The castle hall felt heavier than usual. The recent assassination of the king had thrown everything into disarray, and now the war council was in full swing. Anastasia had taken charge, her expression focused and resolute as she discussed the next steps with her commanders. The air was thick with urgency, but there was an undercurrent of something deeper—an unspoken understanding that something more than just the kingdom was at stake.
DeeDee, however, remained silent in the corner. She had barely moved since they returned. Her usual lively and playful demeanor was gone, replaced by an eerie stillness. She stared blankly at the ground, her thoughts far from the discussions unfolding around her. She hadn't spoken a word since they came back, her eyes hollow and distant as if she were no longer truly present.
Aliss and Zoe exchanged worried glances, both sensing the weight that had settled on DeeDee's shoulders. The girl who had once been full of laughter and jokes now seemed like a ghost, and it was clear to both of them that the events that had unfolded were taking a heavy toll on her.
Anastasia, having caught sight of DeeDee, glanced over at her briefly. She had been unusually quiet lately, ever since they had received word of Dust's transformation into Asmolgan, the Demon Lord. It was as if the news had struck DeeDee harder than anyone else. Anastasia's gaze softened for a moment, but her attention quickly shifted back to the task at hand.
"We have to move fast," Anastasia said, her voice steady, as she addressed the group of commanders. "We can't waste time. The demons are closing in, and we need to secure the bastion. If we don't take it now, they'll overrun us."
She turned toward the rest of the council. "Prepare the army. I'll gather a team to take control of the portal and secure the bastion. We need to buy ourselves time."
As Anastasia issued her commands, Zoe leaned closer to Aliss. "I don't know about you, but it feels like everyone's missing something... Like they're not telling us everything."
Aliss nodded slowly. "They're hiding something. And DeeDee…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the girl in the corner again. "I don't know what's going on with her. It's like she's shut down completely. It's not just the king's death… It's something else."
Zoe's gaze followed Aliss's, but she wasn't sure what to say. The tension in the room felt like it was about to boil over, and DeeDee seemed to be the catalyst.
Anastasia, meanwhile, had been listening intently to the conversations around her. She wasn't oblivious to the growing distress among her team. She stepped forward and addressed the room with a grave tone. "We have no choice but to fight. But we need to know who our enemies are. We need to understand what we're dealing with." Her gaze sharpened. "The demons… they have a stronghold in the swamp, a bastion where they're gathering power. We need to stop them before they get too close. If we capture the bastion, we'll have five years to prepare. Five years to stop the full invasion."
DeeDee, though still lost in her thoughts, heard the mention of the bastion. Her heart tightened painfully at the thought of the demons, but something else gnawed at her—the need to act. She couldn't just sit here, letting everything spiral out of control.
Anastasia continued, unaware of the inner turmoil DeeDee was going through. "The key to everything is **Adam**. He used to be one of us. I don't know how or why he turned, but we need to find his sister. I'm sure she's out there somewhere, and she's the only one who might be able to reach him. If we can find her, maybe she can stop him. If anyone can turn him back, it's her."
DeeDee's breath caught in her throat. She stared blankly at the wall, her mind racing.
"I can find his sister," Anastasia continued, not noticing DeeDee's sudden tension. "I have people who can help me. We need to know who she is, where she is. If we find her, we can use her to bring him back. He doesn't have to be lost to us forever."
DeeDee, almost without thinking, stood up suddenly, her eyes wide with a mix of panic and sorrow. Her voice cracked as she spoke, her words coming out as barely a whisper. "You're talking about his sister. But you don't know, do you?" She paused, feeling the weight of her own words settle in. "I'm his sister."
The room fell silent.
Aliss, Zoe, and Anastasia all turned toward DeeDee in shock. For a moment, no one spoke. DeeDee's eyes were filled with an agonizing mix of grief and guilt. She could feel the weight of everyone's gaze on her, but she didn't flinch. She had to say it now—she had to tell them.
