- The Man in the Marsh

The square was empty, the sounds of fires raging around them were now dying. The screams of the civilians were becoming more and more thin, either they were all dead, dying, or the monsters had nearly been eradicated.

Whichever it was, Lia did not know. She didn't think she knew anything at this point. All she could feel was the pain and the throbbing of her heart as she stared bleakly at the ground with eyes wide and empty.

"...it's my fault. It's…it's all my fault."

Lia grabbed her head as she fell to her knees, Kal moving back to give her the space she needed at the moment, his own eyes filled with a pain filled sadness at the sight of Lia's brazen state.

She looked on the brink of madness and if Kal didn't know any better than to assume, he would have thought it not far off. But he had hope.

Purpose leads some from the darkest of places into the brightest of worlds and realities.

As if summoned by Kal's thoughts, a large group of ten men appeared atop the square's large stone steps that led to the next street over, their figures raised down the steps towards Lia, one man in front of the masses of the others.

"Lia! Lia?!"

The man reached Lia and grabbed her shoulders, trying desperately to shake her from her trance. The Master turned to his men and began to give out orders, holding Lia close to his chest as she stared blankly at the ground.

"Set up a perimeter! I don't want any monster to get within a foot of this place!"

The nine men straightened themselves to a salute, ready to go about their orders and secure the area around them, until a small and meek voice stopped them. The voice was barely audible, hardly heard and when it spoke, the whole square turned silent to hear the voice better.

"Did you…"

The Master placed two hands on Lia's shoulders, feeling her cheeks with the back of his palm for warmth. He turned his ear towards her hoping to catch her words more clearly.

"Lia, come on, speak to me!"

"...did you know?"

The Master did a double take, surprised that those were the first words Lia spoke considering her pale and empty face.

"What?"

Suddenly Lia's hands shot up from the ground and grabbed the Master's jacket, pulling him up to his feet with her as Lia rose from the ground. The color had returned to her face and to her cheeks and where there was once a look of pure emptiness, now there was anger.

"Did you know?!"

The nine men reacted quickly, all of them placing their hands on their weapons prepared to cut Lia down if she dared to harm the Master. But with one gesture of his hand, the master ordered them to hold back, his face filled with a shock that chased away any other emotion.

"I - I don't know what you're talking about?"

Lia shook him once and hard , enough to where the master's head snapped back and forth in the same quick motion.

"Did you know about Arnold?! Did you know what he would do?! Did you?!"

"I…I don't know what…look Lia whatever has happened between you two, surely we can resolve this -"

Her voice cut through the air, edged with so much hatred and anger the Master was surprised that such a kind and self controlling person Lia Lia whom he had seen in her calm state, could turn so vile and vicious.

"He took him! He took Lukali from me!! Did you know?!"

Suddenly it clicked for the Master, why the fountain was broken, why there was so much blood everywhere and why Lia had such a distressed and pale face when he arrived.

Arnold had taken her friend, and she thought that he knew nothing of it.

But before he could speak and defend himself, Lia could see the look in his eyes and the shock that settled in at her words. No the shock one would have from being caught, no. It was the shock that settled it after hearing about a betrayal.

The same shock Lia had worn on her face only moments before.

Slowly, quietly, the anger disappeared from Lia's face as she fell back to her knees, her hands losing their grip on the Master's jacket as her head fell against his chest. The man had no idea what to do, so he quickly embraced the woman in a hug and comfort her as the tears began to flow from her eyes, her pain and sorrow filled sobs reaching the hearts of even the Master's bravest and stone hearted men.

"Lia, I…I don't know what happened here but I can assure you, we'll find Arnold and your friend."

As if to honor his word, the Master turned to the men behind him and began to issue new orders to them, quick and stern so that they might understand this situation was dire.

"I want you four to head to the barracks and inform the evacuation team at the gates to look out for Arnold. If he is there, bar his path with whatever means necessary. You five, I want you to search the streets together - don't leave one another's side until you have found Arnold or you receive word from me. There are still monsters roaming these streets so be alert!"

