[September 21th – Elpida's border, Clogwyn area]
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Arriving at the Clogwyn precipice for the second time in 24 hours, she had an intense feeling of a déjà vu. Hundreds of men and women of different ages were already climbing Clogwyn, , some others were running along the precipice hoping to find another way to get to the top. Many were already injured; most of the young men and women were covered in blood. Once again, the groups were coming from the direction of the distant village in Elpida and the same scenario was about to repeat itself. However, this time the number of invaders was at a completely different level; it was as if the entire village was desperately trying to get through the borders.
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"Today, today it will be different! I'll show him that I can manage it without killing anyone." Nion said to herself.
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Busy with the incident at the hospital, Nion had arrived much later than she was expected to. Warning these people about the trespassing policies would be meaningless and would only serve to make the situation even more difficult to handle since Nion was alone and the citizens of Elpida had already broken through the limit of the 'Safe-zone' according to Aleksithimia's border control policy. Nion decided to contact the first-line border control to get more details about the ongoing situation.
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"This is Quarta, what is the situation at the main gate?"
"The main gate is under attack," came the reply of the first borderline security agent.
"Their identity?" Quarta asked
"The aggressors' identity is unclear; but, they are coming from the direction of Elpida."
"Any casualties on your side?"
"Multiple casualties and about a dozen people are injured, we won't hold much longer!"
"Is the Emperor aware of the current situation?"
"Mitera System has summoned you first," he replied.
"Hmm, Mitera has summoned me, yet I haven't heard from the operators yet... Strange."
She mumbled.
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"Very well, I will handle the situation myself. Make sure to protect the main gate for another 10 minutes," she ordered.
"Engaging!" Nion announced to the patrol. "Nobody is going to die tonight!"
"Operator, I request 'Physical Enhancement'."
"Physical enhancement – Activated," the Operator replied.
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Nion jumped off the cliff and into the midst of the area most concentrated with trespassers. During the nighttime, the only source of light was the moon, so nobody saw Nion flying down until she touched the ground. Her landing energy had produced a small shockwave that made people who were nearby fall to the ground. Some people recognized her and begun screaming, trying to alarm others.
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On their own or in couples, people spread out, running away from Nion as fast as they could; other small groups who were carrying injured people tried to hide; the youngest and the healthiest ones regrouped themselves in small circles trying to protect each other.
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"All of you! You should not be here, why do you keep trying?!" said Nion.
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"The hell would you understand! You will be punished for all the evil you've done!" shouted a young man, while his family tried to hold him back.
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Nion charged in the man's direction but he was suddenly pulled back to the middle of his group and an old woman came out in his place. She looked like one of the elders of the "Grand Central".
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The old woman said something to the young man in an unfamiliar language; her voice was surprisingly calm and monotonous, making it impossible to define the intonation of her phrase. After finishing her sentence, the old woman stood up in front of Nion and bowed before her.
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"I am Quarta, the guardian of the East borderline of the Lands of Aleksithimia! You are trespassing our closed borders and you will be given a death penalty if you do not evacuate our premises immediately!" Nion shouted to everyone.
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Some of the trespassers started crying, losing all hope of survival from the moment Nion arrived at the scene.
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The old woman carefully approached Nion and spoke out with a heavy accent that sounded very different from the one from Elpida.
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"Machina..." the old woman whipped the tears streaking her face with shaking hands. "Quarta... forgive my peoples' rudeness. The Gods have forsaken us, we have no place to go...We do not have a place to return to anymore..." she said.
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"You should not be here, get out while you can!" ordered Nion.
"They are chasing us out!" said the old woman.
"Who, they?" asked Nion.
"The men from the Holy Order!" she replied.
"Elaborate!" ordered Nion.
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"Please, hear me out. We are a group of farmers who came from the North. Because of the rage of the God of Sun, we had to leave our homes and look for a better place to establish ourselves. Speranta, the village beyond the forest had been our only home for years, until recently, when the people from the "Holy Order" appeared in our village. In the beginning, they proclaimed themselves as bounty hunters and then offered us their protection in exchange for a part of our resources. We are nothing more than families of farmers; the majority of my people, as well as the other inhabitants, have no knowledge in combat and since we were attacked by bandits and vandals very often, that was a great deal for us," explained the old woman.
