One of them a deranged mental case with a hunger for death, in most cases him causing it, the other an overly coarse man with a liking for power. Next up was a calm and collected dame with a load of secrets and an unraveled past, accompanied by a ruthless individual steering a herd of hungry terrifying creatures who addressed him as their king with a quiescent man under his leadership.
Ladzgery Tyndale, Jrue Deryleen, Lady Melo, the Vurhanil king, and Dakario all assembled at the gates of Royal Republic. Kanchi Asobi had stayed behind in the forgotten temples of south Angus, for reasons only known to him. Three hours had passed after noon, and the night sky was closer to losing its darkness. The vurhans had already surrounded the entire structure enclosing the city. The damned knights aligned at the foot of the gates, ready to march in on Tyndale's orders.
"It is always a pleasure to meet the fox assassin, and you couldn't be more beautiful!"
"Conniving as ever I see, you're army has exponentially grown since I saw it last."
"Yes it has, over the years I sought to achieve a better life for the people I ruled, and so with my ambitions came their trust. Leaders must be aggressive towards the goal of peace, over the years this kingdom has always been the biggest, but not the most prosperous. My predecessors saw it best to change the leadership intoxicating this nation with their weakness, for their ambitious dreams they were banished, and for many years it has slipped my grasp. But not today, today I will claim it and show its people their true potential."
"I couldn't care one bit about your ambitions old man, I only joined this pack to gain the power to protect my people." lady Melo said, slewing her mask above her chin and covering the lower part of her lower face,
"Ahh yes, the Flower Garden. I have heard it has the most beautiful ladies there. Perhaps one day I will visit it and look for myself a bride." Tyndale said.
Lady Melo turned to him, clearly evoked by his words. "Pillage all the villages you want Tyndale but don't you dare come close to mine!" she answered back, her eight generals nodded in agreement. Flower Garden was a village created by Lady Melo, an all-female society constituted by slaves and mistreated women Lady Melo rounded up under her protection. She was the founder and chief of the village, starting off as a Flame of the Temple, a class under the monk in the Forgotten temples of south Angus. Fed up with male supremacy holding her down she sought for a new path which led her to the Master Heads and now there she was, set to attack the capital.
"Enough of this pointless chit chat, let's go in and sever some spines..." Deryleen shouted back, diffusing all the tension building up. Tyndale stepped in front of the rest and hoisted his arm with the sleeve strapped to it. He pulled on the cords from the sleeve bound to his fingers by clenching a fist. Some of the thousands of etches on the sleeve started to disappear, his eyes turned black, and black fumes escaped his body. The army of undead knights on the gates began moving. They swung the battering ram which shook the gates, threatening to knock them off their hinges. Jumping back with another thrust they pushed forward and knocked down the gates.
TWO HOURS AGO
"What? An army! From where?"
"I'm not sure sir but the soldiers say they have spotted vurhans out there, at first I thought they were crazy and fear made them delusional but I saw them myself, sir! They are out there, and they have surrounded the walls!" Harmel said, taking some time off to catch his breath. Drom flashed his eyes around the room for no apparent reason, he crossed paths with Daito's eyes which looked back in detest
"I told you bringing us back here was a bad idea..." he said, grating his teeth together.
"WHAT DO WE DO!" Harmel shouted, clearly in desperation.
"Call the delegates, tell them to assemble at the banquet hall!, I'll head over to the outpost and inform the soldiers and Commander Alvatrone. Daito, can you help?"
IN THE DUNGEON
Slejj held onto his chest. It was burning up like crazy. He coughed up ashes. The veins terracing his head swelled up, bulging and redirecting the dripping sweat cascading down his forehead. The agony brought him down to his knees, with a hazy vision he saw an image approaching his cell. With all he had left in him he whispered his plea, "Please guard! Help me!!!"
"... Oh I think you are far from help brother. Now, you are going to be what you should've been seven years ago...DEAD!"
Slejj swallowed piercingly. His body shivered morbidly hearing those words. "What... What do you mean!"
"That deity. Inside you? Why do you think it has a taste for Vurhans?" the figure asked?
Slejj elevated himself using the bars of the cell door as leverage. Lifting his sight he saw that face stained with a smile, his eyes broadly open.
"AL..."
Alvatrone stared at him with an atrocious glare, "Hello brother..."
"What, are you doing brother?"
