B3 - Chapter 48: All The Pieces

Seth, Jenna, Selena, and Devus followed Elena up the wooden stairs and into a private, stone-walled room. They each took a seat around an oak table, and Elena drew a pulsing Isolating Crystal from her robes.

A muffling dome rippled outward across the room, cutting them off from any exterior sound.

Elena leaned forward as her emerald eyes settled on Seth. "So what did the King ask of you?"

"He wants me to hand over the reward I'd earn from my contribution instead of giving it to the Marshal," Seth replied. He glanced toward Devus, Jenna, and Selena. "I'd already made a deal with Marshal Vancaws to trade that reward for something more useful to me."

Devus tilted his head. "Like what?"

"An unexplored Rift."

"Oh," Devus said, his eyes lighting up. "That would be nice."

"But the King won't allow it," Jenna pointed out.

"No, he won't," Seth answered. "He also ordered me to make sure Jaxar finishes the next battle with the highest contribution. And he wants me to kill Marine while we're in there."

The room fell silent. Everyone around the table knew what it meant when an order came directly from the King.

"In exchange," Seth continued, "none of you get executed."

"Us?" Devus placed a hand against his chest in mock offense. "Why amI included in that? I'm fairly certain the man doesn't even know I exist."

"He does," Seth replied. "He told me he'd use all of you as leverage if I decided to hide."

For a moment, Devus and the others simply stared at him.

Then the Guardian leaned back in his chair and let out a dry, humorless laugh. "What a likable man."

Jenna slapped him with the back of her hand.

"What?" Devus protested, rubbing the spot. "I'm not wrong."

"Still," Jenna muttered, shaking her head before turning back to Seth. "What are you actually planning to do?"

"Well, I just received the confirmation that things should be fine regardless of what I choose to do," Seth answered. "So I'll just ignore his requests."

Devus, Jenna, and Selena all frowned, their expressions clouded with deep confusion.

Elena's eyes narrowed. "Because of that man?"

"Yeah," Seth simply answered. "He'll be standing by once I get out in case things go south after the battle."

"Who exactly are you talking about?" Devus asked, looking back and forth between Elena and Seth. "The leader of the Champions of Chaos? Orwen?"

Seth grimaced and ran a gauntleted hand over his brow. With so many people already knowing about his background, he decided he had no reason to keep his friends in the dark any longer.

"You may have heard rumors that I'm not actually from Kastal," Seth said, his golden eyes moving from Devus to Jenna and Selena. "That's true. My father was a powerful Wielder who came here over a decade ago. In the end, he was killed by people from his homeland. And soon those same people will be coming for me." He paused briefly to choose his next words. "One of my father's old friends has been protecting me behind the scenes. If the King tries to have me killed when I leave the Rift, he'll step in and deal with the threat."

"Hold on," Jenna interrupted, raising a hand. "How powerful are we talking?"

Devus gripped the edge of the table. "If he thinks he can take on the King and his guards, he has to be above High Platinum."

Jenna and Selena turned toward Seth. Even Elena looked openly curious.

Seth shifted in his chair. "We've never discussed his rank or tier directly," he admitted. "But yes, I'm fairly certain you're right."

Theoretically, Asethka was a Platinum Rift. If the old Alchemist truly stood at the Diamond Tier, the aether laws should have prevented him from entering. Yet the elite Platinum guards stationed at the entrance of the city inside had treated Marcus with a level of respect that bordered on reverence and fear. Furthermore, the old Alchemist had forced Elena's father—a House Head at the very peak of the Gold Tier—to his knees through his aura alone.

Taken together, those facts left Seth convinced of one thing. Even if Marcus was a Platinum Wielder, he was in no way an ordinary one.

Jenna shook her head in absolute disbelief. "How strong was your father, exactly?"

"I don't know for sure. But deep down, I believe he was even stronger than that friend."

"Bloody hell," Devus muttered, leaning back in his chair.

Beside him, Selena pressed her lips together. "Where exactly will you two go when those people from his country come for you?"

"I don't know yet," Seth admitted. "Probably a Rift City connected to Kastal, like Asethka."

Devus slammed his fist down onto the wood, face lighting up with excitement. "That is so cool, mate! I'll definitely come visit you there."

Jenna let out a cynical snort. "That won't be possible, dummy. The Crown has been guarding every single Rift City portal for nationwide security or some political bullshit."

Devus turned his gaze back to Seth, an optimistic grin still splitting his face in half. "If your father's friend is stronger than the King himself, he could find a way for us to get inside one of those gates, right? Like... he could simply escort us through?"

"We'll see when the time comes," Seth answered, just to stop the speculation.

Devus gave a firm nod. "That is still good news. I would have hated to see a prick like Jaxar finish with higher contributions than me during the next deployment."

Seth frowned in confusion, then turned to Elena.

The noblewoman forced a smile in response. "I asked Director Ryehill to put Devus into our squad as he did with Selena and the rest of your squad members."

"You might think it's for you to protect my ass out there, but it's the other way around!" Devus exclaimed, puffing out his chest.

