unyielding guardians of the forest. Beaten, the Asvars return to the plains. Their leaders decided to go on a pilgrimage to a plain of ashes where their people first born. There, they meet shamanistic circle and ask help for their endeavor against the Visra. The shamans ask to bring them the mighties of Asvars warriors and their most ferocious beasts. The leaders return to their people and deliver the shamans' demand. Thousands of warriors along with their beast companions follow their leaders to the next pilgrimage. The shamans then ask for the warriors to sacrifice themself and the beasts. Many follow the demand without second thought and those who hesitate are quickly dispatched by their fellow Asvars. When all lay dead, the shamans mixed the ash from the plains with the warriors' and beast's blood and buried the dead with it. From the bloodied tomb emerge the first of beast folks. Mighty and wise Bull folks, pride and strong Wolf folks, cunning and playful Cat folks. With these new allies, Asvars renew their attack at the Visras home.

The conflict lasted for years. Both sides refuse to yield and there is no pause for compromise. The Visras and the Skoggens defended their forest with unbridled constitution, while the Asvars and the beast folks continued their attack with unmatched ferocity. However, in the end, Visras with their mastery of nature stand victorious. The Asvars were pushed back from the meadow to the grey hills and mountain range near the plains of ashes. In their new harsh domain they dig deep into the hills and the mountains and the underground. Under the world surface, the Asvars and their beast folks allies build their civilization anew, and swear vengeance to Visra for their humiliating defeat.

***

"Wow, that was one bloody story about elves," Amamiya commented.

"You think so?" ask Sora.

"Well, you know. Elves are supposed to be wise, graceful, peaceful, and their favorite pastime is singing and striding in the woods."

"Ah, you're still thinking about Tolkien's elves. Actually, if you read some of his first books, his elves are no less violence than the Visra and the Asvars."

"Oh well," Amamiya shrugs the explanation. "Anyway, you said that those elves have been in conflict for a long time, right? If so, why did the gods not intervene? Isn't Neme hates conflict and will destroy anything that causes chaos?"

"The gods actually did intervene. Although, it is not by doing any direct divine judgement or anything. It's said since the conflict was not caused by either Nuala or Umala, they cannot intervene to stop it. The world is the one which starts the conflict, so the world is also the one that needs to stop it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" The battlemage is awfully confused by the overcomplicated statement.

"I don't know. I just simply read the things that are written here," Sora points at the passage where the overcomplicated statement is located.

"So then, what the gods actually did?"

"They create guardians?"

"Guardians?"

"2 guardians to be exact. One made from barks from the mighty silver tree and the horns of stag, the Creator and the Mother shape a towering emerald dragon which its vast wings can darken the sky. This dragon, Mithras, was given to the Visras as their guardian, guide and teacher. One made from a single grey mountain and the jagged rocks, the Creator and the Mother shape a gigantic wingless drake which its giant feet will shake the earth for every step. This drake, Lo Kahn, was given to the Asvars as their guardian, guide and teacher."

Amamiya is thinking after listening to the story part that her lover just recited.

"I assume those guardians did not stop conflict."

"Not at all. In fact, they join in at the later part of the conflict. Only after the defeat of Asvars, both elves folks decide to go separate ways, begrudgingly that is."

"So much for harmony."

"Yeah, I agree. Visras might give the Asvars humiliating defeat, but Lo Kahn manages to break Mithras' wings in the last battle."

"Enough with the bloody elves. What's next?" Amamiya eagerly asks for more stories.

"Well, Mithras and Lo Kahn will not be the only guardians. In fact, the elves were not the only mortal beings that awakened."

***

When Umala and Nuala hands are full for shaping elves' world and Neme's eyes fixated to its denizens' development, the other worlds which neglected due to their imperfection start to change their shape and their fate. In Nualatara…

***

"Hold on, you never tell me the name of the elve's world," Amamiya interrupted the story.

"Visrkier, Land of Light Elves, is what the Visras call it. Now, shuush!"

***

In Nualatara, one unusually big golem accidentally destroys one of the smaller golem. As if guided by curiosity, it took Neme's cloth from the destroyed golem. Since then the golem gained some semble of consciousness, a small ember of sentienness. No longer it moves and works mindlessly like a lifeless construct. It will sometimes stop to look and ponder anything that draws its curiosity. It also periodically starts to destroy other golems and take their cloth. The more it gains a sense of consciousness, the more golems it destroys. The other golems cannot do anything to stop it since they have no knowledge how to defend themself.

