Challenged

"No, the time has not yet come. He' s still not ready, he' s just starting out. I cannot allow this to happen. From now on, I will take care of it myself. It is up to me to guide him."

(" Who is talking? Who are you and what are you planning to do with me? Just why am I still wandering in the dark even though everything was glaring... am I not supposed to have a right to it?")

As Leo opened his eyes, he found himself in a small building. This situation reminded him of the past except there was no nightmare in store for him. While standing up, he noticed that his body was heavy and that it had lost some of its strength. Leo got a slight headache so he sat down on the edge of the bed. As he put a hand to his forehead, he noticed that something had changed. The rune in his hand turned a clear white color. There were lines going from it down his arm to his shoulder. The symbol had transformed his veins. But still he didn't really know what the sign meant.

Outside, he could hear the voices of the locals attending to their markets. In that moment he remembered everything that had happened before he got unconscious. As he was examining his arm, the door opened.

" Well, look at what idiot woke up from his deep slumber. Ya owe us three days of work as well as a decent apology to everyone."

The slight headache suddenly intensified while Carleen was lecturing him.

"This is about how I handled things again, isn't it?"

"Not only that. What I'm burning to know is where you got all these abilities all of a sudden. One minute you were half-dead, and the next you're the most powerful person on the battlefield. That''s already going past the word miracle."

Though Leo had doubts about disclosing all his experiences, there was nothing to lose.

"So I was gone for three days... did it really all end after our fight?"

" Nearly. Well, as suspected, there were still some scattered warriors that we were able to kill quickly. And even when they faced their deaths, all they had in mind was to destroy. We' d best go over everything together so just follow me."

Leo pulled himself together and accompanied Carleen down the streets. First thing he saw was the complete devastation of the southern wall. Despite the fact that it had collapsed recently, many workers were already rebuilding it.

"Their progress is incredible. You can hardly tell it's only been three days."

"And that's just the beginning, follow me."

Leo kept looking left and right. Several houses were destroyed and yet everything looked as vibrant as ever. It was hard to tell that their homes had been under a major attack. They helped each other hand in hand in their daily routine and sheltered the victims of this cruel attack. He was fascinated and yet in disbelief something like this even existed.

" I never imagined that I would ever witness such a thing. I mean they all consider their fellow man, their comfort, their health while sacrificing a part of themselves. To me, I don't see any strife or resentment or complaint."

"I realize that especially for you it is hardly possible to believe anything like that. In the beginning I was like you. After all I have a similar background, which would never have ended up like this. Moreover, your past should speak to you about all of this. Mainly that there is a limit to how much you sacrifice something for others. That's one of your biggest weaknesses, never knowing how much is enough."

" Cause I never want to risk that it's too less. Once already I lost because of that, ever since then I will never back down like that."

Carleen smirked and showed him more places until they finally arrived at the gate of the palace.

"It's time for you to report back here. We have things to sort out, the future doesn't look too bright.

The soldiers greeted their commander however, this time they also greeted Leo as if he was one of their superiors.

"Hehe, you haven't had anything like that in a very long time, have you? For someone to consider you a general or commander.

" That may be so. Though it's rather too weird than pleasant."

" Well, you'll have to get used to it from now on. After all, we're not the only ones who've witnessed your struggle."

Leo sighed and walked further down the hall. Upon opening the door, he saw Lucy, who was explaining the town' history to Connor. Once she saw Leo, her mood became serious.

"So here you are again. I wasn't expecting you so soon though it was the perfect time it seems. Carleen and your friend told us what went down outside the city. Something tells me you might know more than just that a big battle took place here. The way you fight, nobody has ever heard of it. The way the elves were battling reminds me of an ancient book describing such similar effects. It is best to start from scratch. Just keep in mind: any information might be helpful to us and to the city, we must prepare for the future."

All waited for his answer hoping to find explanations.

"I do know who is responsible for this battle. He is the same one who is probably mentioned in this book. It was an attack ordered by the elf king Yrasil himself. Believe it or not, I spoke to him myself. It was only because of his remark that I even knew about the city' s situation. He planned for me to go here."

