After stopping and setting up camp for the night, Aria had slept like a log.

  When she awoke, she realized she’d gone through the night without a single dream. That was good considering most of her dreams as of late had been nightmares. When she sat up, she saw that she’d awoken after Barus.

  “Morning, lass,” he greeted.

  She returned the greeting and stood, stretching as she did. She noted how dawn was quickly approaching.

  “Shouldn’t we get a move on as soon as we can?” Aria asked, feeling uneasy, “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to be staying so long in a single place.”

  “I’ve detected no trace of any enemies,” Zareb responded. “The night had been peaceful. Thank the Maker for that.”

  Aria looked to him, raising a brow. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but why do you use the Maker’s name?”

  Zareb smiled. “It should be obvious, shouldn’t it, lass? That’s because I worship Him.”

  Aria frowned deeply, “I’ve never heard of a hume, I mean, a human worshiping the Maker.”

  “To be fair, lass, you also hadn’t believed any humans could be trustworthy before meeting the lad and me.”

  He had her there.

  Still, she had to point out, “It’s more than that, though. You do realize the Maker is the God my people worship, right? At least… that’s what my mother taught me…”

  “Yes, I do,” Zareb nodded. “And did you know that many people of all races worshiped the Maker prior to the Great Fragmentation?”

  “They did?” Aria asked, surprised.

  He nodded again. “Yes, I was surprised as well when I found out. The eradication of the Maker’s worshipers, as well as those of other religions, had begun even before Athanasius’s rule. It began, if I have my history right, with the First Champion a few years into his rule.”

  Zareb sighed. “Before then, there were many religions. I looked into what little we knew of the others when I lost my faith in Athurai. It was Arvad that taught me about the Maker. At least, he taught me everything I know about Him. That man is always busy with one thing or another, so we never had much time for him to teach me extensively. Of what I could find of my own, there was very little. The Dominion did a good job in wiping out the religions of the past.”

  “If you know so little, then how can you believe in Him?” Aria asked.

  Zareb chuckled. “You know, you’re not the first to ask, lass. I’ve had my doubts, many of them. However, every time I found my faith wavering, something would always happen that renewed and strengthened it. The most recent example I can think of is… well… Galen.”

  Aria raised a brow. “Why? What happened with him?”

  “It was less to do with the lad directly,” Zareb admitted, “and more what happened around him. You see, I’d been infiltrating the Dominion for years before they discovered who I was. Though I’d found lots of valuable intel that I fed to the Rebellion, I could never penetrate the higher, more inner circles. That is, until Galen had been summoned. I was there, you know? When he was first brought into this world. I was the first person he saw and met. What are the odds of that? That, and the service I’d provided as a teacher prior, as well as the fact that I’d learned how to speak the Sacred Tongue, that’s what the Dominion calls the language of Galen’s world, all that combined to put me in the position to become the lad’s tutor. His mentor. What are the odds of that?”

  Zareb smiled. “In becoming his mentor, I was able to allow the lad to form his own opinions and do his own research. I did so in order to protect him from being fooled and manipulated by the Dominion. Now, I won’t dare to claim all the credit. He was a naturally skeptical one, to be sure. But I fear that, had I not been able to encourage that skepticism, that he’d have eventually been completely fooled by Athanasius and the Shadows. He might have well and truly become one of our worst enemies then.”

  He looked Aria in the eyes. “That miracle, lass… of being put in the right place and time to become Galen’s tutor… that solidified my faith in the Maker. The timing was too perfect to be coincidental otherwise.”

  Aria nodded. She felt some conviction at hearing and seeing the human’s faith. She’d never been very devout. Far from it. Her circumstances as a slave had led her to question the faith her mother had tried to instill in her. She’d never made that fact known, out of fear of driving a wedge between her and Anila. But now Aria freely questioned her belief, and her mother’s death had been the most damaging blow to her faith.

  Zareb seemed to pick up on this, as he asked her, “Lass… do YOU believe in the Maker?”

  Aria bit her lip, “I… I…”

  She took a deep breath, and told the truth. “I don’t know anymore…”

  “Why is that?” the man asked, leaning forward.

