“I must say you surprised me, boy. Viers, was it? I witnessed your death with my own eyes. How did you pull off this… resurrection?”

What? Jerrold saw Viers die? But isn't Viers fine?

I peek at Viers from the corner of my eye.

“Men of quality always keep a few tricks up their sleeves. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Wright?”

“Hmph, cheeky kid.”

I interject the banter. “Lord Wright, is the august person behind you-”

“Indeed, Blessed. That person is the Governor-King of Valkut, Alvared,” Jerrold says.

The Governor-King is lounging almost lazily on his golden throne while resting his cheek on his right fist. I couldn't hide my surprise when I saw the quartz statue of the old woman beside the throne. No wonder we couldn't find her.

“Honored Governor, we-”

My effort of diplomacy is refused with a single glare. He puts pressure that seeps into my bones. He’s not even angry, only disinclined to talk to someone as weak as me. I know it is disrespectful but I have to try.

“Hmm, the Governor has his own things to do. You’ll be dealing with me. Be honored, Blessed. Just because a winged person approves of you, do you think you can overreach above your station? Know your place!”

“Ngh…”

The Level 5’s pressure suffocates me.

“Then it shall be so,” Viers takes a step forward. It’s as if he’s shielding me. He looks at Russ, Mita, then at Jerrold. “Please elucidate, are you a fae or a glamoured person?”

The topic shifts and the Level 5’s pressure is lifted. My legs are shaking but Paina holds me up before I fall.

“I want to know as well… Father.”

“I’m the latter, children. One of the first to be anointed. For twenty years I have overseen my lord’s grand plan against humanity… It begins here, in Valkut. Without anyone finding out, the people in this city have been replaced, one baby at a time.”

The words make my blood run cold.

“Changelings,” the word escapes my lips.

“You know the term, as expected of the Silver Legion. They educate their child soldiers comprehensively.”

I let the mocking tone slide past me. Viers’ expression doesn't change in the slightest but Paina seems as surprised as me.

“So the babies that are brought to the Newborn Blessing Ceremonies are all… fae? W-what happened to the real babies?” Paina asks with a tremble in her voice.

“Let’s just say they have a new life in the Fae Realm,” Jerrold says smugly while touching his beard.

“What for? What's the purpose of the fae by doing this?” Viers asks calmly.

“It’s simply karma, boy. Cause and effect. We, the people of this land, brought it on ourselves.”

Jerrold widens his arms. His eyes, a mix of lament and anger.

“The root lies hundreds of years in the past, even further than the founding of the Coriz Empire. The region that you know as Valkut was a lush woodland and the fae lived here. Then the humans came. A small settlement at first but you multiply quickly enough. In a blink of an eye, there were thousands of you.”

The three of us don't say anything, letting Jerrold continue.

“The fae didn't drive the humans away from this land but they are a mischievous lot. A shoe went missing and returned after the owner bought a new pair, ringing the doorbell then hiding, drinking your waterskin before you drank it, things like that. The humans slowly became familiar with the fae. Some even make friends with them, giving them food and trinkets as offerings. Those that did sometimes got return gifts on their own or simply more pranks. Friendships and unions also happened, albeit rarely. Heh… the fae did not bring only misery to the settlers. Their magical presence ensured the crops grew and the forest overflowed with nature’s bounty. For a time, there was balance.”

“Then things changed,” Paina breathed out.

“It started from a truly small thing. One person started to blame the fae for his misfortune. He talked to his neighbors and his children as such. Then, those people passed it to their neighbors and children. Soon, everybody believed lost items, burglary, raised taxes, bad harvest, miscarriage, sickness, natural disasters, war… all were the fault of the fae. Because if everyone said so long enough, it became the truth.”

“That’s stupid,” Viers scoffed. “Then again, people are stupid. I sympathize.”

“Viers!?” I gasp in disbelief.

“Heh, you've got a spark of wisdom, Viers boy. Humans are foolish and ignorant. They always push the blame onto something else for their own convenience. Often, at things they don't understand. Those make convenient scapegoats so they can convince themselves that the fault is not theirs. From then on, the fae are treated as pests. Little did they know that their hate made the fae more vicious in turn.”

“I have lived in Valkut for some time and there are indeed many folklores concerning the fae,” Viers validates that Jerrold might be telling the truth. “Then, I suppose an important fae got involved?”

“Wrong, boy. The important fae has been involved from the start.”

Jerrold uses ash to give a visual aid to the story.

“The fae come from the Fae Realm, born out of the essence of greater fae. In our case, my lord and his wife. When a fae dies, those essences return to them.”

“So the fae lords are angry at the oppression of their children?” I ask.

