The heavy temple doors swing shut behind them, muting the solemn atmosphere within. Stepping into the courtyard, Amazel suddenly snaps to attention, her posture rigid and formal. "Salute, General Julie!" she declares, her voice carrying across the quiet space.
Every servant and maid in the courtyard freezes in their duties, heads turning to stare at the unexpected spectacle. Brooms clatter, baskets slip from hands, and every eye turns to Julie. Whispers spark like wildfire. Julie feels heat flood her cheeks. "Please stop this, General," she whispers urgently, gently pushing the older woman's hand down. "Everyone is watching us."
Amazel's formal demeanour melts into a bright, mischievous grin. "Okay, but no more 'General.' From now on, call me Amazel."
Julie returns the smile, a genuine warmth breaking through her usual reserve. "Alright then. From now on, I'll call you 'big sis.'"
Amazel's eyes go wide, then soft. 'Big sis...' The words echo in her mind, touching a place she hadn't realised felt so empty. She'd always wanted a little sister. For a moment, she simply stares into space, captivated by the notion.
"Big sis," Julie's voice breaks through her reverie. "Do you know why Lord Hades gave such an order?"
Amazel blinks, returning to the present. "In the beginning, Lord Hades promised that when the ducal war ended, he would reward everyone with an evolution orb."
"Okay, but why the extra-sized cloth?" Julie tilts her head in confusion.
Amazel's grin returns, full of secrets. "You'll know soon enough." Something in that smile makes Julie's instincts prickle. 'I have a bad feeling about this.'
---
After parting ways, Julie makes her way to the central plaza. Amazel starts ringing the bell. Rang! Rang!
Drawing a deep breath, Julie projects her voice with newfound authority. "Attention! Attention!"
Throughout the plaza, people pause their work and gather before her. When a sufficient crowd has formed, Julie announces: "The Crown has sent a decree! All citizens, including children and the elderly, will gather before the temple tomorrow. Each person must bring an extra-large cloth with them. Men will stand on the right side, women on the left."
A wave of murmuring sweeps through the crowd as people speculate about the mysterious decree. Julie pins the parchment to the notice board before turning toward the library where Mia is usually found.
The moment Julie steps into the library, the world changes. The scent of aged paper and leather bindings fills her nostrils, and all outside noise vanishes, replaced by a profound silence that feels almost sacred. A librarian is methodically arranging books on a cart. Julie approaches quietly. "Can you please tell me where Mia is?"
The librarian doesn't speak, merely pointing straight ahead before tapping a sign that reads "KEEP SILENCE" in bold letters.
Julie nods and begins to walk in the direction the librarian pointed. As she moves deeper into the labyrinthine halls, her eyes wander over the towering bookshelves that reach up into shadowed vaults high above. They are not simple wooden structures but seem grown from living, dark-grained wood, their shelves bending under the weight of centuries of knowledge. The air itself smells of ancient paper, old leather, and the faint, ozone-like crackle of magically preserved scrolls.
The books are a testament to the vastness of the world. Some are bound in plain, cracked leather, their spines handwritten in fading ink with titles like "Treatises on Elemental Convergence" and "The Early Migrations of the Dark Dominion Folk." Others are more exotic: one volume is shackled with a silver lock that seems to breathe, another pulses with a soft, internal light, and a third appears to be bound in what looks like dragon-scale, its title etched in fiery runes that shift when she tries to focus on them. She passes a section dedicated to tactical warfare, seeing rolled maps protruding from cylindrical cases, and another where floating, crystalline orbs hum softly, containing what she can only guess are three-dimensional historical records.
It is a place of immense power and quiet majesty, and Julie feels a reflexive need to hold her breath, as if a single exhalation might disturb the slumbering wisdom all around her.
Finally, she spots Mia at a secluded desk nestled in a small area between two towering shelves labelled "Genealogical Histories & Bloodline Traces." The girl is so deeply engrossed in a thick, daunting tome titled "The Stratigraphic Layers of Inter-realm Magical Theory" that she seems to have become part of the furniture. Her nose is almost touching the yellowed parchment, her finger tracing a complex diagram. "Mia... Mia... Mia," Julie whispers, receiving no response. She tries again, slightly louder, but the girl is lost in her literary world.
Exasperated, Julie finally jostles her shoulder. "MIA!"
Mia jumps, looking at Julie as if she were a madwoman devoid of common sense. Just as Julie begins to speak, a sharp rap strikes her butt. "Oww!" She whirls around to find the silent librarian holding a slender stick, a single finger pressed to her lips in the universal sign for silence.
'Oww! Is she a ghost, an assassin, or some secret agent? I didn't even sense her presence!' Julie rubs her sore butt, then gestures to Mia. "Let's go outside."
Mia nods, but as she turns to leave, another swift tap catches her. "Oww!" She turns to see the librarian pointing sternly at the book she'd been reading. Mia quickly reshelves it properly before practically fleeing the library with Julie.
In the nearby park, Julie hands Mia a sealed parchment. "Lord Hades asked me to give this to you."
Mia breaks the seal and reads the contents, her expression unreadable. "What does it say?" Julie asks.
"I'm to become your legion's military advisor and strategist."
"Congratulations!" Julie claps cheerfully, but then pauses. 'Wait, Amazel just stepped down today, and I took her role. But as far as I remember, Lord Hades didn't write anything at that time, as he gave it to me already written on parchment. That means everything was already planned and predicted.' An unusual chill runs down her spine as she glances toward the distant temple. 'So scary.'
