CHAPTER 6: A PROMISE

**Kuro**

“Ah…it’s been nice to see everyone is here!” the former god greeted us once his feet touched the desert sand. Then, almost immediately, a dark miasma shot out from his spot and dispersed in every direction. “Makes it easy for me to reclaim what I rightfully own!”

At that moment, the injured pair of Seirna and Natasha took the opportunity to attack him, throwing magic spells on Gaius. However, the former god easily dissipated their spells, as he walked slowly towards our direction…savoring every moment of our despair. Ruro, for her part, didn’t waste her chance to follow up the magic spells with a physical attack, trying to land a hit on Gaius’ body, using her speed and strength as a Beastman.

Nevertheless, Gaius caught one of her legs. He repeatedly slammed Ruro on the ground, like a child recklessly playing with a doll, before throwing her back to our side. Fortunately, the sands cushioned the Beastman Saint’s fall, and Maddie was quick to administer her healing magic on our friend.

“Gah!” the Human Saint cried out.

I ran to her side, “Your Holiness, what’s the matter?”

“I suddenly felt weak,” she told me. “It’s as if my mana is being sucked from my body…”

I looked at her hands; indeed, both were shaking, as Maddie tried her best to heal Ruro. Likewise, I also saw Natasha and Seirna struggling to stand, as our feet was already wrapped in that miasma oozing out from Gaius.

But what about me? I don’t feel anything!

“Careful,” Natasha shouted, “the dark miasma from the Seductress is absorbing our mana! Let’s get out of here as soon as we can!”

“Ruro’s still injured!” Maddie pointed out, “She needs to be healed!”

So, as I’m in a better condition than the Human Saint, I took charge of healing Ruro with the god-power. With her mana out of the question, Maddie opted to help me drag the Beaastman Saint away to a better spot.

“!!!”

The former god’s actions caused the human and demon armies who were still with us to resume their lethal fire, though now it was focused on Gaius. I saw how the bullets tore through his body, causing some black blood to spurt out of his wounds and his physical body shredded. However, the former god seemed unaffected by his injuries, and some of those even healed in an instant!

“Insolence!” he bellowed.

The sky dragon then turned to us and blew its fiery breath in rapid succession. The soldiers were forced to scatter, but the large fireballs raining down from heaven and over a huge area made it impossible for all of us to evade on time.

Well, shit! I don’t think there’s a god-power in me that can stop that flaming magic ball from incinerating us all.

Of course, the saints knew how fucked we were, so Ruro, Seirna, Natasha and Maddie stood their ground and chanted an equally-large barrier spell. The dragon’s attacks pounded our defenses, causing bright, colorful blasts that shook the ground, threw us all on the desert floor, and set some of the armies’ equipment on fire. It was a terrible, seemingly endless bombardment, but the saints’ efforts definitely saved us.

Although, in the process, they spent their mana enough to weaken them.

“…”

I had enough of watching the terrible scene unfold before me. Picking myself up, I activated the god-power of the Beastman Saint, rained hailstones and called upon a freak thunderstorm on the former god. While he was distracted dealing with my own attacks, I rushed to the soldiers who got injured and used my god-powers on them.

“!!!”

I heard cannon fire once again. The artillery crews, who went back to their guns, bravely resumed their fire against Gaius. Encouraged by their fight, the rest of the soldiers picked their arms and fought back. The hail of bullets and shells forced the former god to stop on his steps and summon what looked to me as ‘shadows’, complete with glowing red eyes. They rose up from the sea of dark miasma, and attacked anyone nearby.

“I-It’s the ‘shadow children’, Cass!” Seirna shouted, as those ‘shadow’-like creatures overwhelmed and murdered some of the soldiers who got separated from their comrades. The scattered armies fought back against their onslaught, but the uncoordinated defense was taking a toll on our forces.

“Damn it! Gaius really intends to kill us!” Natasha commented.

“W-We should teleport out of here,” Maddie suggested. She tried to stand, but her legs were wobbly. I caught her as she fell.

“Your Holiness!” I told her. “Please don’t overexert yourself! Rest here for a while, then teleport us out.”

Maddie nodded. Hearing those words, I took command of a nearest group of soldiers (humans and demons) and ordered them to surround the four saints and aim their guns on the ‘shadow children’.

“Don’t let them near us!” I told our formation. “Fire at will!”