"You know the truth is I was never your brother you simpleton! I was never your brother!"
"... Wha... What did I ever do to you brother?"
"NOTHING! And that is why I despise you. You never did anything for anyone, only cared about yourself. Using others to get what you wanted... Using me to become the commander!"
Slejj coughed up a couple of times before speaking. "What in the hell are you talking about?"
"I do not need to explain myself to you! Have you ever heard of Enkai, the forest deity who supposedly guarded the gates against crossers? Protected the Independent States from the world outside, especially vurhans."
Slejj stared back in discomfort as a response.
"Well, do you remember the day we were on the battlefield, fighting off the hoards of vurhans. I was the one who called on to him. I corrupted him with the help of some new friends I made. Using the power I made it turn against us... It killed and devoured those soldiers, and it was also to devour you! But I didn't plan for you to make a contract with it after you disappeared I thought it went off with you! But here you are... So I had to cut off loose ends you see."
His legs gave way and he made his way back on to the floor of the dirty cell. "You monster, you killed all those people in cold blood, what... What have you done to me?"
"Nothing, I just slipped in a little poison in your afternoon food, and the deity is already sensing the vurhans who are surrounding the city as we speak so it can no longer stay inside your dying body!"
"... It, was you... In... In the forest in Defectors s... State,"
"Oh yes, I remember that, only last week. Time sure does move fast... Speaking of which the others might be at the gates ready to come inside, and the king is probably looking for me to assemble the army, I'd better be off... You will be remembered brother, it is just too bad it won't be for good reasons. And too bad you will never get the chance to clear your name...TRAITOR!" Alvatrone said, the orangish halo popping up from above him as he vanished, his villainous laughter bouncing on the walls for the last time. Just moments later Daito walked into the dungeon.
"Hey Slejj, something is happening! I'm gonna sneak you out to somewhere safe so... Slejj, SLEJJ!!!"
He stopped whispering right after he saw him sprawled on the ground coughing his insides out. Daito run up to the cell. He clutched the bars and endeavored to blow them off the door, but nothing seemed to be happening.
"What, what's wrong?! Why can't I use my powers?! Come on you stupid gift WORK!!!" as hard as he tried he still couldn't get anything out of him, not even a spark.
Slejj coughed up violently, he swiveled his head towards Daito, who resorted to using his brute strength to knock down the grill, it wasn't much so it had little to no effect on the steel.
"AL...ALV... HE IS THE HA...."
"Hang in there Slejj, I'm going to get some help!" Daito said, turning towards the exit. Before he could burst out of the room Slejj slipped his hand through the cavity between the bars and grabbed his ankle.
"ALVATRONE!!! DID IT....HE IS..." the light in his pupils shut down, and his head bashed on the ground. His hand slipped off his ankle and dropped lifelessly. His battle with death was over, and it was clear which side won.
"GUARDS! GUARDS...SOMEONE HEEELLP!!!" Daito yelled. He swung his head from side to side, shaking off the tears under his eyeballs. He tried hard to teleport but nothing happened. He knew Slejj was gone but he did not want to accept it. He looked up into the ceiling and let out all his emotions through a deafening scream. All the emotions he had bottled up ever since he was a child. The only person closest to his version of a father was lying lifeless next to him, and he had no power to save him. The deity inside Slejj slipped out in a form of mist. Like a cloud of flies, it flew out of the small window at the wall to his left.
Soon after Daito's eyes burst to a black shade, like a bag of ink had spilled inside them, dark markings commenced forming on his face and he began gagging and shivering like something was choking him. He finally stopped, froze for a while and eventually stood up, his face was blank, emptier than ever before, like a doll. He left the cell like nothing had happened, walking back to his room.
PRESENT TIME BACK IN THE BANQUET ROOM
The delegates and other officials shouted in the room with unrest, unsettled and chattier than before. Their last meeting was loud but this one was on a whole other level, saying it was chaotic would've been an understatement. The king appeared in front of the crowd through a teleportation ring, giving them a scare.
"Of course this was a perfect time for a coupe, all the leaders and delegates of the kingdom under one roof! We were fools not to notice it."
"What do we do, we left our children, our families back at home, how do we know we are safe?"
"Calm down everyone, I have already informed all the knight guards of the situation and commander Alvatrone has already set up the army ready to defend us. The escort chariots are on their way to escort you to safety as we speak," Drom tried reassuring them, but it had little effect.
