"The paths have narrowed for us... What do we do now? Tell us, Commander."
Violet replied: "I truly don't know..." In her heart she said: Just a while ago we were living in prosperity and safety, but the right to life cannot be predicted. Violet was a loving woman and a fine example of mental serenity.
All the soldiers were scattered, not knowing what to do. Some shouted curses, while others were terrified. Despite this chaos, and with all the leaders present and the breakdowns, Violet—the woman with black hair and brown eyes—remained the only composed commander.
Violet spoke her final words, knowing deep inside that she was afraid, but she did not want to admit it. What is built in the morning ends in the night of the next day. The simplicity of these rural words was enough to make everyone present realize that holding on until the end symbolized survival.
Violet said: "As I told you in the morning, we were planting, eating, and waiting for the arrival of the coming caliph, our leader's son. But at night, what fate willed happened." The three generals spoke, and they were of equal rank with Violet.
What will complete this life and plant the buds of tomorrow? Death… Each of the generals uttered it in turn. This instilled fear in the minds of all the soldiers, but to others it truly seemed like the best option.
Finally, once it was confirmed that the soldiers' morale was beginning to return, Violet spoke her final words: "The intensity of days is always harsh. The petals of today will rise to open the flowers of tomorrow, and the butterflies of fate will move upon them."
It became entrenched in Violet's mind as she headed toward the palace that she recognized the extent of her hypocrisy with herself. Although she had reached clarity and deep awareness, she felt that not everything she said came from her core. This feeling made her uncomfortable and broken, but showing weakness was not a solution.
Violet was jumping over the rooftops of the city from one house to another, her long hair swaying with the gentle breeze of that night. Her mind was lost in thoughts: What is destiny? Her inner hearing was disturbed with the screams of the soldiers.
When she reached the palace to meet the leader who was in the palace chamber, a sudden change occurred in the sky: the appearance of white cracks, then they spiraled down to become like spiral gates. It made the scene in the sky of the village that was burning with flames and the screams of soldiers. The eight ruling tribes were gathered in the village of "Efruwolf."
Truly, this shocking scene looked like a heavenly massacre. And with the completion of these gates, a flash appeared that covered the entire empire. In Violet's mind, the idea was surreal; the scene was not ordinary to her.
From those gates emerged races completely different from humans; there were humans resembling dwarves, humans with long ears, humans resembling animals, and strange creatures. This horrific scene that flooded the land made everyone in the square—whether from the enemy side or the residents of Efruwolf village—gaze at those terrifying bodies. They were all frightening by nature, but this scene itself left everyone on the front lines speechless.
But the strange thing was that those creatures showed no reaction or movement on the front, as if they possessed awareness and perception that made them avoid this situation and not interfere in others' affairs. It was illogical, as if a catastrophe was about to strike.
Violet quickly pulled her mind back toward the palace entrance and entered inside. She was panting, fragmented, unable to describe it, but she knew it was not the time for explanation. She said: "Leader, the situation outside is catastrophic. We don't have much left. What are your orders?"
The leader spoke, and he showed no signs of leadership, but the aura in his eyes and the way he moved broadcast that he was a leader in every sense of the word. He said: "Is the front truly in a bad state? What they say seems like a dead end."
Violet said, this time in a voice with no commanding tone, truly seeming to feel falling and fear: "Arthmin, where is Lyria? Is your son safe and sound?"
Arthmin spoke with a smile that held a kind of artificial gentleness and real joy: "Yes."
She said: "Congratulations to you truly from the bottom of my heart. But what will you do now while we are in this situation?"
He finally smiled a sincere smile and said: "Come, let us head to the birthing chamber."
The two headed to the chamber, and when the door was opened, Lyria was sleeping on the bed, holding that child in a piece of white silk cloth. The ancient elders of the palace were congratulating, still praising and blessing Arthmin.
Violet smiled, knowing that tears were not appropriate for this scene, as this scenario had enough misery in it. This was the only conviction she believed in at that moment.
Elder Ryo spoke: "Yes, your smile is constant, my lord, but what shall we do? This war will not close its doors by itself, and these destinies will not end without…"
The meaning was clear from his silence.
"Enough pessimism, Ryo." The voice came from the other side of the chamber, an old man of great age, and also one of the palace elders: Maria. "Even if this is clinging to a false hope, the idea of clinging is the only thing that keeps us going."
And here, as all parties continued speaking, Arthmin spoke in his final voice that caused shock even to Violet.
He said: "That child who resembled me… At this moment I realized that Lyria's words moments ago that he resembles me were true." That commanding look toward Violet, and he said: "I want you to escape with this child. This is my final request."
"What are you saying? You want me to escape while my brother and all the people of my village are being devoured by the wall of death? You want me to erase the last of my identity?"
He said: "Then what were you always saying? What is planted in the morning ends in the night of the next day, and this is not a request, but a final order to you from the leader."
With this order, something inside her stirred from this situation. She had never faced such a choice: between a destiny that was not hers, and what destiny would be for her.
On the other side, she uttered: "What is happening? It seems, as they say, the heart always warns…" As if she sensed the situation and understood it, though in something she smiled and Violet said: "Have you seen Skewro? He is my child."
She did not answer, but was biting her lips. Would she escape while her village and city were being devoured in this torment? Violet and Arthmin went out to the outer entrance of the palace.
Arthmin said: "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to express it, yet I am certain of one thing: that the child will be in safe hands. I'm truly sorry, but as they say, some people must live on the sacrifice of others, and this too is among the laws of this life."
Violet continued biting her lips, and the conscientious pain kept tearing her awareness, with tears held in her eyes. She still clung to her principle, as this situation with all it contained had enough sadness.
When Violet moved, and her body began to rise with aura until she flew, a commotion was heard behind them. Lyria was crawling despite being exhausted, but she continued interfering, not wanting to lose her first child or be separated from him. This was a pain difficult to explain, and Arthmin settled for silence.
Violet hesitated and fled, fearing Lyria because she knew the meaning of pain.
In the back terrain of the lands behind the palace, a single resounding scream echoed: Lyria screaming the name Skewro at the top of her voice, and her scream was heard from that distance.
With her moving away into the harsh desert, here finally Arthmin said: "Lyria, I don't know if I will live or not, but if I return I swear I will come back…"
From the intensity of Lyria's sadness, the elder struck Lyria's neck and made her lose consciousness.
Elder Ryo replied: "This is truly better for him. You are in the worst position you could be placed in for me… Mother."
"Thank you truly for doing this for me. You have lifted a burden I could not bear right now. Now I will head to the village, devouring… I must end this massacre."