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"Months after, some of our women went missing. Rumors came that the Holy Order was not what they claimed to be. Villagers became suspicious, some began to fear them every time they came for food or anything else."
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"One day, one of my five sons saw two men from the Holy Order assaulting a young woman and then they killed her right in front of his eyes. The whole village went looking for her, but we never found her body. Two days later, some drunk men from the Holy Order arrived in our village and set our houses on fire for no apparent reason. Our strongest men and women united to stop the abuses of the Holy Order. Our dear friends never came back home alive...Eventually, they did...beheaded." she sobbed.
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"Since that incident, the leader of the Holy Order – I don't know his name -came to our village and said that we are sinners and that gods don't want us here anymore... Since that day, they came in large groups murdering every man and elders, such as myself, and taking away our women and children. Speranta has become worse than living hell. Even if we went back, we would all be crucified or thrown into the fire to be burned alive...Exactly like they did to most of our friends."
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"What is your name, old woman?" asked Nion.
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As the conversation progressed, those who did not flee slowly surrounded Nion, preparing to attack her.
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"My name is Kernel, I am the last elder of the "Shira" tribe," she replied.
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Nion had noticed the imminent assault, in the dark and her purple eyes changed into a flame of violet color.
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"Old woman! Tell your people to back off!" shouted Nion to Kernel. "You should have heard of who I am. I am stronger, stronger than anyone of you! Lower your weapon, or I will turn this place into a bloodbath such as you've never seen before!" shouted Nion, while solidifying her weapon.
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"LET HER BE!" shouted Kernel.
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The people who had surrounded Nion ceased their movement, the tension getting higher.
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"I am looking for a little child called Asta, where is he?" Asked Nion.
"How do you know his name?"
"You are not in the position to be asking questions, old woman."
Elder Kernel started crying.
"He is..."
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One of the men who had surrounded Nion interrupted the elder Kernel.
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"ENOUGH!" he shouted. "You do not have to tell her anything at all! Look at her, she is all alone and we are more than a hundred. If we charge together right now, we can end this once and for all! For how long do you want us to hide and run away? We should avenge our friends and families who were killed by her bloody hands! I saw her killing Pipola in front of her kids! How can you trust someone like that?! She is no better than those liars from the Holy Order!" said the man.
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"If we don't kill her right now, there won't be a tomorrow for any of us!" shouted another man.
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"You hot-headed idiots! How many sacrifices do you need in order to understand that violence will only spread violence in return! I have had enough of seeing my people die!" shouted Kernel.
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The stress and pressure were mounting; the air of the whole area was so tense, that the wind sounded like a god of death dancing impatiently, waiting for the climax of this murderous situation. People from the Shira tribe were ready to sacrifice everything they had to stop Nion, as she was the last barrier blocking their way into the suburbs of the capital of the Lands of Aleksithimia, located within 20 kilometers from the Eastern border.
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Everyones' minds were clear, the only option for them was to fight and each one of them was ready to die to protect their families. The only reason they were hesitating to attack Nion was that she and the elder Kermel stood in the middle of the human circle, facing each other. The moon glowed on the two women as if they were heroines under the spotlight of a theater scene that was culminating into its final act.
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"His brother, Alex, is alive. He is currently under treatment in the capital of my country. I understood the reason for your actions and I am willing to cooperate... If you tell me where he is," said Nion.
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"All of us have something or someone to protect. My duty is to protect my country and its people. I believe so do you...Kernel! The past cannot be undone and I am responsible for my actions. However, right now, your future is in my hands and I am asking you to cooperate!" said Nion, holstering her weapon. "Where is the child?"
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"I fear that he may have been taken by the people from the Holy Order..." replied Kernel.
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Another dozen groups arrived at the plain. In the blink of an eye, Nion rushed to see if the child she was looking for was with any of these groups, calling out 'Asta'without any response. One of the people who had just arrived pointed in the direction of the village. After nightfall, it was clear that there was smoke coming from that direction. Without losing a second, Nion rushed toward the source of the smoke, in the distant village of Speranta.