OUTSIDE THE WALLS
The gates fell to the might of the ram, yet the soldiers didn't match in full steam ahead, instead, they strolled into the city, slow and steady, maintaining their formation. Back outside Anato Strider joined the faction.
"What took you so long?"
"All this teleporting messed up my hair, had to get it fixed."
Everyone comically turned to him, staring in confusion. Anato stared back, elevating his shoulders
"What? These perfect strands don't make themselves you know!"
They added to their stares a mirthful face and lengthened them for a moment or so before Strider broke the silence.
"Alright enough with the staring, how are we so far?"
"Tyndale has gone to join his army, we are waiting for the turn to happen, are you sure about this?" Dakario asked.
"Of course, I've read that grimoire thousand times over. When the king and the dark bender make the blood oath over that page it deactivates the Dark bender's abilities until they have performed the covenant breaking spell,"
"Now, we wait."
"Yeah, and I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed the man's plan is working, everything seems to be falling into place just as he planned it."
The rest of the group quietly agreed with him. Tyndale emerged from the crowd of dazed soldiers, along with his trusted Lieutenant.
"There is no need for bloodshed, all I want is for you to grant me safe passage into the castle. I have heard there is a delegate meeting, I came here to attend it."
Alvatrone pushed aside the knight guards in front of him and appeared in front of the army.
"The delegates meeting is for leaders representing factions of this kingdom, you are clearly not of this kingdom."
"We want a peaceful encounter. I personally do not wish for this to turn violent."
"Says the man who has just brought down our gate, with an army!"
"Then if you let us walk in, in peace, we shall walk out in peace."
"...Very well, we will grant you passage, only if you come alone."
"I will also have my lieutenant beside me! For my protection!" after a short exchange of glares Alvatrone cleared a path through the soldiers and Tyndale walked through, steering towards the castle. The soldiers hesitantly cleared a path and watched in confusion as the two men walked towards the castle.
IN THE CASTLE
There was still unrest. The delegates had taken their seats but they were still screaming at each other. Drom was beside his throne, the upheaval didn't give him the contentment of taking a seat. Daito walked into his room, with stiff steps like a puppet under control. He walked over to the table where he left the grimoire and the dagger. As he reached for the dagger he saw the small trunk placed over his bed. He walked over to It and read the inscription on the top.
' ONCE YOU ARE DONE MEET US AT THE SOUTHERN HILLS, WE WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU'
THE HOUSE OF IKO
Alicia was active, strapping the laces of her boots when her mother walked in on her.
"What's wrong?"
"There's an emergency at the gates, we've been told to go there!"
One of the majorettes passed by her house notifying her of the crisis.
"Are you going to be alright dear? You just got back and they are already putting you to work?!"
"It's nothing mother, I'll be back soon,"
Alicia gave her worried mother a reassuring peck on her cheek and headed out, tugging her sword.
She dashed out of the mansion heading for the castle, on her way she met up with Reene, Robert Townsdy and Lora who were also en route to the castle. They were sleeping at the outpost on the northern side of the city.
"Where are the others?" Alicia asked.
"The Portriese twins are on their way, well at least one of them, Armani already left when I woke up." Reene answered. "What's going on?"
"I don't know either," she answered back.
Back at the Iko mansion, Martha rushed up to the guest room to check on Lisa, only to find the window wide open and a circuit of bed sheets woven together hanging outside the window all the way down.
"LISA! LISA!" Martha shouted into the darkness, overcome with fear and worry.
BACK IN THE CASTLE
Daito made his way downstairs heading for the banquet room.
"Look calm down everyone, the carriage is probably minutes away. You'll be hauled to safety in no time."
The doors flew open, and Alvatrone walked in along with the two felons provoking all the commotion.
"We mean you no harm! I just came to attend the delegates meeting, isn't it open to all leaders?" Tyndale said, shrugging his shoulders. beside him Deryleen was lapping against his lower lip and eyeing everyone in the room,"so many necks to slice through!" he said, with a questionable look on his face.
Some of the people inside the room reached for whatever they had as weapons.
"I was obviously talking about the poultry, and the pigs, and the cows you were preparing for the feast...and the ducks, wait ducks are poultry right?...I am going to shut up now," he said, drawing a seat and setting himself among the rest around the table.
