Aenon

A cold wind blew across the deserted streets of the once lively city. The scant few people who still left were either busy manning the walls, or huddled in group homes for companionship and comfort. Aenon observed the somber scene as he walked around town, hidden in the Shadow Realm. His role in the first phase of the mission was done. He had sowed as much panic and fear into their enemies as possible, while cutting down their numbers. And based on the reports, Thalindra and Ignar had done their part too.

Which meant it was time was phase two: rousing the subdued masses to stand up and fight. Aenon didn't reveal his presence till he reached the mansion. When he reached, he found his City Admin busy giving out orders to organize the last-minute preparations. The man's immaculate disposition was frayed, his tired showing in his eyes. But the vigor with which Henry conducted himself was still at its peak.

"I want these boxes lines up all along the walls," Henry commanded authoritatively. "One of each type placed neatly at every refill point."

Aenon didn't interrupt, staying melded in the parallel dimension as he studied the crowd. He picked up the all-encompassing dread using his Soul Sense, with traces of determination and hope. The people really were considering this to be their last stand. A last hurrah before being consumed by oblivion.

Henry kept giving orders for the next fifteen minutes. Only then did he allow himself to take a breather. Aenon saw the exhausted man walk to the side and sit down in a corner before withdrawing a waterskin. Unfortunately, it seemed to be empty. But before he could get up to fetch some, a fresh waterskin appeared out of thin air.

Henry flinched in confusion, before attempting to stand in respect. But Aenon pushed him back down gently as he dispelled his invisibility.

"Sit," Aenon said softly. "You need the rest."

Henry seemed conflicted but listened to his order with a grateful nod. As the older man drank, Aenon turned outwards, surveying the city.

"Thank you, sire," Henry finally said. "And welcome back. Your mission was a success I assume?"

"It was," Aenon replied while turning to face him. "The others should be back soon as well."

Aenon noticed the hesitation in Henry's soul before he mustered the courage to ask, "Was the intel accurate? I have never heard of a twenty thousand strong horde descending on one city."

"Yes, there were twenty thousand," Aenon replied without emotion.

Aenon saw Henry's shoulders sag in defeat.

"So, it is indeed hopeless," he said dejectedly. But then something struck him. "Wait, what do you mean 'were'?"

Aenon maintained a straight smile for a moment before grinning. The expression only further confused the man.

"What's the current head count of our fighters?" Aenon preemptively deflected the question Henry was about to ask.

"Uh, umm, the last tally was around two thousand," Henry replied weakly. "The total population is around three thousand five hundred."

Aenon could see the man holding back his curiosity with great effort. He desperately wanted to know the actual number of monsters.

"Good," Aenon responded. "Gather everyone at the mansion's courtyard. I'll bring the others."

With that, Aenon left the confused man to his own thoughts, making his mask appear again. He had several reasons for withholding the information. The primary reason being that the size of the horde was still not at levels most people would consider safe. Better to reveal the information at the most opportune time. Something he had decided after a lot of consideration.

As he walked through the city—fully visible this time—he saw several heads turn to him in awe. Several whispers broke out, along with a healthy dose of finger pointing. But no matter where he passed through, the levels of hope rose exponentially. Having the reassurance of a city leader amongst them raised everyone's spirits.

As Aenon reached the southwestern gate, a company of soldiers gave way for him to pass. Their crisp salute was borne of genuine respect, rather than mere decorum. Aenon returned the gesture, before stopping at the entrance to the city. The exterior looked completely foreign to the empty grass fields from earlier. Every inch of ground had defensive spikes, trenches, or concealed traps.

Aenon's gaze though, was fixed on the horizon where a shadow was zooming across the land. Within fifteen minutes, it was upon them. Aenon smiled as the towering forms of his wolves emerged from the darkness. But everyone's attention was stolen by the woman at the center.

Thalindra appeared in her wraith form, dispelling the invisibility with confidence. Several people who had gathered behind Aenon shrunk back in fear. But for the first time, Aenon didn't sense any hesitation from the woman as she embraced her darker side. She strode forward with confidence, displaying her ghostly visage with pride.

"It is done," Thalindra reported before taking a knee. The other wolves too bowed behind her.

Aenon regarded the group, looking into Bane's eyes briefly. It was obvious something happened during the mission. But it could wait.

