For hours, Harudan had sat in his office, his head in his heads and the closed book in front of him. Regret swirled in his stomach, but he couldn't change what he had done. He didn't want to take it back either, not when he desperately needed it. Everything had changed and he still had the notes from General Juna sitting next to the book.

They'd been the first things he'd seen that morning after breakfast and prayers. A servant had been waiting for him outside the church with a solemn expression and Harudan's heart had fallen into his stomach. Ravens had come for him in the night with a dark wax seal on them, meaning they were urgent.

Without Jonin there, the remains of his guard followed him around like a lost drake. It was irritating, but with a war on, he needed extra protection, even in his own home. He hadn't paid them much attention as he jogged down the halls towards the raven tower. The woman there had handed him the scrolls without a word, but there was worry in her eyes. The seals hadn't been broken, but black seals never meant anything good.

The first note had been about Maeve. Some of the survivors had made it to the main part of the army to give a report on what had happened. A small resistance force attacked them right before dawn, setting the entire camp alight. Juna didn't know what did it, but Harudan did. He should have killed that monk in Huton instead of questioning him.

The second note had been worse, dated only a couple of days later, in the aftermath of a battle. A droplet of blood had been smeared on one corner, making him feel sick to his stomach. General Juna's army had been outnumbered. They hadn't expected the Askari to be able to converge in one place when there were two fronts, but they had and Harudan's army had run straight into a massacre.

Thousands had died before they eventually retreated. Juna was requesting more soldiers, that was the whole point of their note, but there were no more soldiers to send. All of them were fighting at the two fronts heading for Ziya. He couldn't start conscripting people off the street, then they'd be no better than the Askari.

With fewer soldiers, there was no way General Juna could get to Ziya. They'd be attacking with the half of the army and they would surely lose. General Juna needed help or Harudan would never take the country that needed him. If they started to lose, Minisia could push back and take over. He'd never allow that to happen.

His desperation to win drove him to Nerin's room. He'd been translating in there for the last few days, ever since their last awful conversation. The moment he saw him, all he could think of was his angry declaration that he too had killed. It hurt to think about, but there were more important things to worry about.

Not even the obvious food stains on the servant's chin bothered him. He'd gone there for one thing and that was the book. Nerin had to have translated more of it, something important to them, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by. He should have taken it slow, asked carefully, convinced his brother to tell him, but he was so desperate.

His panic led him to take it back from him in a much harsher way than last time and even though it had been hours ago, he still hadn't opened it to look. Part of him thought that maybe he should go back and apologise, but what would be the point? His attempt at getting Nerin to trust him would fail. The Princess was far better at convincing him than Harudan had expected. She'd forced him to kill for her.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Ignis, who decided it was a good idea to chirp and settle on the book. "No, boy, you have a bed for a reason," he said and lifted up his little pet. He didn't put him on his bed, but on another part of the desk, knowing that Ignis would jump back up anyway.

With a sigh, he finally opened the book. If Nerin hadn't translated anything useful, he was going to feel awful. Maybe that was why he had spent so long staring at it, because he didn't want to find nothing. It looked as if Nerin was hiding something from him, but it could have been anything. It could have been leftover anger from the other day, or worry that he would find out he let the little servant girl eat his food.

He couldn't care less about her. She'd done her job by telling the other children what Nerin was talking to her about. If he wanted a friend, he couldn't exactly stop him. He was more worried about his nation and his war than the actions of his baby brother. All he needed to do was find where Nerin was up to.

It was easier than expected, following all the little notes scribbled into the margins. They didn't say much, just clarified certain passages. There were little notes that told the story of Nyat and Ishin, but he flicked past it. Nerin had already told him everything he needed to know about the Gods.

The end of it still wasn't translated but hopefully, it wouldn't matter too much. There had to be more in there on the crystal. He scoured the pages past the story of Ishin, but found nothing of use. Nerin didn't take many notes and the ones he did were about the author's travels, which weren't of any use to him.

Then he found the last Nerin made and a voice in his head cheered loudly. A location, not for anything to do with Ishin, but to do with Isiah. His concern about the monk had been in the back of his head since he sent Jonin off to deal with him. If they had an exact location, then it would be easier for Jonin to kill him without having to worry about his powers.

The home of the crystal pillars. The words were familiar, but from the question marks written next to them, Nerin had no idea what they meant. Something to do with Ziya, with the crystal pillars. He needed to do more research if he was going to figure it out and he couldn't be slow about it like he usually was. It may not help Juna, but it could be the key to getting rid of the Beast.

He made it to the door, a hand on the knob when he remembered where he saw the words before. All the books he'd read about the Old Gods in an attempt to learn about the crystal had spoken of both Sanctums and there was always one thing they said about the Sanctum of Askarune in Minisia.

Some of the books were still on his desk and with a hiss of breath, he grabbed the top one. He flicked through the pages, skimming them for anything on the Sanctum of Askarune. There had to be something. He could have sworn he'd seen it in there somewhere, some hint as to what Nerin's book was talking about.

The Sanctum of Askarune is located near the southern coast of Minisia. It is situated near the crystal waterfall, which is the origin of Ziya's famous crystal pillars. No one knows what created the crystal waterfall, but those in the Sanctum of Askarune worship it as a gift from their Gods.

With a loud sigh of relief, Harudan dropped the thick book back on the desk. He had a location to send Jonin. The Sanctum of Askarune in Minisia. That was where the Beast would be heading next and it was where Jonin needed to go if he wanted to do what was right, what was needed.

"Are you ready for another trip, Ignis?" he said and grabbed a piece of parchment. "You're going to see Jonin again."

