All The Kinsmen (Zeal)

In a tent hidden in the woods, Zeal stood over a map of the border area between the Ash and the Dark Lands; the night felt particularly dense on this day.

A Nyx soldier reported to Zeal that a woman from the village had requested to speak with him. She had come to the campsite by herself as a response to a proposal. Zeal gave her when they last spoke in her home.

So she decided to come home, Zeal said. His soldier, seemingly confused by his statement. He told him to escort her in and ensure that they were not disturbed.

"Pardon my intrusion, commander," Annabelle said.

It's no bother. Take a seat.

Annabelle seemed confused, looking at the only two pieces of furniture in his tent, a small wooden table and a makeshift bed, the floor too cold to touch, let alone sit on, so she remained standing.

She held her long coat made of animal fur tightly around her chest. "I expected a bigger army to be with a Legion Commander." She said.

Speak your mind, Annabelle the size of my century is irrelevant.

"My apologies, you told me to come to these woods should I need --"

The mere fact that you stand before me means you accepted my invitation.

She told him that she did not come because she accepted his invitation to go back to Nyx with him but instead to tell him that her home is in that village and she would not simply abandon her daughter Amelia.

She touched the scratch Zeal left on her chest over her clothes.

Annabelle reminded him that she believes that blood relations are unimportant and that family are the people with whom we deepen our bonds.

Those are the words of a fool, Zeal said. Our blood, by its very existence, begets blood those people you call family will fear and cast you away as soon as they know who you are.

"Be that as it may, they are still my family."

Then perhaps if I painted the floors with their blood, you would--

Annabelle slapped him across the face. His cheek flushed with a prickling heat.

He saw a fire in her eyes, the desire to protect that which was hers and hers alone at any cost.

There it is, he said.

- He took off his glove walking toward her -

Annabelle fell to her knees and apologised with her head held high.

Zeal thought, for a lamb to bite a wolf, the lamb is either extremely brave or extremely stupid. There is rarely an in-between, yet he felt the full pain of her conviction.

She did not blink her eyes as if the simple act of blinking would let her tears run free.

Look at how you fear me, yet you are the blood of my blood.

Zeal bit his finger, crouched down toward her, and ran his finger on the scratch, leaving drops of his blood-covered in the deep void mist - along the wound.

Annabelle began to scream.

What you are feeling is the pure essence of the void moving through your blood. It will envelop your fragile heart, don't fear. This will not kill you, but it will ensure that should you die, your heart will return to me, and I will take it home in your place.

"Why?" Annabelle said, gasping to catch her breath.

There is much you don't know, and your life will end with that village soon enough. Now go back to your child, hold her tight.

As Annabelle stumbled out of the tent, her hand on her chest, he called two soldiers, instructing them to escort her back to the village and to ensure that she did not see them while they did so.

He laid on his makeshift bed with his hand on his white porcelain box stained with black and gold twin phoenixes.

"Knock, knock, " Bellemy said as he entered the tent.

So you are back?

"Indeed I am, and I just happened to run into something quite interesting, a woman who smelled not only of Nyx blood but your blood. Now, how did that happen?"

Bellemy gave him an all too familiar look. "How very childish you are sometimes. The mark you gave her has doomed her to the void."

She has my mother's power.

"And the plot thickens; perhaps simply killing her would be more effective."

Perhaps.

"I will leave that to you - I just came to give you my report.

Bellemy reported that a voidling was captured near the veil, thirteen Touched were found and killed, but most curious of all was the veil into the Ash Lands appeared to be weakening. He suspected that was the actual reason the Division Commander sent them to this village. He was to be a guard dog against the very creatures they use on the front lines.

Zeal could not contain the deep void mist from around the left side of his face manifesting a deep orange eye he covered with his hand. The unpassable Ash Lands, the gate that keeps Nyx caged, had been weakening after all these years.

Send a raven to Nyx. I wonder what that fool is planning.

Before Bellemy left to report on the weakening veil - he walked toward the map on the table - he added that Tilly (Mortill) sent a raven stating that she encountered a Caelum spy on her way to the village to meet them and is now awaiting orders.

Zeal's pulled back the deep void mist, and his eye returned to normal as he thought.

The true face of the enemy, it had been 700 long years of war and strife between Caelum and Nyx. The magic Caelum wields; was well suited for combat, with skin impenetrable by weapons below Epic Grade, the strongest among them heralded as Guardians.

Zeal raised his hand to the tent ceiling - As intriguing as the capture of a Caelum spy was, he thought he was likely not a true Caelum. "A mere pawn in a war does not know when they are being sacrificed to gain a strategic advantage."

- His hand rapidly clenched into a fist -

Bury the spy, Zeal said. Ask them nothing about what they know. The answers may be the enemy's seeds as a faithful spy would tell you nothing in the first place, and Bell... ensure the Division fool hears nothing of this. Nyx has lost much already because of him.

"Consider it done," Bellemy said.

Zeal thought about many things, which included the reason they were sent to the village, what the weakening veil might mean for Nyx and, by extension, the world, as well as Caelum's sudden movements after the last few months.

The war with Caelum was one not of attrition, though they only came to realise this after many years at war. The truth was that Caelum had the people's support worldwide while the Nyx were 100% self-sufficient.

It seemed the world feared what Nyx could become so much so that they eventually bred the enemies they so desperately sought, At least that is what his mother would say. She would put Zeal to bed with stories that would end with showing them that they were not to be feared.

However, Zeal was never given much choice. It seems the fear and hate ran deep in their blood. And if he is to be feared, he would aim that power at those who took everything from him.

He walked out of the tent, with the view of the campsite hidden in the dense woods, his men around a fire with a massive boar slow-roasted. They were a rowdy bunch. If left to their own devices, they would surely cause him trouble.

He joined them for a meal as they drank and chanted the battle anthems of Nyx, a war bred nation, but to Zeal, it was so much more.

"You fight for your lands?"

"Keep them"

"You fight for your wives?"

"Keep them"

"We fight for our Blood!"

Their chants filled the dense woods. Still distracted by his thoughts, Zeal watched his men intoxicated but carefree, such a lively atmosphere for bruits who punch first and ask questions later.

A rustle in the woods caught his attention; he walked toward the noise.

- the rustle moved further away -

Zeal felt some broken twigs as he walked into the area. Perhaps it was a small animal? He took some time to look - his hands brushing over bushes around him - however, he did not bring a torch fire and was much too tired to pursue the matter further.

Besides, if it were an enemy, they would make themselves known eventually.

Zeal sighed, looking at his carefree men. They seemed far too comfortable when Bell was around. At least his intelligence unit seemed to notice.

Not that he would have it any other way. The disorderly conduct was the pride of the black phoenix legion. As long as they followed his orders without hesitation and were willing to die at his command, he would protect them with every ounce of his power.

They were Nyx. After all.