There was no fight, but neither did any enemy run away. To describe what happened inside the city, words like massacre would be more appropriate. When I walked past the gaping hole in the walls, I was greeted by silence and blood.
The whole city was quiet, no screams, no bustle, even the animals hid who knows where. If it were only this, the whole situation would be eerie, but the blood changed everything. Every street and alley flowed with blood; no place was dry.
Here and there, bodies would appear; most were soldiers and knights, but the deeper one went, the more civilians showed up. Men and women, young and old, everyone met the same end. This was the price of disturbing the balance of nature, the wrath of the wild.
In the city center, Wild Hunt Shadows gathered, surrounding bodies of sixty or so shamans, their appearance clearly distinguishing them from Britons and Anglo-Saxons. I looked at them, invaders who caused destruction without care, and couldn't help but feel anger.
Through my Empathy, I could feel the sadness and fear of the now destroyed city, but more so, I felt hatred and anger of the land. The markings of Night Warrior were now fully visible on my body, my aura losing that humane feeling it normally had. Neither the cold Moonlight nor the clear Starlight could calm me down; the emotions of nature that started flowing through me overpowered even the divinity.
And my anger resonated back with the land and nature. Intense winds picked up as the dark, stormy cloud gathered. Soon, the entire city was covered by the storm, but no matter how much it rained, it couldn't wash the blood, only causing the Tyne to flow with blood. I looked up, my eyes shimmering in the light as if I was making divination, but rather than seeking the future, I wanted to know who caused all of this to occur.
And I didn't have to look long, and soon I saw a man sitting in a tree in the clouds. His weathered face had only one eye, but it carried wisdom beyond mortal understanding. And yet, it was clouded by battle lust, making the man appear more like a bloodthirsty beast than a wise scholar. In his hand was a spear, red like blood.
He was the cause behind the Norsemen getting involved in everything, seeking a way to escape the space her was confined in by the Counter Force. Gods and other Divine Spirits knew that the fall of Vortigern would mean the end of their era, forever jailing them in their realms, so he acted, leveraging what control over the world he still had.
But his reasoning meant nothing to me. I only cared about the outcome of his actions, and those made him my enemy. And so, I took out my spear, the Gáe Bolg I received from Scáthach, but after a year of working on it, the blood red color was now deep blue, showing that the spear was fully mine. The Wild Hunt Shadows around me knelt after seeing me take action, singing a war song prayer.
~"Arama sh'nala fasima nemelia boranna..."~I started a prayer of my own.
My words seemed to attract the attention of the god in the sky; his eye looked down, looking at me with a strange mix of amusement and challenge. He wasn't concerned about me, and he didn't have much reason to be, as I wasn't much of a danger to a god of his strength and standing, but this won't stop me.
I gathered my power in the spear and felt how nature itself responded to my will. The rivers of blood started to whirl around, spirits and souls of the deceased turning into a power for me to use. They might have been strangers or even my enemies in life, but in death, all were just my tools and servants.
~"manoria fesala maranor..."
Because of how Gáe Bolg worked, I couldn't use my power of Night, as it would burn away the casual link, so I imbued the spear purely with Moonlight, Starlight, and power from nature, forcefully fusing magic, divinity, and druidism. I could feel the spear trembling in my hands, minuscule cracks forming on its surface as the three forces clashed with each other.
But I continued inputting everything I had, the speat slowly turning into pure light due to the excess of energy. I raised it, taking a throwing stance, my eyes meeting the god's gaze. There was something it his eye… expectation? Some kind of interest I couldn't quite grasp.
~"mal'nala fal!!"
When my words fell, the spear pierced the clouds, shattering the space and striking the god in the blink of an eye. I saw how he tried to grasp the incoming projectile, using magic and runes to slow it down, and was almost successful, but the power of the spear was able to overcome his resistance, lodging deep in his shoulder before stopping.
The god looked down at his bleeding shoulder, ripping the spear out without care for the wound. Looking at the golden blood dripping from the spearhead, he laughed hysterically. He looked at me and showed a smile, not taunting one but more a show of appreciation. His gaze seemed to pierce through me, seeing deep into my soul.
