I Only Love My Greatest Enemy

The great hall was a mess of gore and blood. Corpses of nobles, servants, and guards alike littered the floor. Tables and chairs were broken into splinters. There was a horrific stench of death and gunpowder. Smoke wafted into the ceiling.

Various people were looking at the corpses of the wolf-like monsters, keeping their distance as if the creatures would come back to life at any moment. Some of them focused on the piles of melted flesh from the strange woman who attacked after the wolves were killed.

Marshal Ludwig barked orders with a grimace.

"Cut off the wolves' heads! We'll make sure those damned things are dead," he said.

Mercenaries rushed to obey him, hacking at the wolves with their greatswords.

Eris had pulled Armand to the side of the room. The boy was sitting down, shaking, and not showing any expression on his face. Pulling around some furniture, Eris made sure no one could see Armand.

The girl looked around the room. She saw all the corpses, noting how many nobles died.

"This is annoying. Some of those nobles would have made very good pawns. Worse still, after all these deaths, there's no way everything will happen the same way they did the last time around. Some events might still happen, but I don't think most will," Eris thought.

She then turned to Armand. His eyes gazed forward with a vacant stare.

"Are you alright, Armand?" the girl asked.

There was no response. Eris reached out and touched Armand's arm. He flinched back. The boy mumbled something.

"Seeing those monsters again must have been terrible for Armand, especially since they didn't show up here before. He didn't have any time to prepare himself. I need to help him somehow," Eris thought.

She gave Armand a reassuring smile.

"You saved a lot of lives, Armand. I don't have as much experience fighting those monsters as you do. If it was just me here, more people would have been killed by the Fog Maiden and Not Wolves," the girl said.

He nodded slightly, still shaking.

"Thank you," Armand muttered.

"That helped a bit, but it wasn't enough. I need to say something else, something to catch Armand's attention," Eris thought before speaking. "Those monsters weren't here the last time around. Do you think our actions changed things that much?"

Armand stopped shaking.

"That's possible. We made some big changes, and they might have caused the Bird of Death to move its plan forward. But there's another possibility that's even worse," he said.

Eris shivered.

"Yes. The Bird of Death or one of his servants might remember things before you turned back time. Brutus does, so it's possible other people do too," she stated.

"He had some deal with the god of memory. We don't know what the Bird of Death is, but if it's a god, it might have some control over memory or time," Armand pondered.

"That's the worst-case scenario," Eris said. "We should hope this attack was an indirect consequence of some change we or Brutus made. But we need to be prepared if someone else remembers."

The boy nodded.

"We should find out if anyone remembers. But there are too many people to investigate, and I'm not even sure how we'd start. I don't think investigating would solve anything," Armand stated.

"Then, we'll have to assume that the disasters are coming sooner rather than later," Eris replied.

They noticed footsteps moving closer to them. Armand and Eris looked out to see Marshal Ludwig approaching.

"Come out," he ordered.

Armand and Eris did as commanded, walking over to Ludwig with great speed. The marshal's eyes locked on Armand. He surveyed the boy for a few moments before speaking.

"You saw those things before," Marshal Ludwig stated.

"I did," Armand said.

"Come with me."

Marsal Ludwig walked away. Armand and Eris followed him, nervousness pumping through them. Then, the man stopped.

"Just you," the man said. "Unless the lady saw these things before too."

"This is bad. Marshal Ludwig is an honorable military man who wants what's best for the kingdom," Eris thought. "And that's exactly the problem. If Ludwig thinks it would be best to take Armand to the capital or some castle on the other side of the kingdom, he'd do it in a heartbeat. And Armand's parents aren't powerful enough to stop him. But if Armand's taken away, the least I can do is go with him."

Before she could speak, Armand talked.

"Eris hasn't seen them. It's just me," he said.

The girl hid her shock masterfully.

"I don't know what you're planning, Armand, but I'll trust you," Eris thought.

