God of Nothing

Rayse was feeling nauseous. He was so sure that it was Carrack's a moment ago. He scanned the plains, double checking to see if any more severed heads were rolling about, but fortunately, Vilam's was the only one. 

Rayse looked down at his shirt, on the spot that the woman set the head down, confirming his suspicions. His leather armor had been stained not with red, but of bluish green demon blood.

The stranger returned, plopping the body right beside him.

"Alright, I've retrieved your kill. Can we go now? I have a feeling they'll need us for the clean up."

The stranger pulled him up like it was nothing, and even helped him steady himself. Rayse staggered, still barely able to stand. The stranger lifted him and the corpse up, carrying them over his shoulders like sacks of potatoes, and jogged briskly into town.

Rayse's squad was by the gates, awaiting his return. The stranger gently set him down with his friends, dropping Vilam's corpse right beside him. Lacey and Brandon mobbed him, hugging him fiercely. Rayse stifled a sob, happy that his friends were alive as well.

"Oh, I found this, too. It's empty, but looks in good enough shape to be refined. I'm sure Aleph can make something out of it." The stranger said, handing him Vilam's heart.

"Thank you so much for your help, sir… um, could you please tell me your name?"

The stranger struck a dramatic pose, his cloak strangely flapping about even though the wind didn't reach where they stood. 

"I am this kingdom's new dawn. The highest peak of humanity's strength. The goal to which any wanna be hero strives to become. Offer up prayers to our god, because he has blessed you with our meeting. Behold, for I am Vaynard Mios, heir to the throne! …and most importantly, your master's friend." He added with a wink.

"Ohh!" Lacey clapped at his flashy introduction. Vaynard held the pose for a little while, basking in the applause. Rayse's squad only looked at each other, apparently quite used to his behavior. Luke approached him and respectfully bowed, then offered to bring him to the commander's tent, finally allowing Rayse to rest.

The sounds of fighting had died down considerably. The ground stopped shaking too. Even the darkness had receded. All signs pointed to the battle being over.

He had been outside for over an hour, apparently. Rayse was confused at that, but he had a feeling the darkness had messed with his senses when he went out, so he tried to focus on the subject at hand. His mind was still hazy though, and he struggled to keep up.

Lacey and Brandon told him about how Iona and Brig defeated the emissaries at the wall and fought their way back to the army below, but they were slowly pushed back by the harbingers until Carrack had enough mana to reactivate Illuminate. Emissaries had made their way deep into town after they disabled his magic, but Carrack and his squad were able to fight them off. That triggered the counter attack, ending the conflict in a rout. The harbingers collapsed, hardly a threat once their leaders were eliminated. 

There were still pockets of harbingers roaming around town, but Iona and the rest were going around eliminating them. Rayse was amazed at their stamina; They had been fighting as much as he had. The squad stayed by the gates until sunrise, staying alert in case they were needed. Rayse, however, fell asleep as soon as he sat down.

…

Rayse blinked furiously, waking up to an unusually bright dawn. He got up and stretched, looking around for a superior officer. His body was still stiff, but at least he can move now. His wounds were healing up nicely, too. 

Around him was a flurry of activity, as soldiers and common folk ran to and fro, clearing out the bodies of both men and demons.

There was crying amidst the din, amplifying his already gloomy mood. He learned this later on, but a paltry third of their soldiers survived the fight. Most fell in the ambush above the wall, but a sizable amount of the vanguard were lost when Illuminate was shut down. Rayse pondered how many would have been saved if he was able to fight for a second longer, or if he had been able to rejoin them at once.

Again, it all came back to his lack of stamina.

"Hey, you're up!" Lacey shouted from somewhere he couldn't see. He started to turn, but stumbled as the twins tackled his legs. His surprise turned to joy, picking the two up in one armed hugs.

"Owwwww.." "That hurts, brother." The two protested, before reciprocating his hug.

"Are you two okay?" Rayse asked as he put them down. The two nodded in response. He gave them a pat down to make sure, but they looked alright. He hugged them again.

"I'm glad you two are safe." He murmured. It went on for an uncomfortably long time, until Brandon came by with some buckets. The twins sprang into action, taking them from him and bringing them all over the place. 

"Those two have been at it all morning. Once they were let out, they've been helping with the reconstruction." He said proudly.

Rayse looked at his sisters, feeling every bit as proud. They're children, yet are doing all they can to make such a tragedy better. He looked around now, seeing the wreckage in a new light. Everyone was tired, but they kept each other going with forced smiles and kind words. Soldiers and citizens alike, they licked each other's wounds and kept at it. Even the distant cries, while still incredibly sad, held new meaning to him now. It reminds him that there were still some that needed his help.

