The heavy temple doors swung shut behind them, muting the solemn atmosphere within. Stepping into the courtyard, Amazel suddenly snapped to attention, her posture rigid and formal. "Salute, General Julie!" she declared, her voice carrying across the quiet space.
Every servant and maid in the courtyard froze in their duties, heads turning to stare at the unexpected spectacle. Brooms clattered, baskets slipped from hands, and every eye turned to Julie. Whispers sparked like wildfire. Julie felt heat flood her cheeks. "Please stop this, General," she whispered urgently, gently pushing the older woman's hand down. "Everyone is watching us."
Amazel's formal demeanor melted into a bright, mischievous grin. "Okay, but no more 'General.' From now on, call me Amazel."
Julie returned the smile, a genuine warmth breaking through her usual reserve. "Alright then. From now on, I'll call you 'big sis.'"
Amazel's eyes went wide, then soft. 'Big sis...' The words echoed in her mind, touching a place she hadn't realized felt so empty. She'd always wanted a little sister. For a moment, she simply stared into space, captivated by the notion.
"Big sis," Julie's voice broke through her reverie. "Do you know why Lord Hades gave such an order?"
Amazel blinked, 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 tilted her head in confusion.
Amazel's grin returned, full of secrets. "You'll know soon enough." Something in that smile made Julie's instincts prickle. 'I have a bad feeling about this.'
---
After parting ways, Julie made her way to the central plaza. Amazel began ringing the bell. Rang! Rang!
Drawing a deep breath, Julie projected her voice with newfound authority. "Attention! Attention!"
Throughout the plaza, people paused their work and gathered before her. When a sufficient crowd had formed, Julie announced: "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 swept through the crowd as people speculated about the mysterious decree. Julie pinned the parchment to the notice board before turning toward the library where Mia was usually found.
The moment Julie stepped into the library, the world changed. The scent of aged paper and leather bindings filled her nostrils, and all outside noise vanished, replaced by a profound silence that felt almost sacred. A librarian was methodically arranging books on a cart. Julie approached quietly. "Can you please tell me where Mia is?"
The librarian didn't speak, merely pointing straight ahead before tapping a sign that read KEEP SILENCE in bold letters.
Julie nodded and began to walk in the direction the librarian had pointed. As she moved deeper into the labyrinthine halls, her eyes wandered over the towering bookshelves that reached up into shadowed vaults high above. They were not simple wooden structures but seemed grown from living, dark-grained wood, their shelves bending under the weight of centuries of knowledge. The air itself smelled of ancient paper, old leather, and the faint, ozone-like crackle of magically preserved scrolls.
The books were a testament to the vastness of the world. Some were 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 were more exotic: one volume was shackled with a silver lock that seemed to breathe, another pulsed with a soft, internal light, and a third appeared to be bound in what looked like dragon-scale, its title etched in fiery runes that shifted when she tried to focus on them. She passed a section dedicated to tactical warfare, seeing rolled maps protruding from cylindrical cases, and another where floating, crystalline orbs hummed softly, containing what she could only guess were three-dimensional historical records.
It was a place of immense power and quiet majesty, and Julie felt a reflexive need to hold her breath, as if a single exhalation might disturb the slumbering wisdom all around her.
Finally, she spotted Mia at a secluded desk nestled in a small area between two towering shelves labelled "Genealogical Histories & Bloodline Traces." The girl was so deeply engrossed in a thick, daunting tome titled "The Stratigraphic Layers of Inter-realm Magical Theory" that she seemed to have become part of the furniture. Her nose was almost touching the yellowed parchment, her finger tracing a complex diagram. "Mia... Mia... Mia," Julie whispered, receiving no response. She tried again, slightly louder, but the girl was lost in her literary world.
Exasperated, Julie finally jostled her shoulder. "MIA!"
Mia jumped, looking at Julie as if she were a madwoman devoid of common sense. Just as Julie began to speak, a sharp rap struck her butt. "Oww!" She whirled 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 rubbed her sore butt, then gestured to Mia. "Let's go outside."
Mia nodded, but as she turned to leave, another swift tap caught her. "Oww!" She turned to see the librarian pointing sternly at the book she'd been reading. Mia quickly reshelved it properly before practically fleeing the library with Julie.
In the nearby park, Julie handed Mia a sealed parchment. "Lord Hades asked me to give this to you."
Mia broke the seal and read the contents, her expression unreadable. "What does it say?" Julie asked.
