God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Seeing all sorts of men and women dressed in all sorts of armor; from light to heavy, armed with swords, shields, and longbows, standing together with men equipped with guns and rifles was something else.

If Cain didn\'t know any better, he would have believed that they both existed within different time periods.

One thing all these soldiers did have in common though, was their grim expressions.

Not a single one of them had a cheerful demeanor. He also noticed something deeper. There seemed to be a subtle haze clouding everyone\'s eyes. Like a silhouette within the shade; almost unnoticeable and yet, obviously there.

Although he would have loved to know what was going on, Cain decided to stay his hand. Reacting preemptively might put him in danger.

He had no idea where everyone was too. For all he knew, these people didn\'t see them as allies.

At least not yet...

They walked into the compound

As the walked even further, the woman leading them, Lucia, as she called herself, suddenly began speaking,

"By the way, is it true? You came from the sea?"

Cain nodded, "Yeah. The part of the city beyond the bridge that broke off."

Lucia frowned,

"Isn\'t that Clover University?"

Cain nodded with a slight smile. Lucia looked distressed,

"Then, you all are just kids."

Cain shrugged, "Depends on how you define kid. Should I call you an old woman?"

Lucia\'s frown deepened,

"Oi, kid or not, I can still blow your head off your shoulders."

Cain chuckled, "I do not doubt that."

Clicking her tongue, Lucia turned to face forward once again.

Cain was silent for a few seconds before a thought entered his head,

"By the way, I\'ve always wanted to know... How did the Devils take the City?"

Lucia snorted, "How do you think?"

Cain looked around, "Well, I can see that the City wasn\'t just destroyed by the Devils. Those missiles that exploded..."

Lucia sighed,

"When the Devils came, we had no idea what they were..."

Her eyes became dark, and she clenched her fists,

"They were strong, fast, and worst of all, very cunning. Guns and other weapons didn\'t work effectively on them. We rounded up most of the people that weren\'t dead already and tried to form a resistance, but that didn\'t work, as they spread like a plague."

"So the General decided it wouldn\'t be a bad idea to bombard the city."

Cain\'s pupils shrunk. Although he didn\'t want to believe it, the truth had been revealed before him.

"And why would he do something so obviously stupid?"

Lucia glanced back at him,

"Because there was no other choice. The Devils had to be taken down before they took us down."

Cain chuckled darkly,

"And let me guess. The people that had to die because of that were just collateral damage. Nothing too significant, right?"

Lucia fell silent.

Cain sighed, unsure of what else to say. Looking from side to side, he realized that despite all he said, the men beside him didn\'t react in any way, be it positively or negatively.

\'Are they under some kind of spell or enchantment?\'

"And so, what happened after that?" Cain asked after a few seconds.

"The Devils were pushed back for some time, giving us precious time. Within that period, we were able to discover the uses of mana. We also discovered the god remnant of the God of the Sands and Death, The Celestial Balangol.

"I see..." Cain said, finally understanding a few things.

He was right after all. Someone had ordered the destruction of the City, meaning that person was just as guilty as the Devils.

However, at the same time, if that person hadn\'t done so, the entire City would probably contain only Devils by now, or significantly lesser humans.

However, it still left a pit in his stomach. Who knew how many humans had been wiped out because of that one single decision they had no part of? The Devils had been pushed back, and their numbers had been culled. But at what cost?

\'Who the hell is this general?\'

From what he had heard so far, this man would be anything but the picture of benevolence.

Walking forward, Cain\'s mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts.

Eventually, they arrived at the center of the compound. A huge tent made from treated leather was revealed.

Lucia had gone back to her regular forced indifference,

"Let\'s go."

The rest of their escort stayed outside, while he and Lucia walked in.

Despite it being dry outside, it was also very cold. So cold, ice crystals would have formed if there was water in the air.

On the inside of this tent though, there was warmth. Not overwhelming, and not too intense it made the place feel stuff. Just the right amount of warmth.

Cain almost immediately relaxed.

Seated at the center of the tent was a group of men discussing in loud voices.