"Devus..." Jenna let out a heavy sigh and shook her head at the bravado. "He can take care of an entire fifty-man squad by himself, while you can barely handle more than two people at once."

"Oh!" Devus retorted, pointing a finger at her. "You're just mad because you won't be in there with us."

"I will absolutely be fighting in the battle after!"

Seth remained quiet. He knew that there probably wouldn't be another battle after the next one if the Champions of Chaos were truly ready to make their move in a few days. A small part of him quietly hoped Orwen and the others would wait until he exited the Warfare Rift before killing the King so he could be there; another, more logical part, however, hoped they would do it before, since it would be far less risky and complicated for him and Marcus.

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Seth turned to Selena. "Do you know if Henry will also be fighting with us?"

The Rogue looked down at her lap, fingers curling into her leather pants. "He... isn't entirely sure yet. But he'll probably have to, whether he likes it or not."

A heavy silence fell over the small quarters. They all knew Henry had been affected the most by the death of Seth's and Selena's comrades. It wasn't surprising at all that the man didn't want to step into another Rift; unfortunately, if he had physically recovered, his options were limited to fighting or facing imprisonment for being a military deserter.

"He should definitely join us," Devus said, breaking the stillness with a confident grin. "Colossus and I can keep him safe out there."

Jenna grimaced next to him. "It will be difficult, given the massive scale of this battle."

"The scale of this battle?" Seth repeated as his golden eyes narrowed.

Jenna nodded. "This will be the very first four-hundred-versus four-hundred clash of the Iron phase."

The next morning, Seth walked alongside Elena, Devus, and Selena toward the neutral zone. Jenna had argued to accompany them to the staging grounds, but Elena had firmly insisted that forcing weight on her healing leg simply to watch them disappear through a shimmering portal was absurd.

"Hey, Seth," Devus said, adjusting the straps of his shield. "Are you going to do that intimidating march in with Nightmare this time too? Could I join the two of you?"

"No," Nightmare's voice emerged from the direwolf's Pocket-Realm before Seth could even open his mouth. "You would completely ruin it."

"What?" Devus protested. "No way, I am fully capable of being intimidating."

"That large smile of yours isn't intimidating at all," the direwolf retorted dryly.

A piece of satisfaction settled into Seth's chest with the interaction; despite the war and everything that came with it, his Guardian friend hadn't changed at all.

Selena shifted her grip on Morsh's Legendary daggers, and a rare sparkle flashed through her eyes. "Then could I walk alongside you?"

"Sure," Nightmare answered without even a single second of hesitation.

Devus threw his hands up in absolute exasperation. "Oh, come on! She is literally half my size!"

"And yet she is easily two times more terrifying than you," the direwolf retorted.

"There won't be any intimidating parade this time," Seth chimed in.

Devus blinked and looked at him. "What? Why not?"

"Because I don't think it's useful anymore."

Elena glanced over at Seth. As always, the noblewoman read through him like an open book, her sharp green eyes narrowing as she caught that there was a hidden meaning beneath the dismissive words.

Seth looked away and sighed. She will ask about it later on.

Ahead, the shadow of Kastal's army came into full view, armor and weapons glinting beneath the grey sky. The turbulent portals of the Warfare Rift hummed in the dead center of the plain, while the organized legions of the Empire occupied the far side of the neutral zone.

The Empress sat regally upon her stone throne as usual, but for the first time since the skirmishes had begun, King Theron was also present on the Kastal side of the field.

The monarch lounged comfortably on an ornate velvet chair, enjoying a goblet of what seemed to be fine red wine while engaging in animated conversation with several individuals who carried themselves like high-ranking Noble House heads.

Farther down the command line, Marine's grandfather, Marshal Vancaws, stood at the front of the vanguard alongside Captain Michaelson, Director Ryehill, and an imposing woman Seth recognized as the person who had felt his bloodlust before the pre-war skirmishes in Oskon—Caryss Chester.

The Director of Sidera Academy wore her dark hair pinned neatly behind her head, exposing sharp, hawk-like features. Her uniform was composed of deep green enchanted silk and polished silver armor, complete with broad pauldrons that shone brightly with each sunray that somehow snuck its way through the thick cloud.

Standing beside her, close enough to brush shoulders with Marine, was a younger woman with the same striking facial structure. If Seth remembered correctly, her name was Sarsah.

Elena led their small group straight toward the Directors, with Seth, Devus, and Selena following closely in her footsteps.

Caryss Chester's gaze snapped over to track their approach, and her eyes locked onto Seth. "Seth, the last recruit of the Champions of Chaos."

Seth gave a respectful nod. "Ma'am."

"I was certainly not mistaken when I said the branch had actually recruited a beast."

The Marshal let out a chuckle from the side, hand resting on the pommel of his broadsword. "They certainly did."

Director Chester glanced at the old man before looking back at Seth. "I simply didn't know you had such unique eyes."

"I'm sorry for deceiving you back then, Ma'am," Seth answered, his tone remaining perfectly neutral. "I had my reasons."

