Gernoff had slaughtered everyone in the underworld that knew his face before following Valeron.
He was a short blonde man, barely over 1.5 meters (5′) tall with a babyface. Even after the King had Awakened him, Oghrom had refused to learn magic for a long time, favoring the abilities he had trained his whole life over some improvised skills.
Even though Valeron had bestowed upon him the Myrok name along with a Royal Pardon to cleanse his rap sheet, the Gernoff household still had its place in the Council.
The hidden Assassin specialization that Nana once took, had been derived by recreating his personal spells with Silverwing’s legacy. Among the many things Jirni had inherited from him, there was the ability to take down men twice her size with one hand, the same Oghrom had even before Awakening.
Fyrwal the Hydra, master of all elements. She was renowned for her beauty, her rainbow-colored hair, and for having laid the foundations of both the Battle Mage and War Mage specializations.
She had never cared for humans nor did she change her mind after the end of the war. Fyrwal considered them as filthy and greedy mongrels, but she called Valeron a friend.
She followed him to make sure that his good heart wouldn’t be his downfall since Tyris would protect Valeron the man, but she left the future King to bear the burden of his own decisions.
Tessa the Dryad, who would evolve into a Titania during the war. She taught her companions how to respect Mogar and was the first Master Warden of the Kingdom. Both the Warden and the Highmaster specializations came from her.
At night, before a battle, she would walk as silent as a leaf carried by the wind and as deadly as nightshade. Tessa would poison the land and the water, cleansing them only after her army occupied them.
She considered the living and the dead to be the same. It took only so much to turn them both into an excellent fertilizer, putting useless trash to good use. Tessa followed Valeron because he didn’t promise her a utopia, only to do the best he could to protect the forests from the greed of man.
He never lusted her body nor did he lie to her and that earned him more than her loyalty, it earned Valeron her respect.
Seeing their faces almost moved Baba Yaga to tears, but her survival instinct kicked in, leaving no place for nostalgia. She instantly recognized the When All Are One formation that had almost killed her and destroyed her tower during their first meeting.
It was Tessa’s original Spirit Array that allowed them to share their minds, their skills, and even their powers. The Red Mother back then didn’t lose because she faced the five founding heroes of the Kingdom.
She lost because the When All Are One formation made them into a group of five seven-headed Hydras with a white core and a body so powerful that it would put a Dragon to shame.
Baba Yaga had come out alive only because Valeron had stayed his hand and took his time to talk to her. Once he had discovered that the reason why she was there was to protect her children from the humans, the King had let her go with his apologies.
The humans blamed the undead for the famine and were trying to exterminate them, yet Tessa was the one behind the plague that made crops rot. She had done it on Valeron’s order to turn the tide of a battle that would have lasted months otherwise.
He knew that waging a war was a dirty job, but Valeron hated to cause the suffering of innocents, no matter their race.
Before the Spirit Array fully formed, Baba Yaga Warped away, bringing her daughter with her and doing everything she could to save her. Dawn was still alive only because True Griffon had cut a corner of the crystal core and thanks to Acala.
As long as a cursed object had a host, they could sacrifice them to heal any kind of wounds since their energy signatures would become identical. A host was akin to an extra life to a Horseman, a disposable tool that yet Dawn refused to let go of.
It was the reason why she had survived Sinmara’s attack and yet now she was in so much pain. Sacrificing her old host had given her the power to resist even the elder Phoenix’s best attacks, forcing her to seal Dawn instead of destroying it.
“Please, Mom, save him. I’m finally changing. I’m finally learning. Acala makes me more than I’ve ever been.” The Bright Day said amid gasps of pain.
“Shush, child. First, I’m going to bring you back to health, but after you’ve recovered, I’m going to kick your ass big time.” From the top of the strongest mana geyser she knew, Baba Yaga used her considerable skill to fulfill her daughter’s wish.
Meanwhile, on top of Valeron’s castle, Tyris wept tears of joy at the sight of her long-lost love and friends. Salaark was there as well, offering to her fellow Guardian her embrace and support.
Salaark noticed that there wasn’t grief in Tyris’s heart anymore and rejoiced for it. Ilyum Balkor, instead, felt incredibly awkward looking at the two women’s intimacy, yet he was also amazed by the events he had just witnessed by sharing Salaark’s eyes.
He had no idea why the Overlord of the Blood Desert had brought him along, but he was certain that there had to be a hidden meaning to it.
“My Liege, I don’t mean to ruin this moment for you two, but why am I here?” He asked.
“I brought you with me for the same reason Leegaain always has Milea accompanying him. To teach you something and because human history needs a human witness to be properly passed on.” Salaark replied.
“A Guardian’s perception of events is so different from mortals that our chronicles are shallow at best.”
“What do you mean?”
“How do you feel after watching Valeron’s fight?” The Overlord knew that answering a question with another question was rude, but it was the only way to make Balkor understand.
“I’m shocked out of my brain. He was simply amazing, a true god of the battlefield. What he did with his equipment was completely unheard of! Also, I’m a little disappointed because I remembered him to be much more handsome in portraits. No offense.” He replied.
“None taken.” Tyris shook her head.
“Do you know what I felt, instead? Nothing but nostalgia for my old friend.” Salaark said. “What you call amazing is trivial to me and with my knowledge, what Valeron did with his equipment is just a parlor trick.
“As for his appearance, I still find him one of the most attractive men I’ve ever seen.”
“What? How? I mean, even I am much better looking than that.” Balkor was flabbergasted.
“Do you really think that after centuries of life, after gaining the power to alter my appearance and that of others at will, I might be attracted by a mere empty shell?” In the span of a few seconds, Salaark shapeshifted into countless men and women.
Some were beautiful, others hideous, yet all of them retained her charisma.