Lucia suddenly cleared her throat.

The heated discussion came to an end.

Lucia saluted,

"General, I have brought the boy."

A huge, burly man, a little bit bigger that Floki, raised his head.

Just one look was enough to tell Cain that this man was drenched in blood. A lot of it too...

\'So this is the General.\'

Not only that, but he could sense the man\'s strength as well.

Major Arltzwalt, or rather former major turned General...

Cain stared at the man, and the man stared at Cain...

Arltzwalt hummed deeply. Then, the burly, hairy man smiled brightly.

"So you are the boy that managed to keep your people alive? Well done!"

Cain\'s brows shot up in surprise. He turned to stare at Lucia, who stared away. The rest of the men in the room stared daggers at him.

\'What the hell is going on?\' Cain thought to himself.

This was completely unexpected. Why was this gruff looking man, born of violence, a bloodthirsty wargod, probably... being polite to him?

It made no sense at all...

Arltzwalt chuckled,

"I\'d love to give you more congratulations, but time is not on our side right now."

Cain frowned, "What do you..."

Arltzwalt turned to the rest in the room,

"You old bastards, listen up. If we put in more action and less stupidity, we\'d have made some progress here. Do you think if they stayed behind shells all day long, these young ones would have been able to reach here?"

One of the men frowned,

"But stepping out of the dome too often will just lead to unnecessary death."

Arltzwalt snorted, "The life of a soldier is meant to be used on the battlefield."

Another man gritted his teeth, whilst glaring at the General,

"We\'ve managed to survive all this time like this. Why can\'t be just keep doing what we are doing?"

Arltzwalt placed his elbows on the table,

"Because if the Devils don\'t find a way to break through the shield first, we\'ll die of hunger and thirst."

Another man spoke up, his voice trembling a bit,

"But... we have the food and water we gathered from around the City."

Arltzwalt shook his head,

"And how much longer will that last? A month... two months? Don\'t you blind bats look around? The people here are starving. The only ones eating are the soldiers.

So you think they want to see their families starve to death, because some old fools are too scared?"

Cain\'s opinion of the giant, burly, old man changed.

\'He\'s not a dumb gorilla that loves to blow people up. No...\'

Cain\'s eyes turned dark,

\'He\'s something far worse. A damned python. No... A dragon!\'

Silence ruled over the interior of the tent for a few seconds before Arltzwalt sighed. He then turned to Cain,

"What is your name, boy?"

"Cain."

Arltzwalt nodded, "Cain, huh... Then how did you do it? I\'ve heard from your teammates. You arrived on ship, but crossing that treacherous ocean by ship isn\'t something for the faint of heart."

Cain was silent for a few seconds before replying,

"Magic. We used magic."

Arltzwalt raised a brow,

"Explain."

Fighting back a frown, Cain continued,

"I\'ve noticed one thing; you have a lot of fighters in your camp, and a lot of shooters. But I haven\'t seen a single exclusively magic user."

Arltzwalt nodded, "You have good eyes. Indeed... The God of the Sands and Death hates Magicians and practitioners of the occult. However, using mana is something most of us here can do."

"The seas are covered with Dead Spots. To sail past them, we used magic a lot. If your God loathes magic, then he probably hates us the most."

\'So that\'s why the effectiveness of my spells are reduced in here.\' Cain thought to himself.

General Arltzwalt smiled lightly, although it was hidden by all his facial hair,

"The thoughts of the Celestials isn\'t the domain or business of humans. At the end of the day, you all are humans, so we accept you."

His demeanor suddenly changed,

"Now that we are familiar with each other, I must implore your help. If we don\'t do something, then many will die. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Cain nodded, "I do."

Arltzwalt grinned, "Then..."

However, Cain wasn\'t done,

"Hold up. Just because I understand doesn\'t mean I agree."

General Arltzwalt frowned, "What do you mean?"

Cain sneered, "Say as many colourful words as you want. I know what you are after. And I\'ll tell you this now to clear the air. The answer is no."