  There was no judgment in his eyes. Merely curiosity.

  She clenched her jaw, before sighing. “I… I always had some doubt. My mother was a believer… of that I’m certain. She was the one who taught me everything I knew, including about the Maker. But… there was always a voice in the back of my mind that asked, ‘If the Maker is so good, then why are my people suffering under the ashborn? Why are my mother and I suffering so much? Why doesn’t He strike down Athanasius and the Dominion for all that they’ve done? Surely if anyone deserves divine judgment, it would be them.’”

  She paused, then added, her voice cracking, “If the Maker truly does exist, then why didn’t He save my mother…?”

  Zareb nodded in understanding.

  She eyed him. “Not going to condemn me?”

  “Why would I?” he asked. “If I did, I’d be a hypocrite. Particularly since I’ve asked similar questions myself.”

  Aria looked down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs. She didn’t know what to say, if she even wanted to say anything more.

  Zareb spoke first. “Faith, lass, is easy to have when everything is going well. It is exceedingly difficult to have during times of trial. From what I’ve gathered, your whole life thus far has been nothing but a trial.”

  “I don’t even know if I WANT to have my faith…” she admitted, resentment leaking into her voice. “What good is it if it couldn’t… if it couldn’t save my mother…”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zareb once more nod with understanding. Instead of giving her false platitudes or being offended, the man merely responded, “I asked the same thing of Arvad. I questioned why the Maker didn’t save my younger sister. She was killed by the Dominion, you know? Taken by Athanasius himself and forced to bear him a child, only to be murdered after she’d served her purpose.”

  Aria’s jaw dropped.

  Seeing her shock, Zareb nodded. “It’s true, lass. That was the biggest catalyst for me losing my faith in Athanasius and the Dominion. It was the biggest driving factor in me defecting and joining the Rebellion.”

  Aria looked to the ground. “What… what did Arvad tell you when you asked him… about why the Maker allowed such a thing to happen?”

  “He explained to me, lass, that most of the world currently is under the control of the Accuser. He usurped dominion of the world from the First Ones by successfully tempting them to sin. Since then, it was the Accuser, also known as the Slanderer, who became the prince of this world. All the suffering, all the pain, all the sin that mires the creation that we preside in… none of it was the Maker’s will.”

  Aria had heard this same story from her mother when she was younger. Yet she always had a question that she’d been too afraid to ask Anila. She asked it of Zareb now. “If that’s the case. If the Maker is truly all powerful… then why doesn’t He just fix everything wrong with the world? Why doesn’t He strike down Athanasius and put an end to the Dominion?”

  “Good questions, lass,” Zareb nodded thoughtfully. “Void, I wish Arvad was here. He’d be able to explain better than I. But, best as I can figure, it’s partly because the Maker has self imposed restrictions.”

  Aria frowned. “Like what?”

  “Free will,” Zareb answered. “I’d say that is a rather big restriction. We aren’t machines, lass. The Maker isn’t interested in forcing worship. If He was, then why do any of us have free will? The fact that there’s any who can question Him, and even deny Him, is proof, to me at least, that free will does exist. The answer to your question lass, is twofold. For one, some may not WANT to be saved by the Maker, and abiding by that free will He gave us, even He cannot save those who willingly reject salvation. How can you save someone who slaps away the very hand that reaches out to help them?”

  “That’s ridiculous!” Aria argued. “Why wouldn’t people want to be saved from these terrible circumstances?!”

  “In answer to your question, allow me to ask you in return. Do all your people want to be saved from their slavery?” he asked.

  “Of course they do!”

  “Are you certain?” he pressed. “Are you ABSOLUTELY certain that they all, every single one, WANT to be saved? Or would some rather the others not cause any trouble and keep to the status quo?”

  That made Aria freeze. She remembered when she’d first met Sana, Onas, and the other slaves owned by Adele. They’d been terrified of the mere thought of her causing trouble, of bringing any sort of change to their lives, even as terrible as they were. Change brought the possibility of making things worse, and for many, they’d rather endure their hardship than take that risk. How many more of her people were like that, if not even worse?

  “I… I guess I see your point…” she reluctantly admitted. “What’s the other answer?”