"By the gods, I can't believe I'm doing this. If Ludwig took me and Eris away, I could keep an eye on her. I could keep her from doing any evil," Armand internally sighed. "But if the disasters are happening sooner, I need someone to prepare for them. I could help the kingdom as a whole if I go with Ludwig, but I can do more if I have an ally on the outside. Eris and Brutus are the only people I know who remember the disasters, and I doubt Brutus would cooperate with me."

Then, further determination welled up in his heart.

"And someone has to make sure Eris' parents and her people are safe. I'll do my best to save them, no matter what happens, but Eris should still be able to carry out our plan if I can't do anything."

Marshal Ludwig nodded.

"Alright. Then, just you come along," he said.

Eris stayed back. Armand walked with Marshal Ludwig. The boy turned his head to Eris and mouthed words without speaking.

"I'm putting my trust in you. Please, prove that I'm making the right choice."

That sent a thump through Eris' heart. She nodded back.

"I understand. You want me to carry out our schemes and prepare for the disasters if you can't. Don't worry, Armand, I won't fail you."

Marshal Ludwig approached Count Staufer.

"We need to talk somewhere private," Ludwig said.

"Alright," the count nodded, shaking from seeing the monster attack.

He moved to the chapel with quaking knees. Marshal Ludwig and Armand followed after him. The boy contemplated his next move as they walked.

"Should I tell them that I'm from the future? Will they believe me if I do? They're both experienced nobles, so they won't be as easy to convince as a newcomer like Rozwiazly. A lot of my future knowledge is outdated at this point too. So, it'll be difficult to prove, especially since I never knew that much about Count Staufer's life. As for Marshal Ludwig, he'd see me as a threat if he knew how much I know. And if they believe I'm from the future, they might turn me into their pawn. Knowledge is power, and I can't trust Count Staufer with knowledge of the future. The best course of action is to not let either of them know," Armand thought.

The three entered the chapel, and a tense air flowed over them.

"I saw you in the battle, Lord Armand. You knew exactly how to fight those things," Count Staufer said.

"I do, Your Excellency," the boy replied.

Marshal Ludwig grimaced.

"Well, there goes hoping there aren't any more of those things," he stated.

Armand's mind flashed. Images of a horde of monsters sprang up. Thousands of abominations bore down on him, gazing with vicious and hungry eyes. The boy forced himself to snap back to reality.

"There are many more, Marshal," Armand said.

"How many?" Count Staufer shivered.

"I don't know," the boy replied. "Just that there are a lot. And there are more monsters than the two types you saw."

"We never found out their full numbers. And even if we had some idea, there could be more hiding somewhere," he thought.

Count Staufer leaned back against a wall, sinking to the ground. The noble wasn't even trying to hide how exhausted he was.

"By the gods. Where do those things come from?" Staufer muttered.

"From the dark corners of the world. They lurk there, hiding and preying on lone travelers. They bide their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Just like the Nosfer," Armand said.

Marshal Ludwig grimaced.

"First thing's first. What were those things?" he asked.

"The wolves were Not Wolves," Armand answered. "Not Wolves is literally what they're called. I saw them in deep forests where few men tread. I heard stories that they live deep in mountains and far North too."

"And the woman?" Marshal Ludwig questioned.

Armand shivered.

"She's a Fog Maiden," he said.

Count Staufer laughed morbidly.

"A Fog Maiden? That's not possible. Fog Maidens are fairy tales meant to scare children. Don't go out too late, or the Fog Maiden will get you. Be wary of strange women. They might be Fog Maidens."

"They're meant to scare foolish young men too," Marshal Ludwig noted. "Don't hit on some random woman you know nothing about. She might be a Fog Maiden, a Serpentine, or some other strange creature of myth."

Their gazes turned to Armand. His expression was deadly serious.

"And here I thought you were coping with humor...no, I knew you were being serious. I was just holding onto futile hope that we live in a sane world," Count Staufer stated.

"The world is mad. Fog Maidens, Serpentines, and other fairy tales exist. Someone must have somehow survived encountering one of those things and told other people," Armand said.

