Silence.

Theron's words, "a reprieve, not a victory," hung in the still, clear air and chilled the relief in every survivor's heart. After what felt like an eternity of chaos, the world was deafeningly quiet.

The sky was now scrubbed clean of the purple wounds and the god-figures above. It was just a sky. A clear, bright and beautiful blue. A sight so normal it was many wondered why they didn’t appreciate it more before.

The army stood, a vast sea exhausted survivors. They couldn’t help but be staring at the empty blue while processing their thoughts. Somewhere down the line a soldier dropped his weapon on the ground. The clatter seemed to echo for miles. It was followed by a single choked sob that was just as quickly silenced.

Rylan's gaze was still fixed on the sky where the beasts had vanished. He was the first to speak and his voice trembled. "Theron is right. But... ten. Ten of them. The legends... they were true, but... ten."

He turned to the other leaders. "The legends within the Gate Keepers... they only ever hinted at seven. Could it be that there are ten continents here? Our maps, our entire understanding of the world... what if it’s wrong? There are ten continents. Ten guardians."

“It could also be that there are more than one of those beasts per continent as well you know. That some continent houses 2 or 3 of them. That is also just as likely. Do not just jump to conclusions without any information.” Grand Elder Corvus replied.

"Ten beasts, ten rifts," Vizier Morn hissed. "That is all you really know. You humans jump to conclusions too quickly, even an old man like yourself."

"He could be right though," Lady Vyltra said. "That being's warning. 'A time of great unrest is coming.' 'Danger... for all realms.' The beasts were... powerful. And yet... they were scolded. The 'Anti-Duplex'... they are on another level entirely. Or perhaps they have some way to control them. It sounded like the beasts were put here for a purpose. Even the leader of the three beings spoke of a 'heavy price' to fight the thirty-three Xylarri."

"We were saved, yes," Zaltar said. "But we were also told, explicitly, that we are on our own. Those thirty-three Xylarri leaders... I do not believe I could have survived an encounter with one, let alone all of them. Their strength was beyond ours and we stood no chance."

This was a stunning admission from the proud demonic lord. He was admitting that the suicide mission he had volunteered for would have been exactly that: suicide. A futile and meaningless death. He looked at Theron and a shared grim understanding passed between them.

"Hmph," Forgemaster Krell grunted. His magma-skin was dull in the bright sunlight. "They were strong. But they feared the three. And the three... their power is different. That light and dark..."

His words trailed off. As if drawn by a string, all their eyes naturally swiveled to the one person who had actually interacted with those beings. Not only interacted but somehow insulted or enraged and was almost killed.

Li Yu.

The silence stretched and Li Yu felt his skin crawl with all their eyes on him.

"Li Yu," Grand Elder Corvus finally said. "...What was that? The being attacked you. It said you had attacked but the leader said... you didn’t do it on purpose? Can you please explain what happened? I thought we were all going to die back there"

Li Yu quickly took his eyes off the metal plate he was holding and looked up at everyone. He looked at the ring of exhausted, powerful and baffled leaders staring at him. He had to say something.

"Grand Elders... Commanders..." he began, his voice hoarse as he bowed his head to apologize to everyone for his actions. "I don't know. My soul... since I advanced to Soul Formation... it acts on its own sometimes. When the leader’s souls were there at the end... mine... it just reached out. I didn't tell it to! I was screaming at it to stop! I swear!"

"A divine instinct!" Jian Xuan burst out. He slapped Li Yu on the back, nearly sending him to his knees. "The soul of a true champion, reaching for divine energy! It knew they were not enemies! It was a simple greeting!"

“Instinct!? It nearly got us all killed!” Malara snapped back at Jian Xuan.

“True champion? More like the soul of a fool with no control.” Krell also responded

Lady Vyltra ignored Jian Xuan completely. Her glacial-blue eyes narrowed on Li Yu with a new analytical intensity. "It reached out... and attacked? Trying to attack a being like that?" Her voice was just a whisper, a mix of disbelief and curiosity.

Li Yu's face burned with shame and he bowed again, even lower this time. "I am deeply ashamed. It was not my intent. Thankfully the leader was understanding and broad minded and forgave me... As you saw it even gave me this."

He held up the black-and-white metal token. "It called it 'payment for my actions'."

The leaders just stared. They had no frame of reference for what this was. A boy whose soul tried to attack the gods that just saved them. The god then gave him this metal plate that none of them recognize.

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“Payment for your actions… perhaps at a certain point the plate will activate and give you more instructions on what you need to do to pay it back…” Theron spoke up.

Zaltar's eyes were narrowed. He knew. He knew Li Yu was different. He had felt that the boy was strange since the beginning. The "Duplex" myth, the "Anti-Duplex" legend, and this strange boy. Perhaps it was an omen.

"You are a strange one, Li Yu," Zaltar said, his voice a low rumble. "The legends of the Anti-Duplex are real. And for them to interact with you, to give you something... it is a sign. Whether for good or ill, I cannot say."