  “The other answer, lass, is that there are still those within the Dominion that can be saved.”

  Seeing her scowl, Zareb continued, “I’m serious, lass. Arvad explained to me that the Maker will withhold His judgment for a time for the sake of those that can still be saved. Just look at me. I’m a prime example of that. I used to be just as loyal to the Dominion as many of our current enemies. Besides, you act as though the Maker has done nothing to help.”

  Aria raised a brow, to which Zareb reminded her, “Just look at Galen, lass. How much has he helped you?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know…”

  Zareb chuckled. “I said the same thing to Arvad back then, and he said to me what I will tell you now. Live, lass. Survive. So that you may one day find your answers.”

  He stood then, and smiled at her, “I have faith that the Maker will guide your path. Whether you accept His guidance or not will be up to you. All I will ask of you is to keep an open and willing mind. Who knows? Perhaps He will surprise you as He has many times with me.”

  Aria still doubted, but she agreed on one thing. She needed to survive the coming days. She’d never get any answers, and she’d never be able to free her people and take down the Dominion, if she perished.

  ***

  It took another day of travel before Aria and Zareb finally got close enough to where they had to cease their method of travel. They walked on a well worn path leading to Seameet, with Aria making sure to wear a hood and cloak to hide her elf features.

  They now had just under two days before the airship arrived. That was two days to find Komdar, hopefully Galen, and plan to both stage a rescue and a theft.

  “Easy peasy lemon squeezy,” Redian said in her mind.

  Easy… what? she thought back to it.

  “Tch, Galen would’ve understood that,” the sword clicked its nonexistent tongue.

  I doubt it. You say the strangest things… she thought flatly.

  “Thank you!”

  That wasn’t a compliment, she clarified.

  “I know it wasn’t. I simply took it as one!” the sword responded triumphantly.

  Aria just shook her head. Look, just keep an eye out, will you? For enemies, for Komdar, and especially for Galen.

  “Roger that!” the sword mentally saluted.

  They’d discussed beforehand that, due to the sword’s Bond with Galen still being present, that it should have an easier time finding and detecting him over anyone else. The Sentient Weapon had called itself a “radar” and a “Galen Radar” at that.

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  Aria still didn’t know what this “radar” was, but it sounded pretty useful.

  “How are you feeling, lass?” Zareb asked as they walked side by side.

  “Just peachy,” she snorted. “How do you think?”

  “I can guess,” he chuckled. “It’ll be alright, lass.”

  “You sound confident about that,” she noted.

  “I am.”

  “Why?’

  “I know the Maker guides us,” the general said, matter of factly.

  “This again?” she groaned.

  It wasn’t that Aria was annoyed at him for believing so strongly that the Maker was guiding them. Rather, she felt a stab of guilt that a human of all people had far more faith in the God of her people than she did.

  “You will see, lass. Have some faith,” he told her.

  My faith nearly died with my mother, she thought bitterly.

  She shook her head at the thought, and tried to refocus.

  Redian, of course, chose that moment to speak. “Yeesh. Theology is also a touchy subject for you? Remember what I said about you being too wound up?”

  Shut it, she thought back. What would you know of faith, anyway? You’re just a machine given a pale imitation of life.

  “Ouch…” the sword responded.

  She winced as she felt genuine hurt from the Sentient Weapon at her scathing remark, as if in direct contradiction to her mental statement. She immediately felt guilty.

  I… I’m sorry… that was going too far… she apologized.

  “Well, you’re not exactly wrong,” the sword sighed. “I am what I am. Through no fault of your own.”

  No, I- she began in a panic, trying to rectify her wrongdoing.

  The sword interrupted her. “You ask me what I know of faith? It’ s a strange question to ask one such as me, what with my artificial mind and all. As I’ve told you and as I’ve told Galen a bunch of times, I’m not like you flesh and bone beings. So faith for me is a bit of a strange topic. I’ve met many humans in my time, many of whom have influenced me in many ways, especially during my early years. I’ve come to find that the things you people have faith in astounds even my magnificent mind.”

  So you find the idea of an omnipotent, all seeing God preposterous then? Aria questioned.