Count Staufer shivered.

"Even after seeing a Nosfer, I wouldn't have believed someone who told me that Fog Maidens exist. If we didn't have those giant wolf corpses, I don't think anyone would believe us," he spoke.

Marshal Ludwig's expression was one of deep contemplation.

"My brother's right. I hope no one blames you for not telling anyone that these things exist, Lord Armand," Ludwig said. "Tell me, how accurate are the fairy tales?"

"Which ones? These stories have a lot of variations," Armand replied.

"A good point. Well, let's start bit by bit. What are Fog Maidens?'

"They are women who were murdered the day before their wedding, during their wedding, or during their wedding night. Their ghosts came back and possessed their corpses to get revenge."

Marshal Ludwig pondered.

"Does this mean whoever killed the Fog Maiden was at this party?" he asked.

"No," Armand answered. "Fog Maidens are a type of revenant. These are ghosts that possess their corpses to get revenge on someone. Unlike normal ghosts, revenants eventually go mad and want revenge on the entire world."

Count Staufer chuckled darkly. His eyes watered. The nobleman's expression was coated with fear.

"Revenants are real. Ghosts are real. By the gods, it's a nightmare," he said.

"Don't worry," Marshal Ludwig assured him. "These things can be killed. They're tough, but the Fog Maiden that attacked us is a pile of ash now."

Then, his gaze turned back to Armand.

"Tell me. Why do revenants go mad when other ghosts don't?" Ludwig questioned.

"They go mad because ghosts feel whatever whoever they're possessing feels. And if they possess a corpse, they feel whatever the corpse felt if it was somehow a living person in its condition," Armand said.

"That doesn't explain it."

The boy sighed.

"Do you know what rotting feels like?" he asked.

"I don't," Marshal Ludwig answered.

"Pray to the gods that you never find out," Armand said. "Revenants know. Their entire body's rotting. Imagine the slow decay of a corpse into a skeleton. Now, imagine experiencing that."

For the first time since he was a little boy, Marshal Ludwig shuddered. Count Staufer felt like throwing up.

Armand continued, "Some revenants try freezing their bodies to keep them from decaying. That can only help for so long, and it doesn't make things much better. Their limbs become so rigid that they have to tear their muscles apart to move. And just imagine..."

"I think that's enough," Marshal Ludwig interrupted him. "You clearly have a lot of experience with these monsters."

The boy nodded.

"More than you could possibly know," Armand thought.

"How did you get that experience?" Marshal Ludwig asked.

"A combination of bad luck, looking for them like an idiot, and having no choice but to deal with them," the boy said.

"Is there anyone else you know who knows about these things?"

"A few isolated people who live deep in the woods, some spellcasters people dismiss as mad, and some other types you'd never see among noble company."

Marshal Ludwig paced back and forth.

"And do you know why these monsters attacked us here? They normally hide in the shadows, right?" he asked.

"They do, and I have an idea of why," Armand answered before thinking. "Now, time to get Marshal Ludwig to prepare for future disasters."

He took a deep breath.

"I'd say they think now is their best chance to attack. Centuries, maybe even millennia, of hiding from us means that most people think of these monsters as nothing more than stories to scare children. And our technology and magic are getting better. Just a few decades ago, guns were rare and primitive. Now, every army in the continent uses arquebus. As for magic, you saw what Rozwiazly can do. No one thought casting spells that fast was even possible before he showed up. Imagine what weapons and spells we'll have a hundred years from now."

Marshal Ludwig nodded with understanding.

"If the monsters attack now, they can strike an enemy that doesn't think they exist before that enemy gets stronger," he said.

"Exactly," Armand replied.

"That settles things," Marshal Ludwig's face turned to one of utter determination. "If there's even the slightest chance that these monsters attack again, we'll need to be ready. Lord Armand. From now on, you will accompany me as my adjutant. You will tell me and write down everything you know about these monsters."