Marius’ answer that they were all dead provoked an eerie silence and, unlike the others, one person revealed a serious expression.
“I’ll ask again... What happened to Aurora?” Alice asked in a serious tone.
A cold, murderous stare as she released a fearsome presence.
The shadow beneath her feet that writhed and trembled, as if something was about to come out, was what provoked further fear.
The presence was slowly awakening, and it was a cold and sinister presence that generated terror.
Not like facing a difficult opponent, but something more sinister and frightening.
That presence was pointing at Marius, who visibly shivered.
“They’re all dead... I saw them die,” the man muttered after controlling himself.
Marius was pale as he spoke in a mixture of the loss of blood, wounds and fear, and his response drew stares from the others.
The presence rose and Alice acted.
A black arm came out from behind her back and caught Marius by the neck without giving him time to react.
“What are you doing?!”
“He’s hurt!”
The first scream was from Theodore, who was startled, and next was Adala, who panicked.
Urfin got the look from Siba, Meden and Alros who had their hands on their weapons without noticing.
He himself was similar, as he instinctively reacted defensively because of the presence Alice released.
The presence was of someone who was on the edge of S rank... Alice had an expressionless face and her black eyes showed that she was losing whatever edge she had.
Strong and dangerous, the sinister and cold aura simply revealed that she would kill anyone who got in her way.
Urfin reacted defensively, instinctively, as he sensed Alice’s presence.
“Aurora can’t die... So tell me. What happened?” Alice asked, approaching Marius.
Alice realized that they were acting defensively and the black arms that came out of her back started pointing at them.
That question, full of confidence, made some people look at her with doubt and pity... Looking like a person trying to maintain hope in the face of cruel reality.
However, Urfin noticed confidence... An extreme confidence that led him to point at the others so that they would not intervene.
Alice at this moment was not that young woman who could be appeased by food. She was the woman who could be extremely dangerous and who did not mind getting dirty with blood.
Someone with no boundaries to act... Now she had lost the one person who balanced her and that meant she could start a conflict and the sinister thing was that she would not regret her actions.
The most important thing for a person as indifferent to the lives of others as Alice was a person she cared about, as this was the case with her sister Aurora.
To some it might be a weakness, but to others it would be the switch that could trigger a greater danger... A danger without limits.
“She died...” Marius replied.
Those words made Alice click her tongue and throw Marius to the ground as she closed her eyes.
“Are you crazy? He’s hurt!” shouted Adala as she went to help Marius using potions and looking at the others, she asked. “Why isn’t anyone doing anything?”
There was silence and finally Theodore spoke.
“We can’t stay in this place anymore. It’s time to go back to the hideout... Then we can talk more calmly,” Theodore said, as he saw that Urfin didn’t move and looking at Alice, he pointed. “Then we can go check what happened.”
He was trying to calm the situation and acting as rational as possible.
Night was coming and that meant the situation would become dangerous.
While they had eliminated a large group of monsters, if things got agitated again, it was very possible that monsters would come from far away and the battles would be even more difficult because of the night effect.
However, Theodore was speaking to a person who had already ignored everyone present... Everyone lost importance before her eyes.
Alice opened her eyes and the shadow at her back released a large black mass covering her body completely until she transformed into a large creature.
“Stop...” Urfin said and instantly received the gaze of that large creature.
The creature was five meters tall and huge compared to them.
However, when one looked at the face created from the mass of darkness that pulsed in a strange way, one would notice that eyes formed and those eyes looked at Urfin.
A look that told him that if he got in her way, she was going to act against them and Alice was dangerous enough to carry out those actions.
“If you try to stop me from going after my friend... My sister. The result will not be good for you.” Alice said in a cool, indifferent voice, sounding calm.
The calmness, along with her S-rank presence on the edge of the ascent, was what made everyone give serious looks.
Alice was releasing her presence, and she did so in a threatening manner, and everyone who sensed her could feel the threat of a dangerous enemy.
Maybe it was reckless, but Alice right now had the strength to be reckless.
“I’m going after my sister, and I don’t need any help to accomplish that.” Alice said as she advanced through the middle of the trees.
At five meters tall and with her sturdy body, she was knocking down trees in her path and even though she was big, she was also fast.
Spears that came out of any part of the creature’s body pierced the few creatures that tried to attack.
