"General, the last of the obstacles have been removed."

Feldon smiled, "Good work soldier, we will storm through and claim our ancestral home once more. Break it down!"

A dozen Argalon stepped forward, a battering ram held between them. A massive trunk that had been debarked, had holes drilled through for ropes, and the tip capped with slightly pointed steel.

Soon they would breach the gate, and when they did, it would only be a matter of time before the city fell. He would be rewarded, despite the losses and delays, but the land would be back in their hands.

In unison, they brought it back, took a deep breath, and swung it forward.

A explosion of sound echoed out, temporarily overpowering the sound of the battle on the other side.

The gate rocked back and forth, but held strong, barely a mark on it.

Unfazed, the Argalon lifted the ram again.

And again.

And again.

A dull drumming that filled the battlefield.

A countdown to the end.

* * * * *

Evelyn leaned to the side, grabbing the spear that was thrust past her, and pulled.

The Devil lurched forward, directly into a Human's spear.

Evelyn spun the spear around and threw it into the horde of Demons pressing down on their position. She did not need to be accurate.

She heard the drumming, she saw the gate shake, she knew it would only be a matter of time.

As did everyone else, Human and Demon.

It was a weight that pressed down on the field of battle. Urging all to put an end to this before it was ended for them.

Ulex caught a sword's blade in his grip, yelling as it cut into his flesh but thrusting his spear into the Devil's throat.

He stumbled back as the Devil fell to the ground, only to be stomped into the red mud as another took its place. Just as another Human replaced Ulex.

Ulex clutched his hand to his chest, tearing off a piece of his sleeve to crudely bandage it. Blood immediately soaked the dirty cloth, but did not drip.

Harper ran to him across the Hospital Ceiling, "Let me see!" She shouted over the roar of battle, her words exhausted but filled with concern.

Ulex wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. The arrow whistled through her hair but drew no blood.

"I'm fine! Stay focused!"

Harper nodded, ignoring how shaken up she was as she grabbed a discarded and bloody dagger.

Atop the walls, Fenrir exited the ruined tower, two arrows slamming into his shoulder just a moment later.

They joined the rest.

He shouldered his damaged greatsword and headed for the stairs to the ground.

The battle for the walls had come to a halt, leaving only the archers to continue their back and forth barrage, only occasionally getting one.

Fenrir was exhausted and hurting, but he could handle that, even if his body was actively falling apart due to the lack of Mana within it. What he could not handle was the boredom.

He needed to kill something, and luckily for him, there were plenty of things to kill just down those steps.

He just had to avoid the giant shapeshifting abomination rampaging around.

The Devils spotted him when he was only twenty steps from the bottom. They disengaged from the wild melee and charged at him, screaming something in their native tongue.

Fenrir could have drawn on the shared memories of Alaster involving the Argalon Language, but he did not care what they were saying.

He just hoped they would be ok with those words being their last.

Fenrir sidestepped to the left, avoiding a wild sword swing. He kicked out, throwing the Devil flying off the stairs.

Another Devil stepped up, thrusting his spear towards Fenrir's stomach.

Fenrir caught the shaft and tore it out of the Devil's grip. Off balance, it was unable to defend itself against the giant grabbing its head and crushing it against the stone wall.

The wolf lifted his greatsword, bringing the flat of the blade down to flatten the third Devil into the stairs.

Finally touching the ground, Fenrir dove into the fray, tearing his way through the Demons.

This was where he was most happy.

It was made even better when the gates broke, allowing the fresh Demons to charge through. Fenrir was excited.

Except, he did not have long to relish it.

"Stop this madness at once!"

The voice boomed, so loud it was heard clearly by everyone in the city, echoing off the walls to be heard for miles from the city.

Soldiers, Human and Demon alike, recoiled from it.

The Demons from the gates, stopped, hesitant and confused.

General Feldon pushed his way through, "What is the meaning of this?" He shouted at his soldiers, furious that the city had not yet been purged.

Everyone looked to the source, finding Lord Ashborn standing next to a larger than normal Argalon in white robes, standing on a wooden platform held up by a dozen flying Undead.

The dreaded flying woman hovered behind and above them.

The platform hovered high enough for the entire battlefield to see them easily.

The battle froze, not due to the voice, but the power it came from. They looked at the platform, and could faintly see the air pulse with power. Such was the power the two controlled.

Blinded by his emotion, General Feldon shouted, "Who are you to defy the War Masters? I do not recognize you!"

The Argalon turned his head to see the General, "That is because you are not thinking.

I hold just as much authority as these War Masters. You merely thought me a story.

I have many names. Many titles.

Guardian of the North. Savior of the East. Flame bringer. Bright Lord. Purger of the Dark. And many more.

But you would likely recognize me better as the Dragon Guardian, Belgroth."

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Many Demons immediately dropped whatever weapons they had and knelt. Others saluted. But most froze. The stories they had been raised on came to mind. Stories meant to inspire and give hope. Most featuring the man before them.