One day, the sentient golem walks to the biggest mountain fortress and destroys every single golem inside. It then spots a massive pale stone in the center of the fortress and crafts a giant stone throne. Sitting on top of it, the golem combines all the clothes it has gathered with its own cloth and shapes them into a jagged crown. As soon as it puts the crown on top of its head, the rock crumbles and reveals a fleshy mortal body. Just before, a giant golem sits on top the throne, now the golem is replaced by a giant man. His visage is soft and saintly, his hair and beard are long and grey, his body is big and muscular. His eyes peered peacefully toward the outside world through the fortress' gate and windows.

Some moment has passed since the golem turns into a man. In that moment, odd things happened. The dust and the rocks that have been shed are starting to transform. The dust turns into various kinds of bird. The pebbles turn into all kinds of beasts, goats, bears, wolves, boars and reptiles. And finally the rocks turn into mortals. Yet another unintended creation awakens. The mortals almost have the same appearance as the giant man. Big muscular body accompanied with peaceful visage.

These unintended creations immediately witness the towering figure of the giant man. The beasts run outside the fortress because of fearing the man. However, the mortals kneel and bask with the magnificent present of their supposed creator.

"Rise," said the man. " Rise my shapers."

The mortals arise.

"Dig, create. I'll teach you. I'll guide you as my mother teaches me the knowledge of creation," said the man again.

Thus, begin a new era of creation in Nualatara.

The mortal shapers dig deep into the world from the fortress where they awakened. With guidance and teaching from the giant man, they shape the rocks into tools, the fortress and the underground tunnels into their dwellings. Soon, a massive underground metropolis is created by those mortals. For such achievement and skill, they receive the name of Steniry, the Stone Shaper. Then Steniries appoint the giant man as their king and call him Stenoforos, The Great Stone Shaper.

Life is prospering for the Steniries. The surface of Nualatara may be almost inhospitable to its barren condition. However, underground, where the floating essence is trapped and lies dormant, life thriving. Mushrooms and patches of mold grew in the underground tunnels and caves became a staple diet for the Steniries. Frozen water crystals become their main source of freshwater. Exposure from essence also makes the stone shapers stronger and more skillful. Some even have the ability to command stones to move and shape them just simply uttering words.

Steniries digging and exploration deep into the world is starting to release some of the once dorman essence into the surface. Some of it pushes the ice crystal along with them and bursts onto the surface as massive geysers. The geysers turn into pools of water, and around those pools green vegetations start growing. In those verdan oasis the beasts life, multiply and thrive.

Nuala senses the change in Nualatara, and comes to see what to the rocky world. How surprised the Mother when she saw the world once barren now filled with all kinds of living beings. Beasts roaming free and plants grow wildly, even grow on top of the golems. Turning them into walking forests. Nuala also saw a group Steniries that tasked to explore the surface world. The exploration group noticed the radiant presence of Nuala. When they come back to the mountain fortress, they report what they saw to their king. Stenoforos knew it was Nuala. He immediately arises from his throne and goes to welcome the Mother's returns.

As he kneels in front of Nuala, The Great Stone Shaper tells all that happened in Nualatara. He tells all his and Steniries' endeavors. Story pleases Nuala. She is glad that the world once barren and grey now verdan and full of life. She is glad that her knowledge that has been passed to her unliving children is remembered by the Steniries. Thus, for his devotion and endeavors, Stenoforos, The Great Stone Shaper, King of Steniries, is chosen as Nualatara's Guardian. All Steniries are cheering in joy for their king divine ascension. However, their joyful celebration is short-lived.

Nuala's visage turns grim as she hears that Stenoforos destroyed many of his golem brothers to transcend into sentient beings. And for his act of destruction the newly appointed guardian is punished to be entombed inside the foot of Tower of Nuala. The news sadden all Steniries. They beat their chest as they cry. They ask Nuala for clemency and forgive their king. Stenoforos calms his subjects. He acknowledges his past sin and accepts the punishment.

