A day before the banquet held by Heinrich started. Damian was with a few of the Generals at the Camp, and Felix was there. Not that Felix was part of the Generals, but one of the damned officials pushed him through in the meeting. He was the only knight in the tent. And it was already embarrassing to keep up. He still had his usual cold and grumpy face. In the midst seeing all of their roaring arguments was never unending. There were 20 Generals and a few small leaders.
If he could yet remember the hours passed: It was one and half hours since the meeting started. What a full of complete bullshit!
These Generals are around fifty years old, still looking strong. Although, he saw a few young generals rolling their eyes at the sore eye scene. All of them are complaining loudly like thugs on the streets. They complain about borders, traitors, and other off-topic. They couldn't just talk in peace, did they? Even Damian is on the same page as Felix.
Damian was across in the middle of the table. A strategy board was spread out with a few names of the Generals and places. They were planning to suppress more at the Drentwont and outside the Kingdom. He listened again at the heated argument fuel more, yet the argument didn't falter his mood, and he was still as composed as ever. He was busy fiddling with the wooden puppet on the board and thinking about the move.
" The Emperor keeps pushing us the agenda to push those damned corruptions." General of the west demanded. His name is Kor Trygg. " No offense to his Great Imperial Highness, but all he does is always complain and goes shitty! Why not he just come up on here and see for himself how deadly it is?!" Another General added. Few of them also agreed with this claim.
" Do what is right. That is all I can say! Don't forget this enemy of ours is also innocent, hence the name we called them." A tall and muscular man groggily says as he heeds no attention to everyone. " And I know for the fact there are chances that those few corrupted can be saved. Am I right, Carla?" A lady with a dark cloak flinched at her name getting mentioned unexpectedly.
Everyone was astonished to see Lady Clara at the meeting, and most of them were more shocked from the core when they did not notice its presence at all!
'Damn you, I was quiet and behaving right here!' she almost bursts into flame for that damn guy that blows up her cover. How did he even manage to know it was Carla after all? Moreover, she swore Damien that she wouldn't get noticed. She could only pray to tell that her brother would be considerate that she was a victim.
" W-what? Why are y-you asking me..?!?! You can't assume me to know anything!" she exclaimed out of fury, or maybe it was a humiliation. " But aren't you the one who deemed herself to be the one who knew anything? Why deny it right now?" he refuted. The generals witness two young people quarreling like a child; In front of the War grounds.
" I- Listen here Mister 'general', If you want to know really, then FINE! I'll tell you." She disgustingly says. " There is indeed a possibility to save one, But it would more presumably a miracle for it to occur." Clara closes her eyes, trying to fade her anger away.
" Are you happy now?" irritably asks, her mouth tetter. And the muscular guy was satisfied already to fire her up. And after that, every general starts complaining at each other, questioning and sharing deadly glances.
Felix could feel like this meeting was nothing more but a childish argument. " Seriously, what's on this meeting, is it always like this?" he whispered to the Officer who dragged him inside. His name was Harman, his Superior and a friend. When Harman hears him, he forcibly smiles. " Actually rarely this could ever happen. Maybe because Duke Heinrich is not here to shut them up, or merely everyone has spent their sanity already on this war." Harman explained.
Duke Heinrich was always the one who always managed the General welfare. Generals are close with him, despite his negative reputation. He was still well-loved by several.
Damien hears what Harman says. Even by the most hushed whispers, he can still listen to everything. The current circumstances made him smile wearily. " Generals, Calm down now will you?" Damien stood up from his seat, and he was sighing now. Everyone went quiet after he said that. Everyone was in his eyes now. Few generals forcefully coughed at the silence to sympathize that there was a loud General.
General Kor calmed after that. But still not faltering. The young master lumped again at his chair. ' Good, this is what I like about it. A meeting in peace without another loudness.' Damien thought out loud.
A lady in the black suit scoffed, and several people shifted their gaze at her. And oh, they gave her the attention she wanted. Satisfied at their annoyed expression, she bows at them. " Young Master, I am the General Myla leading the Blutmond regimen. I quite say every general here has such an interesting 'opinions' on here." She crossed her hand, giving them a proud smug look. He had heard things about her. First, she comes from a different kingdom and is a notorious killer at war. Felix can't help but shiver at the thought of it.
Damien shook his head at her presence and recollected himself. " I've heard about your victories, General Myla. It is such an honor to meet you,"
"Now that we are calm right now, Mind If I demonstrate something?" Damien says in a tone of authority that he was no longer the child they knew; weak and powerless. Their ears were wide open now and ready to listen for him.
" Please do, my lord,"
" Generals, I recently found the leader of Legion that was responsible for one's destruction several days ago. It was around the borders and caught by one of my soldiers." waving his hands from the soldiers outside to bring it. Most of them couldn't believe it.
" Leader? How come a mere soldier captures an all-powerful creature?'' General Korr scoffed when he heard such a sentence. But in truth, they were full of envy that a SOLDIER, a mere even, could capture a powerful creature of the equivalent power of 500 corrupted or more, lest even ten corruptions is already a headache to fight. It was like a mockery to them and a hard slap from them.