Mia notices her distraction. "What happened?"
"Ah, nothing," Julie recovers quickly. "I was just wondering where Master Druvak might be."
Mia's voice softens, tinged with a sadness that seems to cling to her like morning dew. "Master is resting under the tree at the training grounds."
Julie notices the slump in Mia's shoulders, the way her eyes avoid contact. The grief for Gobuka is a chain that binds them all, but it weighs on Mia differently. "Ok, I take my leave," Julie says, her voice gentle.
Her walk breaks into a jog, then a full sprint. Her boots slap against the cobblestones, the sound echoing in the quieter side streets leading toward the military quarter.
She skids to a halt at the edge of the vast training grounds. The area is deserted, save for one figure. There sits Druvak, under the sprawling canopy of the ancient oak tree, leaning against its massive trunk, his skeletal form looking less like a mighty death knight and more like a pile of discarded armour. The air around him is still and heavy with grief.
For a long moment, she just watches him. The silence is profound. Then, steeling herself, she approaches. The grass muffles her steps until she stands before him. She sits down, cross-legged, respecting his silence.
"Master," she says softly, the title feeling both familiar and strangely formal.
Druvak's hollow eyes light with blue light as he focuses on her. "Oh, Julie." She hands him the parchment from Hades.
As he reads, Julie watches the words work their magic. The parchment states: 'Druvak, I know you grieve for Gobuka, but consider what he accomplished. He walked the path you taught him. He had chances to flee the battlefield but chose to fight to the end. He died with honour rather than live with shame. If he saw you now, I am certain he would say: "Skeleton head, what's happened to you? Have you lost yourself in my death? Where is the passion that survived even your own death? Stand up and be who you were meant to be."'
Druvak draws a deep breath, and the weak flame within him flares back to its former intensity. Julie takes an involuntary step back, sensing the change in his aura. 'What is written on that parchment? As just by reading, it awakened this sleeping old dragon.'
He continues reading: 'I've promoted Julie to General, as she now possesses the Godhood of Slaughter and attains strength equal to yours, and she also has a sharp mind, which is essential for a general. But she and others are new to their power. So, I assign you the most important task: become their instructor, train and guide them so they don't go astray.'
Druvak looks at Julie, his voice firm once more. "Julie, you will lead all 550 soldiers from both my and Amazel's former legion as General. And congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you, Master," Julie says, blushing slightly. As she turns to leave, Druvak's voice stops her.
"I happened to hear you've awakened the Godhood of Slaughter." Cold sweat breaks out on her neck. She turns to see him unsheathing his black sword, her face reflected in its deadly sharp blade. The weapon flares with blue flame. "Let's exercise a little."
---
The next day, the entire population gathers as decreed. Men stand to the right, women to the left, each holding an extra-sized cloth.
Julie arrives, her face sporting dark bruises and bandages. Aniya looks at her with concern. "Hey, Julie, what happened to your face?"
Pulling her hood up and adjusting her mask, Julie mumbles, "Nothing, just fell down some stairs." 'Fell down Bullshit! Skull head waits. I will surpass you and repay this humiliation double.'
"Take care of yourself—"
Rang! Rang!
The temple bells interrupt her. Hades and Hecate emerge, and all fall silent.
Hades steps forward. "As promised, I will evolve you all to advance your bloodlines." He raises his hand, and a long earthen wall erupts from the ground, separating the sexes. A thick mist envelops both sides, obscuring vision.
Hades closes his eyes in concentration. A purple orb forms between his hands, expanding until it dwarfs him. Wisps of purple energy stream forth, entering every citizen.
Suddenly, blinding purple light engulfs them all. Their bodies disintegrate completely before reconstructing into new forms of flesh and bone.
Aaahhhh!!!
The process is intensely painful, eliciting screams of agony throughout the square. But the pain lasts only moments before the light dims, revealing their transformed bodies.
"Everyone, wear your clothes!" Hades's voice rings out. Confusion turns to realisation as people look down at their naked forms. The mist provides privacy, but still, embarrassed shrieks come from the women's side before they hurriedly don the clothes they'd brought.
As everyone dresses, the mist dissipates and the earthen wall sinks back into the ground.
Before them stands a transformed populace: ·Demons become Arkdemons with crimson wings, harpoon tails, black horns, light blue skin, and black sclera with golden iris. ·Light Dominos evolve into Light Angels with pure white wings and blonde hair. ·Dark Dominos are now Dark Angels with jet-black wings and hair. ·Plant Dominos become elegant Elves with pointed ears and blonde hair. ·Earth Dominos now stand as hulking Genomes with massively muscular arms. ·Water Dominos transform into Sirakels with minute scales covering their skin, pairs of horns and a catfish-like tail with sapphire scales. ·Fire Dominos are now Inferzals with red skin and extra pairs of arms. ·Air Dominos become Aerynders with backward-pointing horns and serpent-like tails feathered at the end.
But Julie's transformation is most unique. Her skin takes on a tan hue, her ears point like an elf's, and black horns curve from her forehead. Her sclera turns black with golden irises that hold a dangerous red glint. She evolves into something entirely new. She becomes more powerful than before.
Looking at herself and then at the others, Julie murmurs, "From now on, I am no longer one-third demon, one-third dark dominos, and one-third Titan. I am Zerythar." She clenches her fist, a fierce grin spreading across her face. "Polish your bones, Skull Head. My time has come."