Love and Loyalty

*Ren's perspective"

I take a deep breath as I was standing atop a tall tree at the edge of the forest which overlooks the plains and hills located on the forest outskirts. From there, one can see a black and dreaded mass of aura emanating from the horde of disgusting skeletons and undead. Killing and destroying every blade of grass, blooming flower and drying masses of land as they come closer to the magnificent and vivacious forest of my Lord.

Although in this world, Life and Death are of one thread, it dearly sickens me to think that such disgusting magic is the twin of my lord's elegant magic.

Ohhhh~~ my lord's magic, that sweet, sweet hue of green and white that never fails to breathe life into the lifeless and take away the lifelessness from the living makes my knees weak with amorous excitement.

I looked up to the starry night sky. "I must not fail this, My Lord put his trust in me," I sighed as I braced myself for this incoming battle.

A few minutes later, I knocked lightly on the tree I'm leaning on, "Anwen, come out" I whispered

Afterwards, a mask slowly protruded from the tree Ren is leaning on. Followed by leaves of varying colors and depth that covered the top of its snake-like body, multiple hands that looked like they were human hands came out, which it used to push itself from the tree. The creature's rather horrifying body continued to slowly push itself out, only finishing when its tail that had a beautiful glowing ball attached to it was finally out.

Hearing the queen of the mandrakes come out, there were loud sounds of crawling as she slowly appeared from head to toe.

As she was already completely out of the tree, a gentle and mature feminine voice resounded from behind me, "Yes, Ms.Ren?"

"Anwen, prepare your children. The undead should arrive in less than 3 hours." I replied.

"As you wish."

Right after she replied, she started to descend the tall tree with the multiple hands on her legs that served as both legs and hands.

"They will never make it to my Lord," I dictated as I reached out my hand, opened my storage ring, then took out my spirit weapon, a towering totem that is triple my height. It began radiating an aura seeping with life and mana. As I held my totem, the leaves below me fluttered around as if being blown by the wind.

As my hair and my clothes fly away from the hair caused by my mana and my weapon, I suddenly remember the time that my lord created this totem for me.

I was a frail, weak elf, but my lord's magnificent eyes that shone with a deep green luster saw the 'spark', as he said, in me. Then, he carried me to his manor proceeding to feed me with luscious food and trained me to use totem magic.

That was the time when I became a magician.

When my lord saved me.

Spinning my totem, I said, "Well, I won't lose this anyway."

"I just wish that he is not my opponent" I whispered with a solemn face.

*Kalgar perspective**********

"I should have used the air spirits, my lord could have been more pleased." I sighed to myself as I was flying towards the forest that Lord Abies is hiding at.

Before long, I arrived at my destination. Hovering atop my lord's army of the undead, destroying every living thing they pass through which becomes a very strong fertilizer, filled with mana for the generations ahead.

I descend on the army, going directly at the mage lich as he uses his dark flames to conduct the mindless horde of lightly armored skeletons and agile undead towards the forest which my lord's brother, Abies, is at.

"This shall be my victory" I commanded the liches to which they only bowed, displaying inferiority and agreement.

I took out my napkin, tucked it unto my neck drew. I then started summoning a spell, first starting to draw a magic circle in the air which glowed with a deep and glowing red as I dropped my droplets of my crimson blood on it. Afterwards, I started to chant.

'My lord shall accomplish his revenge' was my only thought: to help him take his revenge against the Gods that continue to play with the mortals of the different worlds.

"I shall, and I will," I mumbled after finishing my summoning, creating a creature with the body of a dog but with sharper fangs and miniscule eyes, its body appearing to be melting and twisting, and it is making a deep rumble as if in deep agony.

"A perfect creature of the night," I exclaimed as I returned my napkin to my chest pocket, which was pure and pristine white but now is harboring the malefic color of blood.

The hound joined the line of the undead as I flew further into the forest, only to be greeted by a strong blast of magic that I dearly remember.

"Ren!" I shouted with a small smile

"You dare call my name after burning my Lord's home," she vindictively replied as she wove her magnificent totem again at me, creating an agile wall of crawling vines that will hold, suffocate, and pierce the heart of whoever it is aimed against.

I conjured a teal fireball then waved it toward the vines, creating a spray of flames that burned the vines to ashes in seconds.

"I've come to talk Ren."

"There's no talking with what you and your traitorous lord has done to us," she replied with such hatred that if she had magic over words, I would have died nine times over.

"I just want to say that I cannot go by a minute, reminiscing the moments when we trained together under the two lords."

"I too, dearly would love to relive those blissful moments but unlike before, our loyalties separate us, Kalgar," she calmly said as she stood her totem upwards and stopped casting magic.

"To be truthful, Ren," I held my heart, "I do not want to fight the woman I love."

Hearing that, she frowned then hurtfully declared, "Your love means nothing in front of my loyalty to my lord, Kalgar, you should know that"

As much as I know her situation and how much I've hurt her, I cannot help but feel my heart be shattered into pieces with her cold words.

Then, a huge hunk of armor appeared beside Ren.

"Kalgar, I would prefer it if you go back to that disgusting army and prepare for our upcoming battle," a thick voice condescendingly spoke from the armor.

"I wish there was a way that it wouldn't have to come to this, Glut and Ren, but I too am deeply loyal to my lord and I will fight those in my way," I declared before slowly walking away.

"Tell that to Lord Graslis, he started all this!" Glut shouted.

Then suddenly, just as I am about to turn around and rebuke Glut's disrespectful words towards my lord, a pulse, much stronger than before came out of the forest heart, revealing the towering tree that was once hidden due to an illusory barrier which now has shattered due to the extraordinary magic pulse.

"What was that?" I mumbled to myself, agape and without words to describe the sheer magnitude of the power I felt just now

"I-is that Lord Abies?" I shouted to Ren and Glut.

But looking at the two, they are just as shocked as I am, maybe more. Because as far as I remember, I've cast a weakening spell on Lord Abies's soul, rendering him without magic for at least a couple of years but wh-what was that magic?!

"It might be, Kalgar, and it might be the time that my lord regains his lost power," Ren answered with her back facing me.

Suddenly, Glut jumped down from the tree, sending shockwaves across the earth that I had to fly as to not topple, followed by Ren as she got devoured by the tree she was standing on and came out from the foot of the tree.

"I shall protect my lord," Glut declared as he took out his spirit weapon, an axe instead of the huge sword he wears on his back.

I took out my napkin, which was blood-red but has already returned to its former pristine white and tucked it on my neck collar, "Then I shall attack," I calmly replied as a green book appeared on my hands, my spirit weapon.

I stared deeply at Glut and Ren, then shouted, "As much as this aches my heart, Lord Graslis shall achieve his revenge."

"Then go help him have his revenge!!" Ren shouted fiercely. "Why does he have to harm his brother!"

"Because he needs his power," I calmly rebuked as I opened the book on my hand, then creating huge hands of bones and rotten meat that slid across the ground going to the two. To which, Ren planted his totem on the ground, releasing energy that dissipated all the hands, turning them to dust.

"What?" I anxiously exclaimed.

"That gush of magic just now enchanted my mana, making it an even worse weapon against you."

I see, that blast was mana which bears the energy of life, it's just normal she receives power from it.

Then I won't use undead magic.

'I won't lose this, even if I kill my love.' was my only thought.

Tens of fireballs appeared behind my back. "Love is temporary. My loyalty is everlasting."