“…may we never forget those who gave their lives for the citizens of Ark City. Their choice to fight, in the face of death, required courage beyond courage. In return, we offer nothing but our everlasting gratitude and our eternal praise, in the form of this memorial, dedicated to the fallen. May it watch over us for all time.” General Degurechaff, his right arm betraying the smallest of trembles, turned away from the audience and the parade, and saluted the memorial.

“Present arms!”

As one, the guards that were assembled in front of the memorial raised the sword in their right hands, brought it up to their lips, before drawing a slow, silver arc down.

Aziz watched the ceremony end, his face sombre. Any curiosity he had earlier had been extinguished entirely. There was nothing to it — it just felt appropriate for him to not press any questions regarding Gemini’s final choice to stay in the Wildlands. Even if the world in general were to condemn the Constellation’s choice, Aziz knew that his decision had brought the Five Lands valuable time.

Especially since the Demon God’s forces were so much more monstrous than the other races. Aziz had a feeling that even if they were to coexist in peace, he would still be on guard against the demons as a whole — they were so much more terrifying than humans or even the beastfolk.

The logical side of him knew that this wasn’t the correct attitude to take — it was precisely this attitude that formed the foundation of the myriad reasons behind the Second Extermination. The Constellation Heroes’ summoning was just the trigger for it. And yet, he couldn’t help but understand why the humans did it back then…and would probably do it, even if all three races were at peace.

Restraining his thoughts, he followed the audience as they filed out of their seats to form a line. He didn’t know who had started it, but it just seemed natural to queue up to pay their respects to the fallen. It didn’t take long before it was his turn at the memorial, and his eyes lingered just long enough to scan through the names there.

Like he’d seen earlier, most of them were Ark City’s senators — names he naturally knew, since he had served in their military for so long. Some of them were more famous for soldiers like him, like Senator Alexandre, who had spent lots of time in the military. He was famous, not just as a warrior, but also as a skilled teacher who understood the intricacies of education.

Taking in a deep breath, Aziz tore his eyes away from the memorial. Making a mental note to gather the students Senator Alexandre had taught, the colonel followed Marie off the stage. Through the corner of his eyes, he could see Rene lower her head for a good few seconds, and found himself warming up to her even more.

For a Demigod, respect was something rather scarce. And yet, for Rene to lower her head willingly…it spoke volumes of her character, and how she didn’t discriminate even against mortals.

Aziz wasn’t sure if he could say the same when it came to the demons. With the presence of Demigod Eliza, which was apparently the mightiest Demigod in all of the Five Lands, on par with the legendary Queen Hyperion, he had a hunch that the Demon God’s invasion would not go smoothly.

Did Gemini have a part to play in that? He wasn’t sure, but from the way Ark City was treating things, any nation that dared to condemn him would be the first on their hit list.

“Once our Ark City is rebuilt,” said General Degurechaff, “we will be shifting it to the Worldshaper’s Divine Kingdom. We will be providing extensive assistance to the defenders holding the line at the landbridge that connects the Wildlands to the Five Lands.”

His words were laced with so much anger that Aziz could almost see it transmogrify into a concrete weapon, and the colonel had to withstand an urge to flee. As a Paragon, or rather, as a semi-divinity, the general’s emotions could affect people who heard his words. The weaker the listeners were, the more they could be influenced…but this was the first time he’d felt a compulsion that didn’t originate from one of the great gods being this strong.

Aziz wasn’t alone, either. Marie, who was in front of him, had also stumbled from the sheer force of will behind the general’s words, and he’d also felt the familiar spirit behind him falter for the faintest of moments.

Sure, I’ve never felt a Paragon’s fury up close, but isn’t this a bit too strong? Aziz glanced at General Degurechaff, who was giving of an air of absolute strength, and shivered. He knew that for semi-divinities, which was defined during the Conference of the Four as Lords, Paragons and Demigods, their strength was tied to their vows, they made. Most likely, the general’s current and future courses of actions were aligned to the vows he made, but he didn’t expect even mere words from Degurechaff to shake everyone present that much.

Biting his lip, he followed Marie to the small banquet that had been laid out for the attendees of Ark City’s memorial ceremony. The food smelt great, as expected of an ancient city in the Southern Continent, but he wasn’t really in the mood to eat.

“Hey,” Marie whispered.

“What?” Aziz whispered back. “Why so secretive?”

“Look at the people over there,” she replied. “They’re…probably the families of the fallen.”

The colonel followed her line of sight, and his gaze landed on a group of people, who were all sticking together. Most of them were staring at the memorial in silence, their bodies unmoving.

“Should we offer our condolences?” Rene asked.

“We should check if that group is indeed who we think it is, though,” Aziz replied. His eyes fell upon a young woman in the group, and his vision narrowed slightly as he noted the third eye on her forehead. An expression of profound sorrow and loss adorned her face, and the colonel felt his heart twist as he noted the same expression everywhere.

“No,” said Aziz. “I’m wrong. They don’t need any words from us, or from the others. They need the people they lost to come back. That we can’t do.”

He was surprised at the firmness of his words, and then decided to change the topic. “Marie, that woman over there looks like one of those Ars beastfolk we came across years ago.”

“You’re right,” Marie replied. “There’s a third eye too…wait, you idiot. That’s important!”

“Important?”