The night raid had been a disaster.

For one thing, Yuriko stuck out like a sore thumb. Radiant energy spilled from her skin no matter how she controlled her Anima. She didn’t notice it before but in the darkness of the night, on a moon that was moving towards Dark, her skin glowed just enough that she was easy to make out.

If she flared her Anima, it would be as if she carried a torch, and it was worse when she created a sunblade. Even when she summoned Fri’Avgi, in the privacy of her tent, she noticed that the artefact also glowed a subtle light.

So yeah, there was no way to sneak into the enemy camp, not without being spotted two to three hundred paces away.

After trying for a couple of nights, they gave up and decided to just gang up on one of the enemy Elders when they were in battle. Not even covering her skin and hair with mud did the trick. Dirt just sloughed off her hair when she moved, and somehow, the mud dried off too quickly on her skin then easily brushed off.

Three days after their attempt, and roughly seven days after the first battle, both sides readied themselves. Food was getting scarce, partly due to the fact that both sides ambushed each other’s logistics caravan. The Lucentians lost another fifty men and women, and she estimated the Vizugmonians lost nearly the same.

“We cannot wait any longer,” Otlaca announced grimly. “No doubt reinforcements from Tiath or Vizugmon are on their way. We have to regain the advantage!”

Irseso agreed and Yuriko just nodded along. She had nothing better to do. Constant vigilance and fighting had numbed her somewhat. She didn’t know how many people she killed, and…she felt disturbed at how little she cared at this point.

The shift had been gradual enough that she only noticed that she had stopped hesitating when taking a life just yesterday. She had been in the trenches with Akko’s squad.

Ah, they called squads here a Fang, though it was still the same general number, ten. They fended off a determined attack and Yuriko just stabbed someone in the face when it was just as easy to cut off a limb or wound them. Maybe it was just better to give them a quick death rather than letting them suffer.

Oh, they recovered from wounds nearly as quickly as she or her friends could using Recovery and without using any kind of Animus technique that she could see. Also! She saw one of the snakemen start regrowing a limb that had been cut off! She’d wondered why not all of the crippled had been sent home. Those who lost a hand or a foot, not the entire arm or leg, were kept at the camp and fed a lot of meat. This morning, she saw once unwinding a bandage from the stump of his wrist. She saw small nubs, proto-fingers, at the end.

Do the felinekin have the same capability? Probably not, but they may have excellent recovery abilities too.

Anyway, what that meant was that it was better to kill rather than leave them alive but crippled, only to have them return to the battlefield after a few days. That’s what she said to herself anyway.

The day dawned bright and clear, though it was cold. The Season of Air was nearly over and there were barely a few weeks until it was the Celestial Refraction.

Otlaca, Irseso, and Yuriko strode up to the Vizugmon side of the battlefield. The road across Matahil was just gone and was replaced by ditches, small hills, and bloodstained dirt. The three of them walked on the surface, instead of inside the trenches. The width of the Isthmus could only accommodate a hundred men and women abreast, putting the advantage of numbers useless. For the felinekin anyway.

The Lucentian’s line stretched into the swamp water. L’tik and Buwak warriors waded with grim purpose, bearing javelins, round shields, and axes. The Ahas were concentrated on dry land, each one carrying heavier shields and poleaxes.

As if by mutual agreement, the Vizugmonians had formed up above ground and behind their own trenches.

Yuriko was off to the side, away from the centre but not at the front, somewhat concealed behind a couple of ranks. Otlaca, who was at the centre, started shouting in their native tongue. One of the opposing Elders, Haxe, shouted back. It took a few minutes, but soon enough, Otlaca ordered the advance.

The narrow strip of land favoured the Lucentians so much that Vizugmonian troops slowly retreated. They had to fight for every inch of land though.

Arrows and Animus techniques that created bolts of fire and ice flew across the no-man’s land, each blocked or deflected by shields aglow with defensive techniques. As soon as the front ranks reached striking distance, they pushed forward with their spears. In an effort to maintain ranks and avoid vulnerabilities, they moved in lockstep, which also made it difficult to wound, much less kill. Yuriko noticed that both sides threw fewer projectiles compared to their very first engagement.

Almost as soon as the regulars engaged, Otlaca and Irseso separated and challenged Haxe and the Kutin Elder, Naoko. The Sorcerer, Rhain, was in the middle of the formation, and he was keeping quiet.

