Shark sighed, adjusting so that Ariana could be more comfortable. She was almost somewhat grateful for it.

“I won’t bother you about it anymore,” ze said. “Just be glad it’s over, I guess. I’ll get you to Thea, and we can get your foot healed up.”

“What happened to the soldiers sent from Sunmer to help us?”

“There was blood on that girl’s sword when I ran into her. I’m assuming she got ‘em. That said, I’ll have to go with Thea to take care of that once everything’s wrapping up.” Shark sighed. “Hate that part. You all need to be much more careful with your lives.”

“It’s not as if we…” Ariana trailed off, and Shark fell still as they simultaneously caught the unexpected sight of their captain rushing towards them.

He stopped, huffing, and Ariana was stricken by how utterly exhausted and empty he looked. On someone like Rhys, who was usually so amiable in his generic way, it was almost disturbing.

“We’ve lost Sunmer,” he explained without feeling. “We’re evacuating. Let the Ghurian soldiers leave. We agreed to terms that no one would get hurt if we just go. Come on.”

“The villagers?” Ariana asked sharply. They couldn’t easily move them with how they’d been hurt. Besides, Rhys’ nonchalance was pissing her off.

“Dorothea’s taking care of them.”

“And everyone else on your end?” Shark asked.

Rhys rubbed his hands on his sleeves before putting them in his pockets. “Alive. By the good graces of the enemy.”

“That’s good.” Shark sounded relieved, and Ariana was right back to hating them completely.

“What’s good about it?” she snapped. If something had gone so wrong even with Dorothea on their side, then someone had been negligent beyond belief. This loss was inexcusable. “What happened, Rhys?”

“We need to go,” he said, turning away. “I’ll get Dorothea. After you’re healed up, you two start gathering the villagers and explaining the situation. Basically, they have to leave everything they own behind and move to Springen, for now.”

“And what next?” Ariana demanded.

“That’s up to Iree.”

So that was it. No more Sunmer, the weaponization of Wither throwing everything into turmoil, and Rhys was pushing it all off like it was nothing. “You’re worthless!” she yelled. “You’re supposed to be one of the strongest among us, and you can’t even kill anymore! Do you have any idea what having someone as useless as you around does for our chances of survival? Hiding behind the excuse of training Cerid… I see right through you! At this rate, it would have been far better for you to die instead of Dale Holmfen!” Amidst her fury, the previously forgotten name of the deceased friend of Iree and Rhys sprung to her lips.

For a moment, just a moment, Rhys looked wounded to his very core. She had attacked something raw within him and torn it apart. There was satisfaction in that, knowing he understood how far he had fallen in the eyes of his closest comrades. But then he laughed, a short burst filled with misery and grief, and Ariana realized that she hadn’t needed to say anything. He knew. He knew, and he wasn’t going to tell her she was wrong. With that, Rhys turned on his heel and walked away.

“That was a fucked up thing to say, Ariana, much less screaming it right in my ear,” Shark commented helpfully as they carried her to where the villagers had been left and Dorothea was finishing her work of healing.

Ariana knew it was horrible, but that didn’t stop her from being right, and she’d have said it again. To keep up the truce, Shark led Dorothea to Petunia’s body while Ariana directed the villagers, who were far more meek and compliant than they had been earlier.

The process of moving between all of the villages that were beneath Sunmer’s protection and convincing every single person that, yes, they needed to leave as soon as possible with nothing but the clothes on their backs, was just as arduous and time-consuming as expected. Night had clouded over them by the time the refugees had all found places to stay in Springen, and Iree’s so-called elite squad was called together atop the fort wall for a dreaded dressing down. The moment all were gathered, with Rhys standing by himself, Ariana off to the side and Cerid, Dorothea and Shark clustered together, Iree took control.

“I’ll be frank,” she began. “The time where we can worry about finding a peaceful conclusion to things needs to end.” The declaration was cold, her voice insistent and edged with a razor. “If you get the chance to kill, you do it. I thought we were clear on that.” She looked pointedly at Rhys. “If you can’t commit, then you need to tell me now.” When he didn’t speak despite the silence she provided, she cursed under her breath. “Anything at all to say for yourself?”

He only shook his head and continued to stare at the ground, face unreadable.

Iree closed her eyes for a moment, the slightest sign of regret, before continuing. “You’re no longer my captain. Creed, consider yourself promoted.”

Cerid’s mouth hung open, and he looked between Rhys and Iree before snapping it shut. His silence was taken as acceptance.

“Good. That’s over with. Now, the rest of you. Last chance for anyone to bow out.” Iree swept her gaze over them, waiting. “I’m being serious. I’m not going to waste my time on people who don’t get the job done anymore. You all understand?” One last pause met only with silence.

“Good. Standby for your next orders. We’re going to reclaim Sunmer as soon as I can come up with a plan and get it approved.”

“What if they inhabit it with civilians of their own in the meantime?” Dorothea asked nervously.

“My order still stands. You can spare any civilians who surrender at any point, but that’s it.” Her eyes lingered on Dorothea. “Kill or be killed. That’s our reality. You’ll get used to it.”

Ariana clenched her swordhand into a fist. She’d also hesitated that day. Even more, she had to harden her heart. This was the wakeup call she’d needed.

“That’s all I needed to say,” Iree sighed, and Ariana’s heart twinged with pity for her. A loss like this wasn’t going to look good. “Creed, meet me in the mess hall in an hour. We’ve got some planning to do. Rhys, come with me.” She stalked away without waiting. Rhys trudged after her, and each footstep seemed to require immense effort.

Ariana, for her part, left them all to their own devices and went back to the miniscule shack she occupied on the outskirts of the fort. In solitude, she could rest easy, but she was always trapped alone with her thoughts. She would go back to that same anticipation of one day having to face her sister on the field of battle, continuing to end the lives of the ones she had once cared for in the name of living on.