The Raven Fortress floated amidst the Hell of Ariel, invisible to the eyes of anyone due to the divine sorcery of the Shadow God cast on it.
In the centre of the fortress, a tower stood. A tower that seemed to be so tall that its peak pierced the heavens.
On one of its floors, a young man was sleeping peacefully. Under the covers of the blankets, only his long hair was visible, which sprawled all over the pillow.
His closed eyelids trembled before they slowly opened, revealing pure violet eyes that seemed to change their shade from time to time. The man slowly stood, revealing his bare upper chest with pristine milky skin.
Wren looked around his room. The dim light from the burning candles and lingering shadows were intertwined in a dance, while darkness remained quietly in the corners of the room.
Three years had passed. And he was still here, stuck in this nightmare, although it was a little disheartening, he had also learned valuable lessons.
In these three years, the war has escalated to a dangerous level, and innocent lives have been caught up in this ill fate.
A myriad of sparks formed around his body, taking the shape of grey robes that seemed to have a mystical presence. Its fabric was smooth, perhaps very silky to the touch, and had a lustre that even made light feel ashamed.
Walking towards the entrance of his room, darkness quietly followed him before dissolving into him. He stepped out and stood on the altar before speaking in the runic language that he had learned from Melina.
As light enveloped him, a small grin appeared on his face. In these three years, he had learned not just to control his essence but to master it, and he was now forming his soul core.
Although he was not sent to the battles, he had done something entirely different. Something very necessary for him.
Hunt.
In these three years, he had hunted nightmare creatures from dormant to even a few ascended and corrupted; the latter, however, needed the assistance of Melina.
His form dissolved into motes of light, and when the blinding light disappeared, he was at the lowest level of the oblesik.
Individuals were present in the centre, surrounding a circular table. He recognised every one of them, the fourth elite cohort and the Commander of the divine legion, including several others whom he had got to know in these three years.
Each individual here was a respected and known person in the Divine legion; they all had the abilities to turn tides in battles of their calibres, and their abilities had given the Divine legion many victories to celebrate.
As he walked towards the centre, gazes swept towards him in an instant, and what followed was formal greetings and a few smiles.
He stood beside Melina, who had just given him a small nod and reverted her attention to a miniature version of a citadel surrounded by four fortresses, which was covered in three additional walls.
There was a small flag assigned to each wall; they were named Maria, Rose, and Sheena for the outermost, middle and innermost walls, respectively.
Melina pointed her fingers toward the southern walls, causing all three walls to collapse at the southern face, including the fortress called Ithaca.
"I will be taking this side, and I want a battalion of ascendeds and awakeneds. The assistance of other generals would be preferred as long as they don't hold me back." She said while placing a small flag resembling a black sun.
Noticing the black sun, Wren had a small grin. It was expected of the person who served the Shadow God.
Remembering about Shadow God, their divine vessel, the Shadow Lord has slaughtered many of the elite forces from the daemon legion.
Indeed, the people serving the Shadow God were a different breed.
Wren returned his attention to the miniature of the base; the place was layered perfectly to counter any attacks. And it seemed to be a place that appeared out of nowhere.
"What are the chances that this place is a trap? Is that what you are thinking?" Melina said while giving him a faint smile.
He shook his head.
"I was thinking about what's for dinner?" He said with a sly grin. However, her sudden serious expression made him feel awkward. Wren couldn't help but sigh and then pointed at a few marks he had noticed.
"I had those doubts, but knowing what the value of this battalion is in the legion, they would be fools to throw us in such a lousy trap, if it was one, which it isn't, is it?" He added a small question at the end of his words.
This time, the commander was the one to respond. She had concealed her presence, making her look like a mundane woman, but her uniquely melodic voice betrayed this concealment.
"It's indeed what you think. This time, we are going on a direct battle against one of the daemons, the daemon of Repose. And the Lord Shadow will be the one leading this battle." She then put another marker at the eastern border of the wall, and then continued talking.
"Initially, I wanted to put you under General Melina; however, I recently got to know about your new abilities, and I know where to use them. This is why you will be temporarily placed under the fourth elite cohort, and Ascended Orion will be your cohort leader."
Wren noticed her fingers tracing a path towards the citadel at the centre.
"Beneath the citadel, there is a place filled with complete endless darkness, and it seems the reason why they had built such a stronghold." She said with her usual aloof expression.
He looked at her, a question formed in his mind, and then he asked:
"Were scouts sent to this place?"
She nodded.
"How many? Did they survive?" He asked again, but at that moment, he noticed Orion clutching his fist, as if he was...
Before he could think, the Commander gave him his answer.
"Two, only one of them survived. You know both of them fairly, from what I know, especially the deceased spearmaster; she was a member of the fourth elite cohort, including the other one, Awakened Riana."
Wren fell deadly silent. And the next thing he knew, it was him attacking Orion, but before he could even reach the bastard, shadows drowned him in their presence.