Steel and Mana

The execution of our prisoners wasn't advertised nor put into the newspapers. The public only knew some superficial things; everything that happened at the construction site was nothing more than us checking the foreigners coming to work on our land. Those who we did capture were put on carts and delivered to the castle in the middle of the night, and our soldiers began preparing them for the Walk. Were they surprised? Oh, for sure. I was with them from start to finish, observing their faces and the confusion about what we were planning to do with them.

However, the most interesting thing was Clara because she was clearly halfway lost between her own thoughts and reality, no longer capable of telling one from the other. I never expected that our main target, a witch we knew we couldn't crack, would crack herself. Huh. If I could, I would send a camera with them to see what's in the deepest part of the Pass, but alas, that is not possible. Also, I wasn't expecting anybody to return, even if they got far enough with their witch's help. Their best chance would be to realize that we included tools and instructions in their bags on getting the bracelets off their boss to have a better chance of survival. If they are thorough enough... Maybe they do come back. But looking at them right now, every one of these three dozen men was stumped by the towering Lion standing straight, slowly turning, its knight-helm-like head glaring directly at the prisoners. At the same time, the cannons on his right arm kept their dark, abyss-like barrels pointed at the group, scaring them without knowing what kind of attack it could dish out.

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"Move!"

"Oh? It's starting...?" Clara grunted, waking up and hearing the door to her cell open and two warriors entering, pulling her up from the ground. "Do your worst!"

Her mind was going in and out of consciousness as she was convinced that every time she went to sleep, she was being thrust deeper into an illusion. Why? The reason was in her dreams. Because of her self-imposed wake, the moment her brain had a little time off, she dreamt about being tied into a torture chair, replaying exactly the thing she was thinking would happen to her. Then, whenever she woke up, she believed she wasn't in reality anymore. They were just trying to weaken her mind by alternating between the two methods of physically and magically abusing her.

In her head, it had to be genuine because she felt weak, and that was because she was being tortured in the real world. There was no other reason for it. Not because she was refusing to eat, drink, or sleep properly.

When she was put into a carriage with a dozen others, she barely could recognize their faces, and none of them knew who she was either. Because of how she was running her organization, utilizing the methods she had learned, only some comprehended who she really was. For most, she was just another spy tasked with organizing the workers. A woman who knew only what she had to know, and even if some passed reports to her, they thought she was the next connection in their web of lies. Too bad she was overconfident and came personally. Still, even if she hadn't done it, she wouldn't have had a chance to escape because they were noticed the moment they arrived in Lothlia.

"They are probably bringing me somewhere else..." Clara mumbled, thinking that what she was experiencing now was her consciousness telling her she was being carried away by her tormentors. The irony was that it was true, but not in the way she thought it.

"I will say nothing... You can't make me talk..."

It was like a meditational mantra to her by now, repeating it over and over again to keep herself sane and focused. Which in turn made her even more crazy in the other's eyes. Still, nobody was paying attention to her after their caravan entered the castle grounds. The tight security and the number of armored soldiers surrounding them shocked the prisoners even before they laid their eyes on the howitzers. Those weird machines and their massive tubes... They needn't be mages to recognize magic formations and runes carved onto them.

Then, as they exited the second, reinforced gates leading into the Pass and were being herded off their carts, it finally happened. A loud, blaring warhorn echoed into the night, making multiple prisoners fall over, including Clara, making their ears ring. She expected to see one of the flying ships following the sound in the darkness of the night. Instead, she saw the silhouette of a monstrosity, a metal beast with a human knight's helmet, looking down on them. It towered over the group like an avatar of the Gods.

"Is this it...?" She asked, licking her parched lips, but she couldn't gather any saliva on the tip of her tongue to have any effect. Her throat was just as parched, her voice raspy, thinking she wasn't seeing a mechanical beast but her interrogator. It was just her mind that made it seem so alien and so massive. "I am not afraid!" She laughed, making multiple people around her look at her nervously, wanting to separate from her because they feared her words would bring down tribulation. They knew not what those weapons were that the thing watching them wielded instead of arms, but they were not keen on finding it out.

"Listen well, maggots!" Boomed the monster's voice, sounding like the devil's roar, inhuman and without mercy. "You will receive a backpack with a week of supplies. Each of your backpacks has different tools and materials, so working together is a must! Your punishment is simple: You Walk. You walk through the Pass and enter the beast's empire! Map and document everything you see and return after winter. If you do, Avalon becomes your home; if you don't, the Gods will judge your souls."

When they heard the Lion's orders, a few, who were not turned mute because of the shock, began crying out that they should kill them instead. Everything was better than this!

"Those who refuse..." Kalash continued, raising his mech's right arm and blasting fire into the air from its flamethrower, turning the dark night into midday. The bright orange flames revealed the beautiful blue and gold paint job on his mech that had just been fixed up the previous day, turning it into a majestic construct instead of a dreadful reaper. "Can burn and feel their bones melt before dying! Choose... Die the most painful death or strive to survive and redeem yourselves. But don't forget maggots! We wield the power of the Six Gods! Your souls are forfeit for betraying them... The Walk is your penance. Complete it or perish along the road; that is the only redemption for your souls."

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"Really, Dad?" I asked with a grunt, watching him descend from the mech in the morning sunlight. "The Six Gods? Was it necessary?"