The men snapped themselves into a salute before rushing off down the streets, ready to complete the Master's orders even if it meant giving their lives. Lia's sobs had hit them harder than they had expected.

The girl however was no longer the crying and sobbing mess that she had been only a second ago, emotions rushing thorough her head like a stampede of bulls. She was hopping from one to the next trying to get across the canyon.

"There won't be monsters when I'm done with this city."

The Master pulled away from Lia to see her face stretched in a frown of anger and fury, a slight prickle of fear setting in.

"Lia…what do you mean by that?"

"You'll see."

She stood up and with one swift tune she raised one hand to her face whispering into her palm.

"Florence."

The rune circle changed and where there was once a man cloaked in mist and darkness, now there formed a large eagle with its wings spreading wide across her hand.

The man - Florence - appeared behind the ruins of the fountain, his hood pulled over his head as the Master looked on in shock.

His eyes passed from Kal, who watched Lia with both sadness and awareness, to Florence who slightly bowed before her.

'I thought that was her summons…but if that's true then…'

Lia finally took notice of the Master's presence as well as his choked face. With one look over her shoulder, she held in her gaze a look that could truly kill.

"Don't speak of this ever again."

This was not a threat, this was a warning that could shake the world.

Turning to Florence without another word, Lia spoke with authority, so much unlike her former self that Florence looked to Kal for an explanation. The man however only silently nodded toward Lia, both of them comparing her to Cain in that very moment.

"Florence. I want you to use your magic to cleanse this city of every monster that swims, flies, crawls or digs under the ground. I don't care if you have to exert all the power you have - do it."

Her voice was firm and steady, but Florence found himself afraid in that moment, afraid of what might happen to him if he chose to ignore her. As such, he quickly nodded before he lept into the air, flying higher and higher into the sky until his body passed though the dark storm clouds above them.

"Kal. You as well."

Kal didn't wait for an explanation, instead choosing to act first and ask questions later. He raised his daggers and sped off down the street, ready to cut anything he saw into pieces and shreds.

Lia felt the air tense up in that moment, small bits of electricity passing between her hair and her fingers, as she looked up towards the sky, towards the cause. The clouds were now spiraling together forming into one large pillar of glowing blue light.

One man stood in the center of this, his hands conjoining with the lighting that shook the earth as the thunder rumbled with the sky. He raised his hands and Lia could see the energy building up within the stars and the clouds, the sky and the ground.

And then, he brought it all down.

***

Arnold looked over his shoulder towards Abigail who walked in a slow pace behind him, catching a glimpse of the burning city in the distance. The night had covered their escape from the city and now it cloaked them both in darkness.

"You said before that Lia's summons was a wizard, did you not?"

Abigail fiddled with her hands, looking towards the ground in shame.

"I'm sorry about that sir, I could have sworn it was."

"Don't worry about it. I was unprepared to fight an assassin, but I won't be next time."

Abigail looked up from her hands, a look of fear on her face.

"Next time?"

Arnold stopped, eyeing a group of figures in the distance just beyond the expansive firelight that spread across the plains from the burning city behind them.

"I plan on dealing with Endless once and for all. But for now, getting back home is what is important."

Abigail found a smile forming on her face, happy that their group was now heading back home where she felt most comfortable. But nonetheless, fear still rooted itself deep within her soul. It was a feeling that she wanted to chase away and pretend it was not there, but she couldn't stop herself from glancing back at the burning city behind them as they continued forward.

'Lia…I'm sorry. Truly, I think you would have made a wonderful friend.'

She turned away and joined Arnold with the others of her party, Oliva who looked as arrogant as ever. Emma who wore a sad smile when she saw Abigail. Gilbert who kept quiet, watching the city behind them and Trevor who fiddled with his pack. She could sense he didn't like hearing the distant screams. He was, after all, a healer.

'Forgive me, please.'

Olivia popped up once Arnold joined them, eyeing the spear held tightly in his grasp, clean and still sharp.

"What happened? Did you not kill her?"