"Impossible. He died during the First War, and he certainly would not be telling us to stop the battle against these Humans." The General countered with a sneer.

"I did die, my soul bound to a throne of black. For millenia, I lay trapped there, until a Human saved me. The very Human standing beside me.

Do not let your pride blind you to the truth.

I am superseding your command, and ordering the full withdrawal of Coalition forces from this city. Until I speak with these War Masters in person, this city is forbidden to any Coalition Member."

Without hesitation, many Demons immediately turned around and began making their way through the mess towards the broken gates. Others turned to their General unsure what to do.

"You have no authority here!" The General screamed, seeing his soldiers disobeying him.

"You're wrong." Belgroth growled, "I am the only Argalon here with any authority. Now leave."

Alaster stepped forward, "Soldiers of Humanity, let them pass unharmed. The Siege is over!"

Cheering erupted.

Alaster smiled and clapped Belgroth on the shoulder, "How would you like to meet my fiancé?"

Belgroth smiled back, something that would have creeped out any other Human, "That would be lovely. Though maybe we should skip over the part where I saw everything that happened between you two."

Alaster chuckled, "Good idea!"

Together, the two strongest individuals in the area stepped off the flying platform and dropped to the ground nearly two hundred feet below them.

The mob of soldiers, both Human and Demon, stepped aside to let them through.

The Humans cheered for surviving the siege, Demons wanted to see the Hero whose stories they were raised on.

"Do you know where she is?" Belgroth asked, looking around the sea of people covering blood and mud.

"She is in the Underground Hospital, unless something forced her out, she will still be there, caring for the injured."

"Alaster!"

Alaster looked over and saw his sister and a few of her friends pushing through the mob to reach him.

"Evelyn? What are you doing out here?" Alaster frowned.

"They breached the wall, we needed to help keep them away from the Hospital." She countered, huffing as she defended herself.

"And now you have no idea where all your friends are. And I'm not even going to point out how one of your friends turned into a giant abomination."

The said abomination chirped and slouched from halfway across the battlefield, blood still dripping from practically every part of its body.

Evelyn brushed the comment away, "That's just David. He'll revert back to normal in a little bit."

"Evelyn, this is not a laughing matter. I stationed you in the Hospital for a reason. Do even know if they are still alive?"

Evelyn looked down, "No, but this is a war, what we did saved the Hospital from being overrun until the Reserve Troops could get here."

Alaster sighed, "Look, even after the Coalition leaves, it will still take several days to sort through the bodies and damage. It might take that long before everyone is reunited with their friends and squadmates. We can mourn the dead later, for now, lets celebrate the win."

Evelyn sighed and looked up, "Ok. So who is this?"

Belgroth chuckled, a deep rolling sound that vibrated the ground, "I'm Belgroth, little one. And for now, lets just say that the story is long and better suited for a comfortable evening among friends."

Evelyn shrugged, "Well if Al here thinks you're ok, then I will too."

Alaster shook his head and walked past her, headed for the entrance to the Hospital.

Belgroth walked behind him while Evelyn bombarded him with questions about Demon Culture.

When Alaster walked around the side of the Hospital, he found that the battered down had been so damaged that it had to be torn off before the occupants could leave.

Worry spread through him for a moment before he saw Lunaria helping one of the wounded with a missing leg up the stairs.

She and another soldier helped the injured man up onto the flat roof of the Hospital, laying him down so another doctor could come over and examine him.

Alaster hopped onto the roof with Evelyn right behind him. Belgroth, unsure if the construction would hold, decided to wait on the ground.

Lunaria saw him and ran over to him, embracing him in a tight hug, kissing him deeply.

"You're ok!"

Alaster smiled, "That I am. I actually have someone I want you to meet."

Lunaria looked at him with confusion but allowed him to guide her.

Belgroth waved, "Hello Lunaria, my name is Belgroth. Your man here helped to free me from an ancient prison."

"Did he now?" Lunaria asked, stunned to see an Argalon so friendly with her.

"Yes he did. I am against this war, so while I can't make any promises, I will do my best to ensure it is ended. Once I meet with the War Masters. I imagine that they will know the moment the Coalition Army retreats far enough away from the city to have Mana."

"How long before the city has Mana again? We have a lot of injured in need of Healing."

Belgroth scratched his chin, "Shouldn't be more than a day or two before its usable. Though the most sensitive should begin to feel it in a few hours."

Lunaria nodded and said sternly, "I will expect to hear more about the two of you when we can sit down."

The two strongest individuals in the city nodded.

* * * * *

"General, this is not a good idea."

"Shut up! We were sent to conquer this region for our ancestors and descendants. We might have been defeated for now, but they must know that the Coalition does not simply back down!"

"Sir, this is suicide!"

"If you are too much of a coward, then leave. I will have you marked as a deserter. You know what they do to the families of deserter?"

