Still far off on the other side of the border, Taika lifted her head, her ears swiveling slightly. Her eyes scanned our side until they fell on her brother, and she grinned in recognition. Tetora, in turn, snarled as he threw himself off the platform, landing and sprinting forward on all fours deep into no man's land.

"Tetora, stop!" Aleph bellowed, leaping down after him. "This has all the earmarks of a trap!"

The rest of us scrambled off the watch deck and pushed past the frontlines, except for Vernie, who had gone to get Captain Sonea. Tetora stood about two hundred paces away from his sister, heedless of the danger he had put himself in. The rest of the tiger clan had formed around Taika, their eyes glittering with icy resolve. Taika herself stood in a slightly relaxed position, with the Will of Euphridia’s blade resting haphazardly across her left shoulder.

“Traitors, all of you!” Tetora shouted. “Aligning yourself with the Demon Army!”

Several tigers snarled, but Taika held up her right hand, her tail halting mid-swish. “Traitors? Us? Self-awareness was never really one of your strengths, was it, Brother? You abandoned the White Tiger Clan in its hour of need.”

“I left the clan to keep it intact. To protect our home,” Tetora growled, taking a step forward. He flexed his iron-clawed hands as though he was preparing to lunge. “You are the ones who abandoned our ways!”

“Another point you’re wrong about, Brother,” Taika countered. “You gave in to the Church. But it changed nothing. Surely, you must have seen how Tigers were treated on your way back from your hidden den in the middle of nowhere. Did you even see another Tiger? Did you see anyone with any shred of respect for us?”

Tetora growled in warning but did not outright answer.

“I thought as much. We were ostracized and cut off from supply routes, resources… and even priests no longer associated with our kind. Illnesses with simple cures ran unchecked through our clan. When the General offered us sanctuary, food, and weapons, I agreed to his deal, and to this day, I do not regret it.”

And just how did the General benefit from this deal?

I glanced at the tiger hybrids surrounding her, and to my surprise, they didn’t look like downtrodden defectors. They were well-fed, their armor polished, and their weapons sharp. Their clothes bore signs of travel, but they were sturdy and intact. These weren’t mistreated mercenaries—they were soldiers who had been cared for. Loyal fighters prepared for battle.

“You allied with a demon!” Tetora’s voice cracked as his tail lashed behind him. “And now you fight against your neighbors for him!”

“I don’t fight neighbors—I fight other demons. Ones that refuse to comply with the General. But today, I’m simply here as a favor... and a spectator.” Taika glanced at me and took a few steps forward. Then, with deliberate precision and a loud roar, she took the hilt in both hands and drove the blade into the ground.

“It seems this sword here has caused the General nothing but grief since he used it to help you, Chosen One.”

“Maybe he shouldn’t mess with things that don’t belong to him,” I suggested, crossing my arms.

Taika shrugged. “You just might be right about that. The General sent me to return this to you.”

“What’s the catch?” I asked, eyeing the blade.

Taika gestured at the Will of Euphridia before raising her voice. “He wants tomorrow’s battle to be fair.”

No, he only wants it to look fair.

“Tomorrow?”

She nodded, continuing in the same loud voice so everyone could hear. “He’ll be here by noon. By then, we should have the battleground arranged so that all his subjects may witness the duel—along with anyone from your precious Order of White.” She gestured to the dark mass of animus, which was still poorly hiding the ranks of demons behind her. “If I were you, I’d keep them out of the construction zone for now, being a dangerous place and all. We’ll be sure to let you know when it’s ready, though.”

As if cued by her words, the demons beyond the haze roared. A crimson light shot into the air, forming swirling portals that hovered ominously above the battlefield.

“You should be honored, Chosen One,” Taika said with a body-quivering laugh. “Looks like this fight is going to be proclaimed far and wide. Almost everyone in the Wastes will be able to bear witness to the outcome as it unfolds live. Maybe then, the world will take General Ragnerus more seriously.”

What was this… some sort of magical pay-per-view?!

My snarky thought was met with a sobering realization.