"You don't know… You don't know that I'm **Adam's** sister." Her voice was quiet, the words heavy with emotion. "He's gone, I can't change what he's become, but he was my brother. I failed him. I couldn't protect him. And now..." She choked on the last words, her hands shaking at her sides. "Now, everything's falling apart, and I don't know how to fix it."
Anastasia took a step forward, her expression softening with empathy. "DeeDee…" she started, but DeeDee shook her head.
"I should have done something," DeeDee muttered, her tears threatening to spill over. "But I couldn't. I just kept running, thinking I could protect him. Now he's gone, and I don't know how to bring him back."
Zoe, now understanding the gravity of the situation, stepped forward as well, her voice gentle but resolute. "DeeDee, you didn't fail him. There's still hope. We still have a chance to reach him."
DeeDee looked up, her tear-filled eyes meeting Zoe's. "You don't get it. He's already gone. Asmolgan... he's lost to the demons. There's nothing we can do."
Anastasia placed a hand on DeeDee's shoulder, her voice firm but comforting. "We don't know that for sure. But if you're his sister, then we need you. You're the only one who can help us find him. You're the only one who might be able to reach him."
DeeDee, still in shock, wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't know if I can. But I'll try."
The silence in the room felt suffocating after DeeDee's words. The tension was palpable as everyone tried to process the shock of her confession. Anastasia, Zoe, and Kira all exchanged glances, unsure of how to react.
Aliss, however, stood frozen, her heart pounding. She knew the truth, and she had kept it hidden for so long. **Adam**... The name sent a cold shiver down her spine. She had been part of his past, part of the life he had left behind. But now, to see DeeDee standing here, torn apart by the very same grief, made everything hit too close to home.
Aliss took a deep breath, her voice quiet but firm. "You're his sister," she said, her words heavy. "DeeDee, I know Adam. I know him from before, from our past. But this…" She trailed off, her eyes glancing to the others. "I didn't know… I didn't know you were his sister."
DeeDee looked up at Aliss, her tear-filled eyes filled with confusion and hurt. "You knew him? But you didn't tell me?" She shook her head, frustrated with herself and the world around her. "I couldn't protect him. I wasn't there when he needed me. I wasn't even able to save him when he was changing into… this."
Zoe, still standing by, took a step closer, her voice soft but resolute. "It's not too late. There's still a chance. He's not lost completely." Her eyes flicked briefly to Anastasia, then back to DeeDee. "We can still reach him. He's still in there."
Kira, who had been observing the conversation with quiet detachment, spoke up, her tone even and controlled. "I'm an outsider here, so I won't pretend to understand the complexities of this situation. But one thing is clear—if we have a chance to stop Asmolgan, we need to do everything we can to reach him. I don't care what's happened in the past, we need to act now."
Anastasia, who had remained silent, stood up from where she had been sitting, her eyes focused and determined. She knew the stakes were higher than ever. Not just for her kingdom, but for everyone involved. DeeDee's revelation had shaken her, but it had also solidified her resolve. She had to save Adam. He could still be brought back.
She turned to the gathered group, her voice calm but unwavering. "We can't waste any more time. We need to take action." She looked at DeeDee, then at Zoe, Aliss, and Kira. "I will make the announcement to the kingdom. We're going to war. We're going to capture **Asmolgan**, and we're going to bring him back."
DeeDee's heart clenched at her words, but she nodded, though it was clear she wasn't sure how to feel. She wanted to believe in this mission. She wanted to believe they could bring Adam back, but she feared it was already too late.
Aliss, still quiet, placed a hand on DeeDee's shoulder, trying to offer a comforting gesture, though she felt conflicted inside. "Anastasia is right. We can't give up now. If there's any chance of saving him, we have to take it."
Anastasia's voice rose with newfound confidence. "The battle ahead will be difficult, but if we succeed, we can take control of the bastion. We will have time to prepare. And I believe that if we reach **Asmolgan**, he can be saved. We will not let the demons take over."
