"You should've killed him?! What were you doing?!"
Nyx grabbed Altair and screamed at him with tears streaming down her face.
Altair did not say a word. He stayed silent.
Maria watched the two.
"I thought Celestia said that Altair's no-killing resolve was a strength..."
She muttered to herself.
Even Maria knew that killing was sometimes necessary, no matter the guilt you may feel.
"No... It wasn't a strength. It was his cowardice."
Nyx commented, after hearing Maria.
"You're the leader of a District! People are looking up to you! So what if the Integral mages retreated?! We lost 17 mages and 1 woman who will never come back! Meanwhile, how many did the enemy lose?!"
Altair looked to the ground. It seemed as though he was not listening.
"HOW MANY?!"
She screamed at him.
"Oi, Sis, that's enough."
Erebus interrupted, pushing Nyx away from Altair.
"Master was simply doing things by his principles."
"And yet, they failed and got 18 people killed."
Nyx glared at Altair.
"Look, I'm saying that if we were allowed permission to kill, we would have crushed that unit. Even the Green Emperor himself was bold enough to come here, knowing your resolve."
"Fine, then."
Altair finally spoke.
"I'll go."
"What?"
"I'll go and destroy the Integral faction. Will that be enough for you?"
"Uh, yeah..."
Nyx replied, slightly shaken.
It was not just Nyx but also Erebus, Maria, Zephyr, who came back from behind thrown away, and other mages listening in found it strange that Altair complied.
Nyx thought that he would eventually turn to allow killing but not this quickly.
"Thank you, Nyx. I guess losing my wife has made me realise the reality of this world."
(Then, perhaps, he was like me.)
Maria thought.
"From now on, killing is permitted only when necessary. This is a war."
He spoke to everyone.
(He's saying this but...)
Maria noticed his shaking fist and clenched teeth.
(It's almost as if he's trying to convince himself.)
---
{2 YEARS LATER, 662}
The Emperors' War ended and the one who ended it was Altair.
After the first battle in the Shadow District, the Shadow mages and Altair went to the Integral District and attacked the capital to gain land in the war.
Before attacking, he gave a warning to those who did not want to die.
'If you do not want to die, then do not attack me.'
However, Altair killed every mage which attacked him and left Reinhardt with only the upper half of his body. It would take time for even a Demi-God to heal his lower half.
After two years of fighting, Altair claimed every District and collectively announced the end of the war. Any Emperors who stood against him would have been defeated due to the occurrence of Altair's new Singularity, Black Exodia.
After the war, he gave the lands he had stolen back to the Emperors.
Due to his incredible power and the quote he would always say, people gave him the title of 'The Honoured One.'
At Erebus' dojo, it would be his final session with the five disciples, so he decided to give a present to the best.
"Now, all of you are 22. You're all adults. And so, the best of you will become one of my kin."
"K-kin?!"
Fey shouted.
The god nodded.
"Yes, if you become my kin, then you become a Demi-God, essentially living for 5000 years max."
"I don't want to live that long."
"Agreed."
Eugene and Aura commented.
"So, who's the best of us?!"
Fey asked, eagerly.
He liked the idea of becoming a Demi-God.
Erebus looked slightly nervous due to how happy Fey was.
"Uhh, well, the best is Maria..."
Everyone looked at Maria.
Fey looked distraught while Eugene and Aura clapped to congratulate her. Zephyr jumped on the woman.
"That's my girl!"
"Congratulations, Maria."
Aura said.
Then, everyone turned to Fey. His face practically lost colour. This was everything he wanted yet... He did not get what he wanted.
"Uhm, Master, can't you make two people your kin?"
Maria asked, trying to give Fey a chance.
Maria wanted to become a Demi-God. Mostly to see how life will progress in the new age and how they react to things like death.
"No, I can't. It's only once per century, which is why I only take disciples every 100 years or so. I'm sorry, Fey, there's nothing I can do."
Fey did do his best but he could not do anything against someone like Maria. Though her upbringing was worse than his, she still surpassed him in almost everything when it came to magic and martial arts.
The young man glared at Maria.
And so, Maria became Erebus' kin.
---
A week later, Fey committed suicide.
"It's all your fault!"
Aura screamed with tears running down her face.
"Oi, Aura, you know that's not true!"
Zephyr told her, defending Maria.
Eugene was behind Aura, comforting her. Maria silently stared at Aura.
"Zephyr, you always take Maria's side. Even you know that it was Maria's fault."
Eugene said.
That was not true. Zephyr did not believe that at all.
Aura cried in Eugene's arms.
"Aura,"
Maria called out.
"I know we all knew and loved Fey but you're only blaming me because you're blaming your own powerlessness."
"What?!"
It was not Aura who snapped but Eugene.
"Hey, Mari, I think you're going too far."
"I'm not saying anything heartless, I'm just trying to get her to realise."
She told Zephyr.
"You loved Fey, didn't you, Aura?"
"O-of course,"
She sniffled.
"I loved him like fa--"
"Romantically."
When Maria spoke, everyone hushed.
"What are you talking about, Maria, now you're just speaking nonsense!"
Eugene bellowed.
Maria did not want to continue but she felt that it was for the best.
"Do you see her denying it?"
She asked.
The orange-haired boy looked at Aura, who still slightly crying. She did not say a word.
"B-but--"
"And you, Eugene, love Aura. That's why you're protecting her despite not thinking it was my fault Fey died."
The young man's mouth gaped.
He ran toward Maria and grabbed her black cloak, pulling her toward him. He punched her.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"
Zephyr pulled Eugene off of Maria.
"What?! Because you think you're a Demi-God now, you know everything?! Stuck-up bitch!"
Maria stared at him.
Though her face seemed listless, on the inside, she was crying.
(I guess not all friendships last, huh?)
She asked herself.
"If you really knew everything, then why did you not save Fey from committing suicide?! I'm starting to think that--"
"EUGENE!"
Zephyr roared.
"That's enough."
Eugene stopped and went back to Aura, guiding her away from Fey's gravestone.
"Maria. Never come near us again."
And they disappeared into the fog.
Abruptly, a tear escaped from Maria's eye. She had been holding in the sadness.
"Maria..."
"Idiot. It's because I'm a Demi-God that I couldn't stop it..."
She knelt, crying.
Zephyr comforted her by patting her on the back.