The loud clanging of metal can be heard reverberating through the forest as a battle raged on between one woman and multiple assassins. Arrows littered the ground and the trees, yet not even one pierced the skin of the maiden. Three elven assassins surrounded her with blades drawn while their brethren waited for opportunities to shoot her from the foliage. They fought naught with mercy nor chivalry and only sought to kill her but the maiden evaded their blades time and time again

So far Ruby counted 6 dead bodies from their 20 man unit sent out to kill her. It was a difficult task to kill them all at once since they have the advantage of numbers and the upper ground however, this didn't deter her from taking them out one by one. She had learned a new feature of her scythe, another surprise from Terizla. She can actually summon a chain from the other end that extends to however long she wants it to be which enables her to pluck her enemies even if they're far away.

Ruby had turned her large scythe into twin khopesh to better handle her opponents. She clashed her weapons against the double-bladed glaive of one elf before ducking to evade an arrow shot to her head. She jumped to another elf running up to her, swiftly moving to the side to avoid his blade before sweeping his feet, making him fall to the ground.

Ruby didn't hesitate to swing her blade down his neck before engaging with her next foe who was feistier than the others. This one jumped at her from behind and kicked her harshly against the tree but she rolled away just in time to avoid being riddled with arrows.

The elf number 8 followed her as she rolled but Ruby latched herself onto his feet and did the corkscrew move to bring him down. She kicked his jaw knocking him out cold along with some of his teeth. Ruby immediately got to her feet to face her other assassins counting down the numbers of her prey.

A spear was trusted to pierce her head but she ducked just in time to avoid being impaled. The Spearman tried jabbing her multiple times but Ruby was nimble and predicted his movements with perfect timing. She turned left, right, up, down, right, left, down, up before twisting her body and converting her khopesh into her large scythe, hooking it behind the elf's neck and decapitating his head as she pulled it back. A dark giggle erupted from her lips as the bloodlust coursed through her body. Fenrir's monstrous side began manifesting in her persona along with his powers.

"Seriously, is that all you've got? I've had better fights with boars in the wild." Ruby commented with mild amusement. Just as she finished her sentence, an arrow shot to her face but she effortlessly caught it with her bare hands before discarding it carelessly on the ground.

"Rude much. Guess I'll take you bitches out first. You know, I really hate archer elves." A wide grin stretched across her lips as she transformed her weapons back into a scythe and pulled the chains hiding inside its blunt end. She spun the chains to build up momentum for the scythe before suddenly throwing it to an archer who was immediately split in half as the sharp blade went through her gut.

Ruby controlled the scythe with the chain and moved it to slay another elvish archer who this time evaded her attack making her click her tongue in annoyance. She tugged at the chains to retrieve her weapon as another elf rushed to her stealthily with his blades drawn. Unluckily for him, she can feel every single one of them by hearing their heartbeat, smelling their aura, and seeing their almost invisible forms. Fenrir's skills are amplifying her senses allowing her to be as sharp as a wolf.

Ruby used the chain to block the sword swung over her head with the chains. The elf kept swinging and swinging but she flawlessly blocked off every strike he did. She elbowed the elf on the gut, stealing a short sword sheathed on his waist before cutting through his neck and throwing the blade to an archer elf who didn't anticipate the move, dying instantly in the process as she fell off the tree with a dull thud.

An elf mage casted a spell and sent a ball of fire in her direction but Ruby merely lifted her hand and an icy shield instantly rose from the dirt and protected her from the magic before melting into a puddle. The steam created a mist that temporarily hid her before bursting from it to jump on top of an elf's head to propel herself to the mage.

Ruby was suddenly knocked out of the air as the mage controlled the tree branch to flick her back to the ground. The huntress maneuvered her body to land on her feet though she slid a few meters from the mage before doing a backflip to avoid a barrage of arrows heading her way. The mage fired multiple moon magic projectiles her way but Ruby blocked them all with her scythe while casting a protection rune to create a temporary barrier.

Once the mage stopped firing, Ruby noticed five assassins jumping at her in all directions with their daggers drawn and no hesitation to kill. Her heart hammered loudly fearing death and in an attempt to save herself she absorbed more of Fenrir's powers and casted a random spell. Swords made of ice manifested in the air precisely above her enemies before swinging down and impaling her assailants.

"How the hell did I do that? The ice thing is new as well but the swords? That was awesome!" She mumbled as she looked at her hands incredulous of her new powers.