Urfin sighed at not having left it room to speak, but gave a signal to the imperial team and pointed. “You guys go back to the hideout. We’ll follow.”
“This is insane!” shouted Adala in panic.
Theodore and Amanda’s expressions also turned serious, while Marius paled.
“We’ll all go,” Amanda replied seriously.
Those words led Theodore to put on an annoyed expression, but he nodded, understanding that it was better not to split up.
Urfin signaled to his group and looked at Alice, who was already walking away, then returned his gaze to Marius.
“Come on, we need to pick up the pace,” Urfin ordered as he saw that Marius’ wounds were healing.
Maybe Urfin wasn’t as determined as Alice, but he wasn’t about to abandon his companions.
******
Zrag watched his people.
He had been allowed to approach them and interact to bring calm and tranquility.
He had brought all the tribes together through fear... The source by which all goblins moved.
Especially the lower caste.
Savage, unintelligent creatures who followed their instincts and went with their nature.
Those who managed to acquire intelligence only used it for their own benefit, always acting cunningly to get what they wanted.
Such creatures could only obey by fearing someone superior to them... And that was what Zrag did.
He had to set many examples to prove that he was the individual to follow.
The middle caste were average individuals and thanks to Wozikas, their leader, they could adapt quickly, but in the end not all of them were intelligent and it was in their nature to follow the strong.
The only ones who followed him loyally were the upper caste to which Zrag belonged, all for the simple fact of having more brawn than brains.
Zrag looked again at his people, who were resting in this camp.
All those who were hidden under the tunnel before the battle were now in this place while the surrounding humans were keeping watch.
Zrag had designated those individuals who seemed to be calmer in accepting human influence and that was the shamans under Wozikas.
The shamans were intelligent enough to know that they could do little when confronted by humans.
The human authorities had told them about the ‘Sanctuary’ that the so-called Church of Time and Space was preparing.
What were that church’s goals and reasons for helping?
Just as Zrag wanted his race to survive, and that was his ultimate goal, some humans wanted the goblins not to die in vain and it was they who tried to open a third path.
The church authorities had told Zrag where they would be sent and if he was honest, it all seemed too good to be true.
Was it a trap? Or were the humans moved out of mercy and kindness?
To Zrag, it didn’t matter what the answer was. Right now he had accomplished part of his goal.
To save his race... If wherever they would be sent, they would end up as slaves or worse, it didn’t matter.
His race would survive.
“Relieved to see them?” An adult woman asked.
Wearing a priest’s robe, the human woman’s gaze was part curiosity and part seriousness... That woman had introduced herself as Cardinal Brousseau, who in terms of rank was on a higher level than the one who saved her people, Cardinal Najjar.
Was Zrag relieved to see them? To have accomplished his mission?
No.
He sacrificed many to get to this point and had abandoned a bunch of others.
His goal had always been to save his race and push them to survive, but not all had the strength to enter the abyssal portal and not all agreed to do so.
On a general level, he had abandoned good individuals on the other side along with many bastards who refused to follow him.
Zrag looked back at the camp again.
Unlike all the military and soldiers who could survive when the rift opened, the ‘civilians’, as the humans called it, were treated very well.
They were given clothing, a comfortable place to sleep and plenty of food, even medical check-ups were conducted.
“Before taking them to their destinations, we need to check if they don’t bring any disease that could be fatal to humans and check their resistance to diseases so that they don’t suffer from Terran diseases. We are thinking of taking them to Zerzura and its climate is hot, so we need to verify that,” Cardinal Brousseau explained.
Zrag already knew that information and while there were times he didn’t understand, even when it was explained more seriously, the selected shamans understood what was important.
“Evil and goodness are one, there is always balance,” Zrag murmured, remembering the words of that voice that guided him to that point, and noticing Cardinal Brousseau’s gaze, he revealed. “The voice never said its name, only its ‘voice’ sounded in my mind.”
Cardinal Brousseau’s expression became serious... That question had been asked by both Cardinals, but he had not answered it.
“Its gender was undefined... Androgynous. Its intent was always clear, pointing a way without giving any demands. It was kindness,” Zrag explained and, looking at Cardinal Brousseau, asked. “If goodness and evil are one, then where is the evil?”