She turned to face the group, then to the window, her gaze steely. "But there are those who will think I'm insane for trying to cure a demon lord. They'll question my motives. They'll say I'm wasting precious resources on a lost cause. But they don't understand. It's not just about the war with the demons. It's about hope. It's about showing that even a demon can be redeemed, and if **Asmolgan** can be brought back, it will prove that even those who have fallen to darkness can be saved."
The room grew quiet as Anastasia's words hung in the air. She could feel the weight of her decision pressing down on her, but she was resolved. There was no turning back now. Her kingdom needed her to lead. They needed to see that she had a plan to protect them.
But as she glanced around the room, she noticed the hesitation in the others' eyes. Kira remained calm as ever, but there was a flicker of doubt in her expression. Zoe looked troubled, torn between her desire to help and the fear of what this path could mean for them all. DeeDee, still recovering from the emotional weight of her confession, seemed lost, unsure of whether she could even help her brother now.
Aliss, on the other hand, was the only one who knew Adam. She knew the person he had once been, and the tragedy of what he had become now was like a knife to her heart.
"I will address the people," Anastasia continued, her voice firm. "I will tell them that we are going to war with the demons. But I will also tell them that we will capture **Asmolgan**. I will not hide the truth. They will know we're going after a demon lord, and they will question me. But we will show them that redemption is possible. If we can reach him, we can save him."
She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the task ahead.
Aliss nodded slowly, her eyes meeting DeeDee's. "You've always been strong, DeeDee. I know you can help us find him. We'll find him together."
DeeDee gave a small nod, though her heart was still heavy with doubt.
Anastasia looked over at Kira, and then back at the group. "Prepare yourselves. We leave tomorrow."
Anastasia stood tall in the center of the square, her armor gleaming under the midday sun, reflecting the determination burning within her. The square was packed with the citizens of the kingdom, their murmurs dying down as they saw her step forward, a symbol of strength and leadership in the face of uncertainty.
She raised her hand, silencing the crowd. The air was thick with anticipation, but her voice rang clear and unwavering as she addressed them all.
"Today, we defend our home as we have done once every year, on the blue moon day. But this time, we do not stand against monsters or beasts of nature. This time, we face something far darker." She paused, her eyes sweeping over the crowd, making sure every one of them understood the gravity of her words. "Demons. The demons of the first war have never truly left. We've found their bastion—hidden in the depths of the swamp—and they seek to return. But we will stop them. Today, we will go to war, and we will capture the arch demon who has led them. We will bring them to their knees, and in doing so, we will secure five years of peace to prepare for what is to come."
The crowd stood in stunned silence for a moment, the weight of her words settling over them. But Anastasia didn't falter; she stood tall and resolute, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
"This battle will be difficult. But if we succeed, we will not just defend our kingdom—we will show the world that we are not a kingdom to be forgotten. We will show them that we can stand against the darkness and emerge victorious. We will secure the future of our people and prove that even the deepest shadows can be overcome."
At her side stood Asteria, the elf from the Moonshadow family, her posture just as commanding. A small smile graced Asteria's lips, an expression of knowing and quiet confidence. She had always been a rebel, one who'd defied the norms to fight for what she believed in—and she had never once doubted Anastasia's ability to lead them to victory. Her smile was not just for show; it was the quiet assurance that Anastasia's words were more than just an announcement—they were a promise.
"Together, we will face the demon lord," Anastasia continued, her voice stronger now, filled with the power of belief in her people and their cause. "And together, we will win. Let's show them what it means to fight for our home."
The crowd erupted into a roar of support, their spirits lifted by her words. They weren't just soldiers; they were a united kingdom ready to defend their future. Anastasia glanced at Asteria, who stood with her, resolute and proud. The elf's smile widened just slightly, a silent acknowledgment of the strength that lay in this moment.
And for a brief second, Anastasia allowed herself to feel it—the power of what they were about to do. They weren't just fighting for survival. They were fighting for redemption, for hope, and for the chance to turn the tide of history in their favor.
As the crowd began to prepare, Anastasia turned to lead them forward, her armor clanking with each step as the sound of war drums echoed through the streets. Asteria followed closely, and together, they would make sure their kingdom was ready. This was their fight, and they would win it—together.