Drom walked out from the throne platform and over to the table, "It would be nice of you to introduce yourself and tell us who you represent."
"Oh, sorry, my apologies, I must have forgotten my manners. My name is Ladzgery Tyndale, and I come from a kingdom outside the walls, and I am here as a representative of my domain, I am a soul magician."
"How dare you bring the accursed arts into our kingdom!" Rovier cried out, the others lashed back at Tyndale, some angry, most of them afraid.
"What do you want from us? Your kind has no right inside these walls!" Drom said. He was equally stunned by the disclosure.
"I have come to help you rule your throne. I have come to salvage this kingdom and save it from its mediocre rulers! I have come, to claim what is rightfully mine!"
His words sparked a new uproar, the delegates drew their weapons ready to attack him, throwing insults towards him. In all the commotion Daito appeared from the staircase, walking over to Drom. His pitch-black mordant eyes fixated on Drom. At the same exact time, Alicia and the others walked in, or rather sprinted in. Daito was inches away from Drom when Drom caught sight of him. As soon as he saw his black eyes he knew something wasn't straight.
The blade run through his chest, actuating his ribs out of the way as it made its path to his heart, shredding his flesh. For a moment he had his guard down and he could not save himself, and with all the confusion he didn't notice Daito until it was too late. With the entire room as witnesses, Drom sank to the floor.
OUTSIDE THE WALLS
"Okay it's done, the king is down. Dakario do your thing." Anato said.
Dakario locked his eyes once more, summoning his inner voice that the vurhans listen to. Immediately he surmised his brief meditation the vurhans started shrieking at the top of their lungs. Their shouts echoed throughout the city. Lights flickered on as the residents were awoken by the terrifying howls. At the gates, the soldiers grew ill at ease and commenced an attack towards the army of undead Knights.
"Alright everybody hurdle up, it's about time we joined in on the fun" Anato said to the others.
IN THE CASTLE
It felt like time had refrigerated. Alicia watched, in horror, as Drom plunged to the floor, Daito standing beside him with the blood-stained dagger still under his grasp. The quiet buzzing in her ear grew into a high pitched noise, as the room erupted into chaos. The delegates approached the two intruders with intent to kill. Lora also stood beside Alicia dazed in a similar trance. She looked on as her apparently dead little brother reaped his swords and whirled them, chopping off delegates arms and legs. At one point he arced his head and caught sight of her, but ventured on with his slaughter as if she wasn't even there, as if he had no clue who she was. Reene and the others tapped them out of their stupor as they pulled out their swords. Alicia began galloping straight towards Drom, and Lora headed for Deryleen. Before they could both reach their intended targets the rest of the faction popped up under the teleportation circle and dropped to the arena, jumping straight into action.
Outside the castle, the intense battle raged on. The army of undead knights fought relentlessly like they had nothing to lose, mostly because they didn't. They overpowered the knights trying to secure the castle and fell to their blades, most of them cowardly retreating. The vurhans continued their orchestra, by then the whole city had awoken and some started to flea.
Tyndale pulled on the cords of his sleeves, soaking in the etches on his sleeve. He blasted colossal clods of energy that exploded on impact, blowing off whatever was near it. Most delegates fell victim to it.
The army swarmed into the castle. Thomas Milner fought them off alongside Alexander Xermia and Sigrid Hermon. Julius Aldeim was up against Jrue Deryleen, but he was the first of the twelve family leaders to fall to Deryleen's blade. His arrows were no match for his tempo. He dodged them handily, at long last he run a blade through his throat and off he went, off to the dead. Arthur Callusios was up against Tyndale. Brute strength against brute strength. He managed to land a hit on the tyrant, using all his martial arts skills to weave and bend himself to make the bump, but it had little to no effect. Tyndale grabbed his leg and snarled it like a twig. He fell to the ground yelling in anguish. Tyndale stepped over him and clamped his face with his hand, charging up a blast that rendered him headless in a matter of seconds.