"I am sure you did." Caryss paused, then she looked to the side and gave a nod toward the silent young woman standing beside her. "You will be fighting side by side with my daughter during the next battle. I harbor a strong hope that you will take care of her out there."

Seth glanced over to Sarsah before turning his attention back to the Director. "I'll do my absolute best, Ma'am."

Beside him, he felt Devus shift slightly. Seth didn't need to ask to know what his friend was thinking—the Guardian was clearly resisting the urge to step forward and declare that he would protect her as well.

"Then I should be relieved," Caryss said before gesturing toward the glowing contribution list at the center of the neutral zone. "With such a staggering contribution, it is obvious that you are an entire army unto yourself."

"We can't forget my beasts, Ma'am."

"Yes, you are entirely right."

'Thanks,' Nightmare growled through Link.

Seth swept his gaze across the assembled soldiers until he spotted Henry standing farther down the line beside Sergeant Tirus.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," he said, inclining his head. "There's someone I'd like to speak with before the battle begins."

"Of course," Caryss replied.

After offering a respectful nod to Director Ryehill, Captain Michaelson, and Marshal Vancaws, Seth exchanged a quick glance with Elena and made his way toward Henry.

The bald squad leader noticed him right away. A complicated expression crossed his face. Shame, guilt, sadness—Seth couldn't quite tell which emotion dominated it.

"Hey," Seth said as he stopped a few steps away.

"Hey," Henry muttered before forcing himself to meet Seth's eyes. "Seth, I'm sorry. For what happened. For letting—"

"Henry, stop," Seth cut him off with a shake of his head. "None of that was your fault. And blaming yourself isn't going to help anyone."

Henry's jaw tightened. "It wasn't your fault either," he retorted. "And yet you spent the last month fighting battle after battle without taking a single break."

Seth grimaced. His former squad leader had a point. "I guess that was my way of dealing with it."

His gaze drifted across the clearing until it settled on King Theron, who was still dawdling comfortably in his velvet chair, enjoying wine and fresh fruit as if hundreds of men and women weren't about to be killed.

"There is one person who's mainly responsible for their deaths," Seth said. "And it isn't you."

Henry followed his line of sight. The color drained from his face.

"Seth..." He lowered his voice. "It's not like our anger can actually do anything."

"It can." Seth's eyes hardened. "And one day, it will."

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Henry exhaled slowly and adjusted his pauldrons. "I just hope this battle goes better than the last one."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure of it."

"They might send their strongest soldiers after you this time," Henry warned, his gaze moving to the imperial ranks across the plain.

Seth rested a hand on his belt. "They haven't been already?"

Before Henry could respond, a sudden tremor rolled through the earth. In the center of the battlefield, a portal frame began to materialize, its swirling blue core crackling with fierce aether.

Henry drew a slow breath and tightened his grip on the hilt of his axe. "Looks like it's time."

"Stay close to Elena, Devus, and Selena," Seth said. The firmness in his voice made it clear it wasn't a suggestion. "I'll be keeping an eye on all of you during the battle."

A tired smile appeared on Henry's face. "You really don't need to watch over me like I'm some rookie, Seth."

Seth merely shrugged and started to walk toward the swirling Rift portal.

As he crossed the staging grounds, he noticed Jaxar moving in the same direction with his squad.

'Accidents can happen so fast on a battlefield,' Nightmare said through Link.

'They do,' Seth replied.

A faint smile touched his lips, then he glanced back one final time.

King Theron was laughing heartily, while nearby servants hurried to replenish the food and wine of the gathered nobles.

This might be the last time I ever see him, Seth thought. What a tragedy.

By the time he neared the shimmering portal, Elena, Marine, Devus, Selena, Elena's brother, Sarsah and the rest of the four hundred soldiers had all joined him and Henry.

Seth turned his attention to the imperial soldiers on the other side of the gateway.

The first person he recognized was the small but powerful Dark Assassin standing at the very left of their formation. Kaelen. His sister stood a step behind him.

Seth's gaze continued across the line.

At the center was a woman whose regal features were unmistakably identical to those of the Empress herself.

Celess of Solaria.

To her right towered a colossal Guardian carrying a war hammer large enough to crush a horse and a tower shield that resembled a steel-plated fortress. A few soldiers away from the giant was a lean woman casually spinning a polished small sword between her fingers with a stance so relaxed one might have thought she was attending a social gathering rather than preparing for a battle.

Jaz of Ryswell and Elysha of Spyre, and then Kaelen and Celess. They are sending their top four soldiers at the same time.

Even across the distance of the neutral zone, Seth could clearly read the profound annoyance swimming in Kaelen's eyes. Obviously the assassin didn't seem to want to be part of this fight... or this war at all.

The smoky silhouette of the Spirit hovered closer to the portal as its hollowed gaze looked back and forth between the two opposing armies. A faint smile appeared on the entity's face.

It was visibly delighted that the most interesting pieces on the board were all being deployed against each other.

Seth completely ignored it and took a step forward toward the Rift. None of this mattered to him anymore. Celess, Jaz, Elysha—every one of those elite soldiers were destined to be steppingstones for him to climb higher.