The combined human-demon forces unleashed a hail of bullets that shredded the ‘children’ attacking us. Our enemies were easy targets, for one shot was all that it took—regardless of where you hit—to bring a ‘child’ down. Still, with their seemingly ‘endless’ numbers, they could overwhelm and kill us all. The soldiers repulsed their advances against us—with bullets and bayonets, but I’m worried that they would eventually reach their limits before the saints could recover their strengths.

“!!!”

But then, just as the ‘shadow children’ was about to pounce on our defensive lines, they suddenly stopped. Likewise, our soldiers, astonished by what just happened, stopped firing their guns. Gaius’ creatures halted on the same spot, creating a clear line of divide between our group and them.

“Don’t just stop! Shoot at them!” I bellowed orders. I don’t give a damn on what caused them to stop their attacks, but it’s our chance to escape our predicament.

Prodded by my instructions, the soldiers resumed their shooting. Fortunately, at that very moment, the cavalry of the demon lord—along with some units of the paladin guards of the Human Saint—swooped in to help us retreat. And the artillery crews kept on their devastating fire, which helped those who came to aid pull back themselves.

It is something like a ‘turkey shoot’. The ‘shadow children’ are quick to be killed, yet it’s as if their numbers are not dwindling.

The presence of the celestial dragon gave us more problems as well, for it bombarded the isolated groups of human and demon soldiers, resulting in horrific casualty counts for our side. The only force it didn’t attack was ours, which—even though it was chaotic—puzzled me.

My hunch is that, the presence of the saints is keeping Gaius from murdering us.

“Damn it! This won’t do!” Ruro finally stepped up, and with her last ounce of strength, chanted a teleportation spell. Our entire group disappeared just as the ‘children’ swamped our positions.

----------

As the saints, especially the Beastman Saint, hadn’t recovered that much, we ended up in some place near the battlefield, though devoid of the fighting and the miasma. We could still hear the artillery fire from where we were, and the sporadic gunfire from the soldiers left in that area. The good thing, however, was that the demon king, Hurion Devras, as well as his staff—including Shevaun, survived the onslaught, and were evacuating everyone they could, including the human soldiers.

“Are the saints okay?” it was King Hurion, as the undead medevac teams attended to the holy ladies.

“They just used their magic in that bombardment earlier, and I think that dark miasma over there is also interfering with their mana recovery,” I told him. “But I think they’ll be fine with a few moments of rest.”

“So, Sir, what should we do now?” the demon king asked. I guess this was the first time everyone dealt with this kind of threat, so no one had an idea of what to do. Well, if we remained here, or try to fight the former god, we’re sure of carnage and death. Our best option was to withdraw some place safe, so the saints could recover their strength. But the next question was, where?

“Milord, we can retreat to Helfan,” it was Shevaun who suggested that. “This spot is in the center of the Sea of Sand, and is pretty far off from King Hurion’s personal fief. We should use the fighting to escape; I’ll take command of the rear guard.”

We made quick plans for our withdrawal; however, I was still worried. It was well-known to all of us that this former god, Gaius, hated the demons and tried to have them annihilated before. I was thinking of sending people to all the major cities of Cherflammen and evacuate them to Helfan.

“Yes, Sir, I understand!” King Hurion reassured me. “I will send messengers to the clans, telling them to head to Helfan, or to the border crossing of Cherflammen and Chersea, whichever is near them.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

“As long as it pleases you, Sir!” the demon king winked at me.

----------

When the saints recovered a substantial amount of their powers, they teleported us all to Helfan, making it easy to evacuate everyone. Then, Seirna and Ruro went back to the battlefield to take charge of the pull out of the remaining soldiers, conducting rear-guard fighting and holding off Gaius’ dark forces. While Natasha—since it was her realm—took the chance, along with some of the demon king’s people, to warn the other demon clans of what’s happening to their land.

The King Hurion shed his disguise, and went back to her true self as Princess Noir, and together with Shevaun, went around the walls of Helfan to organize the defense, to prepare for the arrival of Gaius’ ‘shadow children’, and the celestial dragon.

“…”

Not wishing to remain idle, Maddie and I took the responsibility of caring for the injured soldiers arriving from the desert. As such, we were the ones who remained in Helfan Palace.

“…”

While waiting for the next batch of the wounded, I used the ‘lull’ to talk to the Human Saint. After all, she entered Cherflammen to ‘fetch’ me; but with the unexpected turn of events, I’m pretty sure she was blaming herself for something she couldn’t even control. Good thing that, as we were in Princess Noir’s palace, it had an elevated courtyard and garden where we could gaze on the Cherflammen ‘moon’, forever stuck in its position in that part of the land.

It sure is a welcome ‘break’ from the stress of fighting…

“Hey!”