Alicia headed for Drom, Datio still beside him, emotionless. Anato appeared in front of Alicia's path, blocking her
"That's the wrong way darling," he said, puckering his hands. Alicia punched him but ended up with sore knuckles, she decided to reach for her sword and swung it hard, but turned out cutting a green mist. Strider reappeared behind her and booted her from the back, she senselessly sprawled to the ground. She turned back and poured all her emotion towards a wild swing which ended up being a lucky shot. The blade of the sword lit up with a bright stroke of light and managed to hit Strider, sending him gliding across the room. Even he was surprised, but he managed to conjure up another portal that swallowed him and spit him back in the same orientation. He tackled Alicia and sent her falling, landing awkwardly the fact that she didn't break her hand or get impaled by the sword was a miracle on its own. She slid across the room, halting close to where Drom lay, before she could check up on him she found herself losing consciousness, ultimately shutting her eyes and drifting away.
Lora chased after her deranged brother who was on a murder spree, dropping bodies with every stop.
"JRUE! JRUE IT'S ME LORA! STOP THIS JRUE IT'S ME!!!" she shouted at him, trying to catch up with him, but she couldn't catch anything, not even her breathe.
Thomas Milner saw the carnage building up inside the room, and it wasn't over yet. He turned to the others and shouted as loud as he could, "everybody hold on to something!" he stomped the ceramic tiling and tightened the tendons in his arms, screaming at the top of his lungs he had no intentions of masking his effort. It took a moment before the floor begun overturning, lifting the floor of the building up and tilting the room towards the doors. He had a form of Earth magic where he could manipulate the physical structure of something without breaking its integrity. The humongous table begun sliding towards the doors, smashing through whatever was on its way, the undead knights were still at the entrance so they had nowhere to hide. The heavy steel banquet table rammed into them, tossing them outside the castle, what was left of the army was manageable, and Sigrid Hermon got straight to work, slicing whatever was left of the army, but another wave was approaching.
"We have to retreat, there's too much of them!" he shouted back.
As the fighting went on the other figures walked up towards Daito and Drom. Daito picked him up and placed him over his shoulders. He was still not moving Anato Strider finished up hitting some more soldiers then walked up to the others. Lady Melo begun advancing towards them, but something caught her eye. Lisa was at the staircase leading to the dungeons, she was trotting towards the cells whimpering when Lady Melo saw her.
"Hey, Mistress Its time! We have the king let's go!" One of her eight assassins yelled to her, but she didn't hear her, she was fixated on saving that girl from all the bloodshed and violence, it was all she did. She surged towards her, but Reene saw her and swiftly pursued her. Alicia happened to be in range when Daito teleported, so she teleported along with him. They ended up outside the castle, on one of the southern hills. Daito picked up the dagger, he slowly impaled himself, Alicia watched on as the blade tardily made its way into his torso. It rested spiked for a while before he pulled it out and opened the grimoire and drew an emblem over one of the pages. Soon after Anato Strider, Dakario, the 5th head and seven of the eight assassins sprang up from a teleportation circle. Alicia was further away, from where Daito had appeared. Daito struggled to walk up to them clenching on his chest. The fifth head dashed to him and started chanting some incantation Alicia had heard before when they were in the woods,
"I call to you great presence. Heed to my orison and grant me your unfathomable power! For we serve you, o great link, our path to Tomasa!" the gushing wound on Daito's chest immediately closed up. The fifth head had in his hands the chest that was in Daito's room. He opened it up and handed Daito the long cloak that was inside. Daito draped it over his shoulders. The others gathered up around him and the fifth head veered to him, "Congratulations Dark bender, you are now a member of the Clan of Tomasa Children, you are now the ninth head, let us go, the master heads await your arrival."
"What about her?" one of the assassins asked, pointing towards Alicia.
"Kill her!" the fifth head said.
"We do not kill females, that is our code as ordered by our mistress Lady Melo."
"Fine! Give me the crossbow," he grabbed one of the ladies' crossbow and shot an arrow that ripped through Alicia's stomach. As they dissipated, in all the pain and anguish Alicia threw one last look at Daito, and she was met with black cold-blooded eyes that stared back at her with no remorse as she cried her pain out loud. She was left for dead, bleeding out.
IN THE CASTLE
Lady Melo chased after Lisa
"Hey! Little girl, hold on!"
Soon after she caught up with her she saw her bent on one of the cells, trying to shake someone to wake.
"Grandpa... grandpa wake up, we have to go! Grandpa,"
She tried to wake him, rocking him back and forth. She sniffled quietly, tears threatening to spill, building up under his eyelids. A heavy sob escaped her and she covered her face with her tiny trembling hands. Lady Melo was heartbroken, she started regretting why she signed up for this anyways. It was against everything she stood for. As she approached Lisa quietly, a thundering slam echoed from behind her. She turned back and saw Reene pinned to the ground by Tulip, one of her assassins.
