Fate is one damn ugly bastard.

It's also a tricky one too.

It fools the unsuspecting and lulls them into false illusions, be they good or terrible.

But often times, the future can be rather unexpected.

It is impossible to predict, and it is always changing.

But most importantly...

It is inevitable.

The sound of the explosion followed by an enormous ball of flames caught Nero's attention fully, forcing him to turn around.

Suddenly, a great feeling of fear filled him, pressing within his chest against his heart.

It was unlike anything he had ever felt.

No. He had felt it before.

But he couldn't quite remember what it was.

"What in the seven Hells was that?!" Obed cursed as he shot up from the fallen log he was seated on.

Nero rose to his feet as well,

"We should see what it's all about."

Although his senses were tingling, Nero found something driving his steps forward, his feet making contact with the moist grass as he took step after step forward.

Left with no choice, Obed followed closely behind.

The swaying wind seemed to carry something new.

As he walked on, Nero caught sight of a familiar back.

No, it was two— three familiar backs.

Geor, Aisha and Lucy all stood with their backs turned, their gazes fixed on ahead. Since they were rather far from the center, Nero figured they must have found it hard to hear exactly what was going on.

However, much to his surprise, the closer he got, the clearer he realized he could hear the voice speaking.

He tuned out all the other noise as he tried to listen,

"...and so, there will be a separation in the few moments. A separation of the saved and the damned."

Nero felt his heart skip a beat.

He lifted his gaze.

That was when he noticed an enormous figure standing at the very center of the refugee camp.

Over the past few days, the number of refugees gathered at the gates of Liedenstorm had continuously dwindled.

This was due to a variety of factors, most prevalent being random disappearances and Abomination attacks. However, the Templars also had a hand in this, and for good reason.

Nero recalled the strange woman that had been acting erratically and had been killed by the Templars. More and more cases had begun to pop up around the camp on the daily, but most people were simply relieved they weren't the ones such a fate had fallen upon.

Because of all these things, the total number of refugees had fallen to a terrifyingly small fifty thousand from the hundreds of thousands that had gathered over the past few days.

Because of this, however, Nero found that the camp had shrunk until most of it was within the enormous shadow of those dark walls.

The figure his gaze caught was rather large, even compared to the other Crimson Crucible Templars.

He was by far, one of the largest humans Nero had ever seen.

Something about him was rather off-putting.

Perhaps it was the horns on his blood red helm that radiated a sinister, devilish feel.

Or perhaps it simply was the words spoken by the Templar.

"The saved and the damned..." Obed muttered behind him.

Lucy turned around, followed by Geor and Aisha. When she caught sight of Nero, a strange looked appeared in her eyes, but it quickly vanished.

Nero felt something rise to his throat, but he couldn't find the push he needed to say it.

He sighed and took a step forward,

"What is going on?"

Geor was the one who spoke,

"The Templars called for a gathering." There was a bit of excitement in his voice,

"They will be opening the gates soon."

Nero's brows shot up,

"What?"

Geor nodded,

"It's finally over."

Nero grimaced. Certainly, it couldn't all be over just like that.

He turned around to see a look of suppressed relief plastered on Obed's face.

He walked forward and patted Geor on his shoulder,

"That is good news. That is wonderful news."

Lucy on the other hand, like Nero, didn't seem quite convinced,

"Hold your horses there... They said they will be opening the gates, but there was nothing being said about letting us all in."

Geor frowned, "But that—"

Lucy shook her head, a deep frown settling between her brows,

"The saved and the damned."

She turned to Nero and spoke after a moment of hesitation,

"What do you think?"

Nero hesitated for just a moment,

"Let's wait and see."

He continued to listen to the words of the large man at the center of the gathering of refugees. The Templar spread his arms out as he spoke,

"The Corruption is a terrible thing. It's only purpose is destruction and chaos. If left unfettered, it will be quick to cause havoc. We cannot let it into our cities. And so, the utmost precautions are necessary."

He tuned to his side and nodded at a gathering of Templars at his side.

The Templars immediately unsheathed their swords. The shrill, ominous sound of blades leaving their sheaths was rather terrifying as the crowd seemed to take one step back.

But that was not all.

Nero suddenly realized something...

He turned around.

"They are everywhere."

The entire camp of refugees was surrounded by a wall of red steel.

The rest of the refugees seemed to notice as well as burning torch lights began to appear on the periphery. Panic yells and cries rose into the black heavens.

"Silence, please. We aren't killing you all." The Templar muttered.

"We will only be conducting standard procedures. A routine purge."

Nero grit his teeth.

'What do I do now?'

Indeed, what could he do?

The answer was absolutely nothing.

Suddenly, he shook his head.

No. There was something he could do.

'The commander!'

If he could get in contact with the commander, then perhaps they would be given a bit of grace.

'It's the only way.'

One thing was certain though.

Things were about to change.

They were about to change for the worse.

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