Neme, by the request from Nuala, has constructed a large sarcophagus on the base of the great tower. She then gathers the remaining golems, and with a brush made from hair she writes orders on the golems body since they have been chosen as the wardens and watchers of the stony prison. As the brush strokes across the golem's body, the jagged surface becomes smoother. When Neme is finished with her task, all golems have been reshaped. Their rocky skin now smooth with Neme's order written all over it. They are still varied in shapes. Some even have shapes that remind them of their golem origin. No longer they are a mere golem of jagged rock. Now they are known as Stone Giants, Neme's loyal guardians. They stand guard around the Tower of Nuala with unbroken loyalty.

All preparations are finished. Stenoforos gives his last order to his children to continue the endeavour to shape the world. With that, The Great Stone Shaper enters the sarcophagus and goes into deep sleep. Neme points at one stone giant with forest growth on top both of its shoulders and gives it order to stand in front of the sarcophagus. Thus, Morgon, The Great Warden, is chosen as Nualatara's guardian with only order to guard the stone prison and to open it only when the determined time has been met.

The Steniries mourn their king's imprisonment, but not for long. They vowed to continue Stenoforos' endeavor and spread his teaching. The mountain fortress where the empty throne is located, became their empire's capital. Nar Stronor, Empty Throne, is the capital name. The throne will stay empty for ages, reserve only for the Great Stone Shaper. All Steniries believe one day Stenoforos will return to his throne and once again guide them into a new era of prosperity.

The conflict between the Visras and the Asvars, also the awakening of the Steniries, enlightened Nuala and Umala the importance of guardians' guiding aspect for each world for each of its mortal denizens to exist and live with harmony. Thus, Umala...

***

Sora puts his hand on top of the page that he read, and sighs.

"What's wrong? asked Amamiya.

"I think… I'm ready to sleep now," he closes the book. "I never thought telling a story could be so tiring."

Amamiya smiles, and helps her lover to stand up.

When just the two knights about to descend from the stairs, one of the sentries yells.

"HOOO! Something's approaching!" he yelled.

Both Amamiya and Sora immediately run toward the yelling sentry.

"Where?" Sora asks.

"Over there," the sentry pointed at a group of flickering lights in the distance.

All other sentries on the battlement look at the appointed direction as they nock an arrow to their bow. As the lights approached closer to the wall, Sora noticed that those lights were torches. He also immediately notices who are the bearers of those torches.

"Open the gate!" yelled him.

Two guards unlock the gate and pull it open. And as soon as it opened, injured knights and guards rushed inside the outpost.

Marcus, the hoplomachus sergeant, along with all healers run toward the bloodied and grim arrivals.

"What happened?" the sergeant asks one of the injured knights.

The knight lied down on the ground while a healer tried to address his wound.

"W-e… we…"

He tried to answer the question, but blood clumped in his mouth made it difficult and painful to speak.

"Slow down, lad. Just tell it slowly.

"We... were attacked. Large contingent of boggards descend upon the fort. Our defence was shattered."

As he finishes delivering the grim news, the knight falls unconscious.

The chilly feeling grips everyone there, especially Sora. He knew this would happen, and for that he already told Sergeant Desmon to send a message to the outpost for reinforcement whenever he saw signs of immediate attack. However, there was no such message arrived today.

"You think there are still survivors left?" the first lance reluctantly asked.

A Jaeger approaches Sora and grabs his armor. "Sergeant Desmon and the others are still trapped in there. You have to save them. Please."

A bellowing sound of warhorn is heard. Captain Lydia who is still in nightgown calls for all knights and soldiers to emergency defense.

"I suggest sending a relief force to help Desmon," says Marcus to the knight captain.

"I���ll go," Sora volunteered.

"Granted," Lydia gives permission.

"And the First Lance's squad is ready to march," Amamiya shows up along with Maximillian and the rest of the squad.

"Delay your departure, first lance. I need a few short moments to gather the rest of my men," said the hoplomachus sergeant.

"You want to come too? I think you better stay here and bolster the defense," Sora somewhat disagreed with the sergeant's decision.

"That's not a request, lad. Besides, you'll need all the help you can get if the situation is as bad as we all think."

Not long, Sergeant Marcus gathered all the hoplomachii and were ready to march. Bolstered with some of the militias, the two officers lead a relief force of one hundred men strong to help the besieged fort.

A moment after Sora and Marcus departure, the outpost defences are set. The battlement is filled with archers and Jaegers and all the newly installed polyboloses are manned. In front of the gate a barricade is erected, reinforced with militias and guards armed with long spears. Captain Lydia already trades her nightgown with armor and stands on top the gate house with the hunters chieftain. They are all waiting for anything to happen, but for most part, they wait for a direct attack toward the outpost's wall.