"Have you forgotten that my parents are Jötunheim giants? Or at least one and a half since dear old dad, Loki is still part Asgardian. Of course I'll be a winter wolf with the authority to control the frost and storm. Jötunheim is all about winter. They'll be needing authentic Muspelheim fire just to lay even a single scratch on you if they want to play with fire." Fenrir informed with amusement.

"I'm capable of doing that all this time and you didn't tell me?!"

"I too am surprised to know what you are capable of but that's enough for today. Your fingers are shivering and your stamina is down to 30%. Do not forget that your body is still mortal. If you take more, your organs will explode. You may use a final runic magic to end them. I am fated to destroy the light so we have an advantage over those with attributes related to the moon and sun. Finish the fight, Ruby." Fenrir reminded her. Oddly enough, she can also feel his grin at the thought of destroying someone much more than protecting her.

"Much obliged." The crimson blade of her scythe burned brighter as runes began appearing in the air spinning around her in a protective circle. She placed her fingertip on the Uruz (strength) rune that looks like a blade tip before tracing Hagalaz (destruction), Kaunan (Mortality), and Laguz (Chaos), symbols in the air.

"Shatter thy bonds

Oh wolf imprisoned beyond the horizon

Slay the gods and vanquish thy foes

Let me swallow the light and bring darkness

Pray naught for I am from the beginning

Who shall be your end.

I am... Ragnarok." Ruby chanted as she unleashed a torrent of attacks towards the elvish assassins. Wolves made out of fire, lightning, ice, and tempest materialized from thin air and began ravaging the elves one by one.

With all her attention focused on controlling the wolves, Ruby didn't notice the archer who had fallen on the ground raising to draw her bow in a final attempt to complete her mission. Three arrows shot in the air but they flew unseen, unfelt, and undetected by the maiden until they pierced flesh. The last assassin fell dead as the wolves ravaged their flesh before completely disappearing as the maiden stopped her bond with Fenrir.

"Only a scoundrel would take out a woman in this manner. You deserve to drown in the Abyssal fire for all eternity."

"Dyrroth?" Ruby questioned as her eyes began blurring and her mind began swirling with fatigue. Casting a runic spell takes a huge toll on the body since it's one of the primordial magic spoken by the universe. Even the Asgardian gods didn't have it easy but thankfully she can still stand and there's no pain coming from inside her. Still, she'll need a physician to see if there's any organ systems that's been jeopardized due to the fight.

"No, it's me you dummy." Martis replied as he plucked the arrows that impaled his back as if they were mere thorns.

"Martis? What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"You were taking too long to go back plus I received a message from Dyrroth telling me to watch out for elven assassins trying to kill you. Did they hurt you?"

"Psshh, those bastards couldn't lay a finger on this gem. I took them out by the hundreds." Ruby boasted pridefully only for her body to collapse against his chest as lethargy began to settle in.

"You didn't really fight that many but I'm proud that you were able to hold out your own. You may rest now, Ruby."

"But Loki said he wanted to get me killed, that's why he spread a false prophecy that I will release Fenrir from his bounds even before Ragnarok to destroy the world. I wouldn't do that Martis I swear! I... I won't."

"I believe you but now you must rest. I'm here now so I won't let anyone hurt you ever again be it Loki or every single elf out there. I will protect you but now you should rest. I can feel your body shaking due to exhaustion. I will handle everything else so you don't need to worry."

"Okay. Oh wow, you have some really nice muscles here. Your arms are so big and your chest is broad and strong but you're surprisingly snuggly like a teddy bear on steroids."

"I save your life and you repay me with insults? Even Dyrroth would show a little bit of gratitude."

"Mhmm, you're also warm and comfortable. Can I sleep on you? I'm so tired." Ruby mumbled as she leaned against his body ignoring his words. Her legs were beginning to give up below her as her mana had been drained to the last drop.

"No." answered the Ashura as he lifted her in his arms and cradled her head against his chest. His men soon rolled into the forest inspecting the bodies of her fallen enemies and seeing if someone will survive to tell them something useful.

"The little lady really did a number on these elves." commented one of the soldiers who stared at the decapitated corpses with disgust.

"Okay, it's official. No one should ever tease her about her height anymore unless we want to end up like these guys."

"Yeah, and from the looks of it they weren't even holding back. They really meant to kill her. Look at this poison. It killed every tree within a ten-meter radius. If they were still alive I would have tortured them for trying something like this to our little lady. Fucking cowards."

"It was an unfair fight and she survived it. That's all that matters. For now, we need to make sure that the poison is taken care of lest it kills the whole forest. We don't know how potent elvish poison is."