Zrag was silent again and so was Cardinal Brousseau, but they both looked in the same direction in the distance... It was where the rift and the abyssal portal were.
His people received the ‘goodness’ from that voice and as for the ‘evil’ it was not very difficult to find the answer when the humans themselves were facing a rift caused by the appearance of the abyssal portal.
Both were silent and after a while, Zrag followed a space mage, who led him to a strange place with his magic.
Stone walls reinforced by magic and highly sealed... This place was a temporary prison where an intangible force pressured and restrained them from causing trouble.
Zrag walked through the corridors until he reached a subway room where the military survivors were.
Of his entire army, about five hundred soldiers survived and of his twenty-eight S-ranks, twenty-two died... Leaving six survivors of that rank, including himself.
The three bosses who were under his command.
Bogas who had been captured by humans and Jarka, the daughter of Wozikas, who had managed to escape by allying with humans.
In that hard battle against Chaos where death was happening at every moment, she was one of the few who could achieve a tacit cooperation on the battlefield.
That was why she was selected to lead the situation among the civilians and cooperate with the humans.
Looking at the approaching soldiers and chiefs of chiefs, Zrag hid his thoughts.
Was his mission over?
Were his people safe?
If he chose to believe those two cardinals and they were right, then it meant he had supported them in a way he never imagined.
He had heard about the sanctuary, but the level of their support and that of the Church of Time and Space was too unbelievable... He literally could not believe it.
The truth was that at this point, there wasn’t too much to think about and there was only one way.
If the words of those two cardinals were true, then his work was not done.
With his little interaction with those humans, he realized many things... The savage nature of the lower caste could not be accepted.
All future animosity needed to be eliminated and his people needed to adapt to the culture of the humans, following their rules and assimilating their sense of morality.
To achieve such goals, Zrag had to take charge again, albeit with a difference.
This time he wasn’t moving to survive, but to live... To try to make his people live well.
“What did they say? Do we have to fight alongside them against Chaos?” Wozikas asked with a serious tone.
That was a condition that had been offered to show that cooperation was possible... No, Zrag had been told that this was the best move if they wanted to live on Earth.
They needed to show that they were cooperating with humans, that peace was possible, and especially that it was possible to live with humans.
The best way was to fight side by side to leave differences behind.
But Wozikas, as intelligent as he was, could only think that they would be used as a vanguard to bear the brunt of the attack and their numbers would dwindle.
It was a possibility Zrag did not deny... But if he thought of all the possibilities and doubted everything, he would never have reached this point.
He would not have followed the guidance of that voice, and no one would have survived.
“That is a possibility.” Zrag replied without denial.
“NO! We can’t fight them! Those bastards murdered many of our own!” growled Ragas angrily.
His voice was loud and raised, getting many of the listening soldiers to agree.
Zrag remembered all their faces and then looked at Goras, who was Ragas’ ‘boss’.
Ragas had been captured and locked up until they were reunited. He had not seen what had happened during that bloody battle and neither had he felt the strength of those powerful individuals.
He was now an ignorant individual who, because of his loss, had lost fear and respect for him... Zrag could see it and not only in Ragas, but in those soldiers cheering for war.
“We can’t keep this way... We can’t trust those humans,” Goras said with a look full of ferocity and malice.
That little creature that led the lower caste. Now he didn’t care about his people, he was just taking the opportunity to go against him, trying to bring him down and maybe take his place.
The panorama he could see was as small as his size... Zrag gave a big smile and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him high.
“We will do as I say!” he roared loudly, getting everyone to tremble.
It was a fear he etched deep in their minds... He etched it when he murdered and tortured those who disobeyed him.
That green creature’s expression was filled with fear, but deep in his eyes was malice and animosity.
Zrag noticed it and simply threw it to the ground.
“You will obey my orders to the letter and follow me!” Zrag ordered as he made his way to his cell.
His work was not done.
It was impossible for it to be over.
He had rounded up the worst scum, for it was those scum that always had great strength and had abandoned many good goblins in their former lands, but now it was counterproductive.
They were useful at the time, though at this point it was necessary to remove those scum before they corrupted the others and caused trouble with what was to come.
Zrag was going to take that job.
He would eliminate whoever he had to eliminate to get the rest to live well in this strange world.
