I rejoined the others with Marilyn in tow. Sebastion, Svend, and Cyra all had their eyes closed as they focused on recovering the energy they used in their earlier clash with the Demons and their Alphas. Only Dom recovered quick enough that he had time to spare.

“You actually let that woman out of her cell?” Dom asked as he saw Marilyn following behind me.

I pushed down my embarrassment from earlier and gave an overly casual shrug. “If Berith really is on the front lines, she is likely to be surrounded by Alphas. This might be our only opportunity to surprise her. Marilyn’s talent allows her to influence the minds of many enemies at once. Even if it’s just a distraction, it could be the difference between victory and defeat.”

“Assuming she doesn’t turn on you the moment you let your guard down,” Dom mumbled.

“There is no need for such hostility,” Marilyn said in a whispery voice. I did not need to look at her to know she was likely using her talent again. Dom’s sudden change in expression made it blatantly obvious. She walked up to the man with an exaggerated sway of her hips and slowly trailed a finger down his chest. “I am actually a very pleasant person once you get to know me and I do love making friends.”

“Yeah?” Dom asked with a blank almost trance-like stare.

I frowned and cleared my throat loudly. Marilyn looked back at me with a gaze of pristine innocence. “What? I only agreed not to use my ability on your family. Besides, things are easier this way.”

“You also promised not to cause me any trouble,” I replied.

“You are no fun, you know that, right?” Marilyn said with an exaggerated pouting expression.

Marilyn released her hold over Dom only to suddenly find the man’s hand around her neck. He tightened his grip causing the woman to choke and sputter. “Do that again and next time, I will snap your neck,” He growled before releasing her.

Marilyn gasped for air as she collapsed to the ground. She rubbed her sore neck as she glared up at Dom. “How did I end up working with such violent brutes. Have you never heard of treating a woman delicately?”

Dom chuckled in a low tone as he leaned over to Marilyn’s eye level. “I am a big believer in gender equality. Turn on us and I will kill you just as quick as any other.”

I clapped my hands loudly getting the attention of both Marilyn and Dom. “Take out your aggression on the enemies, not each other. Prepare for battle. We should be arriving soon.”

Marilyn sighed as she stood up and brushed her dress off. “If you want my help, I suggest you and your friends be a little nicer to me.”

“Sorry, but we do not trust the person sent here to kill me by a man pretending to be a member of my family.”

“Your family?” Marilyn remarked in surprise, “You are related to Aevus? But I thought…”

“I am Aurielle Aevus, one of only eight to bear that name and none of them match the description of the so-called fortune teller you listened to. Whoever he was, he was not one of the Aevus family.”

Marilyn seemed to be considering something as she stared at me for a long minute. She started mumbling to herself. “He did not tell me that… was I really sent here to kill you or did he know I would be revived too early and be persuaded to help you? He said he trusted my judgment. Does that mean…”

I snapped my finger to get Marilyn’s attention. “I don’t care what that man said or even who he really is. His fortunes mean nothing to me. Right now, all that matters is the task at hand.”

“Yes, I will assist you,” Marilyn said with surprising firmness.

I raised an eyebrow curiously. For the first time since I had freed the woman, she actually seemed to be earnest. Her loyalty to this false Aevus did not seem to be minor if just sharing the same name could finally get her to be serious. Whatever the reason was for her sudden change, I was not going to turn away a gift.

“Good, then let’s go. We have a Demon to hunt.”

I looked out the busted door as Dragon’s Nest flew as fast as she could manage. The exterior of the building was still a complete mess and Mare had stopped speaking to us for any reason other than an emergency. To my surprise though, the damage on the walls was actually healing itself at a rate visible to the eye. In a day or two, it would probably be impossible to tell that it had been in such a wrecked state. I doubted the floating island would be able to help in the upcoming battle but it was comforting to know that it would not stay a ruin.

Watching the scenery fly by, I recovered the energy I used in the previous fight. Before long, the familiar sight of the blood mist appeared on the horizon. If all went well, we would be able to enter it and circle around behind the front lines before Berith even knew we were there.