"Those bastards are asking for a war. Even if we aren't the target doing something outrageous to a girl and desecrating our land is beyond unforgivable. Their kind deserves to be slaughtered."

"No one will do anything stupid tonight unless you want me to personally send you to the gallows. Search the area and keep a tight patrol on the city. There might be more of them here. You can handle the rest, Arash. I'll take care of Ruby. Although she's not injured severely from the battle she's clearly fatigued from using all that malevolent energy. I'll take her to Shura immediately."

"Yes, my king. Men clear the area!"

"You're so kind, Martis. Thanks for taking care of me." Ruby slurred as she snuggled her face against his chest. Martis began walking to carry the girl back to the city where she'll hopefully recover her senses in no time.

"You feel so warm like... Dyrroth."

🌹

"This is not good, Martis. Ruby lost a lot of mana during the fight. Of course, she needed a lot to fight off those scoundrels. If she didn't stop just in time, then her heart might have exploded due to overwork." Shura concluded as she finished conducting her healing spell on the sleeping maiden.

"Then is she alright? Did any of her organs stop working?" Martis inquired with a neutral facade although the worry is almost evident in his tone and voice.

"I've healed every single injury both internal and external the only problem is Ruby won't accept my mana. I've been trying to transfer some of my mana to her body to help her heal herself but she won't accept them. I think it's because our alignments are different from each other."

"What do you mean?"

"I draw my powers from Lady Parvati, the goddess of love, harmony, and many other things that are good, making my alignment Lawful good. But Ruby draws her powers from Fenrir the Wolf of Destruction, winter, and storms making her alignment chaotic evil or perhaps chaotic good or neutral since Ruby is her own person. The point is: mana transfer is like blood. The donor must be compatible with the beneficiary therefore neither I nor any priestess we have is compatible to be Ruby's donor."

"What will happen if she isn't supplied with mana this instant?"

"Well, Ruby's organs and tissues are functioning but they are doing it incredibly slow. Her blood is flowing below the average speed because her od, or her personal mana supply, is too little to sustain her life energy. I'm afraid if we don't replenish it then Ruby might die. Additionally, the spells she casted are no simple matter. Usually, humans can only use Anki magic or the natural magic found in nature or drawn from the moon, sun, and stars but the magic she used... It's--it's incredible. It's older than time itself. Ruby used primordial powers in their purest form that doesn't exist in this world or no longer exists in this world. For a moment I think she was even Fenrir himself, as impossible as it sounds."

"You're saying that this brat who cries in pity of snakes became a goddess for a moment?"

"Well, it is possible. We priestesses can host the gods in our bodies for a limited time but Ruby seems to have become one for a short period. Of course, all of these are just speculations but I think that there's something deeper going on than meets the eye."

"Goddess or not aside, how do we save her?"

"We only need to find a compatible donor with her, someone with at least a chaotic alignment and a decent supply of mana."

"If I hunt down monsters and take their soul energy will that be enough to replenish Ruby? Is there something I can do to help?"

"Well, maybe you can." Shura said as she pondered something.

"I get it! How can I forget?" exclaimed the priestess in realization as a wide grin stretched across her lips.

"What is it?"

"Martis you're compatible with Ruby! You're a God of War and Ruby said that Fenrir is part Aesir or Asgardian, what she called "Norse war gods" meaning that she has attributes of winter, destruction, and war. Maybe you can share some mana with her." Shura suggested with hope brimming in her eyes.

"Are you certain? Can I become her donor?"

"Well it's only a theory but it's worth a try. If she rejects your mana then we'll find another way to save her but if she accepts then we save her this instant. We must do it before she gets necrosis."

"Alright. How do we do it? Are you supposed to inject a tube in me and transfer it to her?"

"Uhmm how do I say this? The method is more primitive since you're not exactly a mage but the transfer is essentially oral."

"What the hell do you mean? Shura, simplify it."

"You're supposed to kiss her and pour out your mana to her. Ruby will automatically absorb your mana once she detects it like a newborn baby to milk. It's certainly unethical given that she's unconscious but if it will save her life in the long run... We don't really have much of a choice."

"Okay, Dyrroth will kill me anyway if I let her die." Martis sighed as he sat on Ruby's bed.

"Just think of it as the prince waking up the sleeping beauty. Surely that is romantic."

"Sister if you didn't read the original tale, he raped her in that one and she only woke up when his bastard children sucked the poison from her finger. It was a disgusting tale really."