A moment has passed since the departure of the rescue party, but nothing happens. Heavy silence hangs in the air, everyone is anxious and afraid. They feared that both the rescuers and the besieged soldiers perished, and once again they had to face the full might of boggards' savagery. However, nothing yet to come, but the silence.

Another moment passed. The moon once hung high in the night sky, now has moved toward the horizon. The night nearly ended. Yet, everything is still in silence. Until a sound of warhorn breaks it. The archers and the Jaegers draw their bow,, ready to shoot. Captain Lydia gives a signal to hold. Another sound of warhorn comes out from the dark, yet there is no sign of someone or something approaching. Yet another warhorn belows from the dark, but this time the Captain Lydia also hears the sound of footsteps.

"Open the gate!" she suddenly yells an order.

The guards immediately draw the gate open. And yet, as the outpost's door wide open nothing present in front of it but the darkness of night. The knight captain still signals the defenders to hold their arrow. And then, from the deep dark large groups of soldiers approaching the gapping gate. The rescue party has returned.

The guards and the militias on the barricade immediately leave their post to welcome and help their brethrens. In the commotion, Sergeant Desmon grabs one of the militias and tells the young boy something that erases joy of relief from his face. He then runs toward the infirmary tent.

Lydia sees what happens, and hurriedly runs down from the gatehouse to the jaeger sergeant.

"What's happened?" the knight captain asks.

"It's… Sora," Desmon answers reluctantly. "He got injured."

As just he said, the first lance officer is one among those who are severely injured. He has been laid down on a makeshift bed outside the infirmary tent which has been expanded into an emergency field hospital. His face is pale and still. The injury he suffers is indeed severe. Two spears that look like made of tree root breakthrough his armor and puncture him on the shoulder and hip. Amamiya sat down beside her lover with a sorrowful face wet with sweat and tears. She refuses any healers who try to take her away so they can address her wounds.

A score of healers and Helena hastily examines Sora's wound.

"Is he… is he dead?" asks Amamiya in a faint voice. She caresses Sora gently on his messy black hair.

"No, not yet. Only paralyzed," said Helena. She touched the spear on her patient's shoulder. "Whatever it is, it's producing poison that paralyzes him.

"It's dryad's briar," one of the healers tells the lady chaplain. "We have to heal him quickly, sister. If not, the poison will spread to his heart and kill him."

"Fine then. Amamiya, I will need your help."

Hastily, the healers tear through Sora's armor with a knife. Amamiya already shortened the dryad's briars by burning them with magic so the larger parts of the armor can be removed without risk of further injuring Sora.

Without cover of armor and clothes, the first lance's injury looks more grievous. The thorns on the dryad's briars tear his skin and muscle. And the green poison from them visibly seeped slowly through his vein.

For a moment, Helena hesitates. She looks to the team of healers and to Amamiya.

"Amamiya, I may ask…"

"Don't bother asking," the battlemage cuts Helena's words. "I'll do anything to save him."

The lady chaplain nods as she sees a face which before full of sorrow, now turns stern and full of conviction.

"We will spread open the wound around the briars, and then we pull them out. After that, focus your healing magic to the deepest part of the wounds to stop the bleeding. If we fail, Sora will bleed to death."

"Understood."

Two healers stand by on each wound. One spreads it as wide as it allows and another grabs at the end of the briar. Everyone that is present feels the intensity of the situation.

"Ready, sisters?" ask Helena one last time.

All simply nod.

"Now!"

In one quick and sudden movement, both of dryad's briar are pulled out from Sora's body. Amamiya, Helena and several of the healers immediately focus on their healing magic to stop the torrent of blood that follows. The bleeding slowed down as the torn veins turned whole again. The damaged muscles are sewn back together with the healing magic. However, the healing process stops half way through when several of the healers pass out because of exhaustion. The remaining healers quickly push the wounds with bandages and start to bind them.

Both Amamiya and Helena are also exhausted.

"He's… He's fine. Sora is fine," said the lady chaplain as she pants.

With a sigh of relief, Amamiya also passes out, falls down next to Sora.

Instead of worrying, Helena smiles quietly due to a small detail. She realized that since the beginning Amamiya had been holding Sora's hand. Even as she fainted she did not let her beloved go.