"Good," Aenon said succinctly. "Come."

He started marching towards the next gate—the southwestern one—with the Thalindra and the wolves following closely. The crowd parted to let them pass, several gasps filling the area. Throughout it all, Thalindra remained in her wraith form.

A gathering had already formed by the time they made it there. Ignar and the others had returned to loud cheers. Their battle-weary forms with gore covering them from head to toe added to the scene. All except Nocthrya, who was in his human avatar form.

The green-skinned boy was dressed in cloth armor that accentuated his green skin and hair. The kid's awestruck eyes were all over the place, as he stood amidst a crowd of this size for the first time. Aenon's mind was peppered with countless questions from the juvenile using their link.

Aenon smiled but didn't answer the boy yet. He had to complete the current objective first. This entire procession was Thalindra's idea of course. A way to bolster hope amongst the citizens. According to her, it was a natural follow up of Aenon's plan to inflict fear into their enemy. He still found the entire act silly. But at least it didn't make him cringe like before.

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Especially after noticing the morale boost and positive emotions from everyone.

As before, the newcomers took a knee to report their mission's success. And like before, they followed Aenon as he walked towards the mansion. The only difference was that Aenon's mask was invisible.

For the first time, Aenon revealed his identity to the whole city. They couldn't cast Identify of course, but his youthful face was visible to the shocked crowd.

The sight drew in people as they felt gravitated towards the parade. A young boy dressed in all black armor walking in the lead of a formidable gathering of warriors and monsters. Confusion rippled out in the crowd as they finally realized that they were being led by someone younger than most of them.

As they approached the courtyard, Henry had already prepared the stage. The feeling of disbelief at his identity spread like wildfire, but no one spoke out. Even though Aenon had kept his Aura in check, his retinue still commanded respect.

A blood-soaked berserker; a spectral anomaly; an ice demon; a fiery witch; a duo of earth golems; a pack of shadowy wolves. No one from his retinue was simple in any sense of the word. Daring to question his authority was a fool's errand.

Henry was momentarily taken aback by Aenon's unmasking. But he recovered quickly as he bowed and directed the group onto the stage.

Aenon stood at the center, with Nocthrya to his left. The others took up their spots like a choreographed performance—Thalindra, Ignar, and Boff to his right. Jenny, Velastra, and Toff to the left of Nocthrya, in that order. Bane and the wolves slipped into the Shadow Realm, their presence only visible by the dark spots on the ground in front of the others.

Like a chess board, they had taken up their positions.

A reverent silence filled the courtyard, as each person reacted differently. While some were stunned in silence, others felt their blood boil in anticipation. Even Aenon, who abhorred crowds, felt the charged atmosphere drill into his soul.

As Aenon stepped forth, all eyes trained on him, he wondered what to say. What had started as a simple show of force to bolster the city's spirit had transformed into something mystical. Even his Soul Beacon agreed that the situation called for something more than a rehearsed speech.

That is when Thalindra's telepathic voice reached him. "Speak from your heart, Lord Fenrast," she said softly.

Even without looking Aenon could feel the encouraging smile on her face.

"To the world, I am Ashryn Fenrast," Aenon began, following her advice. "To those who truly know me, I am Aenon. A boy from Earth.

The reveal of his origins shocked people more than his age. Seeing someone from their world stand at the forefront, was a surreal experience for most survivors from their home planet.

"Many amongst you will wonder how I got here," Aenon continued. "What fortuitous encounter did I have, or what hidden power has supported me. The answer," Aenon paused as he looked at the crowd, "lies in one word. A word that is the core of who I am. A word that those who follow me adhere to. Choice."

His Aura leaked into the word, its impact reverberating across every soul like a drumbeat.

"On day one of this new reality, I chose to go charging into the forest alone. I chose to live and die on my terms. When those far stronger than me demanded servitude, I chose to rebel. When someone from an inconceivably vast empire threatened me, I chose to ignore the warnings since it went against my moral code. That is the open secret of my power. To me the freedom to choose is paramount to everything else."

He turned back towards his core group, a proud smile on his face.

"Everyone who follows me, has done so because they chose to," Aenon's voice mellowed a bit. "Some were running from tyrants; others, from their past. The power they wield today, is the result of their choices."

