The next day's training was shorter. Kael's body felt heavy, his mind clouded by the previous night's revelations. Kira spared him without saying so, slowing the pace, spacing out the assaults. They worked mostly on movement, footwork, rotations. Simple movements. Repetitive. Necessary.
When they climbed back to the tower, the sky was heavy with low clouds. Snow threatened.
Kira revived the fire. Kael sat near the broken window, his gaze lost on the whitish valley.
"Do you want to pick up where we left off?" Kira asked.
"No. Not yet."
"Then what?"
"Tell me about the others."
Kira looked up.
"The others?"
"My generals. Those who served under me. Those I left behind."
Kira froze for a moment.
"You remember them?"
"In fragments. Faces. Voices. Pieces of battles. But nothing precise. The dream blurred the outlines."
"That's normal. Memories tied to close people are often the most altered."
"Tell me about them."
Kira sat across from him.
"There were seven. Seven generals. Not ordinary officers. Pillars. Each commanded an entire portion of the Neverdie Realm. Each had his specialty, his territory, his way of waging war."
"And you?"
"I was beneath them. Your personal assistant. But you treated me almost like an eighth."
"You weren't a general."
"No. I was closer to you on a daily basis. But I didn't have the same rank."
"And now?"
"Now I don't know. Many things have changed."
Kael turned to him.
"Then tell me what happened to them. One by one."
Kira nodded. He took a piece of charcoal and began tracing lines on a flat stone.
"The first, you might remember. General Valdrek. A pure-blood demon. Massive, brutal, loyal. He commanded the Iron Legion, the Neverdie Realm's main strike force. He loved frontal charges. He said the best strategy was the one that made the most noise."
"Is he dead?"
"No. He went mad."
"Mad?"
"After your fall, he refused to accept defeat. He gathered the remnants of the Legion and launched an offensive against the human lines. A suicidal offensive. He lost two-thirds of his troops in one night. The survivors dragged him back to the territory by force."
"And then?"
"Then he locked himself in a mountain fortress. He speaks to your ghosts. He swears you still give him orders. No one dares contradict him."
Kael clenched his jaw.
"He's still there?"
"Yes. He's the most unstable of the seven. He no longer recognizes anyone, except sometimes me. And even then."
"Why you?"
"Because I was your shadow. He confuses me with a messenger."
"I see."
Kira traced another symbol.
"The second is General Serya. An exceptional mage. Specialist in illusions and war fogs. She could hide an entire army in a valley or make a battalion believe it was surrounded."
"What became of her?"
"She exiled herself. Somewhere in the western marshes, on the border between Noctyra and the human world. She lives alone, as a hermit. She refused to serve another master. She refused to return to the palace. She said that without you, war had no meaning."
"She was powerful."
"Yes. Too powerful to be ignored. Several Demon Kings tried to recruit her. She sent them away. Some with injuries. Others with illusions that haunted them for weeks."
"She's waiting for my return?"
"I don't know. She no longer speaks to anyone. But she never pledged allegiance elsewhere."
Kael closed his eyes for a moment. Serya's name stirred something in him. A vague memory. A pale-haired woman, standing under a rain of ash.
"Continue."
Kira hesitated.
"The third is General Drakk. A strategist. The brain of your army. He was cold, methodical, capable of planning a campaign for months without ever leaving his tent."
"Where is he?"
"In the Neverdie Realm. He took over the Regency Council. He's the one who maintained order during your absence. Not out of ambition. Out of necessity."
"Did he betray?"
"No. He organized. He defended the territory. He negotiated with other powers. He kept the throne empty."
"Why?"
"Because he believed you would return."
"And if he was wrong?"
"He said he'd rather govern a kingdom in ruins than sit on a stolen throne."
Kael opened his eyes.
"He's reliable?"
"As reliable as one can be after ten years of crisis management."
"Good."
Kira traced a fourth symbol.