Rayse rubbed his nose as he sniffled.

"Hey. You okay?" Lacey asked with concern.

There's too much stuff to do. I can mope later. He scolded himself.

"...I think I will be, actually. Anyone know where Sir Carrack is? I need to report on what I saw outside." He said at last. 

"They're back at the commanders' tent with that stranger you brought in. Luke says he's the crown prince if you can believe it. Wonder what he's doing out here?" Brandon wondered aloud.

"Oh him? He told me he's been with Mister Aleph until now. Says he's a day's journey from here."

Lacey rounded on him upon hearing that. She started to shake his shoulders wildly, the beginnings of tears forming upon her eyes.

" Why didn't you tell us last night!? You knew how worried we were!"

"Sorry, Lace. It got really crazy last night, it just slipped my mind. Running down that emissary took a lot out of me." Rayse pulled her into a hug. He could tell a massive load was lifted off her shoulders upon finding out this news. He really should have told them about it last night.

"It's fine, Ray." Brandon said, while slapping his back. "You really saved our bacon there. There's only so many times I could have sliced them up… freaky bastards… I couldn't even cast spells by the end, I was so tired." Brandon said while scratching his head. 

Rayse felt bad for bringing down his mood. The only reason Rayse went to help out Luke's team was that Brandon did a terrific job with Sonia in the front, which made Rayse's role redundant once they've subdued the berserkers.

"You did well, Bran. I knew you had things under control, so I just went where I was needed.

"Anyway, master should be coming along soon enough. Try using the brooches to contact him. I'm gonna go to Sir Carrack for a bit." He turned to go, but Brandon stopped him.

"Hey, wait! I carved up the emissary you brought in. Here." He handed him a bag. Rayse opened it up to see an assortment of purple colored materials. He appreciated the gesture.

"Thanks, Bran. I'll swing by master's place to store it later."

Rayse walked gingerly around the plaza, making his way to the commander's tent. It looked like the fighting had reached far deeper than he imagined. There were signs of fighting up until the tent itself.

We really had that right down to the wire, huh? Rayse thought he would give another prayer to the overgod when the tent entrance flapped outward, revealing the man he had been looking for. Iona followed closely behind, back in her researcher's outfit. She had been reading things off of a list, but stopped upon seeing Rayse.

"Captain!" He stood at attention, making Carrack raise an eyebrow.

"At ease, Rayse. You're no longer conscripted since the battle's done. No need to address me as such."

"Ah!... Yes, well… I found something outside that I thought was strange, so…"

"What is it?" Carrack said, getting interested.

So Rayse recounted the events from when he exited the gates to chase the emissary. Carrack listened in silence, up until he heard about the mysterious woman.

"A 'Shadow Lady'?" Carrack asked. He sighed soon after, not waiting for a response and said, "So she was here."

"What was that, sir? She… gave me your severed head, and I thought we were goners…"

"You're one lucky kid. That, my boy, was a herald. We call her Deceit, as that's what her powers are. tsk, I wasn't sure, but no one else could have disabled my Illuminate like that… The fog was a dead giveaway in hindsight, too."

"A herald?" That doesn't sound good. 

"One of the enemy leaders. We fought this one before with some other heralds, on the front lines. Come, walk with me." Carrack resumed his walk, beckoning Rayse to walk along with him. He followed along, listening intently.

"Lord Vaynard has been wreaking havoc on their forces since the war started. He could usually tie up, or even beat back a herald if the conditions were right. That made one of our strategic forces, only to be deployed in places where there were heralds present."

Rayse simply nodded, not seeing where it was going.

"Well, our first mistake was underestimating our enemy. You see, in the past years, there had only ever been four heralds we had to contend with. The demon lord himself only came out once when the war started, and never again since. We thought we had the war well in hand so long as he didn't appear, and so we grew complacent."

They made their way to a warehouse, talking all the while. Iona barked at some nearby soldiers, telling them to pull things out of the warehouses to bring to various parts of the city. Carrack and Rayse overlooked the operation, continuing their discussion.

"All that changed a couple of months ago when we sortied to destroy Deceit, the very same herald you encountered. With my team and Lord's Vaynard's power, we managed to subdue her, but as it turned out, we were the ones in a pinch. There were five other beings that surrounded us, each with similar strength to the one we just defeated. We were outmatched, and as a result, Vaynard got captured while covering our retreat." Carrack sighed, no doubt remembering something painful.

"We were able to escape, but at a massive cost. The mission was not for naught, however. We may not have defeated Deceit, but we've taken her horns that have fallen in battle. Outside of their heart, a demon's horns contain the largest bulk of their power."