His party's, no, his pack's Auras descended on the audience like a heavy blanket. It was a declaration that what he said was the truth. Their power levels adding weight to his statement. It was a clear sign that if they chose to, they could eliminate this entire town without breaking a sweat.

"So today, I will let you choose," Aenon's voice had an edge to it as he turned to the crowd. "An army of twenty thousand had set out to eliminate us. But now, less than half of them remain. Could we have routed them before they ever set their eyes on our walls? Yes. Can we still do it while keeping you all safe? Also yes. But I chose not."

Aenon saw several confused looks being exchanged. Leaving a force of almost nine thousand when they had only two thousand fighters seemed like a bad tactical decision. Especially when they could have done something about it.

"My reason is pretty simple," Aenon continued. "I abhor the status quo of our old world. A world where the strong dictate the fate of the weak. Where those with power want to keep those below them weakened to maintain their dominance. The politicians on Earth did it. The nobles of this new reality are no different. The Alliance, for all its promises of grandeur and safety, has a hierarchical system where power is concentrated among the few. All the intel we have gathered paints the same picture."

A hushed silence was the only response he got in return. The people absorbed this new information with dread creeping into their hearts. Because many began to sense where Aenon was going with this.

Instead of speaking further, Aenon turned to the side where Borin was waiting for his cue. With a subtle nod the dwarf and his helpers, which surprisingly included Mike, walked forward with several boxes and racks. They wordlessly started to arrange their wares in neat lines. Everything from weapons to armor was arranged on display.

The audience glanced uneasily at the offering. Aenon had not commanded them to take up arms. But the intent was clear as glass: will they choose to fight; or hide behind those who did.

"We…we are non-combat Classers," a timid voice broke the deathly silence.

Aenon knew who had spoken up, but decided not to put the guy on the spot. The terrified man was hiding in a corner, just out of view.

Aenon was about to respond, when Jenny stepped forward.

"So?" she asked without preamble. "Switching Classes isn't really that difficult, is it? Lord Fenrast let me switch mine at no charge at all."

No one responded, but the silence spoke volumes. Despite the tantalizing offer of a better Class, there was hesitation in every soul. Except one.

Aenon saw the woman who had faced Jenny earlier walk up from the crowd. Only this time, her soul felt different.

"Why?" the woman asked. "Why do this for us?"

Aenon could sense that the woman had already made up her mind. She was doing this for other people's benefit. It was Thalindra who responded.

"Because that is who Lord Fenrast is," Thalindra said with a soft smile. "Someone who hates shackles. Upon himself, or on those around him. If he can help someone break out of their limits, he will give it his all to do so. He is the Unfettered One."

The woman's eyes hardened when she heard that. With careful steps she walked forward in her tattered clothes. Her bare feet dragged along the dirt floor as he approached a weapons rack. She took one look at the assortment before making a choice.

She picked up a spear, barely thicker than her weak wrists. But she carried it without hesitation as she stood before the stage; ramming the weapon with a resounding thud against the ground. Her attire was that of a peasant, but her stance said otherwise. A man soon followed, with a child hanging onto his arm. He picked up a halberd, before standing next to the woman.

The child had attempted to get something too, but the father pulled at the kid sternly. The boy stood behind his father meekly. Like a dam shattering, the crowd burst forth. Swords, spears, daggers; people started grabbing whatever they could wield and started forming broken ranks.

But Aenon's eyes weren't looking at the collective. He was fixated on the individual souls that had risen up to the challenge, faint crack on their souls. They were not Awakened yet, but the seeds had been planted. All they now needed was the right motivation and situation to find themselves. To find their Paths.

Aenon stood with a serene gaze as he observed the future potential assembled before him. He would do his utmost to ensure they all survived. But he couldn't guarantee their safety, not in a war of this scale. So, he never promised them that. In its place he had given them a silent vow through his actions.

That he would stand with them. Fight with them. And if needed, die with them.

A vow that wasn't forged with hollow words, or grand promises. It was one forged in the depths of their souls. And which they understood through their ethereal links that had grown stronger.

Thump

His heartbeat boomed louder across the courtyard. Every man, woman, and child looked at him with attention, their souls laid bare to his senses. His Aura burst forth unhindered, enveloping the entire city before pushing farther out.

Aenon hadn't raised an army. He had helped form something far greater.

For an army of future Awakened couldn't just be an army.

They were a Legion.

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