Ignis sent a little blast of flame into the air as Haruan jotted down his note. All it gave was the location of where the monk and the Princess were headed with a little sentence at the end detailing Harudan's plans. They were about as detailed as he could get, seeing as he hadn't thought of much.

He tied it to his drake's leg and sent him off through the balcony. It wouldn't be much longer before Ignis came back with a note that said the Beast was dead. Once he was gone, he'd only have one thing to worry about, and he had an idea on how to fix it. He would help General Juna win the war. He wasn't going to be someone who sat on the sidelines, he was a ruler, he wasn't going to be like his father.

Once Ignis disappeared into the clouds, he turned away from the balcony. He needed to get to work or it would be too late. If he didn't move fast enough, General Juna and their army would die and his hopes of getting Minisia would be ruined. He only had one idea, but it was the only thing he could do.

The crystal glowed steadily when he walked into the little room across the hall. Only once he had seen it break and it had only been a chip. Jonin, in his rage, had swung for it and a small flake fell off. If Harudan could replicate it, maybe he would be able to break open the crystal and get the God inside to help him.

Two of his guards stood out in the hall, waiting in silence. Harudan turned and stalked back out, holding out a hand to one of them. "Your sword, please," he ordered and raised an eyebrow at them. "You may go down to the blacksmith and get a replacement. There is a high chance that I will break it."

The guard didn't say anything despite the confusion on their face and handed over the sword. Harudan thanked him and walked back into the small office, closing the door behind him. The sword was heavy in his hands, not weighted properly for him, but it would do the job, even if it broke.

The first stroke of the blade did nothing but clang loudly against the crystal. The impact vibrated up his arms and he clenched his teeth. It was not what swords were designed to do, but he had nothing else. He could either break it open with a sword or wait far too long for mining materials to arrive.

With the second hit, something clicked on the ground. A tiny chip, smaller than the one Jonin had broken off, but it was still there. At the pace he was going, it could take hours for him to break it open, but surely if he broke it enough, Ishin could climb out on his own, he didn't need it to be completely broken.

Trying to destroy something built by the God of Strength was as hard as it sounded and after only a few minutes he was sweating and exhausted. But he couldn't stop. He'd promised both himself and Ishin that he would break it open and help him escape. Nothing would stop him from doing that.

He was desperate. He couldn't fail. They'd come so far in such a short space of time but he'd lost most of his soldiers on Juna's side. He should have known that even with better-trained men, it was no match for the sheer numbers Minisia held. What he needed was more men, but he didn't have them, couldn't have them.

Again and again, he struck the crystal, ignoring the sweat that beaded on his forehead. He panted with every movement but didn't dare stop. There was a collection of little chips on the desk and ground, their glow gone. A faint voice whispered to him and even though the words were indistinguishable, he knew they were encouraging him to continue.

Time passed at a slow crawl as he beat the crystal. The sword was chipping, scratches forming on the surface, but it didn't matter. The room was so hot, but he didn't let it phase him as he struck the crystal again and again and again. He hit the same place each time and after a time, bigger and bigger pieces began to fall. A web of cracks formed in the orange surface and Harudan pushed himself harder.

He had to keep going, even though his muscles were screaming and he had never been so hot before in his life. It felt as though he were burning alive, but he didn't dare stop. His goals were all that mattered, he could ignore the heat and the way his body burned. The voice was growing louder, deeper, and yet it still didn't make any sense.

When he stepped away after hours of work, there was a hole in the crystal the size of his palm. Light spilt from it, bright and blinding. Not much longer and Ishin would be free. Harudan wouldn't have to worry about his soldiers any more. With Ishin's help, he would win the war, he would take over Ziya and be the rightful ruler of all Vishera.

"Harudan!" a voice yelled behind him, but he didn't look away from the crystal. "Harudan! What are you doing?"

It was Nerin. Finally, Harudan stopped, lowering the sword and turning to face his brother. "What are you doing in here?" he asked in a raspy voice. His throat felt like it was on fire and every breath he took made it worse.

"I could feel it from my room! The heat! It's so loud in here!" Nerin yelled, his voice muffled by the ever-increasing cries of Ishin. So he could hear it too, it wasn't just him. "The guards outside, I think they might be dead!" It didn't matter, nothing mattered unless he got Ishin out of the crystal.

"Stay back, Nerin. I'm nearly done!" he yelled and swung for the crystal once again. He grunted when it embedded itself deep below the surface and tried to pull it back out. Somehow it hadn't broken, but it wouldn't matter if the guards were dead.

The sword wouldn't come out and he gritted his teeth. There wasn't much longer, only a few more hits. He might not understand a word Ishin was saying, but he still knew that he was close. Despite his aching throat and burning lungs, he roared and pulled at the sword again. He needed to break the crystal, needed to win the war.

As his roar hit its crescendo, the sword shattered and with it, the crystal. Harudan fell back, landing on the ground with a grunt. Nerin fell to his knees next to him, staring up at what took the crystal's place. Harudan gasped, tears of awe filling his sore eyes as the being before him held out a hand.

Ishin was made of dancing flames, taking the figure of a man but with no detailed facial features. Something that looked a lot like hair fell down his back, the tips of it burning blue. His fingers and toes were the same, made of bright blue flame while the rest of him was a deep orange.

Against his better judgement, Harudan took his hand, but it didn't burn. All the heat fell from the room and he shivered at the cool breeze. Ishin towered over both him and Nerin, staring down at them with his featureless face. Harudan straightened his back and gave the God a short bow. "Welcome back to Vishera, Ishin."