" Hah, I also ask myself too." he sarcastically laughed. He was putting up a mask again. If he were to defend the soldier, that would be a giveaway of doubt from the trust he was still building. " But upon Carla's investigation, we found out that this corruption did not come from human's flesh," he added. When he said, "Did not come from human flesh," he's referring to that because Corrupted is all human.
Then few soldiers showed up in a cage with a rattling sound. A cage wrapped with a veil, but people inside the tent could sense the ferocious aura lingering in it. Carla went over to reveal half of the sight. The prisoner was holding its two legs for support and was hiding from the edge of the cage. It was scared?!
A pale ghost skin, a hair that replicates like charcoal, and its left were like a glowing amethyst thriving and shimmering from its glamour, Although the other eye is covered with layers of bandages. To the accurate description, it was more doll-like than a human! It was too perfect and uncanny, and the Generals shivered from their backs. And another reason to feel unease and speechless when this was their first time seeing a Leader. They spent their energy on useless creatures with no progress at all. They are like ants, always coming back and swarm into everywhere.
Only legends could they only rely on such pieces of information. And those legends would refer to them as, Intelligent humans that willingly threw their whole life in exchange for selfish power. They were the kinds of creatures that we're able to withstand the brink of madness. But seeing the evidence in front of them, they doubted. Damien sees their faces contoured into different emotions every second of it.
Corruption can be in many forms. To negative aura, resentment, greed, a curse, and disease. No one could ever know the pattern behind this. And all they could do was pray to God. But every creature has a story that people dare not want to hear because of the decaying ugliness.
" P-ple...ase... Help... me-- brother..." it spoke slowly and meekly. Damien was the only one who could hear it. He put a light from his side to see more of the creature. And thus, everyone earned sharp gasps. General Myla's heart sunk into depth to hear its pleas.
Ad this confirmed their doubts! In front of them was revealed a doll with ball joints, the eye crafted with pieces of jewelry and porcelain skin. And it even reminiscences the look of a human.
" Generals, exercise caution. Don't be trusted with what she says yet." Felix spoke. " You are right. Even If I have gained much trust with this creature, we shouldn't let our guard down for a bit yet. Corrupted facades like a little kitten but they'll raise their claws like a lion." Damien agrees with him, yet he is preoccupied with the creature. He was for it to show its true colors. Felix was shocked that Damien quickly acknowledged him.
They used to have a dispute between disagreeing sides.
" Brother... sir..." It pleaded to Damien but now screeched out aloud. This creature was holding the bars on the cage. No tears were falling into its cheeks, but its cries were too agonizing to listen to: " Please... Hehehe HAHAHA!" a sudden change of demeanor shocked the Generals again.
" The hell?"
" Is this the Corrupted's true persona? no way,"
The creature widened its eyes to what it said right now and chewed its mouth. Damien softened his eyes and crouched at the alive doll. " Little one, Does someone control your own will?" he questioned. The creature darted at him, and it was reluctant to say anything. Lips quivering and fear galloped on the head.
General Myla stood up. " My Lord... Could she be... controlled?" her speech was hesitant. Felix examined her un-composed self turned into shamble. The creature wailed again, but now it was not agonizing to hear. " If... I say anything... I would get called by--" the creature spit violet liquid and held its chest for support. " Little One?!" Damien's hand tried to squeeze into the cage. The creature shrank its eyes, the breathing getting labored.
" Brother! Be careful. You are risking yourself!!!!" Carla scolded.
The blood was emitting smoke and lingered with deep hatred. Damien sighed in relief that the creature did not do anything when he squeezed her hand to check the pulse, yet however, he shouldn't be too relaxed right now.
A mixed feeling of anxiety rushes to their blood. The Generals were able to recollect their thoughts from the scene. And everyone was cooperative during the meeting, asking questions and suggestions. Everyone left after that, except Felix and Damien, who remained in their seats. The silence filled in the room. Damien wondered why Felix was still here, as he was still oblivious to Felix's irritation. It was awkward, not until Felix started to tap his fingers on the table, and thus he spoke.
" Answer me truthfully, Damien. How did you able to catch such a creature?" his breath hitched. It was like forever since Damien heard Felix call his name. He left in stupefaction. The last time he heard Felix call his name was the time he saw his true nature.
Ah, they used to be the best of all friends, and one couldn't sever that relationship. But it was partly Damien's fault that he acted in such a hasty manner, and some days he would feel shame sunk into his heart: to lose such a friendship because of his nature.
Should the young and esteemed master Damien feel delighted? He does not know.
" The creature just willingly showed up in a defenseless state. If you think I am putting up this as a scheme, that, I and this creature are on this... You should stop pinning the assumption on me." Damien finally said it. Those words had been swelling in his heart back then. Damien always has the urge to tell in front of people. Felix stopped tapping his finger as if he was thinking of something. But he stood up only. Damien swallowed that lump of his throat.
" You are right. I will always keep assuming it was you," Felix left at the tent, leaving Damien alone with a dark expression. The redhead knight looked at the Generals who were having their party, and the other of them were on the carriage leaving the Drentwont Camp.
" Sir Felix! Sir Felix! What's your plan today!?" a fellow knight called and waved at him, and he smiled at him. " I'm going back to my home," he casually said and walked out. He didn't look back at the Camp. He had already forgotten what Damien said like a distant memory.