Yes, it was, but it didn’t pay him in money. It paid in notoriety, popularity… and perhaps even Trust and Faith. He was going for power in all ways possible, using me as bait.

“This is why you should give up on talking him out of a fight,” Raeanne Ironwrath said in the depths of my mind. “He’s already put everything in motion. All you can do is respond in kind. Now go, claim your sword!”

My hand first twitched, then jolted forward, its fingers spread wide. I quickly suppressed the unauthorized motion, drawing my arm back to my side with my other hand.

Great. One more thing to deal with!

After shaking my head, I asked Taika, “Do you have anything else to share? Or is your favor finished?”

“I am to make sure you take up the sword,” Taika responded. “I’ll take my leave once it is in your hands.”

Never in the history of traps has a trap been more obvious!

The sword gleamed faintly in the dim light, and I sensed no animus attached to it. However, there was a faint, dark burn mark on the blade above the hilt, as if it had been scorched.

“It seems to have sustained some damage… or perhaps tainted?”

“You accuse the General of tampering with your blade?” Taika scoffed. “That mark was there ever since he liberated it from the Demon King.”

Liberated..?

I wonder what that entailed, exactly.

“Allow me, Chosen One,” Relias announced as he stepped forward, his right hand glowing. “I shall discharge any malicious intent from the blade.”

Taika withdrew a few feet, an irate sneer plastered on her face. “Suit yourself, sage.”

Relias strode forward and gingerly touched the hilt, his gold light infusing the sword with a soft, thrumming blessing. After a moment, he plucked it from the ground and turned it sideways, balancing it between both hands as he carried it back to our side. Before I could react, he knelt in front of me.

Ah! Two can play the game of theatrics for popularity!

“It is authentic and untainted, Chosen One,” he advised as he offered it to me. “Though I believe it impossible for it ever to be anything but such.”

The dark mark was still there, but on closer inspection, it was clear someone had tried to buff it out. The sword, like Taika’s clan, had been well-cared for.

Why would he go to such lengths for things that shouldn’t matter to demons?

I took a deep breath and wrapped my fingers around the hilt. A warmth surged up my arm, and the sword responded instantly, glowing gold as its light pulsed with a rhythmic hum. Slowly, I raised it skyward. The animus beyond the border shuddered, and demons howled from the depths of the haze. Simultaneously, contrasting cheers erupted from the Order of White’s ranks, their voices rising with the brilliance of the sword’s glow.

Once the cacophony grew gratuitous, at least to my ears, I lowered the blade, conducting both orchestras into silence.

“You have my thanks, Grandmaster Taika of the White Tiger Clan,” I said with all the sincerity I could pull together. “And my sympathy for the injustices your clan has suffered.”

Taika’s eyes widened momentarily before anger flooded in to hide the hurt. “Sympathy does not fix them, Chosen One.”

“Neither does responding with another injustice,” I replied. “For you and your clan’s sake, I hope you remember that.”

I am such a hypocrite.

Taika swiftly turned away without another word, her tail flicking once as she led her group back into the animus beyond.

Back behind the border, I found a secluded place to practice with the sword. The others were on full-time duty, securing my privacy, though Nora insisted on being my sole spectator. The training area had the customary training dummies, a few shields hung on makeshift frames, and a few bales of straw for… well, I wasn’t sure, really. They were suitable for sitting on, at least.

“You should swing it, get accustomed to the weight,” Raeanne Ironwrath advised through our mental link, the hunger evident in her voice.

Is it sentient, like the shield?

“That shield is just a distraction. The sword is power! Feel it amplify your amity!”

Nora stared at me, her right brow stuck in the lowest position even while the left floated in contrast. “Is there a reason you’re not doing the thing?”

“Um, learning through osmosis?” I suggested, hefting the blade up and down.

“It’s not talking to you?”

“Not the sword, no,” I replied carefully.

Her eyebrow unstuck itself a little. “Ah?”

I tried a different approach. “Hey… Remember that time we had macaroons?”

Nora balked. “You’re focusing on food again at a time like this?!”

I cleared my throat loudly. “In Castle Amantia. The gardens? Remember? When I didn’t go for the chocolate one right away?”