Maddie nearly jumped from surprise as I reached out to her. I guess, with all that’s going on, she was confused, anxious and vulnerable.

“Don’t worry,” I reassured her. “Everything will be fine.”

“K-Kuro…” she finally spoke. “Is this…what Natasha has told me about?”

“Hm?” From her words, I could guess what she was worried about. However, as I wanted to be sure, I still asked her, “What about it?”

The Human Saint turned her eyes on me; her beautiful face—illuminated by the gentle blue glow of the moon—was full of worry and fear, “Kuro…I…I don’t want you to disappear. For me, you’re the only one that can make me happy…and yet…Natasha…she says that your fate isn’t at my side.”

“She said that?” I acted like I was surprised.

“Don’t joke around!” Maddie answered, “I can tell that she also told you the same! And you’re scared! Don’t hide it by making light of your situation.”

“Ah!” I was taken aback by her rebuke. “Sorry for that…”

“Kuro, you may not know it…or try to deny it, but see, a lot of people in Chersea, and in other realms look up to you,” she continued. “Your old world may not appreciate your efforts, and sacrifices. But not us! They love you; I love you even more! And the last thing on our minds is to forget you existed!”

I fell silent as I took in Maddie’s words. While it was true that those people in my own world might have forgotten my hard work and existence, I still got the people of this world behind me. Isn’t that why I’m fighting to stay alive and reverse whatever shit Fate has decreed on me?

“Kuro…” the Human Saint’s eyes never wavered. “…please, promise me. Whatever happens, you’ll fight to stay alive.”

“I’m a teacher, Maddie,” I gently caressed her face. “And, I try my best to do what I say.”

“Please promise me.”

Maddie’s determination was enough for me to gain courage. Of course, Fate might be an intimidating enemy, but with a girl like her on my side, I felt like I could take on whatever the entire universe threw at me.

----------

The next batch of the injured finally came, and Maddie and I had to separate ways as we healed the casualties. Natasha also arrived with a large group of demons in tow.

“I thought you’re only give warning to the demon clans?” Seirna asked her. “Why does it seems like you brought an entire city with you?”

“I got no choice, Seirna,” Natasha replied. “The access to the border crossing of Chersea and Cherflammen is closed; the demon refugees can’t cross to the other side.”

“What?” the Saint of the Flame blurted out, and stared at Maddie, who was the one responsible for allowing people to reach her realm.

“I left it open!” the Human Saint defended herself. “I did not consider waging an actual war against the demon king, so I never closed the crossing. You mean to say it closed on its own?”

Seirna and Natasha exchanged puzzled looks, and the Saint of Darkness then brought out her hunch, “If Maddie kept the crossing open, yet we can’t cross over, then it means…”

“The Seductress,” the Saint of the Flame quipped. “She must be interfering with the crossing to trap us all here.”

“Trap?” Ruro asked.

“Yes. Think about it,” Natasha explained, “The four of the six saints are here, in one place. The Seductress and the Lord Gaius both wanted our god-powers; the first, to further strengthen herself, after ages of being sealed in the Void. The second, well…he wants to return to being a god. I don’t know how they’ll do it, given that both have different ambitions, but look, if they killed us, they take out four birds with one strike. Hence, the Seductress closed the crossing. Easy peasy, right?”

An air of dread and tension came to those who heard the Saint of Darkness’ words. We were all speechless; everyone had the same sentiments. It was a hopeless case.

But Natasha added, “That’s why I’m evacuating the other cities. The more deaths and other negative events, the greater the power of the Seductress will be. And if she murdered everyone in this realm, no one’s going to stop her from challenging the heavens itself…as well as the other universes. If we can only save those we can save, that’d be one less power source for that accursed monster of the Void.”

“However, even if you bring everyone from all over Cherflammen here,” Ruro raised a point, “the fact remains that we can’t escape, and the Seductress and Gaius can simply attack us with impunity until all are dead.”

The Saint of Darkness grinned, “That’s where I come in, Ruro. Give me a pen and paper!”

Someone then handed her a quill and a bottle of ink. Then she gave those to Maddie, along with the paper.

“I can’t draw properly,” Natasha told us, “That’s why Maddie should be the one to handle this. In any case, the Human Saint and I worked on a magic circle before that can cross boundaries, even without the permission of the saint of that realm.”

“Oh right!” the Human Saint’s eyes brightened. “I can still remember some of its details! Just help with the rest.”

“Problem is, we’re going to need lots of paper,” the Saint of Darkness admitted. “We’re fighting against a malevolent creature seeking to trap us, so expect that she’ll interfere with my magic. As such, we’ll have to draw it every time the paper is burned.”