"General Nyssa. She commanded the scouts and spies. Fast, silent, always moving. She knew every border, every pass, every secret passage."
"What became of her?"
"She disappeared. Shortly after your fall. Not dead, at least I don't think so. But no one has seen her since. She may have remained in the human world, under cover. Or she changed identities."
"You didn't look for her?"
"I did. I followed a few leads. They all led to dead ends. Nyssa knew how to disappear better than anyone."
"So she could be anywhere."
"Yes. Including right beside you without you knowing."
Kael made a mental note to stay on guard.
"Continue."
"The fifth is General Thorgar. A heavy demon, almost as much as Valdrek. He commanded the garrisons and fortifications. A builder. He could turn any hill into a fortress."
"Is he in the Realm?"
"Yes. He never left his post. He still commands the outer defenses. He's aged, but he holds firm. He repelled several incursions during your absence."
"Reliable?"
"Completely. He's the simplest of the seven. He doesn't question things. He waits for orders."
"And he'll obey?"
"He'll obey you. Without hesitation."
"Good."
Kira paused.
"The sixth is General Vex. A war mage. Specialist in large-scale offensive rituals. He could raze a battlefield in an hour."
"Where is he?"
"Dead."
"Dead?"
"He was killed three years after your fall. Not in battle. Assassinated. In his own domain, at the heart of the Neverdie Realm. No one claimed the murder."
"Who killed him?"
"I don't know. Drakk led the investigation. He found nothing. Vex was powerful. Protected. And yet, someone entered, struck, and left without a trace."
"A traitor?"
"Perhaps. Or an assassin sent by another Demon King. Both are possible."
Kael felt a cold anger awaken.
"And the seventh?"
Kira lowered his voice.
"The seventh was General Malrik. The eldest. The wisest. The one who served you even before you became Demon King."
"What became of him?"
"He sacrificed himself. During the battle against the heroes. He held back their reinforcements to allow your guard to retreat. He died covering your body."
Kael remained silent for a long moment. Malrik's name stirred a dull, ancient pain, buried beneath layers of dream.
"I remember him," he finally said. "An old demon. White hair. A deep voice."
"Yes."
"He called me..."
"'My young king.' He never stopped. Even when you were three hundred and fifty years old."
Kael clenched his fists.
"He died for me."
"He died for the Neverdie Realm. For you, it was the same."
"It was the same."
The fire crackled. Snow began to fall softly outside, silent.
"So," Kael resumed. "Out of seven, two are dead or disappeared. One is mad. One is exiled. Two remained at their posts. And the last is untraceable."
"That's about it."
"It's not enough."
"It's better than nothing. Many kings lost all their generals after a defeat like yours."
"I shouldn't have lost mine."
"You couldn't do anything."
"Exactly."
Kael stood. He approached the window and watched the snow fall.
"You did all this. While I was trapped in a dream. You searched. You investigated. You survived. And during that time, they fought, died, went mad."
"It's not your fault."
"Yes. It's all my fault. I was defeated. I let Elara trap me. I abandoned my kingdom."
"You were betrayed by magic, not by your will."
"It doesn't matter. The result is the same."
There was a silence.
Kira stood in turn.
"The result is that you are alive. That the Neverdie Realm still exists. That your generals, at least those who remain, haven't given up. And that I am here."
"And that's supposed to console me?"
"No. It's supposed to remind you that not everything is lost."
Kael turned to him.
"You've changed, Kira."
"You've already told me that."
"No. Truly changed. Before, you would never have dared speak to me like that."
"Before, I hadn't seen what the world became without you."
"And that's why you speak to me this way?"
"That's why I tell you the truth."
Kael slowly nodded.
"Then continue. Tell me the truth. Everything. Every detail. Every name. Every place. I want to know where my kingdom stands."
Kira bowed slightly.
"Very well. But it will be long."
"We have time."
The snow fell harder and harder, covering the ruins in a white mantle.
And in the silent tower, Kael listened.