He then said something, but due to the realms separating us, I couldn't hear his words. Soon, a group of figures appeared before him, kneeling while waiting for his next words. He gave my spear to the leading figure, his dried golden blood now coating it whole, along with a branch of the tree standing behind him, and a scroll. The figures were shocked, either due to his words or the blood still dripping from his shoulder, but they bowed and left.
The god then took one last look at me and pointed his hand. I could feel a great amount of power gathering, so I took a defensive stance, but when it arrived before me, I was surprised to find it wasn't an attack, but pure vitality. It passed me harmlessly and penetrated deep into the lands, restoring the previously harmed ley lines.
I could feel how the land rejoiced, a sigh of relief left my mouth as the intense feeling of anger was replaced by the usual numbness brought by divinity. I checked the state of the surroundings, and while not exactly good, it was much better than the previous barren state.
I then looked up once again, only to see the cloud slowly dispersing; the visage of the god also almost disappeared, but before it did, I saw him nod to me. I was not sure what to make of it, so I decided to ignore it. I took a deep breath to clear my mind and focused on the matters at hand. When I turned around to look at the small crowd that gathered there, I found them looking at me with worry and shock.
-"Eno?"-Shining was first to speak up.
-"I'm ok."
-"Was that a god?"-King Urien asked, his voice shaking in the process.
-"Yes. The one and only Odin. But he shouldn't bother us again. Norsemen should also stop their actions."
-"You… You struck a god… And wounded him."
-"It's just a minor wound. If it were some minor deity, it might be dangerous, but to All-Father, it's just a scratch."
But my words just earned more blank stares from people around.
-"Never mind."-I shook my head.-"While the gift from him restored the ley lines, the destruction still remained. I'll need two months to restore it before it can be cultivated. While it will be too late for the spring crops, we can avoid the famine with more winter crops."
-"But…"-Viviana looked at the bodies floating around.-"The manpower…"
-"Use the captives from the York region. Promise them that if they can repay their debts by working, they will be bestowed land. As for the clean up…"
-"Leave it to me."-King Urien volunteered.-"You saved us, yet we can't help you much, so at least leave the cleaning up to me."
I nodded as his assistance would indeed be helpful. Then I looked at my knights.
-"I hope you can cooperate with King Urien in securing this region while I work on restoring it to health."
-"We'll follow your orders."-Margaret saluted me, her eyes surprisingly clear, showing no disgust despite the massacre I caused.
-"Good."-I nodded and left, as I knew that after what happened, some time must pass before everyone can return to normal.
I took Guinevere for some hands-on training about Druid's duties, traveling around the destroyed land with her for almost two full months. At first, she found it difficult, for a lady of high birth living wild was quite a shock, but she adapted well; her affinity for nature was displayed in full force. She got the grasp of the job, and soon was able to handle many things alone, but the major restorations still needed my actions.
At this time, the story of what happened spread around, first in the army, then in the whole of Britain, and later even outside the Isles. But surprisingly, the story didn't paint me as a slaughterer, but as a guardian. It was most likely Mostima's and Morgan's doing, but I was grateful for that.
But the news of the Norsemen's actions and the Slaughter of Newcastle changed the perception of Britain in the international field. Those in power were able to gather more information than what was talked about in public, so they knew that the new British Justiciar achieved that on his own; some even knew of my strike against a god.
So, almost all foreign powers changed from their slight enmity to a polite neutrality, hinting at a possible cooperation in the future. Only France and the Norse Countries had different stances. France still supported Vortigern's claims to the throne, making them our enemies, but the Norse were the biggest surprise.
Shortly after my confrontation with Odin, the rulers of the Norse Countries renounced their support for Vortigern and turned to Artoria's side, citing the 'will of the gods' as the reason. While this was unexpected, it wasn't that surprising, as Odin was both god of war and wisdom; he knew when to retreat to gain greater benefits.
But while this was a pleasant surprise, what mattered to me was entirely a different matter. After the anger and numbness from divinity fully cleared, I was afraid that what I did would create a rift between me and those close to me. But before I could even start to worry myself sick, Margaret found me to talk.
-"Eno."-She walked to my side.