"Oh, sorry. I'll stop talking then. Priestesses, it's best if we give them some privacy and of course secrecy." Shura said to her fellow priestesses who bowed and left. "Brother, don't take advantage of her in her weakened state, or else I will personally cut off our father's gift to you."

"When did I ever take advantage of a sleeping woman, sister? Especially a child?"

"Oh, just do it. I won't judge. Promise, even though you're kissing a girl a decade younger than you." Shura teased as she left the scene.

"Oh, that malicious little vixen."

"Well, Ruby. This doesn't mean anything just to clarify."

Martis leaned down and inched his face closer to the little maiden before hesitantly touching their lips together and engaging them in a sweet little dance. He moved his lips with gentleness, afraid that the smallest pressure would somehow break her. Ruby looked so fragile and small, a brute like him can't possibly touch her without hurting her.

An unknown sensation swelled inside his chest. There was a mysterious warmth that made him feel giddy. It was a pleasant feeling like the warmth of a fire in a desolate winter or the sensation of sweet fruits after being starved. It was ambrosia that energized not only his body but also his soul. He felt so unworthy of such pleasure. A scoundrel like him can't possibly be deserving of such a beautiful feeling and yet for some unknown reason, this girl is... Kissing him back.

He was utterly astounded but he didn't stop providing her with his mana. The fire that was spreading in his chest felt like an Inferno now as Ruby released a soft moan. Focus Martis. You're only doing this because she needs to be saved. Just like Shura said, Ruby will instinctively absorb your mana like a hungry child. This does not mean more than anything than healing her so why... Why does your cold fortified heart beat so rapidly in your chest with all the beauty of summer blooming in it?

🌹

"Is everything all right, my lord?" Sorca asked as she stood beside Dyrroth who was moving pieces on his large map of the Land of Dawn. The prince suddenly crushed a metal chess piece in his hand, breaking it easily as if it was made of talc instead of iron.

"I feel fine but I suddenly worry about someone touching what's mine. Send a raven to  Martis immediately and ask him about Ruby's well-being. I can't concentrate knowing those elven shits are probably plotting something terrible to my rose."

"Yes, my lord."

"And bring me some wine. I need to think about why I want to punch someone so badly." Dyrroth added as she took a seat on his throne with a menacing look.

Whatever is happening out there is not sitting well with his gut. Something is telling him that someone needs to be punished severely. But who could it be other than those elves?

"You were doing so well and just because your human pet is probably flirting with your best friend, you cast your job aside as if it was a secondary matter. You still haven't sorted your priorities until now even though Thamus has repeatedly reminded you of your tasks. Have the wounds disappear so instantly or have your obsession with a human girl dull your senses?" Alice mused as she emerged from the shadows.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be minding your own war and espionage? Let me guess: Vexanna doesn't want to cooperate because you are such a bitch?"

"Sharp-tongued and disrespectful. How typical of you. And if you're worried about that witch in the Necrokeep then you can rest assured that she's taken care of. Even though she's merely a cockroach, her control over the dead is a good resource in addition to her necromancer and her noble knight Leomord. A fine man who is now merely a husk of who he was. Truly a tragic man but still fascinating. The best part is, they're now under our command. Hatred makes them easy puppets."

"I did not ask for a full report of your new friends. Why are you even here?"

"Oh, I was just checking on your progress. It seems that there's not much to see given that you didn't even make a single step forward that is relevant to the war. It's so unlike you to be this unproductive and you've been wasting an awful lot of time building stuff now. Maybe we should change your name from Dyrroth the Destroyer to Dyrroth the Builder."

"It's okay Alice. No need to be so jealous just because I already conquered 70% of the Azrya woodlands while you can't even conquer a small lump of dirt when you came here. And what's more, is that you were defeated by a mere healer during your fight. I wonder how much that destroyed your ego?"

"I'm glad that your affiliation with the human girl didn't fully recede your Demonic heart. Pleasantries aside, the Lord of Fire sent a little gift for your little achievements."

"Ah, Thamuz is feeling a little generous? How delightful." Dyrroth uttered sarcastically as he took a sip from his gilded cup.

"He heard about your little trouble with the eleven barriers so he went all his way to find the Heart of Surt to give you a little help. Our lord can be as generous as he is brutal but only to those worthy of his recognition."

"I am perfectly capable of dismantling their barrier without anyone's help. Nevertheless, I will still accept it as a show of good faith. Show it to me."