  “No. I find the idea of the Dominion worshiping Athanasius as a god ridiculous,” the sword clarified, throwing Aria for a loop. “The belief of monotheism itself, however? I believe that.”

  Aria froze, eliciting a raised brow from Zareb.

  She kept walking, though she felt startled by what the sword had just said. You… you believe in the Maker?

  “Uh, yeah? Why wouldn’t I?” the Sentient Weapon asked with genuine confusion.

  Well… you’re… you know… she didn’t want to hurt the sword’s feelings again as she had earlier. Thankfully, Redian seemed to pick up what she’d left unsaid.

  “Yeah, I can guess why you’d find that weird. If anything, however, you all are the weird ones to me. Things don’t go your way for a bit and you suddenly start doubting the existence of God. As if your troubles make Him cease to be or are definitive proof that He isn’t real or something or other.”

  Aria felt offended at that. I would hardly call the death of my own mother something that ‘doesn’t go my way for a bit.’

  “And I didn’t mean to belittle that,” the sword clarified. “But still, either God exists, or He doesn’t, right? Whatever happens to you, no matter how awful or tragic, or even how good or great, doesn’t really change that now does it? What I’m trying to say is, you choosing to not believe in something doesn’t make it not real all of a sudden. If things worked that way, we’d all be floating right now because I’d choose to not believe in gravity. It’s way too clingy in my opinion.”

  Aria’s brow twitched. She decided to ignore the last nonsensical part of the sword’s rambling. Alright then. Why don’t you explain to me why YOU believe in the Maker?

  “It’s simple,” the sword sighed, as if in flabbergasted that it even had to explain. “There’s far, far, and I mean FAR too much order in all aspects of life and the universe itself for there to not be an intelligent design behind it. Take Athurai, for example, the religion of the Dominion. They preach that Athanasius Durai was born of a virgin, and that he is a living incarnation of Ether itself. Born of a human woman and Ether. They preach that that is the reason why he is recognized as god. However, they’re pretty vague about the implications of that.”

  Aria raised a brow. Implications? Like what?

  “Like, how if Athanasius, as the living incarnation of Ether, is god, then what of Ether itself? Is Athanasius one with it? Did he take his consciousness from the Ether and into his human form upon incarnation? And if Athanasius is, by their own teachings, born of the Ether, then does that mean they worship Ether as the ultimate divine being? That doesn’t make much sense to me since the power shows no signs of sentience in spite of centuries of studies.

  “Some scholars of Athurai preach that Ether is a chaotic force, and it is through happenstance that life through it came to be. They also preach that the power came into existence spontaneously, bringing with it all that exists. Which makes no sense to me either. Chaos does not breed order. Energy doesn’t come from nothing. Just because something appears chaotic doesn’t mean there isn’t order behind it.

  “When you look deeply enough or far enough into everything, everything has a semblance of order behind it. As though it were designed by an intelligent hand. The Maker, if you will. THAT, my dear Tufani, is why I believe in the Maker. The world just doesn’t make sense if He doesn’t exist. At least, not to me.”

  She took all that in, frowning as she digested what she’d been told. Finally, she asked, Then… do the other Sentient Weapons and Armor worship the Maker as you do?

  “Whoa, there. First off, let me clarify that I don’t worship the Maker.”

  Aria’s frown deepened. What do you mean? You just said that you believe in the Maker.

  “Belief alone does not equal worship,” Redian explained. “Why, doesn’t your own doctrine dictate that the Accuser and his agents stand in opposition to and rebellion against the Maker? They clearly believe He is real, but they sure as heck don’t worship Him.

  “Anyway, as for the rest of my kind? Among the First Generation of Sentient Weapons, we all formed our personalities over time and through interacting with our various Wielders and other humans. Naturally, this means none of us are the same as another. These differences, and the influence our Wielders had on us, particularly in our formative years, can color our view and lead each of us to draw different conclusions even if we look at the same data. We each have our own beliefs. Some, for example, choose to believe in the ridiculous notion that everything that exists was made from chaotic happenstance. I clearly disagree, just as they would in regards to my own beliefs. We’re much like people that way.