-"Margaret?"-I looked at her, unsure what to do.
She stopped a step before me, before bowing to me.
-"I'm sorry."
-"There is nothing you need to apologize to me for."-I looked at her, not understanding what she meant.
-"No, as your knight, I failed you."-She straightened up and looked me in the eyes.-"I vowed to stay by your side no matter what, but I found myself doubting you when I saw what happened in the city."
Her words made me freeze.
-"I wondered if you strayed from your path, if you made a mistake, but then I saw the clear Moonlight when you threw that spear. I saw how soldiers and knights didn't show fear or disgust due to your actions, but gratitude. While I still can't bring myself to condone this massacre, I understand why it happened."
-"I…"
-"Eno."-She didn't let me speak.-"I always believed that knights should be noble and just, and I still think so, but what those two things represent to me has changed since I started following you. Nobility isn't a birthright or honor gained by one's actions. It's carrying the lives and livelihoods of others on your back, it's putting your duty and responsibility before everything else, while not sacrificing yourself in the process."
She looked at the crumbling wall.
-"And being just isn't only about being righteous and moral, it's about being true."-She sighed, but then her gaze returned to me, carrying greater conviction than before.-"But I almost forgot that you aren't just a knight, you are a ruler, Justiciar, Holy Son. Justness and nobility are just part of what and who you need to be."
I just looked at her, my emotions still in knots.
-"What you did was wrong from the standpoint of a knight, but as guardian of these lands, as someone whose priority was his people, your actions were not wrong. You prevented this land from withering, you ensured a famine won't kill your subjects, you showed that no invader will be given mercy and no traitor will be forgiven."
She took the step forward, shortening the distance between us to almost nothing.
-"So I'm sorry, but I'm also angry. You shouldn't take everything on your shoulders like that, Eno. I'm not great at using Empathy, but even I can feel that you are not fine. I know that you need to maintain an appearance in front of outsiders, but don't hide it from me, from us."
She grasped my right hand, clutching it with both of hers.
-"Please let me bear part of that weight."
I looked at her and couldn't help but sigh in relief. She was indeed right, using spirits and souls as I did before caused their resentment to cling to me, causing an effect similar to how my Empathy behavior around Sankta, but with extremely negative emotions.
Feeling her intense gaze on me, I couldn't help but lean in, capturing her lips with mine. She stiffened but didn't push me away, instead she closed he eyes, allowing me to continue. A few moments later, we separated, Margaret's face flushed with an enchanting blush. I leaned my body weight on her, no longer forcing myself.
My halo visibly dimmed, reflecting my emotions at the moment. Margaret noticed this, and she quietly hugged me, letting me collect myself. After a few minutes, I spoke quietly, Margaret barely able to hear my words.
-"You all are my pillars. Just never leave my side."
-"I won't."-She hugged me tighter.-"Never."
Since that day, Margaret became much more proactive, often involving herself in much more gray matters such as conspiracies and politics, but she never compromised her values in the process. Our relationship also took a step forward; while we didn't cross that last barrier, I could see that she had made her decision, no longer treating me just as her liege, but also as a partner.
Margaret wasn't the only one who was affected by my actions; my other Knights, Mostima, Artoria, Guinevere, and even Morgan changed their way of interacting with me. Viviana started to follow Margaret's lead and also involved herself more in things she previously avoided. Shining and Cellinia were even more direct, recruiting people to do tasks that couldn't be connected to me, trying to resolve as much as they could before I had to get involved.
All of this was coordinated by Mostima and Morgan, who started to regularly work together, not involving me in their plans until it was necessary or I asked them to. But it was Artoria who reacted most drastically. She left the southern front in the hands of King Leodegrance, while she rode nonstop for two weeks to arrive in the ruined Newcastle. She needed to change horses over twenty times on her way, as they were passing out from exhaustion.
When she arrived, she surveyed the area and talked with people about what had happened before finding me. I expected her to be furious or disappointed, but she just hugged me and started to speak about how she will take responsibility for this on herself, as the King. I had to made her promise not to do anything stupid, as she put me even before her own reputation. While this tragedy was something I'd rather never have happened, the changes it brought to my closest people made me not regret it.