Back to back 

Enemy after enemy, blood spilling, and corpses falling. They fought hard without taking the time for a single breath. Zuline and Jäwell were covered in blood and wounds, surrounded by the cadavers from both sides. They were both panting and exhausted by the situation. 

She looked like a wounded animal, her horns never were so long and powerful in front of Jäwell, yet, her eyes were in agony. This was not her first war, it would probably not be the last, but, deep inside her, she was not used to such carnage anymore. 

Zuline had not taken a life for a very long time, the intention to kill was not in her nature, still, her body was made for the hardest battles. She was impaling with her horns and kicking with her hooves, and her powerful musculature was of great effect to use her war hammer to smash, but her black pupils were showing nothing more than pain. She desired nothing more than all of this to stop, as she took a deep breath, she turned her gaze to Jäwell. 

He, on the other side, was like a ferocious beast pushed by the adrenaline of his last moments. The prince was breathless, he couldn't stand straight and strong anymore but he could still raise his sword to kill more of these "birds". From time to time, when he felt he was losing it due to the pain and the exhaustion he was forcing himself to laugh like a maniac. 

The fights slowly became a bit more silent, with time passing, fewer and fewer creatures from both sides could continue to fight so harshly. Zuline regained hope that this would be the end soon, regretting the view of corpses covering the floor. It started to be hard to walk on the battlefield without sliding or tripping. Both Gods and Night Creatures were equally killed in mass. This war was pure chaos without a name between light and shadow. 

Jäwell was keeping it, and Zuline was supporting him without failing. She suspected him of enjoying this situation. He was surpassing himself and enemies, less numerous, were still continuously coming. The prince didn't have such a challenge for countless years and he had a deep smile all along. She turned to him and asked directly with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Are you enjoying it?!" 

Jäwell watched her straight in the eyes, showing all his teeth, "Me? Never!" 

"Come on, don't lie like this! I can see you like it," she said, shaking her head. 

He took a step towards her and placed his hand over her shoulders. Pointing the sky tainted by the red of the explosions and the battlefield submerged by blood with his arm. Jäwell was having the best time of his life.

"Our fellow companion can't laugh anymore. We must laugh at the face of the enemy in their name," he declared with an amused expression.

Zuline stopped herself in shock, she didn't expect him to say something deep. She stammered something inaudible but she couldn't take the time to formulate a correct sentence that Jäwell had taken his sword and found some more enemies to kill. 

She was looking at him in another light, she always knew he had his reasons and that he was caring for his people, however, she didn't expect him to have such a philosophy. Her mind started to wonder, "How many beloved people have you lost to have such thinking, my poor prince."

She had a mixture of awe and compassion for him, realizing how compassionate he could be sometimes between two bottles of alcohol. Jäwell was careless, tough, and impulsive, but slowly, he gained the respect of everyone around and it could be seen. The number of dead on the floor who accepted to give their lives because they believed in a future thanks to him was staggering.

Zuline felt a sudden cold in her back, she had been attacked from behind by a goddess. The pain made her fall to her knees in surprise as the sword of the enemy had cut into her ribs but when she saw Jäwell's reaction, she was submerged by an incredible wave of warmth.

His fury as he jumped to the goddess' throat, demolishing her body and reducing her to a pulp only showed how much he cared for her. He was worried, and it showed. She managed to remove the blade and she stood up, ready to face another fight. Exchanging long gaze with Jäwell without commenting on what just had happened.

When the floor was red and the sky was silent, Zuline and Jäwell became a symbol of resistance in front of the gods. The few fighters remaining were watching them as a symbol of hope. The symbol of the battlefield, the pillars of the world, together, they were the solid rock people needed to find their strength. The gods who were coming were defeated one after another while the creatures from the Ombrae regained courage and had faith in the ruler. They were prideful to fight for their land, that was something Zarkhaïm never managed to make them feel. The king was so powerful that his simple presence in the world was enough to keep everyone safe; they didn't have to imagine that they could lose their peace. 

With Jäwell, they developed themselves to fight together, united like the legions of hell in the human books. Even the two delicate and gossiping banshees were still present. They didn't leave with the other civilians. 

The waves of Gods significantly slowed down, they seemed to change their tactic since the pure force didn't work, even for such a long period. Zuline and Jäwell took a bit of a break during this time, they needed to rest for a while and repair their damaged bodies. They turned themselves, pressing their backs against each other in support and sat on the floor to take a pause. She took a deep breath before she used the shadows to heal them in a warm embrace. 

"Do you regret that you came?" Jäwell asked her, genuinely curious.

Slowly she slid her hand into his, "I don't, I regret that I left in the first place."

At this moment, holding hands together, she had a smile. That was a profound feeling of inner peace she hadn't felt for a very long time. She laid her head on his shoulder, back to back, she couldn't see his face but she felt him lean his cheek on her head softly. It was an incredibly sweet moment that they both needed.

"I will never let you down again," she said with a tone in her voice she didn't even recognize.

Suddenly, there was thunder stronger than the others in the sky. Jäwell recognized the light coming from it and he immediately had a chill running down his spine accompanying a sharp pain in his chest as his body remembered the circumstances when he saw it the previous time. Zuline whispered before he had time to think of saying it loudly.

"Archanium..."