The soldier nodded tightly, having personally seen it.

"Then aim for the girl. Without Mana, they should have no way to deflect it."

The soldier drew an arrow from his quiver, pulling it back on his bowstring. He knew this was wrong, but he refused to allow his family to suffer just to save one Human.

He let go.

* * * * *

Alaster stood next to his ancient friend, smiling warmly as the Humans continued to cheer while helping out the injured and the Demons left the city.

As crowded as it was, with everyone going their own way, while trying to avoid any confrontation under the watchful eye and threat of Alaster and Belgroth, it would take a few hours before the last Demon left Onigas.

"So what are these War Masters like?" Alaster asked.

"Dunno. Back in my time, there was no such thing. There was a gathering of Chieftains when important matters came up, so I imagine its similar. But so much as changed over the years. I don't know if they will even consider my proposal."

"That being?"

"Bringing one of the continents back to the surface and living there instead of taking over this one."

"Oh so nothing too difficult." Alaster teased.

Belgroth lightly shouldered the young man, "Shut up. It's the only way I can think of that would allow both species to live on one planet. So long as they both stick to their continent, we should be able to live and maybe even begin peaceful talks after a few generations."

"A project like that would still take several years, possibly even decades."

"At least eight decades. Its not just surfacing the continent, it's the plants, it's the animals. Then we have to build shelter for all of us there, and then finally move everyone there. And unfortunately, I don't think my people have that long wherever they are now.

So they will have to move to this world, meaning they will need a place to live while the continent is being prepared."

"That will be difficult to get accepted by Humanity."

"Yes, but they will either have to accept it, or continue the losing war. Because lets face it, Humanity will lose if this war continues. The problem is how badly will my people be hurt by it? We are a dying people without a home. I can imagine this war progressing to the point that my people can never recover from it.

I'm talking about the total extinction of not just Humanity, but of Argalon and Devils as well."

Alaster sighed, "So even after all this, we still have to convince multiple people that peace is the only option, people who are all dead set in continuing the war."

"Later. For now, we step back, count the losses, and mourn the dead."

Alaster looked around the battlefield, "There is certainly plenty."

"Don't think too much about them." Belgroth warned, as he motioned to the women, "Just think about those two."

Alaster smiled, "You're right. So pardon me, but I would rather spend time with them."

Belgroth pretended to be hurt, "How rude, but considering they are both more attractive than me, I can't blame you."

Alaster shook his head and began walking over.

Evelyn looked up after tying off the bandage and wave to Alaster.

He waved back.

And then his world shattered.

One moment, Evelyn stood there, smiling at him, the next, she was on the ground.

Lunaria stood in her place, an arrow lodged deep in her chest.

"NO!"

Alaster burst forward, his own natural strength creating a hole in the roof.

He caught Lunaria as she fell, cradling her.

"No no no no no no no no no no."

Alaster put pressure around the shaft, trying to stem the flow of blood, yet it kept going.

"Healer!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, Demon and Human alike to stare at the scene unsure what had happened.

Evelyn crawled over and put her hand on Lunaria's stomach. She channeled her Healing Spells, but nothing worked.

There was no Mana to fuel them.

Gasping as blood leaked from her lips, Lunaria weakly put her hand against Alaster's cheek.

"I'm…sorry."

Alaster's vision blurred as cheeks turned wet, "Please. Don't leave me!"

Lunaria weakly smiled, her skin turning pale, "I…love…you."

Her eyes closed and her hand fell limp.

"Please. No." Alaster held her close, rocking back and forth on his knees.

Tears streaked down her cheeks, but Evelyn put her hand on Alaster's shoulder.

"Alaster…she's gone."

Alaster stopped rocking, he looked at her face, the face of the one woman he loved more than anything else. He saw her blood pooling around his fingers. He felt her limp body in his embrace. He felt his Mana stir as it felt another soul leave its body.

Unseen by all but him, he saw her spirit exit her body, gently floating up, a small wisp of ethereal essence, before calmly fading into the ether.

She was gone.

Alaster pulled her close, hunching over her as tears fell. More tears than he had ever allowed himself. More tears then he had cried for even his parents.

Decades of emotion that had been welling up behind his massive walls, now pooled over.

Black oozed out around him.

Evelyn fearfully scrambled back. When she came into reach, Belgroth grabbed her, and put her behind his large frame.

The black molded itself, taking the shape of angelic wings.

But there was nothing divine about them.

Giving one final kiss, Alaster gently lowered her body to the cobbled roof and stood up, his gaze never leaving her.

Black creeped up his skin, slowly consuming him.

And he let it.

The walls finally broke, letting an ocean of raw emotion flood past.

Alaster looked up, his body consumed by black, his eyes an eternally deep void of Necrotic Green. Streaks of tears etched themselves into the black, trailing green.

Those present felt doom, and nothing they did could stop it.

Death had come for them.

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