“It may be dishonourable, but I ask that you aid us,” Otlaca said to Yuriko before the battle. “Please strike a decisive blow against Haxe or Naoko.”

‘Was it really dishonourable?’ Yuriko thought. ‘This wasn’t a duel, it was a war.’

Hehe. I won’t say which is better, a war with no rules of engagement or one that has them. In all my years, I’ve fought in both kinds, and let me tell you, if it takes too long, it eventually becomes one where everyone does what’s needed to survive rather than what looks good.

‘You’ve recovered memories?’

...some.

Well, this was a battlefield and not a duelling arena. They didn’t even call out a challenge to each other. Or maybe that was what the back and forth was about earlier. Oh well.

Even as their battles progressed, the flanking Buwak and L’tik made their moves. They burst out of the water, charging at the flanks. The cats expected them and had already formed a shield wall at the side.

“Perhaps that was a mistake,” Yuriko muttered.

With a wider front, the Vizugmonians who outnumbered them maintained the balance.

As for the battle between Irseso and Naoko, the L’tik woman had managed to lure the Kutin Elder closer to where Yuriko was. It was time to strike.

She didn’t have time to form a sunblade as the act would have exposed her. She could either go unarmed or summon Fri’Avgi. She hesitated for a moment, but then shrugged and threw her worries to the wind. She crouched and gathered her strength, slowly releasing her Anima around her feet.

Irseso threw needles and forced the Kutin woman to jump, and in mid-leap, Yuriko struck. She burst from the ranks, pushing several warriors off their feet and was nearly upon the Elder when Naoko noticed her. A brief look of anger and surprise coloured her face before she set her lips into a grim line and flung a hand towards her. White silk sprung from her fingertips and formed into a wide net.

With a fierce grin, Yuriko raised her hands overhead then called her Anima Telum. The golden greatsword answered her with a glad cry, forming above. The pattern of the sword dances flooded into the pathways and created a jagged blade that easily sheared through the silk.

“Ahhh!” Naoko screamed.

The same slash cut into her torso, shearing through the chainmail links and the leather and gambeson beneath as though they were made of paper. A spray of blood painted the air and Naoko fell back.

From the feel of the strike, the metal of Fri’Avgi didn’t manage to connect with the woman’s flesh. Instead, the Animus blade formed by the third dance was the one that made contact. The blow was too shallow. It didn’t cut the Kutin in half. Naoko was very much alive but Yuriko was sure she was out of the battle.

“Coward!” Haxe howled and broke away from Otlaca, aiming a fist aglow with Animus at her. Otlaca stared at Yuriko’s eyes then shivered. He didn’t pursue Haxe but instead turned towards the Vizugmonian troops.

Irseso gave a feral grin and did the same, shooting a rain of needles at the suddenly unprotected warriors.

As for Haxe, his leap ate up the distance between them but he was too slow. Yuriko spun Fri'Avgi and slashed crosswise. He grunted and smashed down at the weapon in an attempt to parry. Fri’Avgi’s weight, so light for Yuriko but heavier than a full-grown man for Haxe, smashed him aside. He managed to prevent himself from being cut by clapping the Animus blade between his elbow and knee, but from the discolouration of his face, he must have been bruised heavily.

She spun the greatsword over her head and leapt, aiming to incapacitate the second Elder. Once she’d done so, only the Sorcerer would remain. Afterwards, with their advantage in strength, they would drive the sneaky cats off the Lucentian land.

Haxe crashed into warriors, bowled them over and dug a long furrow against the land in an effort to arrest his momentum. She didn’t give him a chance to recover.

“Protect the Elder!”

Several warriors, two dozen or more, flung themselves bodily at her. With a deft twist, she bisected them with a single slash. Blood, entrails, limbs, and the filth that was in their guts, splashed in the air. But none of them penetrated her Anima. She emerged from the visceral spray glowing with golden flames and as immaculate as though she came to dance at the cotillion.

More threw themselves at her, and she slaughtered them. She pushed down the screaming in her mind. It was the part of her horrified by her disregard for life, but another part, the greater part of her, awakened to pleasure.

She was stronger. They threw their lives away when they interfered in a battle between their betters. They didn’t deserve to live.

Bloodthirst. It raged within. Her Anima’s colour changed. From pure gold, specks of crimson floated in the flames. It had been almost three Seasons since she came here, and all the while she had been forced to survive. She’d killed beasts, devil and direbeasts on her quest to return home, and these people. They wanted to stop her. They wanted to take her. The Sorcerer. His words were clear. He would not stop until she was captured or dead.