"What is done, is done," Theron said. "The outcome was not bad and whatever that plate is, he will have to deal with it in the future. It doesn’t seem harmful though. As that being said, there is no need for dirty tricks when it can simply kill him. "

Theron was closing the topic. It was too strange and he was a man with a million things left to do. He needed to get back to practical matters.

"We have been given a reprieve," Theron said. He turned from Li Yu to the rest of the command group. "We cannot and will not waste it. Grand Elder Corvus. I want a full accounting of our losses. Every Soul Formation expert, every Core Formation troop. I want a new census of our mortal population and our remaining infrastructure. We must rebuild. We must prepare for this calamity."

Rylan's face crumpled at the mention of lost troops. It will be grim, Commander. We lost half the Keepers in that one failed offensive. Eight Soul Formation masters... gone."

Malara stood silently with the cultist survivors. Her voice was hollow as she spoke. "The Sunken Basin... my people... we are diminished. How will you deal with us moving forward? Are we allowed to go? Or do we need to fight our way out, even if it means our deaths."

“You and your forces can go. There has been too much death… I hope you can realize that now isn’t the time to be fighting one another. We should be joining forces to resist the coming storms.” Theron told her.

She and Vrak looked at each other and thought about it. However, it wasn’t so easy to change.

“We will think about it, Theron. I can only promise that we will not cause trouble anytime soon. And…. thank you for taking us in during these times.” After the parting words, their forces flew off.

"We are all diminished," Theron said. "Which brings me to the next point."

The entire mood seemed to have shifted. Theron's gaze was as hard as iron as it moved to Zaltar, Lady Vyltra, Krell, and Morn.

"Lord Zaltar. Lady Vyltra. You volunteered for a mission that, as you just attested, would have been your certain death. You and your people have bled for this continent, same as any human here."

He straightened. His voice rang out over the silent army as a formal declaration. "The agreement is honored. Effective immediately. You are no longer refugees. You are citizens of this new world."

A gasp went through the human-side of the army.

"Land will be granted," Theron continued, his voice overriding the murmurs. "You will be given half territories that were not affected by the war and half territories that were affected. You will help to rebuild and revitalize those eastern territories. We will provide array masters, builders and supplies to help you establish your new home."

Zaltar was visibly moved that this human would honor their agreement even though they never went. This was the future he had gambled everything for. He brought his four arms together in slight nod to Theron.

"Commander Theron," his voice was thick. "You are a man of your word. We will not forget this."

Lady Vyltra, for her part, also nodded at Theron out of respect. A home for them in this new place. They didn’t know how to return or when they could return.

Forgemaster Krell let out a deep, rumbling grunt. It was a sound of earthy satisfaction and even Vizier Morn's shadowy form seemed to still at the news

But the human side of the line was not silent.

"Commander!" A human general from the alliance stepped forward. His face was flushed with anger and disbelief. "With all respect... those lands... no matter which lands you give, they are ancestral lands! And to give them to... to them... after centuries of war and bloodshed...!"

Another human elder with tattered robes spoke up. His voice was shaking with old hatred. "They are demons, Theron! You would give them a permanent foothold? What happens when this new 'calamity' passes? Will we not have a new Xylarri, one of our own making, on our new border?"

The tension snapped taut. The demons, who had been relieved, now bristled. Krell's hand went to the hilt of a massive axe.

Theron did not shout. He turned to face those that had voiced their opinion and his voice was a whip of ice that was colder than Vyltra's.

"I understand where you are coming from and what you are saying. However, it was not our ancestors who were taking on two Praetorians at once, it was Lord Zaltar. They were not fighting and dying just now to defend this land and the countless people behind these walls."

“We need to adapt and we need to embrace this current situation. They were willing to risk everything to survive and in turn help us to survive. They have proven themselves. I have seen it himself, not all demons are bad. Just like not all humans are good. Each and everyone needs to be judged individually!”

He silenced them.

"The old world is gone," Theron said. His voice dropped but his gaze swept over every human soldier and leader, a fire burning in his eyes. "It was burned to cinders by the Xylarri. It was torn apart by gods we didn't know existed. This is a new era."

"We were just given a warning from those very gods. We do not have the luxury of old resentments. They are our allies. Most importantly, they have earned their place. They stay. That is my final word on this matter."

The human general turned pale. His anger collapsed under the weight of Theron's authority and unassailable logic. He bowed stiffly. "Yes, Commander."

The crisis was over. The decision was accepted.

But as Li Yu looked around, he saw the truth. The human soldiers were looking at the demons not with camaraderie but with a new, sullen, forced acceptance. And the demons, in turn, were looking back not as friends but begrudged next door neighbors they have to deal with. Their pride mixing with their own ancient distrust for humans. Old resentments wouldn't go away so quickly, on both sides.

Li Yu looked down at the black-and-white metal plate in his hand. He looked at the tense, newly-formed and already-cracking "alliance." He looked at the beautiful, empty and silent sky.

'The war is over,' he thought. His heart was heavy from his experiences. 'And a new one... a new one just began. Not just with the 'calamity'... but possibly with ourselves.'