Marius’ answer that they were all dead provoked an eerie silence and, unlike the others, one person revealed a serious expression.
“I’ll ask again... What happened to Aurora?” Alice asked in a serious tone.
A cold, murderous stare as she released a fearsome presence.
The shadow beneath her feet that writhed and trembled, as if something was about to come out, was what provoked further fear.
The presence was slowly awakening, and it was a cold and sinister presence that generated terror.
Not like facing a difficult opponent, but something more sinister and frightening.
That presence was pointing at Marius, who visibly shivered.
“They’re all dead... I saw them die,” the man muttered after controlling himself.
Marius was pale as he spoke in a mixture of the loss of blood, wounds and fear, and his response drew stares from the others.
The presence rose and Alice acted.
A black arm came out from behind her back and caught Marius by the neck without giving him time to react.
“What are you doing?!”
“He’s hurt!”
The first scream was from Theodore, who was startled, and next was Adala, who panicked.
Urfin got the look from Siba, Meden and Alros who had their hands on their weapons without noticing.
He himself was similar, as he instinctively reacted defensively because of the presence Alice released.
The presence was of someone who was on the edge of S rank... Alice had an expressionless face and her black eyes showed that she was losing whatever edge she had.
Strong and dangerous, the sinister and cold aura simply revealed that she would kill anyone who got in her way.
Urfin reacted defensively, instinctively, as he sensed Alice’s presence.
“Aurora can’t die... So tell me. What happened?” Alice asked, approaching Marius.
Alice realized that they were acting defensively and the black arms that came out of her back started pointing at them.
That question, full of confidence, made some people look at her with doubt and pity... Looking like a person trying to maintain hope in the face of cruel reality.
However, Urfin noticed confidence... An extreme confidence that led him to point at the others so that they would not intervene.
Alice at this moment was not that young woman who could be appeased by food. She was the woman who could be extremely dangerous and who did not mind getting dirty with blood.
Someone with no boundaries to act... Now she had lost the one person who balanced her and that meant she could start a conflict and the sinister thing was that she would not regret her actions.
The most important thing for a person as indifferent to the lives of others as Alice was a person she cared about, as this was the case with her sister Aurora.
To some it might be a weakness, but to others it would be the switch that could trigger a greater danger... A danger without limits.
“She died...” Marius replied.
Those words made Alice click her tongue and throw Marius to the ground as she closed her eyes.
“Are you crazy? He’s hurt!” shouted Adala as she went to help Marius using potions and looking at the others, she asked. “Why isn’t anyone doing anything?”
There was silence and finally Theodore spoke.
“We can’t stay in this place anymore. It’s time to go back to the hideout... Then we can talk more calmly,” Theodore said, as he saw that Urfin didn’t move and looking at Alice, he pointed. “Then we can go check what happened.”
He was trying to calm the situation and acting as rational as possible.
Night was coming and that meant the situation would become dangerous.
While they had eliminated a large group of monsters, if things got agitated again, it was very possible that monsters would come from far away and the battles would be even more difficult because of the night effect.
However, Theodore was speaking to a person who had already ignored everyone present... Everyone lost importance before her eyes.
Alice opened her eyes and the shadow at her back released a large black mass covering her body completely until she transformed into a large creature.
“Stop...” Urfin said and instantly received the gaze of that large creature.
The creature was five meters tall and huge compared to them.
However, when one looked at the face created from the mass of darkness that pulsed in a strange way, one would notice that eyes formed and those eyes looked at Urfin.
A look that told him that if he got in her way, she was going to act against them and Alice was dangerous enough to carry out those actions.
“If you try to stop me from going after my friend... My sister. The result will not be good for you.” Alice said in a cool, indifferent voice, sounding calm.
The calmness, along with her S-rank presence on the edge of the ascent, was what made everyone give serious looks.
Alice was releasing her presence, and she did so in a threatening manner, and everyone who sensed her could feel the threat of a dangerous enemy.
Maybe it was reckless, but Alice right now had the strength to be reckless.
“I’m going after my sister, and I don’t need any help to accomplish that.” Alice said as she advanced through the middle of the trees.
At five meters tall and with her sturdy body, she was knocking down trees in her path and even though she was big, she was also fast.
Spears that came out of any part of the creature’s body pierced the few creatures that tried to attack.