***

Darkness. Is what surrounds Sora now. The first lance stands still, until he sees a tiny flicker of light in the distance. He walks towards the light. As he walks, he can hear a song, a very familiar song, humming. The song began only as a faint hum, becoming clearer and clearer as he walked closer. Finally, Sora reaches the source of the light. On the throne shaped like a crescent moon.

A lady sat on top of the throne. Her appearance captivated Sora. Her long golden hair perfectly frames her beautiful face. Her white long dress is so thin, it nearly reveals her fair skinned body. With a serene voice, she sings the song.

The darkness come

In their despair

Mortals pray to the sky

Tis' night

O dear children

Sleep tight

And do not lose hope

The lady stops singing and averts her attention to Sora who has been standing near her.

She smiles.

"Wakey-wakey, Sora. It's not your time, yet."

She blows a breeze that pushes Sora's away from her and back to the darkness.

***

Suddenly opens his eyes. Sora is waking up from his slumber. He tries to move his body, he can't. His body is stiff as a log. The only thing he can manage is to wiggle the tip of his fingers. Once again, the injured officer tried to move, more forcefully this time. A gentle touch stops his forceful attempt. Now he realizes there is someone sitting next to him.

"Don't push yourself. You are still not fully recovered, yet," said Amamiya. Faint smile decorated her face.

"Where… am I?" Sora asks.

"Infirmary tent."

Lying down on the bed like a plank with his body covered with bandages, Sora remembers what happened to him.

"You were-"

"Injured. That dryad managed to blindsided me," said the first lance plainly while revisiting the painful memory.

As he closes his eyes, Sora can clearly see what happened that night. He and other hoplomachii charged toward a group of dryads. As he tried to hack down a cluster of roots that bind the fort's gate, a dryad attacked him. Last thing he remembers from that moment was Amamiya screaming out his name.

"Sora!"

That scream was not a memory. Amamiya tries to wake him up because he unknowingly falls unconscious.

The scream surprised Sora, waking him once again. His eyes moved wildly. Then, he sees Amamiya. The battlemage looked more worried than before.

Sora suddenly tries to move again. His heart pounding fast. He feels panic, scared. He feels his body tremble as he struggles to move again. In his mind, he just wants to run.

"Help me get up," he says while struggling to move.

"No, I won't!" Amamiya pushes him back to the bed. "You still need time to recover."

Sora struggles, but futile. The battlemage holds him down to the bed. With his body still weak, he couldn't overwhelm Amamiya's strength.

"Curses, Amamiya! Let me go!" he tries to push her away.

"I won't!" Amamiya still holds him down.

"I'm the first lance! I order you to...."

Amamiya already leaves her seat and climbs to the bed. Pinning Sora down to prevent him from struggling any further.

"I won't! I won't!I won't! I… can't. I… I can't…"

Sora stops struggling. He looks at the crying Amamiya.

"I can't… I don't want to lose you. Last night you… you..." She sobs.

Looking at her teary face and sorrowful plea, Sora returned to see the reality. He stops the struggle. Amamiya's tears drop on the bandage covering his wounds. Slowly, he reached his lover's cheek and wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry, Amamiya," he said in a faint voice. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Amamiya lay down next to the injured officer, and kept crying on his shoulder.

Sora gently embraced her.

"Humans are always foolish enough to underestimate something they never experienced, that includes death." He caresses Amamiya's hair. "Forgive me for being such a fool. Now I know what you felt when you got injured back then."

Amamiya stops crying. She glares at Sora with both a sad and angry expression.

"You are indeed a fool, Sora!" she yelled. "But, not because of that."

Her voice is softened.

"I said before, you do not need to carry everything by yourself. You have everyone else willing to help you. You have me. I will always help you. You just need to ask."

"I… I know. It's just… I've been for a long time, so I used to do everything by myself. I'm…"

As Sora is about to apologize, the battlemage puts her finger on his lips. Signaling him to stop.

"Then you need to get used to not being afraid to ask for help," she said with a gentle smile.

Sora says nothing but kisses his girlfriend as a sign of gratitude. Turning a face that was sorrowful into bashful.

"Now rest," says Amamiya. "I won't leave your side until you fall asleep."

Sora closes his eyes. As he falls asleep, Amamiya caresses his head and whispers a gentle word.

