The Truth

The sounds of thousands of marching footsteps echoed loudly throughout the air as the army marched onwards. They passed through vast open fields, rolling hills and lush green forests as they made their way south. The silence of the soldiers contrasted sharply with the noise of clanking metal and shuffling feet.

Evran found the quietness unnerving. Especially since he discovered the truth about the army. They were somehow being controlled by Milfsilla. After seeing how even Gilderick grovelled to her, he had quickly acted as he too was under her control, but he suspected that Milfsilla must have seen through his lie.

Evran peered his head above the crowd and looked ahead at the front of the army where Milfsilla rode atop a white horse. She was the only one on one,, so it was easy to spot her. He also spotted Gilderick walking beside her with hunched shoulders. Evran desperately wanted to talk to him and ask the questions that were currently racing in his mind, but it wouldn't be wise to do so whilst he was so close to Milfsilla. So instead, he talked to Dyrk and Marie who both were walking with him.

"Have you guys noticed the silence?"

Dyrk's face twisted into a frown as he answered. "What silence?"

"Well, there is no chatter or laughter among the soldiers, don't you think it's unusual?"

"I don't think it's unusual," Marie said dismissively. "We're heading to war, aren't we? War tends to bring people down."

"No, I mean, look at them. Look at their faces, their eyes. They are completely devoid of life. Like they've been turned to stone. It's like something has taken hold of their souls."

Marie gave him a quizzical stare. "And what exactly makes you believe that?"

"It's Milfsilla, that rotten witch. She's taken control of the army somehow. We need to stop her and-"

The words died in his throat as he noticed the inhuman looks Dyrk and Marie were giving him. Their pinprick pupils glared at him with such intensity that it caused him to flinch back instinctively. He had never seen them act this way before.

"How dare you." Dyrk sneered at him with almost unnatural hatred in his voice. "Who do you think you are, speaking ill of her? I should cut you down where you stand!"

Marie's hands seemed to shake with fury and hot tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Damn you, Evran! You stupid idiot! Don't insult her!"

"Do you both not hear yourselves? She has made you crazy for her!"

"That's it! I will not tolerate anymore of your blasphemy!"

To Evran's complete surprise, Dyrk summoned his longsword and held it threatingly at him.

Shit. It was worse than he thought. As much as he hated to admit it, the two of them were too far gone. Whatever Milfsilla did to them, it had changed them beyond recognition.

"Alright, alright calm down. If I have offended her then I'm sorry. Please, put your sword away Dyrk."

Dyrk seemed to contemplate his request for a moment but ultimately, he relented. He desummoned his sword and glared at Evran with disdain.

"Keep her name out of your dirty mouth. This is the only warning I will give you."

Evran sighed and nodded reluctantly. "I understand. I'm sorry."

Still, Evran found it odd how no one around them reacted to the commotion. Dyrk had pulled a sword out on him, yet no one batted an eye. He also assumed that this was Milfsilla's doing. Hopefully Gilderick didn't have the same craze as Dyrk and Marie, but he could only hope.

***

Night had fallen upon the army by the time they finally stopped. The army had encircled a large clearing in a field and set up camp. Tents were erected and fires were lit.

Evran marched his way over towards Gilderick's tent and entered without hesitation. Inside, he found the knight himself sitting on a cushioned chair in the corner.

Gilderick's eyes widened when he saw Evran, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled widely. "Ah Evran! What brings you here?"

Evran took a deep breath. He was about to do something that would risk his life, but he needed answers.

"I'm here to talk about Milfsilla."

Gilderick's smile instantly disappeared and his brow furrowed. "Milfsilla? What about her?"

"Her control over you and the army."

Gilderick stared at him silently for a moment. "How did you find out?"

"I have seen the way you all behave towards her. Dyrk and Marie have become completely lost to her. They practically worship her. And the army. I've seen their faces. It's obvious that they don't want to fight anymore."

"But wait why are you not affected by her power? It shouldn't be possible to resist her."

"I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm a syrn? But the point is we need to free you and the army from her control."

Gilderick sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm afraid it is not that simple. I've tried to resist her, but it's just not possible."

"Why is it not possible? What are her powers?"

"Her powers...well let's just say that they are divine. She is more akin to a god."

"...what?"

"You heard right. She is more than human. She is a divine being."

Evran could only stare at Gilderick in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"I haven't really explained Golden essence to you, have I? Well, the gods have this type of essence. And like Centrum swords, they have the ability to control a single concept or aspect of reality. In Milfsilla's case, I believe it is the control over someone's loyalty and obedience."

"She is a god?" Evran asked still in a state of shock.

"No, I don't think she really is one since she hasn't displayed any world-shattering abilities. But she has golden essence which means that she is a divine being."

"Wait you also have golden essence! Are you a god?"

Gilderick chuckled. "No, I'm human. A long time ago, my family were blessed by an old god, which allowed us to have the ability to teleport."

"Alright, but that still doesn't explain why you are so easily controlled. You've said before that a person's essence acts like a shield from outside influences."

"That is correct. But it doesn't matter if the amount of essence between two people is vastly different. Since Milfsilla is a divine being, she has tremendously more essence than a mortal like me. She can just overwhelm anyone."

"Damn."

"Yes, damn indeed."

"But then there is nothing that we can do to break her control?"

"Yes, there is no way that we can break her control. Her powers are simply too strong. Well unless I achieved realisation..."

Evran's ears perked up at this. "Realisation?"

"Yes. You remember Hennet right? Can you recall how his sword looked like?"

"It looked like a giant, flat raindrop. It didn't look like our centrum swords,"

"It's because he had achieved realisation. Realisation is the state when a Centrum knight has truly realised why they have received their abilities and their swords will then take on a completely unique form. They'll also be far more powerful and have greater control over their abilities. For example, Hennet could have randomly gotten his sword just by wanting it to rain one day. Then he could have achieved realisation by realising that he just didn't want it to rain but wanted it to rain to help his village prosper."

Evran pondered the explanation. "Why haven't you yet achieved realisation?"

"It is difficult to find the real reason why one has received their powers. It can take a long time to discover your true reasons. I initially got my sword because I desired freedom from Milfsilla. But I guess that isn't why I really wanted it."

"So other than that, it's hopeless then?"

"It seems so, yes."

"So, what do we do? Just accept our fate and continue to follow her orders?"

Gilderick shook his head. "No, I will not give up. I will find a way to break her control. And until then, we must play along with her."

"That's it? That's not the answer I was hoping for. I want to fight against her. Not just stand there and watch her as she commands us to march onwards."

"And I sympathise with that sentiment, I really do. But we need to be patient and bide our time. There is nothing else we can-"

Gilderick stopped speaking abruptly. His eyes glazed over, and his face froze into a blank expression. It was almost as if he had become a statue.

"Gilderick?" Evran asked him. "What's wrong?"

He didn't reply.

"Gilderick?" Evran repeated.

Still no reply.

Then the tent flap was pulled open suddenly. Evran turned towards the entrance to see Milfsilla standing in the doorway.

"Hello Evran. I see you have been talking about me in private."

"I..." Evran paused, unsure what to say.

"It's pointless to come up with an excuse. I know that you know the truth. Don't try to deny it. And I assume you want to know why I am doing this, is that correct?"

"Well, yes."

"So then let's talk. I tire of this secrecy."