  “It’s similar for the Second Generation, if to a lesser degree. But the Third and going on from there? I highly doubt it. All of the Thirds and even some of the later Seconds had unwavering loyalty to the Dominion and Athanasius ingrained in them as they were made. So, no chance of them being able to form their own beliefs.”

  That’s… Aria gulped. And I thought my people had it bad. But having your minds, artificial though they may be, forcefully brainwashed like that? That’s a level of slavery even us elves haven’t experienced…

  “Yeah… I try not to think about it too much,” the sword grumbled. “Remember what I said about stress and all that? Yeah, try to take a page from my book, Tufani!”

  She sighed, deciding not to comment further. The sword itself also seemed to grow unnaturally quiet. Perhaps their conversation had driven it deep into thought. She didn’t know.

  She blinked, her full awareness to her surroundings coming back to her. She realized then that she and Zareb were close to Seameet’s entrance.

  Already? she thought, wondering how long she’d been conversing with Redian. Talking with that sword makes time fly by too quickly…

  “You have an interesting conversation with Redian, lass?” Zareb asked. “You’re usually so stoic… yet you showed visible emotion a few times there.”

  She cursed under her breath. “Yes, the blade shocked me with some… revelations is all.”

  “Really now?” he muttered, scratching his bearded chin. “Consider me curious. What did Redian say?”

  “Apparently, the Sentient Weapon believes in the Maker,” she answered.

  The general’s hand froze. He blinked, then chuckled. “I didn’t take you for one who tells jokes, lass.”

  Aria said nothing, merely keeping eye contact with the older human.

  The man’s chuckling tapered off. “Oh… you’re serious.”

  “Very.”

  “Well now… that certainly is a shocker,” he muttered.

  She smiled slightly, amused at the general’s reaction.

  “I was pretty amused by your reaction too, you know,” the sword snickered in her mind.

  She ignored that comment.

  When they neared the entrance to the seaside town, Aria noted that the town seemed larger than the last one she’d gone to. And by quite a large margin too. She couldn’t even see the sea from here.

  There was a line of people waiting to get inside. They took their place in that line, and as they waited, Zareb reached into his pack and pulled out some documents. He went over the forged documentation, and Aria could only hope that it would be good enough to fool the guards and allow them inside.

  “Here’s the story we’ll run with, lass,” Zareb muttered extremely quietly.

  It was so quiet that she shouldn’t have been able to hear him. Were she not an elf with sharp hearing, that is.

  “We’re here to visit the coastal town as tourists. A common enough story. When you live your whole life in a Realm as hot as Axis Mundi, you’ll get the occasional urge to visit a coastal town. People love going to the beaches. As hot as it still is, the ocean waves are cool enough as there is too much water for even the overabundance of Fire Affinity Ether to make hot.”

  Aria nodded, though she added, “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never even seen the ocean before.”

  She heard him chuckle under his breath. “You’re in for quite the sight then, lass. It’s an amazing view, and one of the reasons why people travel to coastal towns.”

  Her mother had told her stories of what the ocean was like. She couldn’t quite believe such a large, endless body of water could actually exist.

  “I suppose we’ll see,” she whispered. “Anything else?”

  “Yes. If anyone asks, you’re my daughter, alright?”

  She nearly sputtered at that.

  “What?!” she hissed under her breath.

  “It’s an alibi, lass. Nothing more. Though if I did have a daughter, I’d hope she grows up to be as strong of will as you,” he tossed her smile then.

  She flushed. She lowered her head and pulled her hood down to better hide her face and her blush.

  She whispered to Zareb, “Are you sure about that story? I never knew my father, so I have no idea how a daughter would act towards one.”

  He was quiet for a somber moment, and she could have sworn she sensed sympathy from the older human. He then responded, “You’ll do fine, lass. You’re at that age where girls tend to become aloof towards their parents. Just act as you normally have with me and you’ll do fine. Though, be sure to address me as ‘Dad’ if people are around.”

  There was a hint of amusement in his tone at that last part, and Aria would have slapped his arm were they not currently around others.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she accused.

  “What? Nonsense!” he chuckled.

  “Yes, you are!”

  “Who, me? Of course not, lass!”