"You are not alone, my love. I'll always be with you. Always."

While other injured knights and soldiers recuperate, Sergeant Desmon insists on holding a meeting with other officers despite his injury.

Desmon stands in front of his fellow knights. He held a staff to help him to keep steady.

"Aren't you supposed to stay in the infirmary?" asks Captain Lydia to the sergeant at the beginning.

"There is another more pressing issue to address, knight captain," says Desmon in his defiant.

"And your injury is not one of them?" Captain Glenn asked sarcastically.

"My injury is irrelevant. We lost our defensive position on the northeast and the fort was destroyed. That's what is relevant now."

"Yes. About that…"

Sergeant Desmon whisk his hand, signaling the mercenary captain to stop talking.

"For this matter, I ask all of you to leave First Lance Sora out of it. What happened is not the boy's fault. In fact, I hold this meeting to give a full report to what truly happened."

The officers stare with each other in silence.

"If so, please enlighten us of the event," Lydia gave her permission.

Sergeant Desmon began the story.

"In the afternoon prior to the attack, my scouts came back with a report of possible boggards assault. And based on that report I sent a messenger to ask for reinforcement from the outpost."

"Hm. That's odd. We never receive any message calling for reinforcement," says Captain Lydia.

"That I knew. Long time after the messenger departed, there is no sign of him ever returning or any reinforcement coming. So, I sent a search party to look for him. They never return as well."

Desmon visage turns dark.

"When I realized there was something wrong, it was already too late. As a cluster of roots creeping to the fort's rear gate, I knew we were attacked by dryads."

"Dryads!?" all officers exclaim in confusion.

"I never knew there were dryads in that part of the region," says John, the hunter chieftain.

"Nor I," Desmon agrees. "However, I suspected they come from a small forest near the fort."

"Are you sure?"

"Not entirely. However, when we harvested wood from there during fort construction, some of the workers and jaegers said they were sensing there is a spriggan in that forest. And a very big, very old looking spriggan was present among the dryads.

"Do you think they attack because of the logging activity?" the hunter chieftain tries to guess.

"Possibly. Since the Demon Invasion and the corruption it brought, woodland creatures become more and more sensitive. They will attack anything that disturbs their territory with even a slight provocation."

"But, why did they attack last night, not before?" asks Gleen.

"That, I don't know."

"We will search for that answer after we hear the full report," Captain Lydia asks Desmon to continue his story.

"We barred the rear gate and put braziers near it to slow the dryads down from destroying the gate. And there I heard the warning that a massive boggard warband was approaching. We were trapped."

"If you were trapped, how come some of your men manage to escape?" the knight captain asks for more detail.

"After the fort construction was finished, I asked some of the workers to dig a secret tunnel through the cave. I kept it secret on purpose, of course, since it only intended during an emergency. Last night was clearly the intended moment, although the tunnel is not yet finished. So, I force the workers to finish it quickly while I and the rest of my Jaeger Brigade hold off the attackers."

He sighs.

"Only a few of us managed to escape through the tunnel before it collapsed. That time I thought that was it. Then, First Lance Sora with Sergeant Marcus brought the relief force. I never like that boy, too brash and conceited in my opinion. However, when he came that night, I just wanted to hug him and kiss him. Now I feel bad for him. I never gave the boy fair judgement, and now he is gravely injured while saving me."

The sergeant shifts uncomfortably.

"That's it?" ask Captain Lydia.

"Yes, that is all." Desmon nods. "I still haven't got any report from our scouts about the situation of the ruined fort."

"Very well. Thank You for the report."

"So, what will we do now?" asks John the knight captain.

Lydia thinks.

"I suggest immediately sending a message to Elzen for reinforcement to move," says Sergeant Marcus.

"I agree," the mercenary captain vouchs for the idea. "The fort may be in ruin, but we already secure the road near the river. Besides, the fort's ruin might keep the boggards busy for sometime."

Brooding visage of Lydia suddenly lightens up.

"Are the fire concoctions ready?" she asked.

***

Sora slowly puts on his new uniform. His wounds are mostly healed, but it is still painful if he moves too much. If the healers, Helena or even Amamiya see him out from the bed, they will scold him. However, he already stayed on the bed rest for two full days and the backache from lying down too long started to become very unbearably annoying. So, the first lance officer plans to sneak out, walk around the outpost and return to the infirmary before anyone notices he was missing. Good plan he recon.

