A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

About a half an hour of fighting later, the battle was over.

A lightly wounded Lilith looked out over this blood-stained, corpse-covered patch of desert with an annoyed scowl. Her army had been decimated, with more than half of her soldiers dead, and she could already hear the scolding she'd receive from the Primarch.

Blood streamed from a few minor wounds on her body, and she clutched her side. At her feet lay a bloody arm with no body attached to it. It was covered in black fur, ended in dangerous claws, and was still clutching a khopesh. A little further away lay the beheaded corpses of Sophia and Ethan, her previous Deacons.

Meanwhile, in the distance, the army of Enkare Nkai, Naeku's people, were mounting an orderly retreat. They were moving quickly, but remained in formation, and had clearly suffered far fewer losses compared to the Humanitas Sangh.

Lilith turned her eyes towards them with scoff of disdain, before grinning cruelly.

"That's right, flee, you little pests," she cried out, using aetherium to boost her voice enough that the fleeing army could hear her. "Count yourselves lucky I was ordered to prioritize the city, but don't doubt we will come for you! Hide in your little holes as long as you like, but human superiority will make its way to you in time!"

"Hear this!" she continued while pointing menacingly in their direction with a sadistic grin. "You will bow! Or you will break! Resistance is futile!"

Her haunting speech was followed by cruel laughter that roiled across the desert dunes and embittered the hearts of those who heard it.

Although this battle could be considered more of a draw than a loss, hopelessness still rose in their ranks, and the leaders were slow to react, as they were focused on one of their own. Read latest chapters at empire

* * *

At the back of the retreating forces was Ankhur, together with Naeku and Enkai. With a grim frown he clutched the stump were his left arm used to be. No pain was evident on his expression.

Blood was streaming through his fingers, but his powerful regeneration was quickly closing the wound, even if it wasn't giving him his arm back. Unfortunately, his hand was covering the small black lines flowing deeper into his body.

"Father, y—" Naeku began, but Ankhur quickly interrupted her with a shake of his head. "I'm alright, little one. It's just an arm, a small price to pay for the lives of you and our people. I'm just saddened I was unable to save Runa as well…"

He fell quiet for a moment, as he, Enkai, and Naeku all took a moment of silence to mourn this fiery, steadfast woman they'd befriended recently. Pain and sadness spread across their faces, as especially Naeku looked crushed.

When it was over, he sighed and continued, "But what's done is done. Now, you need to address our people, before that witch's speech seeps too deep into their hearts. You know the effect you have on them, little one. Use it to light a fire in their hearts!"

Even as they talked, they continued moving away from battlefield quickly, with the three of them guarding the retreat, just in case Lilith changed her mind and began to pursue them.

Naeku looked at her father with worry, and opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something more. But then she closed it again, and nodded solemnly.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she breathed in deeply, before her eyes snapped open again and she looked out over the people moving in front of her.

"My people! Hear me!" she cried with passion and conviction. Instantly, everyone perked up their ears, desperate to hear words that would dispel the cloud over their hearts. "You know the witch speaks falsely! She may be strong, but most of her allies are dead!"

"We may not have won this day," she continued sternly, her voice echoing across her troops. "But we live to fight another one! So long as we have our lives, freedom and justice will continue to reign in our lands! Because I refuse to believe my people would lie down and accept the cruel, purist, tyrannical rule of this Humanitas sangh."

"I will fight against their oppression until my last breath, protecting you, all of our loved ones, and everyone else living in these lands!" her voice continued to rise with ever-increasing fervour. "Will you stand with me?! Or will you cower in the dark, waiting for the puritans to purge you?!"

For a moment, silence fell on the retreating soldiers, but then, it was one of the Arcanists who first responded.

"We stand with you princess!" she roared, from somewhere among the masses. "These people may think they fight for humans, but they are delusional! They aren't humans anymore, and I will fight to keep not only myself safe, but also my supernatural brothers and sisters! Who is with me?!"

Naeku smiled softly. She recognized that voice as being from someone she considered a friend, and her smile widened when the rest of her people began to respond. Slowly, cheers of hope and defiance began to spread, together with loud voices of support for their princess.

"Good job, little one," Ankhur told his daughter with a gentle smile, despite the pain and sadness hiding behind his eyes. He looked behind him at the battlefield. "Runa…" he muttered softly, with more emotions than you might expect from a recent acquaintance.

* * *

Having heard Naeku's response to her words, Lilith scoffed dismissively, but then pulled her eyes off them. Panning her gaze to the dead Deacons a little way off, she muttered hatefully, "I suppose I'll need some new Deacons…"

But then, her eyes lit up with cruel excitement when she turned around to look at the naked, wounded, shivering body of someone who used to hug her with genuine love and care. "At least the day wasn't a complete loss, was it? 'Aunty'…?" she muttered with a sadistic grin.

* * *

Suddenly, Runa was pulled from her memories by the door to the room she was chained in opening. Her tired eyes panned over to it lazily, thinking the woman she knew as Edda had ordered another set of lashes for her, or perhaps some more insinuations of impending rape.

So far, they hadn't taken that step yet, but she figured it was only a matter of time.

Yet, she raised an eyebrow in surprise when she didn't recognize the guard who stepped inside. Then, her eyes widened when she realized he was pulling along her usual guards. Blood flowed freely, as they'd had their throats ripped out. They gurgled and spasmed, panic in their eyes, but there was no mercy for them.

"What the—?" she mumbled, completely confused about what was going on here.

The guard then casually tossed the two dying men in a corner and turned to Runa with soft eyes. His voice cracked with emotions when he muttered softly, "Mom…"