"Perfect. You will be delighted to have it in your arsenal and I assure you that it will be an invaluable asset to decimate the elves." Alice turned to her minions and ordered them to bring the object in.

"Behold, the heart of Surtur."

The minions brought in a black box and opened it to reveal a long sword glowing bright red as it burned with an eternal fire. A crimson gem glinted on its hilt, presumably the core, the actual heart of Surt. Unknown symbols were carved on the blade which sparked a bit of familiarity with the demon. He remembers them from his first fight with Ruby. These strange symbols appeared when she drew powers from Fenrir and released a crescent blade of destruction that if he didn't evade it just in time, then he wouldn't be here today.

"Terizla himself gawked at its magnificence. Even the best blacksmith of the Abyss stared in awe of this dwarvish forged blade. It is said to be a relic from a war fought by foreign gods and giants of the north. What do you think, Prince of Darkness?"

"It is impressive indeed. But what is the price I must pay to accept a weapon I didn't ask for in the first place?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Alice said feigning innocence.

"I know you Alice. You don't do anything unless you have something to gain from it. What do you want?"

"Well, what I want is simple really. Elves are very delicious for a blood demon such as myself. Humans are fine but elves are on another level so when you finally conquer the Moon Castle I want to have the elves and take them as livestock. That's all. You have no use for them so I'll volunteer to take them off your hands. It's a win-win situation."

"Very well but I'll be needing a greater payment for my efforts."

"Whatever you desire as long as it's in my capabilities." Alice grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I want you to stop pestering Ruby, spying on her, and attempting to kill her. You and all of your minions or mercenaries you can get your hands on. Simple as that and you can have all the elves that you want. Except for Miya since I'll be giving her to Ruby as a rag." The smile obviously vanished from the vampire queen due to his request. A brief silence lingered between them as she contemplated his price.

"Fine. I, and all my minions swear to do no harm to your precious little human pet in exchange for a herd of elven livestock. Satisfied?"

"Swear it upon the river Styx that flows in the Underworld."

"I swear it upon the River Styx, goddess of oaths and contracts. There, happy now?"

"Very. Now you are bound by your own words going against it will smite you no matter what you do. And I'll be taking the sword as well. I might find some use for it after all. You may leave now because I still have a war to plan." The bitter distaste was obvious from the Vampire Queen but decided not to verbally express it since she got what she bargained for.

"I will leave you to your war plans then. Best regards. And please, spare Estes for me. I will be the one to tear out his throat." Dyrroth merely waved his hands in reply as if implying that he couldn't care any less before turning his back on her and going over the war plans.

"My Lord, we have news from King Martis. He wishes to have an audience with you albeit virtually." Sorca informed as she entered the tent along with servers who brought food and wine.

"Open the line." Dyrroth sat back to his throne as the servants laid the food and beverage on the table. He immediately went for the wine and drank it to the last drop before telling the demon to refill it again.

"Belius, activate the mirror." Sorca ordered one of her companions. The Demonic mage opened a small box where triangular shards of a mirror hovered in the air before forming a diamond. Colors swirled in the mirror before showing Martis and his sister Lady Shura.

"Is there something wrong, Martis? Did something happen to Ruby?" he immediately asked, worried about his little maiden.

"Ruby was ambushed earlier by 20 elven assassins. The good news is that she fought them and killed them all without attaining serious injuries. However, there are no survivors left to interrogate." Martis and Lady Shura began narrating all their findings from the analysis of the corpses and the trinkets they left behind. He also mentioned the information Ruby told him before becoming delirious, excluding Ruby's flirty behavior earlier.

"I see. Then I have all the information I need to settle that matter." An alluring chuckle left the Demon's lips as he pondered the information.

"That's my girl. It seems that I worried for nothing. Call her in. I want to speak to her."

"Ruby is currently unavailable." Shura informed with a bothered tone.

"What do you mean?" frowned Dyrroth.

"In the process of defending herself, Ruby used too much of Lord Fenrir's powers, draining her mana to the last drop. For a moment she was in a critical condition due to mana exhaustion but we were able to heal her wounds and replenish her mana. However, it will take time for her to recover her lost energy. But you don't have to worry she's in a good condition now. Once she wakes up, she'll only need a good meal and a nice warm bath in the waterfalls to bring her back to shape." Dyrroth nodded in understanding of the priestess's words.

"That's good. Call me immediately once she wakes up. I'll send fruits from the Enchanted Forest to help her rejuvenate. Thank you for taking care of her. I am in your debt. Even though I would like to go there now to take care of her myself, I know that doing so would only invite conflict among my followers so I'm entrusting her in your hands. Please take very good care of my wife."