Rayse felt a chill. That… thing was fearsome enough without all its powers. He shuddered to think what would become of him if he faced the herald of Deceit at her peak. He thought back to his encounter, remembering something. "I think she tried to ask me where it was."

Carrack nodded, "It looks like she's been after me this whole time. I believe she had a hand in Aleph's capture along with another herald. Their original target was me, after all."

"Speaking of master, did he and Lord Vaynard escape the enemy together?" 

"I believe so. Aleph's on his way here, or so I've heard. May want to hear the full story from him."

Rayse nodded, now fully understanding the events of the past evening. That is, except for one thing. He looked around the room, thinking about something that he felt off about all throughout the night.

"Ummm, miss Iona? I was having trouble with seeing through the fog with my spells for all of last night, but you seemed to have no such issue. Why was that?"

Iona looked up from her list to meet his gaze with her own blank stare. She immediately broke away, answering nonchalantly.

"Yes? Well, I didn't really use spells to see through the dark that time, you know? Plus, I trusted that you really did see those big things, ya know? Hahaha…"

Rayse definitely remembered her visor glowing at the time. He looked back at his interactions with Iona throughout the months. She had a knack for stealth, and could see through the enemies' ability to obfuscate the surroundings. He even remembered Brandon telling him about her ability to see through disguises, like the spell tried on Aleph on their first meeting. All at once, things started to click.

"Those glasses, are th- mmmph?"

Carrack pushed him against the wall, covering his mouth with immediate urgency. He hastily looked around to make sure no one was listening in. Rayse panicked, seeing the manic expression on the captain. It all but confirmed his suspicions.

"Don't. We have our ways, but it still pays to be careful about these things."

"Sorry." Came Rayse's muffled reply. Carrack let him go, and surprisingly, gave him an apologetic touch on the shoulder.

"Ummm… Who else knows?" 

"Just us three, though Lord Vaynard may have deduced it somehow. Despite his absence, he had always held Iona in the highest regard, and would have rightly guessed my inclination to trust her with such things."

Rayse nodded, not trusting that any further words would not get him throttled by the much larger man. He looked at Iona once again. Those glasses had always been part of his image of the woman. He had no idea it was an artifact imbued with a herald's power. He sighed, all these new developments just making him more tired.

"Well, as long as it helps us in this fight. Speaking of which, can I keep the spoils of my emissary kill?"

Carrack raised an eyebrow at that. Before he could protest, Rayse kept talking.

"I-I know everyone pitched in to defeat him, but I did take the finishing blow, and…" Carrack finally raised his hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"Rayse, enough. You and your fellow disciples have performed admirably in this battle. From reading Iona's report, Brandon and Lacey had easily defeated two hundred harbingers between themselves and you, while lagging behind significantly in that department, managed to take down an emissary. He was weakened and on the verge of death, but it was still an important kill that directly led to us winning the battle. Take your spoils, kid. They're your reward for risking your lives."

Rayse nodded meekly. Two hundred harbinger crystals? That was so much more than he had asked for.

"Thank you, sir Carrack. And Miss Iona too, for teaching us. And for saving Hios. We owe you our lives." 

"We were only doing our duty, Rayse. Now, if that is all, we still have much to do before we can rebuild. Have you checked your master's place? It's well outside the walls, so there might be some damage."

"Um, yes, sir. We expected it, but there was nothing we could have done… I must be going, then. Thanks again." 

Rayse bowed all the way out of the werehouse. He was about to turn and go, before Carrack stopped him.

"Oh, and Rayse? You and your friends may not be part of the army, but do not think yourselves unwelcome. I'm not conscripting you purely out of my debt to Aleph, but if you wish to fight for your country, I offer you all a place in my squad. Same goes for Aleph, too, though that man is far too capable to be working below me. Still, be sure to let them know."

"Yes, sir". He bowed one last time, before ducking out completely.

"Whew." He sighed in relief, preferring the charred smell of the outside to that stuffy space inside the werehouse. It was a relief in more ways than one, to be sure. Carrack was a tough man to deal with, even as an ally. Rayse hoped that Aleph would come back quick, so he would be the one to deal with him.

Speaking of master… Rayse thought back to Aleph's house. He fretted about the damage it would have.

Minutes later, he was right in front of it. There wasn't really much that was different about it, but he still had to check. The inside of the house looked good, aside from some things on the shelves that were knocked over from the shaking of the ground. Rayse cleaned up a little bit before deciding to check the well.

The entrance looked normal enough. He opened the trapdoor, unleashing a beam of light from below. Sensing something had gone awry, he jumped through the well. The portal was active.