"Sora!"

Until he heard a familiar voice yelling his name. He turns around and sees an angry Amamiya standing behind him.

"Oh, hello there," Sora greets the battlemage awkwardly.

"Why aren't you in bed? And why are you in your uniform?" Amamiya shoots fuming questions while quickly approaching her boyfriend in a very scary manner."

"I…"

"Don't you dare doing anything stupid! You are still injured! Your wounds still need more treatment!"

"I know. I know. Calm down, my dear." Sora tries to calm her down.

"Then, what are you intending to do?" Amamiya continues interrogating her patient.

"I just want to walk outside for a moment. Can I?"

"No!"

The battlemage is still looking angry.

Sora sighs.

"Oh come on, Amamiya. I already stayed in the bed for two days. Please allow me to go outside. Please. Just a few minutes and I will return for the next healing session."

He embraces his lover to persuade her.

"Please allow me, my dear lovely Amamiya."

And with addition of flattery for good measure.

Amamiya's angry face turns soft, to slightly blush. She nods ever so slightly.

"Fine. You can go. But, just for a brief moment. After that, you immediately return here. Promise me."

"I promise," says Sora. He then kisses the battlemage on the forehead.

Amamiya pushed him away.

"Go, quickly. Before I change my mind."

"Alright, alright."

Just before Sora steps outside, Amamiya pulls him and kisses her beloved.

"Come back soon."

Finally outside, Sora takes a deep breath of fresh air that somehow smells like something burning. His face is still red from what happened before.

Walking toward the courtyard, Sora notices there are still a lot of injured soldiers lying in the field hospital. Then he sees a barricade from two days ago still stand in front of the northern gate. Some archers stationed in that barricade. In the courtyard, nothing much happened, nothing much to see. The outpost dwellers just go about doing their daily routine.

Something draws the first lance's attention. Captain Lydia standing in the stable next to one of the tokan birds.

"Captain Lydia," he greets the knight captain.

"Ah, Sora. Good day to you," the knight captain greets back.

"What are you doing here?" ask Sora as he is curious since the captain is rarely seen near the stable.

"Just taking a short break. I'm glad to see you already out from the infirmary."

"Yeah, actually I just took a short stroll and immediately needed to return there before Amamiya hunted me."

"I really should thank her. She diligently takes care of the injured soldiers, and you."

Lydia strokes the tokan. The giant bird quacking calmly.

"Sora… I'm sorry."

"About what?" asks the first lance. "If it's about my injuries, they're not your fault."

"I know. It just…" the knight captain's voice slightly cracked, her eyes teary "I give you a lot of responsibilities. You took them. You fought. You got injured. And yet, I have never been fair to you. And seeing you laid down in the infirmary, clinging to your life, I feel guilty."

"About that, I always want to ask why you have become so strict to me since we arrived here."

Lydia forces herself to smile and wipes her tears.

"You remind me of when I was young. Your brash actions make me see myself when I was still just a rankless knight. Back then, I made a lot of mistakes. I just do not want that same mistake to happen to you."

Sora giggles and coughs a little bit.

"You more likely just want to fix your past mistakes."

The captain stops stroking the tokan. She bites her lips. Her subordinate was right.

"Captain, you cannot fix mistakes in the past. Because it already happened. And you definitely cannot fix your own by patronizing somebody else. The only thing you can do is to learn from those mistakes to prepare for the future."

"You are… you are right, Sora. Thank you."

"If it could give you any consolation, I accept your apology."

Lydia smiles brightly.

"Once again, Thank you."

"Yeah. Yeah. Just don't get too mushy with me. I don't want another lady crying over me?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's Amamiya. These past two days, whenever she heals my wounds, she always cries. I'm tired of it and tired to try comforting her."

Sora's whine about his petty problem humor the knight captain. She cannot believe a man can see that as a problem at all.

"You two are really close," she says in a very cliche manner.

"Yeah, and I'm not yet used to it."

"It's not that bad." Lydia pats at Sora's shoulder which promptly makes the first lance grunts in pain. "Or it is. Sorry. You better return to the infirmary now."

Sora nods, agreeing with the suggestion.

"I also should go back to my duty. Many things need to be prepared for our next plan."

"What are you going to do next?" Sora asked.

"We will bring the mountain down."