Arnold locked between her and Abigail, who turned her head to the floor. He took a deep breath and sighed, facing Olivia's judgmental gaze.

"There was an unexpected anomaly. We expected a Wizard. Instead we got an assassin. It's no matter now, we'll get them next time."

Despite what Arnold said ending any suspicion that had begun to grow within Oliva, the woman still passed a scrutinizing glance over Abigail.

"Where's Lance, Becka and Shawl?"

Arnold looked over the area around them and only saw the members of the original party there, the looks of Emma and Gilbert turned to the floor as quickly as his words left his mouth.

But Olivia was not so held back.

"They weren't happy with leaving the city to the monsters, despite us telling them that nothing could be done."

"So you're telling me they stayed behind?"

"They chose to…"

Olivia scratched the side of her cheek, turning her eyes to the ground as well.

"...they also weren't happy with how you were planning on handling Lia. Practically drew their blades against us."

Arnold frowned, his imposing and dominating figure looming over Olivia as she cowered in her own shadow.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Um…well…"

Despite Olivia being asked the question it was Gilbert who spoke up with confidence, unafraid and stern with his words .

"They quit. I suppose though we have you to blame for that?"

Emma gabbed at Gilbert's arm, pulling him back while whispering in his ear, Arnold passing his gaze over toward Gilbert but the man did not look back.

"Gilbert, what's gotten into you?"

Gilbert just watched the roaring flames from the city burn as they painted the night sky with bright colors of fire and ash.

"They were good kids, not ones to cower and run from a fight. Especially when they would be leaving behind innocents."

He turned to meet Arnold's imposing gaze, not a hint of fear or hesitation in his threatening look.

"They were good kids."

Arnold and Gilbert held their gazes for several seconds before Arnold turned to look towards the ground beside Trevor where a man sat unconscious, bundled up and gagged.

"It's fine…

His son lay unmoving and silent, asleep within his own dreams.

"...we have everything we need."

As those words left his mouth, a feeling of fear and imposing aura crushed them all like a mountain had fallen on top of them. Even Arnold's eyes widened in surprise and shock as his hand immediately went to his spear, eyes trained on the horizon where the fire did not yet reach.

Then he saw it.

One man walked from the darkness, the shadows pulling at his skin like they were a part of him. His figure eluded confidence with every step he took, his movement slow but steady as if he cared little for the city burning before him.

Arnold felt his body lock up in fear as Olivia and the rest turned to him with eyes questioning.

"Arnold? Who…who is that?"

Arnold gave them all a sideways glance, subsided that none of them felt the fear and imposing aura he was feeling.

'Are they so weak that they can't sense it? Just - what the hell is going on?'

When Arnold turned his eyes back towards the man, his vision flashed with red as the man's glowing crimson eyes appeared before him.

'What the…he was hundreds of feet away from us, how did he-'

His thoughts were interrupted by the awing sense of loneliness that compelled and covered him like a wave of ice cold water. He couldn't feel the people beside him, his allies behind him, or even the man who stood off to his side, his crimson eyes slowly moving over to give him a sideways glance.

Fear. That was all Arnold felt, the strongest man in Morden was struck by so much fear that he could hardly move.

His eyes widened as his vision adjusted and he could hear the subtle gasps of breath from behind him, despite not feeling the presence of anyone there, he knew it was his team mates.

Before them, laying through the marshes and the plains and the high grass reeds, bodies of monsters - hundreds of them littered the ground with pieces of flesh and blood.

'No man could do this…this…horror!'

But someone did, and Arnold could feel the man at his death as he passed him, the smell of iron in the air as Arnold caught a sight of the man's blood stained clothes covered from head to toe.

'...he…hes…hes a monster!'

Instinct took hold of Arnold as he gripped his hands hard against his spear, ready for battle if it ever came.

And it was then that he heard his voice, like a horn blowing through the open air of a silent forest, chilling him to the bone. He was so quiet, so calm, and so threatening that Arnold could only feel the feeling of death in that one moment. That he was going to die.

"I shall echo her rage."

And then he was gone.

→End of Arch 5: Cities and The Stage