Lucy really couldn't believe it, but at the same time she had no choice but to rely on him. All of a sudden, she remembered something about Altaria's past.

"If it really is Yrasil, then Altaria is doomed. This area used to be part of his kingdom centuries ago up until Zaphiel almost overpowered him and the humans took over this empty land."

"Wait a minute, Zaphiel is ultimately responsible for Altaria?"

" Partly, yes. His followers stuck with him but they weren't the only ones who wanted freedom. As time went by, more humans settled down and in the end, this big city was born out of that. That' s why there is a good reason for this king to deliberately attack this area as it used to belong to him."

Leo was confused, Zaphiel told him about himself but left out such details, perhaps on purpose.

("So he almost dominated the elves? But then what about Yrasil's brother, was he an accomplice after all instead of innocent? He knows about Zaphiel's return and that I am the key for him. Heh, unfortunately his goal wouldn't work out either way. Ever since his powers disappeared, I've had no connection with him. Or is he after something much bigger than that? So many questions and I don't have any of the answers...")

The more Leo reflected, the bigger his headache became. Right now it was very important that he was able to focus on the present, a hard road lay ahead of them all.

"Speaking of Zaphiel: I have more to do with him than you think. He was my key and I was his to return. Had I not been there, he would never have come back. However, that would have meant that he wouldn't be here either. You can think what you want of me but I do not regret a single bit of this decision. The path I took was stopped by abandonment so I took care that it is still far from being over. You are correct Carleen, I may be devoting myself too much but ever since I met him for the first time I realized that if nothing changes nothing matters anymore. You see, I don't really feel like dying and by now I'm well aware of death. But if things were to continue like this there would soon be a dead man wandering among you."

"So in the end you don't care what happens to others? Then why do you care about helping others? Why did you join in protecting this city?"

The young man thought for a moment: Of his return, of his existence with Zaphiel, of the powers that have been closed to him for a long time. He was aware of the right answer. So he spoke out in the most frank way he had done in a long time.

"It's simple: because I have no choice. Because over time I have once again grown morals and a conscience. Because I was unwillingly led back to my old self. As one hand must wash the other, as one must always repay favors, as one must nurture relationships. Cause all that I used to be is slowly creeping back. Generally I hate to be tied to anything but there is no other way. Memories are nothing but obstacles for me, chasing me and clinging onto my being."

"Without memories you would be nothing but an empty shell, your existence would be meaningless to you."

"Haha, that's the whole point. Due to my memories, I would first become an empty shell that was constantly fed with new burdens and obstacles. Zaphiel used to describe this exact kind of situation. Constantly there is the same process into which one absolutely must force oneself in. Voluntarily one puts on chains and rejoices over his captivity only to rot afterwards: This is exactly the image of humans for him. It was hard for me to accept such things for a long time, however, when I saw this mess myself, I agreed with him. Perhaps everything is being forced in me little by little, nevertheless, it will never ever change my nature: I resent humans and I resent myself for being one of these ones again very soon. I don't hate you or my comrades or these residents but the essence and nature of us. And still I can't do anything because I have not enough authority to escape this vicious cycle. Such patterns are no different in other races only that they are unknown to me and thus interesting again."

Neither of his audience was enthusiastic about the way he was speaking. To them, he was trying to escape everything to appear higher.

"Hey, cool down a bit. Your life story may not be that great but that's not the issue. We need to figure out something against this opponent."

"If you want to know, I can assure you that he will set up a challenge for me. In his mind, I might be a way to get revenge on Zaphiel. As far as he is concerned, Zaphiel represents pure mayhem. Yrasil hates this idea, all that counts for him is order. If this territory used to belong to him, it is disorder for him. He gave me his word that he would grant us time as long as we take action. The bottom line is that he wants to lure us in knowing that it will only lead to our self-destruction. You yourselves have seen how he handles his people: They are remote controlled dolls whose lives are insignificant for him. Zaphiel himself has noticed that if they had free will, they would eventually disrupt his order. So he uses such methods on those who he considers a flaw in his system. I suppose after his disappearance, most of his control also disappeared too and now he wants to restore everything to its original state. However, I lack any knowledge of his brother or their relationship. If anyone can think of a weakness or flaw of Yrasil's then it is surely him. Except no one knows what happened to him or if he still exists."