  They bantered back and forth like that for a time until it was almost their turn to give their paperwork. She tried to stay relaxed and ease her tension, though her nerves made that difficult. Thankfully, Zareb handled most of the talking.

  “Hello, there!” he greeted as a guard waved them over for inspection.

  “Good afternoon,” the guard greeted. “You have your paperwork in order?”

  “Yes, sir,” Zareb nodded, handing over the requested documentation.

  “Hmm, that’s a surprise,” the guard uttered, looking over the papers.

  Aria felt herself tense a bit at that.

  “What is?” Zareb asked.

  “You actually do have all your documentation in order,” the guard chuckled. “You’d be surprised just how rare that is. Particularly after the Dominion ordered us to kill most of our knife-ears.”

  Aria clenched her jaw at that news, but thankfully Zareb was with her to ask something that she’d missed in her anger. “Pardon, did you say most?”

  She nearly did a double take at that.

  “Yep,” the guard sighed. “We had our slaves doing a lot of necessary physical labor, you see. The kind actual people aren’t all that keen on doing.”

  The guard eyed Zareb questioningly. “Why does that surprise you?”

  “Well, you see, the last town we visited on our way here said that they were ordered to kill all of their elf slaves,” the general answered.

  “Ah. That sounds about right,” the guard nodded. “I’m guessing the town was on the smaller side, then? They don’t typically have many slaves, and, as such, aren’t nearly as impacted as some of us would be without the tree huggers. Initially the order was to wipe them all out, but then that order was updated to most of them rather than all.”

  The guard spit on the ground. “As much as these damn things deserved to be wiped out for what they did to Ignis, we unfortunately have too much use for them at the moment. Getting rid of them all would throw things into disorder.”

  “Yes, I can see that,” Zareb nodded.

  “Anyway, enough of that,” the guard then eyed Aria. “That girl, the documents say she’s your daughter? Well, she’s rather quiet, isn’t she?”

  Aria looked away from the guard, hoping she didn’t have to speak.

  “Yes, she’s quite bashful, I’m afraid,” Zareb chuckled. “Doesn’t get out too much. That’s part of the reason I brought her, you see. That girl needs to see more of the Realm. It was a bit of a struggle to convince her to come, though. You know how teenagers are.”

  The guard chuckled at that. “Don’t I know it. My sister’s daughter has been giving us all the cold treatment since she turned thirteen. You have my sympathies.”

  The hume handed back the documents to Zareb. “Well, everything seems to be in order. Welcome to Seameet, you two. May Athanasius bless you both with a pleasant day.”

  “Likewise,” Zareb nodded with a friendly smile as he ushered Aria to follow him.

  After passing through the gates and into the town proper, Zareb muttered to her, “I’m proud of you, lass! You kept your cool in spite of the things that guard said about your people.”

  Aria snorted. “It was tempting to cut that hume’s throat.”

  “And there is still progress to be made, I see.”

  She rolled her eyes before changing the subject. “What he said about the elves… is that true?”

  “Likely,” Zareb answered. “The Dominion does rely on elves and their other slaves for their labor, and who knows what other uses they have for them. Wiping them ALL out would lead to unrest among the citizens. Athanasius and his Shadows could have a full blown revolt if that was allowed to fester. Not to mention they no doubt still have need of your people.”

  He smiled at her then, “While it’s only a small comfort, if any at all, be glad that, even in the worst case, lass, some of your people will survive. Of course, you have those like myself and the others who would do our best to save as many as we could. Remember always that there will be some that need to be saved when you return with Vindanna’s armies.”

  She nodded, feeling her resolve being bolstered at that.

  The feeling made her walk with a bit more confidence, as she and Zareb continued their walk into town. It didn’t take very long for the ocean to finally come into view, and when it did, Aria froze.

  Next chapter will be released Monday, February 2nd, 2026 at 3:00 PM PST.

  A huge thank you and special shoutout to my Page Turner tier Patron, LOOKOUT, and my Lore Master tier Patrons, Mountain Knight, Conman2731, ThoMiCroN, MCE 2 Munchen 2, and Voltrus. Your support is sincerely and greatly appreciated.