Urfin sighed at not having left it room to speak, but gave a signal to the imperial team and pointed. “You guys go back to the hideout. We’ll follow.”
“This is insane!” shouted Adala in panic.
Theodore and Amanda’s expressions also turned serious, while Marius paled.
“We’ll all go,” Amanda replied seriously.
Those words led Theodore to put on an annoyed expression, but he nodded, understanding that it was better not to split up.
Urfin signaled to his group and looked at Alice, who was already walking away, then returned his gaze to Marius.
“Come on, we need to pick up the pace,” Urfin ordered as he saw that Marius’ wounds were healing.
Maybe Urfin wasn’t as determined as Alice, but he wasn’t about to abandon his companions.
******
Zrag watched his people.
He had been allowed to approach them and interact to bring calm and tranquility.
He had brought all the tribes together through fear... The source by which all goblins moved.
Especially the lower caste.
Savage, unintelligent creatures who followed their instincts and went with their nature.
Those who managed to acquire intelligence only used it for their own benefit, always acting cunningly to get what they wanted.
Such creatures could only obey by fearing someone superior to them... And that was what Zrag did.
He had to set many examples to prove that he was the individual to follow.
The middle caste were average individuals and thanks to Wozikas, their leader, they could adapt quickly, but in the end not all of them were intelligent and it was in their nature to follow the strong.
The only ones who followed him loyally were the upper caste to which Zrag belonged, all for the simple fact of having more brawn than brains.
Zrag looked again at his people, who were resting in this camp.
All those who were hidden under the tunnel before the battle were now in this place while the surrounding humans were keeping watch.
Zrag had designated those individuals who seemed to be calmer in accepting human influence and that was the shamans under Wozikas.
The shamans were intelligent enough to know that they could do little when confronted by humans.
The human authorities had told them about the ‘Sanctuary’ that the so-called Church of Time and Space was preparing.
What were that church’s goals and reasons for helping?
Just as Zrag wanted his race to survive, and that was his ultimate goal, some humans wanted the goblins not to die in vain and it was they who tried to open a third path.
The church authorities had told Zrag where they would be sent and if he was honest, it all seemed too good to be true.
Was it a trap? Or were the humans moved out of mercy and kindness?
To Zrag, it didn’t matter what the answer was. Right now he had accomplished part of his goal.
To save his race... If wherever they would be sent, they would end up as slaves or worse, it didn’t matter.
His race would survive.
“Relieved to see them?” An adult woman asked.
Wearing a priest’s robe, the human woman’s gaze was part curiosity and part seriousness... That woman had introduced herself as Cardinal Brousseau, who in terms of rank was on a higher level than the one who saved her people, Cardinal Najjar.
Was Zrag relieved to see them? To have accomplished his mission?
No.
He sacrificed many to get to this point and had abandoned a bunch of others.
His goal had always been to save his race and push them to survive, but not all had the strength to enter the abyssal portal and not all agreed to do so.
On a general level, he had abandoned good individuals on the other side along with many bastards who refused to follow him.
Zrag looked back at the camp again.
Unlike all the military and soldiers who could survive when the rift opened, the ‘civilians’, as the humans called it, were treated very well.
They were given clothing, a comfortable place to sleep and plenty of food, even medical check-ups were conducted.
“Before taking them to their destinations, we need to check if they don’t bring any disease that could be fatal to humans and check their resistance to diseases so that they don’t suffer from Terran diseases. We are thinking of taking them to Zerzura and its climate is hot, so we need to verify that,” Cardinal Brousseau explained.
Zrag already knew that information and while there were times he didn’t understand, even when it was explained more seriously, the selected shamans understood what was important.
“Evil and goodness are one, there is always balance,” Zrag murmured, remembering the words of that voice that guided him to that point, and noticing Cardinal Brousseau’s gaze, he revealed. “The voice never said its name, only its ‘voice’ sounded in my mind.”
Cardinal Brousseau’s expression became serious... That question had been asked by both Cardinals, but he had not answered it.
“Its gender was undefined... Androgynous. Its intent was always clear, pointing a way without giving any demands. It was kindness,” Zrag explained and, looking at Cardinal Brousseau, asked. “If goodness and evil are one, then where is the evil?”