“Well, you couldn’t because—” she stopped, her eyes lighting up with understanding. “Ooh. Yes. Never thought you were one for hazelnut.”

Honestly, I like both. But she probably said it like that to make sure that I knew… that she knew… that I knew what I was up to.

“What is this about gardens and desserts?” Raeanne howled in my head. “You need to practice with the blade! Do you not understand?!”

I ignored the voice in my head and concentrated on talking with Nora. “Yeah, so… I was thinking about what I learned that day. You know, from that subject matter expert. I think… I’m going to have to do what she mentioned back then, in the garden. Just not… right away.”

Nora tilted her head back and forth. “Not right away?”

“Yeah. Timing is everything. Sometimes… It’s better to let someone think they’ve won at first, right? Then, step in and take it all back at the last moment.”

Nora nodded. “Just be careful, okay? Remember that hand signal for help.”

Raeanne tried desperately to get my attention once more. “You wish to make the General think his victory is inevitable? He already feels this way! Stop wasting your time on doomed plans and take up the Will of Euphridia!”

I will if you answer my question.

“There better only be one.”

I nodded. Do you know how to shoot Amity Bolts?

There was a lengthy pause. “I am a sword master. I excel at close-range fighting! I have no need for such inefficient attacks.”

Then, will you let me speak with Raelana Demonslayer? She was the one who wrote about them.

“She… she is not here! I am here. Only me!”

I sighed audibly and stood up. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

Contrary to my suspicions, Raeanne let me get used to swinging the Will of Euphridia without interruption, and I found myself quickly adapting to it. Clearly, the Captain’s sword I had was a reasonable, if not as powerful, facsimile in terms of length and weight. The Will of Euphridia, however, was much more responsive to the intensity of my aura, not only complimenting it but somehow infusing it with additional power. The more strength I put behind my swing, the more the sword added, pulverizing the training dummies in a single hit with its brilliant light.

“You should stop now,” Raenna mentally advised with an uncharacteristic calm. “You will just tire yourself out.”

Right. I need to rest, if that’s even possible.

“I will see to it.”

Not trusting myself to answer, I sheathed the sword.

The late evening flew by, with many of the Order calling for preemptive attacks on the front. The animus cloud had dissolved somewhat, and now even regular soldiers could see the mass of demons building up just out of blessed crossbow bolt range. A few mounted marksmen volunteered to ride out and pepper their flanks, but we deferred, realizing that any aggression would be met with unknown consequences.

“It’s those portals in the air,” Captain Sonea explained again. “We have no idea what will come out of them and when.”

“So we’re just to believe the General will stick to his word?” a knight asked, indignant at the idea.

“No,” Captain Sonea corrected. “You are to remain vigilant and respond as requested to the different scenarios we have put forth.”

After that, I paid only slight attention to the conversation, concentrating on keeping my emotions in check and making it through dinner without disgracing myself. After voicing my request to be excused, Relias escorted me to my room.

“I wish to bless you this evening,” he remarked on our way through the wooden fort. “Will you accept it?”

Although it was similar to the blessing I received while in Captain Corwin’s camp, it wasn’t as lengthy. Everything was rushing forward as if an hourglass had snapped, allowing the sands of time to spill out at a speed I was unprepared for. Before I knew it, I was in my bedroll, staring at a wooden ceiling full of rough-cut knots. I wasn’t alone in my thoughts, however.

“I am concerned about your chances of victory tomorrow.”

I know.

“You… are the last shard. There are none left. The General must be defeated tomorrow.”

I already got the sword. I could just slip away—

“He will kill everyone in the vicinity, starting with your party members. And you will be branded a coward for not facing your destiny, reducing your own abilities for what is to come.”

Alright. I’ll admit you’re right about that. I take it you have a plan, then?

“I do. And neither will I ask for your permission nor forgiveness for enacting it.”

Before I could respond, everything around me plunged into darkness. My body felt heavy and distant before it seemed to disappear entirely.

Did you just… take over my body?!

“I did. Now, we sleep.”

Thank the Goddess that she was so predictable.