Madeleine's smile brightened. "I've been very well teacher. It's been hard on you, I didn't know my husband gave you such a difficult mission until recently. I hope it wasn't too difficult."
Evelyn waved her hand. "It was nothing compared to what he had to go through. In fact, it was only difficult because my own foolishness made it so. If I trusted Leader Sacharro's array plates more, I wouldn't have been so nervous… Much of the trouble was controlling my own emotions."
How could Evelyn know that Dyon's arrays wouldn't be easily seen through even by a Dao expert? Let alone Oshire who was a mere Higher Celestial.
For her, it was still difficult to get used to this new Dyon. Her biases had been so deeply ingrained that if it hadn't been for the chance to see her beloved again, maybe she would have ignored Dyon's asks all together.
Even to now, she didn't know if he could ever forgive her… After all, she had attempted to kill his niece. That wasn't something that could be easily forgotten, especially since Uncle Acacia had raised Ri like his own daughter in the absence of her parents.
But, she could only try. Maybe this was the first good decision Evelyn had ever made in her life…
"That's good to know…" Madeleine said softly, seemingly oblivious to the fact the care in her voice made Evelyn tremble, her eyes slightly watering.
"Can you take me to see my foster family, teacher? I haven't seen them in a very long time."
Feeling the discomfort in her heart wiped away, Evelyn smiled her first genuine smile, taking Madeleine's arm in hers.
"Come with me. Teacher will bring you to where you want to go."
From the other side of the throne room doors, Dyon felt the crease in his brows soften. The difficulty he felt in giving Evelyn this path to live lessened considerably sensing Madeleine's happiness.
No matter what, Evelyn was a woman who threw away her status as elder of a God Clan to spend years watching over Madeleine disguised as an elderly cleaning lady. Though her actions were detestable, her willingness to sacrifice for his wife was undeniable.
Even if he didn't forgive her, he didn't need to act hostile either…
Sometimes, those of differing perspectives would always stand on opposite sides of the aisle, but this didn't mean they couldn't understand each other…
How many nieces had Dyon killed? Let alone nieces, what about daughters, sons, mothers and fathers? By now, the number was countless. And what was their crime?
In some cases, it was well deserved. These people were scum that didn't deserve to live. But, there were other cases where these individuals simply stood in his way. Their crime was nothing more than not being his ally…
Dyon took a deep breath, his heart settling down. He felt that he had understood something quite profound, and the pulsing light of his dao heart instead became a steady glow, slowly growing in strength.
The weight on the heart of a Commander at War was heavy beyond imagining. Pretending that this weight didn't exist would be nothing more than naivete. In the worst cases, it was inhuman.
This was the simple truth that the War God didn't understand, but it was one that Dyon had only just begun to grasp.
A cycle of life, a cycle of creation, a cycle destruction.
"Daddy, can we go get cherry ice cream now?" Little Alauna who had waited more patiently than any toddler could possibly expect to finally couldn't handle it anymore.
Dyon smiled, rubbing his little girl's head.
"Of course, dad will bring you to eat the best ice cream in the world."
The little girl cheered, wetting her lips to plant a big kiss on her father's cheek.
**
In the next months, Dyon swept through Pakal territory, dealing with their nobles in the same way. Though their sins were relatively lesser, they still lost 10% of their mightiest experts. Unfortunately, Emperor Pakal didn't survive either, falling victim to the same fate Lord Odin did.
It was then that Dyon did something shocking. For the Ragnors, he named Thor as the head of their Clan. And for the Pakals, he named Caedlum their leader!
The Pakals and Ragnors could have never imagined that their Thor and Asura Faith Seeds would have been in the hands of Dyon this whole time… This final move squashed any hostility that might have remained…
Like this, over 75% of Celestial Quadrant fell under Dyon's control, the only stronghold that remained was the Uidah.
However, curiously, Dyon didn't personal action in this final war. Instead, his Right Hand, Alidor Guatama, controlled the operation from start to end.
The operation came to be known as Guatama's Revenge. However, the Uidah only knew it as their Nightmare.
...
The Uidah stronghold wasn't as lavish as the core lands of the Ragnors, but it was a magnificent view in its own unique way.
While Odin City was lit with countless energy stones, Ethereal City shimmered a beautiful dark gold to bronze.
Its cityscape was filled with short, robust buildings that gave the atmosphere an earthen vibe, while its architecture was reminiscent of west Asian culture from Dyon's home world. In contrast to the sharp edges of Ragnor architecture, the Uidah preferred beautifully rounded and arched structures that gave off a wholesome feel.
Still, this once calming city had become a Nightmare for many.
Just one month ago, the Pakals suddenly flooded their eastern border with a level of attack force the Uidah had never faced before. The sudden change was so abrupt that the Uidah were completely caught on their backfoot.
One might wonder how such a large Empire could make such a blunder, but the answer was actually quite simple. When the attack was initiated, the Gates should have been closed down for maintenance. Even to this moment, the Uidah had no idea how the Pakal circumvented these rules.
The Uidah completely lost initiative. Their only saving grace was the fact that their warriors were still fresh. For some reason, the Pakals hadn't attacked them during the last campaign. Initially, they believed that this was being they were far too occupied with the Ragnors and sighed a breath of relief. But who would have known they were just gathering their striking force for a fatal blow?
Comments