“Worse,” Jerrold shook his head. “The trigger… is the rise and fall of the Coriz Empire. If you didn't know, it was a dark time for the people in this land. What was once a region full of greenery turned into a barren wasteland. Suffering and hardships everywhere. As an outlet for their negativity, the fae were hunted down, tortured, and killed until none remained. Wings ripped, being forced to drink until they burst. Setting them on fire, eaten by the hungry. Humans, humans, humans! All those cruelties… the lord felt them all.”

The imagination alone makes me sick in the stomach.

“My lord has lived on this land before the existence of the Human Dominion. People just came here and arrogantly made it theirs. Centuries of soaking up those negative feelings resulted in the withering and passing of the wife. The lord changed too. Since humans have decided fae as wicked beings, he will be wicked. He wants to turn this world into a fae world.”

I’m certain I imagined it but for a second, I thought I saw centuries-old fury behind Jerrold’s eyes. A truly terrifying fury.

“It started about twenty years ago, after the lord forged an alliance with Governor-King Alvared. In the Material World, there are many strong oppositions, such as the Silver Legion. It is imperative to establish a base that serves as a beachhead. Key people in the city were glamoured like me. A new generation of changelings was grown. To prevent detection, the lord created the isolation barrier. Time passed and more and more humans were converted to the fae’s side.”

I bit my molars. In this corner of the world, they are converting the citizens of Valkut piece by piece, starting from the babies. How utterly barbaric. I don't condone what the people in the past did to the fae but what they have done is no better.

“This was when Paina’s story rises to the surface.”

Jerrold faces his daughter but there is no speck of familial love in that gaze.

“You are a child out of wedlock. My firstborn. Your mother, Maiya was a maid of the mansion. I was already married but willing to take the child as my child. But after birthing you, she escaped with you in tow. Perhaps she didn't want you to be mistreated by my legal wife or to spare you from the life of a highborn bastard… It was around that time I got glamoured and became an ardent follower of the lord. The changeling was ready but you were already gone before the swap.”

“That changeling… is Pinaca,” I open my mouth.

“Mm-hm. The lord has created a way to create exceptional soldiers. By consuming the original, the changeling would become an exceptional Pathseeker. Enzo and my other twenty children are examples of this… Maiya didn't know anything about the fae but I wanted you back. You’ll surely become an excellent specimen. Hehehe… After all, what parents wouldn't want their children to be special?”

Paina’s face became deathly pale. How dare he?

“I didn't know where you were and leaving the safety of Valkut is not an option. So I use fae magic to seed dreams in Maiya. That’s how your mother told you to find me in Valkut on her deathbed. Without my influence, she most likely would’ve never told you the truth of your parentage. Then I waited for Pinaca’s supplement to come to me.”

I cast a worrying glance at Paina, and so did Viers. My friend is deeply in shock.

“However, around a year later, I received a divination that a child of mine had died. Further examination pointed to the destruction of Luxore town. I even had your remains to be brought here so I could be sure. Who would have thought you became a bound ghost to cling to life? Ahahahaha-!”

How cruel, to laugh so unrestrainedly about the death of his own child in front of the person herself.

“-haa… Ohh, fate plays a good joke… We can't use you now and Pinaca is dead. What’s left is to tie up a loose end. You may die cursing your fate, my daughter.”

Jerrold raises his hand as a signal and multiple screens appear, showing my friends that are not yet here. From their surroundings, Ciel and the others seem to still be on the lower floors. They are in pairs and bear the marks of battles but no one has died.

“Everyone!”

“Time for the curtains to close.”

Enemies appear before them, elites. I don't have the luxury to worry about them because the enemies in front of me are also moving. Enzo, Russ… and Master Mita. The first two face Paina and Viers respectively; their opponents from the evacuation battle last week.

“I have one last question, Jerrold Wright,” Viers places his hand on his sword’s hilt.

“I’ll allow it.”

“Are you doing things because you’re glamoured or is this your true nature?”

“I wonder… Does it matter?”

“...I suppose not. Paina, if you have something to say, now’s the moment.”

Paina doesn't hesitate.

“Did you kill my mother?”

I never thought Paina could say something with such a thick killing intent.

To which, Jerrold replies with an airy attitude.

“A desirable side effect.”

Paina conjures a staff, different from the one I saw before. Something is different about the silver staff encrusted with a blue gem. It feels… vast? Deep? Paina is a soul being, does her equipment even matter? Soul is not my specialty.

She strongly struck the floor with the staff’s end and a water circle with a magical pattern appeared before fading. Theatrics. She must have spent too much time with Viers.

“I am Paina Wattle, daughter of Maiya Wattle. Here and now, I cut my familial ties with Jerrold Wright and everything that entails.”

Spheres of water float around her, blue and clear.

“Jerrold Wright, if you want my life, come and take it.”

Viers gives an approving look while Jerrold seems amused.

“Hehehe, look how fast they’ve grown… You’ve learned to talk big, daughter. But can you back it up?”

Enzo, Russ, and Mita rush toward us and the final battle begins.