They would take her freedom away.

Her knuckles whitened as she gripped Fri’Avgi’s hilt. The Anima Telum sent back waves of reassurance. She would keep Yuriko safe. She would grant her all the power her wielder needed to survive and flourish. Only… perhaps Yuriko should give some of the Radiant energy she kept in reserve?

Haxe picked himself off the ground, his men having sacrificed their lives for him. His eyes held a tinge of fear, but he chomped down on his lips and shook his head. The normal warriors backed off hurriedly.

Haxe screamed a few words, then caught himself.

“You! I will kill you!” he said in heavily accented Wojan.

Yuriko shook her head. “You can try.”

She led with a powerful thrust, the wind of Fri’Avgi’s passage screamed and burned. Haxe sidestepped and dashed, seeking to close the distance. Yuriko’s blade was far more agile than it looked and before he could take a step, she had already repositioned the greatsword and was inches away from contact.

“Graaah!”

The Tigris Elder released a wave of force with his roar. Pebbles and dust flew with the shockwave, but it wasn’t enough. The edge of Fri’Avgi’s Animus blade touched his side and started to cut.

Vines, grass, and roots shot out from the bare ground, wrapped themselves around Haxe and pulled him to safety, even as other plants sought to entangle Yuriko and her weapon. She flared her Anima and pushed the offending fronds away.

A wave of razor leaves rained down from above, but before they could touch her, Yuriko waved Fri’Avgi above her head, and the leaves were blown away. More roots, more leaves and grass, darted at her. From the ground and from the swamp. She fended them off with broad strokes, following the movements taught to her by Kale. The Sweeping Gale Style really suited this kind of situation.

Rhain was standing two dozen paces away, his body glowing with a halo of Animus. She recognized the spell he used from before, but she wouldn’t be taken by surprise again. She slashed and whirled, moving closer to the Sorcerer.

Before she could close in on the rotter, Haxe charged towards her. But instead of trying to close, he started punching the air. Every time he did, a loud boom came from the displaced air and a blade of wind with a core of Animus shot towards her. Yuriko switched focus to the second dance and rays of golden light sprung from the red gem in Fri’Avgi’s crossguard, blocking everything that came.

“Artefact!” Rhain yelled in glee.

His eyes lit up with greed and even Haxe reacted in the same vein. Yuriko shook her head but continued to advance towards Rhain. The Sorcerer frowned and started to back away. As before, felinekin threw themselves at her.

“Tsk!” Yuriko clicked her tongue. This was getting nowhere.

She pulled at the Radiant energy and channelled it into the weapon, thrusting in her instincts. As soon as it entered, the red gem flashed brilliantly and then…a sunblade formed. It was a miniature version, less than six inches long, but it floated around the hilt. Then another came, and another, until there were seven mini-blades around her. A connection formed between Yuriko and the blades, and she found out that they moved easily to her Will. With a thought, she sent them flying towards the Sorcerer.

“What!” Rhain yelped even as he sent vines and leaves to protect him.

The sunblade shards avoided the felinekin who attempted to protect him, pierced through Animus laden leaves, then each of the blades stabbed into his chest. Spurts of blood and smoke came out of the wounds even as he coughed and jumped back.

Green creepers popped out of his body and wrapped around the shards, attempting to pull them off his body. His eyes were bloodshot but his mouth never stopped mouthing words, spells.

Haxe rushed in, using her distracted attention to land a blow at her side. Her Anima stopped most of the force, but it was enough for her to lose focus. Rhain managed to pull the shards out, then the creepers sewed his wounds shut.

Yuriko swiped at Haxe and simultaneously controlled the shards. She could control ten strands of Animus at once, but this was decidedly more complex than the exercises she did. She recalled four of the shards and had them circled her body instead, while the remaining three harried the Sorcerer. This way, she retained enough focus to fight both at the same time.

She pushed Haxe away, managing to cut a long gash down his left thigh. Rhain completed another spell, but what it did, she didn’t know since there was no visible manifestation. Instead, something else stole her attention.

Fire and ice spears fell from the sky. But they were not Otlaca’s. The projectiles smashed against the Lucenti lines, and from behind the Vizugmonians, she saw another army. This one was led by two humans, glowing with red and blue Animus. Balls of fire revolved above the man’s head, while icy mirrors surrounded the woman.

Vizugmon’s reinforcements had arrived: the Tiath army.