A week passed after the meeting with Davien. He would still send her letters from time to time without of course, the knowledge of his wife but Zora who knows of his plan by now would not dare look at its contents and she would order it to be burned immediately.

She was looking outside her window, seeing Asphodel for the first time after the many years she spent on the battlefield.

Everything still feels surreal. 

It was like the war she has been fighting all along was a long nightmare, that she has finally woken up from. But the smell of blood, the gun powder on the air and the stench of corpses was something she can never forget.

Even when she close her eyes the faces of her comrades, the faces of her enemies, and the shit pile of corpses she have to walk on, still haunts her.

She was tormented by these memories yet she can't help but miss how a sword easily slashes a body in half and go through a person's bones as if they were butter. Guns were her least favorite weapon but the feeling of not missing a single shot and burying a bullet inside another human being's skull is simply irresistible. And again, these thoughts may or may not be hers to begin with but from another part, entirely different from her.

Zora was raised this way, to simply kill and never give mercy to people who dare mess with the empire or her family. 

And now that she found out about her lovely childhood friend's schemes. It would tarnish her family's reputation if she let him live. It was more than enough for her father to disown her if he found out about her and Davien's relationship but she also cannot simply abandon her personal feelings on the matter at hand.

Killing Davien would be easy but as the Emperor of this country doing something reckless such as beheading him in front of the masses isn't a method Zora would consider.

Davien was obedient for a long time; serving as the puppet Emperor of those in power. But to go against directly at her, Zora commends him for his guts to stand up to her, and her family.

She sigh as she sat down on her bed and think of ways how to save her foolish friend.

But it may already be too late. If she got hold of this news, it is not impossible that her father already knew of this.

She felt conflicted, thinking of death that will soon knock on her lover's door.

They were childhood friends who grew up together but more than that they were lovers who shared more than their bodies. It may just be her instincts kicking in but Zora has to make a decision. A decision that could end a loved ones life or end the current empire's reign over the people.

It is peaceful for now but Zora knew better.

In about a year or so, she will go back to the front lines again and the war that the higher-ups has planned and will soon be set to motion was to finally take over a small territory, west of Echina.

The reason for this war was purely greed. 

Asphodel wishes to expand it's territory further north for economic gains because Echina might be winter most of the time but it is rich with rare minerals, one of them is what would locals call 'Moon Gleam'. It is a mana embedded gem which can only be mined in the deepest caves in Echina and it is known to be what powers their machines, and weaponry that could rival even those who can manipulate mana naturally.

And by 'those', it meant the Eight Generals of Asphodel.

In the empire there are Eight Generals who are known for their supernatural abilities that manifested once they come of age.

Not much is known of these 'Eight Generals' but people would not even think of crossing that line of digging deep about them because knowing too much might just lead to someone's permanent silence.

Zora, who is one of these Eight Generals, manifested her ability at the age of 7 and from thereon, she was trained and raised as a soldier that will lead hundreds, or maybe thousands and thousands of men to their untimely deaths.

The Eight Generals are all from distinguished families, who generation after generation manifested abilities that helped Asphodel become what it is today. The manifestation of these abilities and where it came from is unknown but to freely manipulate mana, the very energy of this world, is what would the high sage would call a 'miracle'.

And the common folk who could not use these unique abilities see these as a gift from god and treat the Eight Generals both with fear and utmost respect. 

Zora never did understand what it is that is so special in gaining this disgusting ability that she have been born with. 

Mana is the pure energy of this world and it is within us humans.

But why is it that her ability was to manipulate blood itself?

She can use it to turn into any weapon she pleases and when she touch someone she can immediately sense what it is they feel. 

Fear, sadness, excitement and despair.

In the front lines when she touched an enemy soldier, the blood rushing to every part of his body does not lie. The feeling of his heart as if it's on the palm of her hands beating in fear for his life was a sensation that if possible is something she would not want to feel anymore. 

This ability can also detect obvious lies when she touches a person because of the blood in their body and of course, it can also feel the excitement, the desire of the person in front of her when touched.

That may be why she always longs for Davien's touch because with him... she feels calm and her heart is at ease, her mind in flight, forgetting what it is she witnessed while she was fighting for her life. 

The bitter cold, the creeping voices of despair, and the cruel sensation of her spine tingling, wanting to kill more and more as if her own ability was a curse making her do awful things that could haunt a person their whole life.

But Davien chase the nightmares away as if blowing a small warm breeze in the bitter cold she stands alone in. He keeps her sanity in check and he is the reason she would want to go back alive to this place that raised her to become a machine that does not feel pain nor fear of death.

Zora was still lost in her thoughts but just then, a single knock on her door interrupted her.

"Come in."

The door opened and it revealed a middle aged man who has silver hair and an eye patch on his left eye. He was intimidating to look at even with the obvious wrinkles from his old age. 

He is the family butler who was left in charge of the manor whenever Zora would leave for her job. 

Of course, it would be no exaggeration that he is no ordinary family butler.

He, Jacob Malkova, was an ex-mercenary who trained Zora in the art of killing for as long as she can remember. 

It would be right to call him her tutor but to be honest he is nothing but a mere servant now who serves the next head of the Clyborne family. And it is none other than Zora Clyborne herself.

"Milady, a letter has arrived for you."

The butler said as he carefully give the letter to Zora. 

Zora reached for it and took the letter. Her eyes expressed her interest as soon as she inspected the seal on the letter.

The seal reminded her of an old friend.

Someone who she has unsettled debts with.

'So he has found something.', was her first thought.