"I'm to become your legion's military advisor and strategist."
"Congratulations!" Julie clapped cheerfully, but then paused. 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 ran down her spine as she glanced toward the distant temple. So scary.
Mia noticed her distraction. "What happened?"
"Ah, nothing," Julie recovered quickly. "I was just wondering where Master Druvak might be."
Mia's voice softened, tinged with a sadness that seemed to cling to her like morning dew. "Master is resting under the tree at the training grounds."
Julie noticed the slump in Mia's shoulders, the way her eyes avoided contact. The grief for Gobuka was a chain that bound them all, but it weighed on Mia differently. "Ok, I take my leave," Julie said, her voice gentle.
Her walk broke into a jog, then a full sprint. Her boots slapped against the cobblestones, the sound echoing in the quieter side streets leading toward the military quarter.
She skidded to a halt at the edge of the vast training grounds. The area was deserted, save for one figure. There sat 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 was still and heavy with grief.
For a long moment, she just watched him. The silence was profound. Then, steeling herself, she approached. The grass muffled her steps until she stood before him. She sat down, cross-legged, respecting his silence.
"Master," she said softly, the title feeling both familiar and strangely formal.
Druvak's hollow eyes lit with blue light as he focused on her. "Oh, Julie." She handed him the parchment from Hades.
As he read, Julie watched the words work their magic. The parchment stated: '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 drew a deep breath, and the weak flame within him flared back to its former intensity. Julie took 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 continued 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 looked 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 said, blushing slightly. As she turned to leave, Druvak's voice stopped her.
"I happened to hear you've awakened the Godhood of Slaughter." Cold sweat broke out on her neck. She turned to see him unsheathing his black sword, her face reflected in its deadly sharp blade. The weapon flared with blue flame. "Let's exercise a little."
---
The next day, the entire population gathered as decreed. Men stood to the right, women to the left, each holding an extra-sized cloth.
Julie arrived, her face sporting dark bruises and bandages. Aniya looked at her with concern. "Hey, Julie, what happened to your face?"
Pulling her hood up and adjusting her mask, Julie mumbled, "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 interrupted her. Hades and Hecate emerged, and all fell silent.
Hades stepped forward. "As promised, I will evolve you all to advance your bloodlines." He raised his hand, and a long earthen wall erupted from the ground, separating the sexes. A thick mist enveloped both sides, obscuring vision.
Hades closed his eyes in concentration. A purple orb formed between his hands, expanding until it dwarfed him. Wisps of purple energy streamed forth, entering every citizen.
Suddenly, blinding purple light engulfed them all. Their bodies disintegrated completely before reconstructing into new forms of flesh and bone.
Aaahhhh!!!
The process was intensely painful, eliciting screams of agony throughout the square. But the pain lasted only moments before the light dimmed, revealing their transformed bodies.
"Everyone, wear your clothes!" Hades's voice rang out. Confusion turned to realisation as people looked down at their naked forms. The mist provided privacy, but still, embarrassed shrieks came from the women's side before they hurriedly donned the clothes they'd brought.
As everyone dressed, the mist dissipated and the earthen wall sank back into the ground.
Before them stood a transformed populace:
· Demons became Arkdemons with crimson wings, harpoon tails, black horns, light blue skin, and black sclera with golden irises.
· Light Dominos evolved into Light Angels with pure white wings and blonde hair.
· Dark Dominos were now Dark Angels with jet-black wings and hair.
· Plant Dominos became elegant Elves with pointed ears and blonde hair.
· Earth Dominos now stood as hulking Genomes with massively muscular arms.
· Water Dominos transformed into Sirakels with minute scales covering their skin, pairs of horns, and a catfish-like tail with sapphire scales.
· Fire Dominos were now Inferzals with red skin and extra pairs of arms.
· Air Dominos became Aerynders with backwards-pointing horns and serpent-like tails feathered at the end.
But Julie's transformation was most unique. Her skin took on a tan hue, her ears pointed like an elf's, and black horns curved from her forehead. Her sclera turned black with golden irises that held a dangerous red glint. She evolved into something entirely new. She became more powerful than before.
Looking at herself and then at the others, Julie murmured, "From now on, I am no longer one-third demon, one-third dark dominos, and one-third Titan. I am Zerythar." She clenched her fist, a fierce grin spreading across her face. "Polish your bones, Skull Head. My time has come."