Waiting was always the worst part. While the moment of rest was useful, it also left a lot of time for self-doubt and worry. I could not help but wonder if I was once again leading everyone into another trap. Very few of my plans had gone well recently. Even with the curtain of Dragon’s Nest blocking Berith’s sight, every action so far had cost a sacrifice. Our only accomplishment had been the destruction of a few dozen splinter cannons and the death of a single Demon. I was still no closer to getting into Ater-Albus and saving Lucia or my parents. To make matters worse, Charly informed me that Donte was also in critical condition after Mare took over his body. Unlike Mom, Charly would be able to heal him but he would still likely be out of commission for at least a few days. Every action I took seemed to lead to defeat or a pyrrhic victory. This surprise attack had to work, it just had to, otherwise, all we sacrificed was for nothing.

Filled with determination, I watched as the blood mist once again enveloped the floating island. It swirled around us as if alive, trying to draw us further in. Unlike previously, no shield radiated from Dragon’s Nest to push away the crimson haze. It was a solemn indication of Mare’s weakened state. We were forced to use our own domains to keep the mist from entering the building and infecting everyone inside. It was likely that Mare had used every bit of energy available trying to block that explosion and teleporting us away. Other than getting us to our destination without Berith being able to foresee it, she would not be able to help us in any way. It was entirely up to us if something went wrong this time.

I took a deep breath as we approached our destination. The howls of tens of thousands of Demonkin rang out through the haze followed by the clashing of metal and the screams of men. Another battle had already begun. Now it was time to see if Berith was really here.

“Everyone ready?” I asked. Eight domains flared up in response as an ocean of power poured forth. Everyone stepped forward to stand by my side. I could not help but smile as I saw their determination.

The island of Dragon’s Nest shuddered forward as it burst out of the blood mist and onto the battlefield. Immediately, I recognized the plateau that had been fortified by our coalition. We had been gone for less than a week but in that time much had changed. When we left, the only easy paths up the plateau had been turned into strongholds of stone and metal. Brave soldiers had guarded every edge that the Demonkin could climb and had looked like a true force that could fight back the Demon forces for months to come.

What we saw now was not that. Fortifications that had once held off the Demonkin were now in ruins. Smoke and fire rose from corpses littering the cliffs that were now dyed red in rivers of blood.

From our elevated position, I could see the men and women still fighting bravely even as those around them were slaughtered. I watched as others threw down their weapons and ran in terror as their friends were devoured by monsters.

In the short time we were gone, the Demonkin had completely taken the plateau. The number of soldiers fighting was less than half of what it had been when we left. The coalition lines had been forced to retreat into the narrow mountain pass leading to Bastya fortress. The steep mountainous terrain barely even slowed the attacking Demonkin as the creatures scaled the rocks in a wild bloodlust.

Above the battle, a few domain warriors barely managed to hold back the three dozen Alphas trying to slaughter the troops on the ground. Every so often, one of the creatures would be able to slip past the defending warriors. Within seconds, a single Alpha was able to massacre hundreds of common soldiers and completely destroy their defensive lines, allowing the other Demonkin to easily tear through the soldiers without resistance.

The defending domain warriors were completely outnumbered and outmatched. The number of Alphas in the sky was more than double what it had been when we left the front lines. That alone would have been enough to pressure the warriors into retreat but what caused the complete collapse of their defense was not just the numbers. Among the Alphas fighting in the sky was a massive creature that blocked out the sun, a Demonkin that bore a striking resemblance to the same whale monster that had managed to take Vissna out of the fight earlier. The only difference was that this one did not have tentacles coming out of its body. Instead, its already thick hide was covered in glistening scales. Every time one of the domain warriors clashed with the colossal Demonkin, their attacks would not even leave a scratch on those scales. This giant Demonkin also had an incredibly long tale that curled around its body and seemed to be able to attack from any angle like a whip.

Unable to hurt the enormous Alpha, the domain warriors could only act as decoys to draw the creature’s attention so that it would not slaughter the soldiers on the ground. It was a bloody and hopeless sight as the warriors desperately tried to keep the Demonkin back.

Standing above it all was a single woman flanked by four Demonkin. Berith watched her complete victory with a confident smile. She did not even have to lift a single finger as those below were butchered and eaten by the Demonkin.

However, that smile vanished as a wave of power radiated out from our arrival. The expression on her face was priceless as her confusion, shock, and fear all combined into one. She stumbled back as she raised a shaking hand to point at me.

“How… How are you here?”