Seeing that we could still turn the tide against the combined forces of the Seductress and Gaius, I took charge, “Alright then! Your Dark Holiness, Lady Natasha, can I entrust you to gather all the people around Cherflammen. The Lady Seirna and Her Fluffy Holiness would bring in more of the wounded, while Lady Madelaine and I would search for all the paper we need, as well as ink bottles. Let’s get this done, and scoot out of here!”

----------

With a sliver of hope, as well as a plan of action, we immediately did our roles. Seirna and Ruro went back to the desert to rescue the soldiers pulling back from fighting against Gaius, while Natasha had gone to the demon cities and villages to evacuate everyone. I, for the meantime, went around the Helfan palace with the servants’ help, looking for papers and inks. Once found, we’d give it to Maddie, who drew the magic circle Natasha created.

“…”

The demon lord, Princess Noir and her chamberlain, Shevaun, helped with the temporary accommodations for the refugees. As the city of Helfan was smaller compared to Darkmoor, we were soon dealing with problems on where we should let the demons from all over Cherflammen stay. So, the solution was, after Maddie did a magic circle, she would cast her power on the paper to activate it, then have the refugees cross over into Chersea. As the other end led to the Holy Palatial Gardens, soon, the maids led by Lily, the templars and nuns, and even the paladin guards left to guard the Human Saint’s residence helped us.

It was a tedious task, especially for Maddie, who was drawing and casting her power on the circles at the same time. The refugees sent by Natasha seemed endless, but by dinner, Seirna and Ruro joined in the evacuation, increasing the portals into three. Since I got my duties done, I also got down and drew magic circles of my own, based on Natasha’s specifications.

“…”

The Seductress’ power continued to frustrate our efforts. As the hour of the long sleep approached, and the city of Helfan was teeming with anxious, and scared refugees, the papers on which we drew the magic circles was getting used up faster than we expected. From several hundred people that crossed into Chersea when we began, we could only hold open the portals long enough for around 60-70 individuals to pass, with the duration getting shorter.

“Sir!” Natasha called my attention to the three saints, “Their powers are getting weaker! They need rest!”

“Alright! But how many returns will you still have to do to evacuate all?”

“This will be the last,” she told me, much to my relief. “Just have them work for a bit more, and I’ll help.”

“But what about your own mana pool? You’ve been teleporting all over Cherflammen since earlier.”

“No choice, Sir. I got to push myself to save everyone,” Natasha winked at me. “We’re all in this together!”

“Yes!” was my answer to her before she teleported out once again. However, it’s in this type of moments that I wished I was the same as them. I mean, Maddie, Ruro and Seirna were all in the end of their powers, and I couldn’t do anything to help them with their magic.

----------

I tried activating the magic circle with my own, but my efforts were in vain. As I’m worried that the three saints working in the portals needed rest, I’m looking for ways to relieve their hardships. Well, as they were exhausted, I told them to take a break for a while, just to recover a little of their strength and wait for Natasha. I also cast a healing spell, just to help them recuperate.

“…”

Our situation may be dire, but there were still some good news. As the Saint of Darkness arrived with the final batch of refugees, I saw that—aside from the army protecting Helfan, most of the refugees had safely crossed into Chersea. And, once that final batch passed through the portals, we’d evacuate the demon soldiers of Princess Noir, as well as the members of her household, and then, we’d follow.

The moment the last mortal passed to safety is when the saints will seal the land of Cherflammen, and cut it off from the rest of Chersea and the other realms.

“…”

Well, of course, we’ll have to think of the demon people’s fate later on. What’s important is that everyone is safe first.

After resting for a bit, Natasha took charge of opening the portals. By then, we were down to our last bunch of papers, and our ink supply was about to go bust as well. I asked the servants of Princess Noir if they could get us some food, since we hadn’t eaten anything before. Good thing there were still a few that was left; the rest were given to the refugees.

When the three saints felt they could go back to ‘work’, they resumed powering the magic circles. The magic of the Seductress was undeniably stronger now than earlier, and we could only fit in about 20 people before the portal closed. While the last people from the refugees finally crossed to safety, the goal of evacuating the demon lord, her household and army, began in earnest.

I noticed that, as our magic circles were consumed, Natasha kept on stealing glances at me. Finally, while everyone else was busy, and she was resting, she approached me and whispered, “Sir G, can I talk to you for a second?”

“Hmm? Okay, what is it?”

