"That's all?"
Albert said abruptly after Anon shared what he had read in the book he stole.
"All of that is only an introduction, but it sounds more like a part of its body. I have also concluded that the guardian who defeated the Unknown Ones is the source of the artifacts," Albert said while lingering his gaze on the ceiling.
"That might be..."
Anon cut his words short as he heard footsteps approaching.
Albert just sat, waiting to see who would appear.
"It must be Lessa's twin... I have to keep my cool, to overcome my patheticness," he thought, convincing himself.
But the person who showed up was not Lessa's twin. It was a tall man wearing heavy armor, a sword at his waist.
Albert kept silent.
Anon glared furiously, clenching his teeth.
The armored man then pulled out a scroll and stared sharply at Albert for a moment before reading.
"LISTEN!!!! DEVILS!!!!"
His voice was so loud it shook the prison's ceiling, dust falling down.
{Ahhh, my ears will explode.}
Albert thought, covering both ears.
{Devils?}
"Our King, Ceimiato Wenthoriz, has given the Devils a chance to justify themselves under certain conditions."
{From the king?}
"All Devils must fight on the frontlines tomorrow against the group known as Abaddon lead by the Wielder Of Life, who seeks to rule the world."
{I'm always on the edge of falling into the mouth of death anyway,} Albert thought.
"No one is allowed to disobey this order."
{It's impossible to disobey them anyway,} Albert reacted.
The soldier rolled the scroll back up and opened the cell.
"Now, devils! Stand up and put these clothes on."
He threw two folded, long black garments.
The soldier waited for them to finish dressing.
"Umm, we're done, sir..."
Albert said hesitantly.
The soldier said nothing. He simply walked straight ahead, and Anon and Albert followed.
They walked past rows of empty cells.
Albert looked side to side and wondered:
"Am I really in the Wetlands?
How did they bring me here? How many days did I sleep?"
"If my artifact weren't so strict, I might have been able to use it to escape," Albert thought. But then he realized how impossible it would be, even if he could still use his artifact.
He didn't even know how he was so sure he couldn't use it anymore.
In his fight with Victor and Lessa's twin, he had managed to create his first external spell by using the soul of the Guardian a violation of his artifact's system. Because of that, he was penalized: his added functions were deleted, and his authority was severed.
But that didn't mean he was forbidden to use the artifact entirely.
After a long walk, climbing many stairs, and seeing more prisoners join from each floor, they finally reached the surface, where the king sat on his giant golden throne.
All prisoners lined up, Albert and Anon placed at the very front.
They stood in silence, waiting for the king to speak.
The king of Wenthoriz Kingdom, Ceimiato Wenthoriz, wore golden clothes and a diamond crown upon his head. His hair was long, and he had a beard.
The soldier who had led the prisoners handed him a small book. After a glance at it, the king began to speak.
"I see... all prisoners, whom we call devils. I never intended to give you a chance to restore your humanity, but because of this war with the Wielder of Life, I am forced to do so.
Devils, you know the conditions of this order. I have decided that you will be led by our two most notorious devils."
He pointed at Albert and Anon.
"These two are wielders, and as such, they will lead the frontlines with their lives at stake.
I repeat, tomorrow is your day to prove that you still possess even a shred of humanity."
After the king's nerve-wracking speech, all of them were taken back to a large prison to prepare for the coming war.
On the way, Albert saw Lessa's twin but she ignored him.
Hours passed. The Kingdom of Wenthoriz was at war with the Wielder of Life, who had declared their intent to rule the entire world.
The Wielder of Life commanded a group called Abaddon, consisting of only three thousand warriors and fifteen generals. Yet their numbers had never decreased in past battles against opposing wielders, because each general stood among the strongest wielders in history.
Finally, morning came. The day of war had arrived.
Albert and Anon rode in a cart.
Albert clenched his fist, staring at it. He wore a long black hooded cloak, and they had also returned to him his wooden spear.
Silent, he thought:
"It wasn't so long ago that I was just a lonely librarian.
But now, heheh... I'm a criminal, called a devil, about to fight in a war against an unknown enemy I've never seen.
Fate? Reality? Future? Path? The world? Present?
What should I call this image I perceive?
I can hear, yet it is unpleasant.
I can taste, yet it is bitter.
I can smell, yet it reeks of blood.
I can feel emotions, but only darkness.
My life, my body... all of it feels like an illusion."
He sat motionless, shaken only by the cart's movement.
Anon noticed Albert's face and confronted him gently:
"Albert, this is the meaning of living in this world.
Walking means living. Breathing means life.
And life... is hope.
Remember, the past is past, and there is no turning back."
Hearing this, Albert smiled and lifted his head, bracing himself.
"Attention!!! We have arrived in the danger zone!!!"
The driver shouted.
One hundred carts lined the field. Albert and Anon were at the very front.
Everyone disembarked, weapons in hand.
The Wetlands' climate was always rainy and snowy; there was never a season of dryness.
Strong winds blurred Albert's vision, whipping his cloak.
"The king said we're in the frontlines... which means there must be a main unit behind us.
I don't have my artifact now... but we have old Anon here."
He glanced behind, expecting to see the main force.
He also noticed that Anon, as a wielder, possessed the power of invisibility.
They had been instructed to attack the main base of Abaddon.
Albert led them forward, hiding in a great snowbank, weapons ready as they spotted Abaddon's base through the storm.
The snow was too thick to hear voices clearly. They relied only on gestures.
From within the storm, two shadows emerged.
One carried a spear.
The other stood tall, wielding two blades.
Albert quickly gestured for everyone to prepare.
"This is it... they must be two of the generals."