Zrag was silent again and so was Cardinal Brousseau, but they both looked in the same direction in the distance... It was where the rift and the abyssal portal were.
His people received the ‘goodness’ from that voice and as for the ‘evil’ it was not very difficult to find the answer when the humans themselves were facing a rift caused by the appearance of the abyssal portal.
Both were silent and after a while, Zrag followed a space mage, who led him to a strange place with his magic.
Stone walls reinforced by magic and highly sealed... This place was a temporary prison where an intangible force pressured and restrained them from causing trouble.
Zrag walked through the corridors until he reached a subway room where the military survivors were.
Of his entire army, about five hundred soldiers survived and of his twenty-eight S-ranks, twenty-two died... Leaving six survivors of that rank, including himself.
The three bosses who were under his command.
Bogas who had been captured by humans and Jarka, the daughter of Wozikas, who had managed to escape by allying with humans.
In that hard battle against Chaos where death was happening at every moment, she was one of the few who could achieve a tacit cooperation on the battlefield.
That was why she was selected to lead the situation among the civilians and cooperate with the humans.
Looking at the approaching soldiers and chiefs of chiefs, Zrag hid his thoughts.
Was his mission over?
Were his people safe?
If he chose to believe those two cardinals and they were right, then it meant he had supported them in a way he never imagined.
He had heard about the sanctuary, but the level of their support and that of the Church of Time and Space was too unbelievable... He literally could not believe it.
The truth was that at this point, there wasn’t too much to think about and there was only one way.
If the words of those two cardinals were true, then his work was not done.
With his little interaction with those humans, he realized many things... The savage nature of the lower caste could not be accepted.
All future animosity needed to be eliminated and his people needed to adapt to the culture of the humans, following their rules and assimilating their sense of morality.
To achieve such goals, Zrag had to take charge again, albeit with a difference.
This time he wasn’t moving to survive, but to live... To try to make his people live well.
“What did they say? Do we have to fight alongside them against Chaos?” Wozikas asked with a serious tone.
That was a condition that had been offered to show that cooperation was possible... No, Zrag had been told that this was the best move if they wanted to live on Earth.
They needed to show that they were cooperating with humans, that peace was possible, and especially that it was possible to live with humans.
The best way was to fight side by side to leave differences behind.
But Wozikas, as intelligent as he was, could only think that they would be used as a vanguard to bear the brunt of the attack and their numbers would dwindle.
It was a possibility Zrag did not deny... But if he thought of all the possibilities and doubted everything, he would never have reached this point.
He would not have followed the guidance of that voice, and no one would have survived.
“That is a possibility.” Zrag replied without denial.
“NO! We can’t fight them! Those bastards murdered many of our own!” growled Ragas angrily.
His voice was loud and raised, getting many of the listening soldiers to agree.
Zrag remembered all their faces and then looked at Goras, who was Ragas’ ‘boss’.
Ragas had been captured and locked up until they were reunited. He had not seen what had happened during that bloody battle and neither had he felt the strength of those powerful individuals.
He was now an ignorant individual who, because of his loss, had lost fear and respect for him... Zrag could see it and not only in Ragas, but in those soldiers cheering for war.
“We can’t keep this way... We can’t trust those humans,” Goras said with a look full of ferocity and malice.
That little creature that led the lower caste. Now he didn’t care about his people, he was just taking the opportunity to go against him, trying to bring him down and maybe take his place.
The panorama he could see was as small as his size... Zrag gave a big smile and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him high.
“We will do as I say!” he roared loudly, getting everyone to tremble.
It was a fear he etched deep in their minds... He etched it when he murdered and tortured those who disobeyed him.
That green creature’s expression was filled with fear, but deep in his eyes was malice and animosity.
Zrag noticed it and simply threw it to the ground.
“You will obey my orders to the letter and follow me!” Zrag ordered as he made his way to his cell.
His work was not done.
It was impossible for it to be over.
He had rounded up the worst scum, for it was those scum that always had great strength and had abandoned many good goblins in their former lands, but now it was counterproductive.
They were useful at the time, though at this point it was necessary to remove those scum before they corrupted the others and caused trouble with what was to come.
Zrag was going to take that job.
He would eliminate whoever he had to eliminate to get the rest to live well in this strange world.