"It works. Many people do worship them in Ishillia. We know they are real, so..."

"Whatever." I gave up, not because I didn't believe in them. I just had the inkling they weren't gods. Anyway, if it works, I can use that. Our prisoners did begin marching in the end, so I won't complain much. They even dragged the crazy Clara with them, so all is well; they are out of view, out of mind!

"Want to bet with your old man?"

"Nope!" I declared before he had a chance to say anything more, "I am not betting on something I know I'll lose. They won't return."

"They are a group, and some of them definitely have military training. Plus a witch!"

"They are dead, dad. I am 99% sure of that. I am just banking on that 1%, but that doesn't mean I'm going to put money on it."

"What do you expect? What would you learn if they do return?" He asked after shruging that I left him hanging with his betting idea.

"There has to be a reason why the beasts only come in the winter. My first guess is some kind of natural barrier that can't be crossed while the weather is warm."

"Like a river? A lake?"

"Maybe." I answered, shaking my head, looking into the Pass and the winding road that led into the depths of the mountain range. "I will know it when I see it, I guess..."

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It was a busy night within the walls of Avalon as every soul was trying to get to somewhere where there was a radio. The reason was simple: it was the night of an exciting announcement that had been teased in the newspaper at the start of the week. Nobody knew what it was, but the fact that even the ministers and the most wealthy citizens brought their radios to public places, letting people listen in, was a sign that it was indeed something big.

"Ulnar, another beer, please!"

"Don't get drunk before the announcement, Kolpath!" Laughed the old bartender, placing a mug before his old friend, looking around his crowded pub with a smile stuck on his wrinkled face.

Both of them were among the oldest people of Avalon. They remembered how it was to grow up in the old, shit-smelling town and how it was to live through hardships and freezing winters—unlike how it was in the present. They were the best at understanding the massive changes that their Sovereign brought to everyone's lives.

"Don't worry, I am not going to miss it!" He chuckled, taking a sip, sitting on a stool, and also glancing at the fifty or so people crammed into Ulnar's pub, which was bearing the name Frontier's Fortune. "I wonder what it is about. Heard anything?"

"Nothing much." His friend answered after serving the callouts for drinks, glancing at the radio above his head. It was placed at the prominent point above the counter, facing the crowd, and its volume turned to the maximum. "I tried asking around, but everybody was tight-lipped. Some minister clerks come here occasionally, but nothing could loosen their tounges!"

"We will know soon enough!" Kolpath chuckled, and just as he finished, a familiar tune chimed through the radio's speakers, acting like a spell, silencing all the hubbub within the tavern as every eye and ear was locked onto it instantly.

It was the familiar tune of the intro music of Sovereign's Sessions, signaling the start of the broadcast. It was a jingle that very quickly was whistled by every kid and adult alike everywhere within Avalon, followed by Lady Mikan's angelic voice.

"I welcome everyone who is here with us this night! As most of you know, we are going to announce something fun in this week's program, but let's leave it for the end~!"

"Aaaaaw!" Echoed a collective moan, as if the city itself sighed up at once, followed by Mikan's laughter, sounding like little bells.

"Don't worry, everybody, today's show will be just as interesting! Our guest is none other than our esteemed General, Oleg, who was the personal bodyguard of our Sovereign when he was still a child!"

"Hello." He answered simply, yet his nervousness could be heard in his voice, painting an endearing image in everyone's mind who listened to it.

"We will not only explore how it was back then, but we will also discuss our future! We all know what it means that is happening here... What does it mean for us to break off of Ishillia, and who would be better to talk about it than our military leader!"

Of course, although many wanted to know what the announcement was, the topic itself was indeed something many were interested in. They knew what powers could be in the hands of Ishillia, yet with their walking Knights, they also had incredible confidence in standing up to them. In the end, the interview lasted for more than one and a half hours, ending not just in a rousing speech but also planting the idea of many young listeners that they should also sign up for the army. Everybody who joined dreamed of being chosen to pilot one of their god-like machines.

When it was coming to an end, and Sasha began her usual wrap-up segment, her announcement brought everyone's attention back to the radio with the same intensity as when it started. Her explanation quickly painted the picture of the railways and the train that many saw going back and forth, the newest miracle of their city. Hearing that they could win a free ride to be part of its very first voyage, traveling to Lothlia and back, was sending shockwaves through the people, breaking into cheers and loud talks about how great it would be.

Then they heard that the people would be chosen by a lottery, which made them even more restless. They had to do nothing more than visit the officially established ticket booths throughout the last month of spring and buy a ticket. Listening to the rules, many began scribbling it down in a hurry, making sure they understood everything.

"I repeat, once again!" Sasha's voice echoed everywhere in the city, "One individual can only buy up to five tickets. We log everybody and every ticket sale. Fooling the system will result in a hefty fine, prison time, and a lifetime ban from every similar future competition or game within our city! Selling your tickets invalidates them as every sold ticket is bound to the person buying it. Once again, such actions will be fined and may include prison time. At the end of the month, we will pull the winning 200 tickets on our show, and the lucky individuals will be recorded along with the first ride of Avalon Arrow!"

What probably nobody expected was that, after the show ended, people began hurrying towards the newly put-up ticket booths, deciding to sleep and camp there until morning came. They aimed to be the first ones to buy their share, worried that they would run out of tickets.