The Saint of Darkness, and my old student, pulled me far from the people, and handed me a scroll. “Sir G, I don’t like to admit, but I think the papers won’t be enough for every one of us. As such, that scroll I gave you has a magic circle I made before that gives its holder the ability to return to his or her own world. The only drawback is, to activate it, another person would have to cast magic on it. A god-power like ours should make it work, unlike the magic circle we’re using right now, which is reliant on our own magic from this world. The latter is for transferring large numbers of people to within Chersea and the other realms connected to it, anyway.”

“I…I see…”

“It’s the only one I have—for it’s experimental, and I don’t want others to see it…it’s illegal stuff, Sir. But in case we got trapped, grab Maddie and I’ll teleport you guys out of here, you understand? I’m sure the Human Saint will adjust to Earth’s culture in no time. This is not your battle anymore, Sir G! Please live your lives to the fullest.”

“Fuck you!” I told her. “I don’t want a dead student before, and I don’t like it now, either! Save yourself as well!”

“Yes, I will, Sir G! But I’m making sure that you’ll be okay, together with the lady you love.”

“Thank you!”

And then we quickly separated ways. I wanted to say something more to Natasha, or Alexa…but, she walked away, obviously trying to avoid me.

----------

When the time came for the saints to switch places, Seirna, and Maddie took another break, while Ruro helped Natasha to power the magic circles. I told the Human Saint and the Saint of the Flame to rest on a nearby bench, and gave them food and drinks before heading back to assist in the evacuation.

However…

“Otherworlder!” Seirna called out to me and gestured to draw near her, quietly.

I glanced at Maddie, who immediately fell asleep. Well, I guess she needed a nap, even if it’s just for a bit…to recover her strength. I asked, “Anything I can help you rest, Your Holiness?”

“A quick break is fine, though your lover needs some more rest,” she told me, looking at the Human Saint. I took the chance to grab the mantle that I had in my back, and cover Maddie with it.

“So…”

“What did your old student tell you?”

I froze when I heard her words. Surely, this saint already knew what Natasha, and I talked about earlier.

“I can see it in your mind,” Seirna reminded me. “It’s useless to hide it from me.”

“Well, I guess I can’t just use it…” I admitted. “I mean, we have to get everyone across, including you…and us.”

“As far I’m guessing, it won’t work,” the Saint of the Flame revealed. “It’ll be a miracle to get everyone—including the rest of the demon soldiers and their king, except us—to Chersea. And our powers were being limited, too…like we’re just pushing it far beyond we usually do. I’m afraid it won’t last.”

“I want to save everyone,” I insisted. “No one’s going to be left behind.”

Seirna stared at me for quite a while, before laughing, shaking her head. Then, she told me, “Otherworlder, I can see your sincerity, but we have to be realistic. There are a few who’s going to be left behind, and forgotten.”

“You’re not saying…”

The Saint of the Flame nodded. “If ever we got trapped here, go get your girls and use Cassandra’s scroll to get out of here. I’ll be the one to cast the god-power on that stuff.”

“I hate hearing this…”

“We have to be realistic,” Seirna had a smirk on her lips, though she averted her gaze from me. “Besides, don’t you think it’s my punishment for my sins? I mean, we fought before, and I killed a lot of people. Plus, my master, Gaius, made you and your loved ones’ lives miserable, with me going along his plans. Between you and me, I think the choice is obvious on who should live. You genuinely cared for this world, after all…though your methods are not correct all the time.”

I heaved a sigh, “I got a question, and please, avoid reading my mind for a bit.”

“Alright then,” the Saint of the Flame had doubts in her voice, but did what I tell her. “What’s in your thoughts?”

“Do you want to live?”

The saint looked at me with a surprised expression. Then, she said, “Who wants to die a lonely death?”

“Then we should think of ways to get out of here,” I replied. “If our inks and papers got used up, then we’ll use the floor and our bloods to draw the circle. No matter what, don’t give up, Your Holiness. We all fucked up in our lives; so best thing is, to fight and correct the mistakes we did.”

The Saint of the Flame was silent.

So, I continued, “Besides, you also need to get out of here. After all, you and my old student are the ones who know how to deal with that ‘Seductress’.”

“Riiight,” Seirna was shaking her head, “how can I forget that…”

The Saint of the Flame and I had nothing else to talk about, so I just kept quiet. But then, I remembered something…

“Your Holiness…”

“Otherworlder?”

“Can I…” I paused for a bit to check if she’s looking in my mind. When I saw that she’s still doing what I asked of her earlier, I continued, “Can I request something from you?”