"So we have no approach as to how we stand a chance."

" That can' t just be all there is to it. Lucy, you know, even without that information, there's always a way to at least have a shot.

"The future will demand sacrifice...that much is certain. Now, where are Lynia and Ryu, surely the dark elves will have more useful information than these."

"Both departed after the battle. You know Lynia's feelings about safety and security."

"I'm less concerned with her personal experiences or memories.

This is far bigger than anything else. I think I know of one person who can help us: Lynia's mother. She' s been leading the resistance for years, though no one has heard from her for some time. Neither do I know the number of her supporters nor if she is still alive. However, her character herself is a weapon against Yrasil."

"If there' s no lead about her, the only thing we can do is to ask people around here or search for her ourselves. But without any clues, this would be in vain."

"Can't we get support from other humans? I mean you two have managed to get here and are protective of this town. Certainly you have connections to other cities."

Before Lucy could answer, Leo gave Connor the hard truth.

"No they don't, at least not within this context. Have you forgotten the past of this city? It used to be something of a safe haven for those who no longer could endure the regulations and conditions of the other cities as well as the rest of the kingdom. The only relationship this city has is with trade. Requesting military support will be refused and may even cause a delay in the trading. In the worst case, some of the goods might drop out completely. The communication with the capital may exist on a small scale but the foundation stone of its existence will never do anything. Luminia, like Yrasil, is part of the alliance created with Zaphiel's banishment. The last thing she would do is strike at him. This city is insignificant to her since she knows about its territory. In the end, the folks here could worship this goddess with all their hope and nothing would happen. This should be more or less true, right?"

"Even if it is, I forbid anyone to talk about Altaria in such a detrimental and harassing tone."

"If you can't accept the truth that way, we are even farther away from it all than I expected.

Just before a heated discussion could break out Carleen interfered.

" Quit it both of you, none of this is going to help. While Altaria doesn't have any proper allies, its importance is big enough that its influence in these areas will be significant. Furthermore, absolutely nothing is certain about any attacks yet. First of all we should secure ourselves while looking ahead. Leo and Connor, you' re going to head back to Lynia. She said you guys should come back anyway. We will deal with the city and check back with you as soon as possible. Don't let the pressure get the best of us right from the start."

Carleen escorted them out of the palace and led them to the stables.

" You really had to talk to her like that? She's very sensitive when it comes to her responsibilities."

"We don't have time for such pettiness, the severity of the situation should be brought to her attention the same way."

"Tsk, words are not just words. It matters how they are put across before they are of any value."

Carleen gave Leo and Connor a horse and bid them farewell. The two immediately rode off, not wanting to waste any time.

"Did you really mean everything you said? That sounded pretty dark, I mean."

"Of course I meant it. Then again, I said that it doesn't count for everything. Friends are friends, even things like that don't change the fact. If I push it then you'll just have to hold me back."

" Well at least this time you really were sure that it would work out. There's a difference between recklessness and persuasion, I hope you got that."

By the time the two arrived there was an uproar throughout the fortress. Connor and Leo couldn't even get to Lynia's residence before a large crowd was in front of them. Amidst it all, the two spotted Nadal trying to calm the mob.

"What's going on here? Did enemies attack again or are there arguments over supplies again?"

"Man, you two have missed a lot of stuff while you were away. This is not about any fights, this is about something much bigger."

"And what would that be! Be clear!"

"There has been a messenger from far away. He brought a piece of news that' s pretty unbelievable. Lynia's mother is alive and has formed a huge resistance the size of five whole armies. However, that is not the unbelievable thing: There is apparently someone of major importance among their ranks: in fact it is Maris in person.

"Maris? Is that a liberty fighter or a legend in battle?"

Connor realized that Leo was completely frozen by that name, and at the same time his expression lightened up.

"No Connor, he's much more than that. If what he says is true then we really do have him in our ranks, someone thought to be dead: The brother of Yrasil and ruler of the dark elves Maris."