"Go, ma Lady! I'll hold him down,"
Lady Melo rushed towards Lisa and wrapped her around her arms, a bright teleportation ring popped up and cropped them out of view. The rest of the knights stormed into the room and Tulip let go of Reene throwing her hands up in a show of surrender.
IN THE HILLS
Alicia toiled to keep her eyes open, she knew if she let them close they might never open again. Once in a while, she peered down at the arrow poking out of her belly. The recollections tucked away inside her flashed before her eyes at intervals, she never thought she would go out so prematurely. In front of her Drom lay lifeless, the hope of winning this battle was lying dead in front of her, and the other just turned on her before her very eyes. And she could not believe she was falling for a monster.
The space above her tore a void, and from it burst a vigor of light. It barfed a huge figure that docked on the ground with a thud, shaking the trees. It had a white toga and some golden slippers on. He looked around, beholding the commotion.
"Alestio was here! I can feel it! But his aura has changed..it is, somewhat sinister." he eventually caught sight of Alicia and walked up to her.
"Are you okay young lady?"
Alicia didn't even have the fuel to answer back.
"Oh my, that is a fatal wound! But I can help you with that."
He senselessly tugged the end of the arrow and yanked it out. Alicia yelled back in irritation, even after it was ejected the pain was still unbearable.
The figure mumbled something incoherently and touched at Alicia's wound.
"There, you are going to feel drowsy but when you wake up you will be all healed. Now, my name is Arni, the God of the mortals and creator of souls. I have sensed your bravery. And I have also sensed your grief and pain, and I know you have faith in me. So I will reward you with a gift. What gift would you like? Name anything and I shall grant it to you right away."
Alicia grabbed his toga and pulled him closer, gnawing her teeth in distress. She whispered through her teeth, "GIVE ME....GOD MAGIC!!!"
"... Well, the seal is broken, so if you want god magic you will have to become the new dark bender and..."
"DO IT!!"
Arni reached for her forehead, brushing it and nudging it narrowly. After a few incantations Alicia's back heated up, the searing heat subdued her and she screamed in pain as her back was being charred. After what seemed to be an eternity her raw burning flesh curled up, revealing the Dark bender insignia on it. And soon after she lost consciousness. Before latching her eyes she saw Arni walk up to Drom and pick him up, he vanished with him.
ENDING
Alicia woke up, in the back of a carriage, beside her sat Reene and Valmon Carter Portriese. She lifted her head and saw multiple carriages behind her. Straining her voice she whispered, "What...what happened?!"
Reene shot up from his seat. "Alicia Whoa whoa take it easy, you've been hurt pretty bad, we you found in the hills when we were evacuating, you need to rest.
She ignored his sentiments and rose up from where she lay her body. "Water...I need water!"
Reene quickly handed her a flask of water. She ferociously drank up, some of it running down her neck and soaking up her top. With a clearer voice, she asked, "What happened?"
"The capital fell. The invaders have taken over and their leader Tyndale has declared himself king. Most of the people fled in time before the vurhans entered the city, those who stayed behind were held, prisoners. What about Daito and Drom? You disappeared along with them back at the castle?"
"That son of a bitch betrayed us! He killed Drom! And he also tried to kill me" all the others in the carriage fell silent in disbelief.
"... I promise, I'm going to hunt him down, and I'm going to kill him myself!!!" Alicia said, meaning every word, expelling the last of her feelings she had for him.
"Listen up... those of us left. The soldiers. They are going to be under me, I'm the new Dark bender, and with this power, I am going to reclaim Royal Republic, no matter what!!!" the dark bender insignia was still fresh on her back, and the others didn't have the guts to ask her how she got it, not when she was that fired up. The remaining survivors were headed for District Dark to recuperate, Tyndale finally got what he wished for his entire life, all with the help of the Clan of Tomasa Children who had added a new member to their ranks. The great city of Royal Republic had fallen. And with their plans unknown, the Heads were still on the loose.
' THERE CANNOT BE PEACE WITHOUT WAR, JUST AS THERE CANNOT BE LOVE...WITHOUT HATE!"
THE END