"We will do everything to protect her and nurse her back to health. You can count on us, your majesty." Lady Shura said as she nodded to the demon respectfully.

"Dyrroth, I need to speak to you privately about something." Martis added.

"Sister, please excuse us." Lady Shura left at her brother's request and Dyrroth nodded to his subordinates to give them privacy. Once they are alone silence reigns as one waits for the other to say something.

"About the method, we used to provide Ruby with mana, it's… quite primitive." Martis began hesitantly.

"Oh, did she get hurt? Did it involve needles?"

"No, it was a kiss. The mana transfer was essentially oral and I wanted you to know that I felt no pleasure nor bore any malicious thoughts while engaged in the process." There was a brief silence as the two men exchanged blank looks. Dyrroth heaved a sigh before leaning his face on his palm.

"It's fine as long as it's purely to save her. I would have murdered you as well if you didn't do anything. Ultimately, Ruby's safety is more important. We can mind the matters of the heart later."

"You really love her so much, don't you?"

"More than anything. She is my first love after all and perhaps my last one as well because I'm not planning on ever letting her go. It was so strange at first how I denied that I have feelings for her. When I imprisoned her, I didn't know what I wanted to say to her so it took me 2 weeks just to think of something we could talk about and when we're already talking I messed it up. And then I think I kind of raped her since I touched her without her permission in an inappropriate way. After that, I exiled her to fend for herself in this dangerous and murderous place because she said something mean to me. I was an asshole and all it took was to be away from her to make me realize how much I actually need her. I was drowning in alcohol and sex while she was surviving in the Abyss and finding ways to escape. She is marvelous. She was afraid, yes, she was terrified but she conquered all her fears and sought her freedom. She was a fire I wanted to hold in my hand but now I realize that I'm just a fool; an idiotic moth who got consumed in her fire, and now I can never escape her enchantment because I'm falling deeply in love with her."

"I hope that you don't play with fire, Martis. Because it burns those unwelcome to receive its warmth."

"What the hell are you talking about? Since when did you become so poetic?" Martis mused jokingly.

"You can't hide it from me, Martis. I know you have feelings for her, I see it in your eyes. You have the same look I had when I was merely enamored by her. It was an infatuation that transformed into love so don't tell me not to be alarmed. However, since we are brothers in arms I shall excuse it just once. A little crush is okay as long as you don't act on it."

"You don't have to worry. I have more self-control than you do. You said it yourself that you violated her a few weeks after you met. Then I have never laid a finger on her in a malicious manner so you can rest assured that I won't act on them."

"Very well. We'll leave that matter since it won't be long before I complete my conquest here hence Ruby's return to my side. But don't worry I won't hold any grudges against you and nothing shall change between us as allies. This is simply a matter between men and can only be settled by Ruby's decision. Have a good night, Martis." Dyrroth said in finality with a faint smile dancing on his lips.

"And you too, Dyrroth." There was an unreadable expression reflected from Martis' face until the demon severed the mirror's connection allowing the glass to fall back to their box, unneeded.

Dyrroth clutched the golden locket from his pocket and flipped it open revealing Ruby's perpetually smiling face. If he kills every single one of those elves will she be happy? Will she be proud of him? Will she praise him and tell him that she loves him? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Whatever the outcome is, his goal doesn't change and that is to destroy those elves and conquer their land to make a more convenient pathway to advance their forces and launch a massive invasion upon the empire. The only difference is before he was fighting out of duty but now he will be fighting out of spite and vengeance.

Nevertheless, some things just don't add up. Those elves know that they're in huge trouble with him as a general leading the Demonic forces and therefore in need of all the soldiers they could spare. If they're going to die here anyway, why would they have the time to think about an apocalypse that would happen at a much later time?

🌷

"Father has returned. You sensed that too didn't you, Hati?" asked a beast to its brother.

"It was father clearly displaying his might." replied the other beast named Hati as they looked towards the eastern horizon. The two of them are settled on the frozen mountain while ruins of a former glorious hall protrude around them. The one called Hati was calm and nonchalant while his brother showed excitement and energy.

"Do you think he is summoning us? Calling his loyal children to his side to serve his cause?"

"It is highly plausible, Skoll."

"What shall we do then? Should we gather all of our brothers and sisters to aid our father?"

"Yes, the wolves have been divided for so long it's time we unite all our packs to support our lord father."

"It is the best course of action. We must make haste."

"We must make haste."