The Author's POV

A castle was perched alone atop a cliff, surrounded on all sides by tiny towns. It had been standing there for many centuries, heavily worn out from the times.

With some mismatched towers and asymmetrical designs, it had a fairly crude appearance. Even yet, it did not lessen the imposing impression it left.

But in contrast to its imposing exterior, it was completely empty inside.

In a large hall where large banners cascaded down the sides and a large throne sat at the far end, a meeting was taking place.

"...We've lost ground. The demons will reach the city within the next year."

The orc kneeled down on one foot.

"One year?"

A low, solemn voice filled the room.

"How long will our supplies last?"

"Five years. Supplies aren't a problem."

"...I see."

Silence descended on the room.

It was only after a while that the voice once again echoed.

"You may leave."

"...Understood, Chief."

Standing on two feet, the orc thumped his chest once and left the hall.

Silug kept his gaze locked on the orc until he left the hall. Once he left, only his presence and pressure filled the room.

"Forty years..."

Today marked the fortieth year that he had been the orcen chief. The path wasn't simple. He only succeeded in becoming chief by pure luck. Had it not been for that human that had helped him many years ago, none of this would've been possible.

He was then able to prevent the orcs from losing the conflict and forcing a stalemate with the demons.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like this deadlock would last much longer. The demons proved to be far too powerful for them to handle, and the orcs were overwhelmed by the lack of reinforcements, losing more than three-fourths of their forces during the course of the previous ten years.

"There might be a way."

Thump.

Silug pressed his foot against the hard ground.

Immediately, the hall trembled and a shockwave pulsed in an outward manner. Cracks began to form beneath the throne as Silug slowly stood up from the throne.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The cracks quickly became larger, and the throne behind him began to slant into one of them. Soon after, a hole started to appear, and the throne sank into it.

Silug stepped toward the black hole where the chair fell and he similarly fell.

Thump.

His feet crashed against the earth as rocks raced past him after he fell directly down the hole for more than ten seconds.

"...It's dark."

His voice echoed throughout the dark space.

The only thing he could see at the moment was an endless darkness. Aside from that, he could also hear a faint rhythmic breathing coming from the distance.

Pressing his large foot against the ground, Silug extended his hand toward the right until he felt a rough surface.

Only then did he channel his aura and he pressed with much more force.

Rumble.

The room started to shake.

In the process, Silug's thick, and muscular arms erupted in a darkish green glow that snaked forth like several snakes and connected with the wall, gliding along the bricks and illuminating the surroundings.

It didn't take long for the darkness to disappear.

"Better."

Silug was left satisfied once the room was brightly lit and he was able to get a good look at his surroundings.

He wasn't satisfied for long as his face once again turned solemn once he turned around to face a certain direction.

There, a cell stood.

Thick metal bars with small gaps in between, a dense rotting smell, and long chains that were connected to the ground...

"...It has been a while, Omgolung."

Silug greeted when he faced the cell.

His slightly greener-than-dark eyes fixed on the chained figure inside the cell. His features were somewhat hidden by long white hair that covered his face and muscles that were only half as large as they had once been, but nonetheless, the figure still bore a striking resemblance to the figure he knew in the past.

He was none other than the previous orcen chief, Omgolung.

The only orc in Immorra who rivaled his strength, and the person whom he defeated in order to become the next chief in line. Someone who used stand at the peak of the planet.

"With the ongoing war, it has been hard for me to visit you."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Omgolung, whose head was hung low, slowly raised it till his eyes met Silugs's.

"...We're about to lose, aren't we?"

A croaky and deep voice echoed out from his mouth.

Silug's face changed upon hearing his words. Nonetheless, he nodded his head.

"We are."

He was honest with his reply.

There was no point in hiding anything.

"I see..."

Omgolung lowered his head, his tone fading a little.

Silug took this moment to speak.

"I need your help."

His words were straightforward, just like how orcs were. It was within their culture to go straight to the point instead of going at things in a roundabout manner.

Though prideful, they were never the ones that shied away from asking for help from each other.

It was this trait that made them extremely formidable.

"...My help?"

Omgolung once again raised his head, blinking his languid eyes.

"Asking for my help after all of these years have passed? What makes you think I will help you?"

"Because of the people."

Silug calmly replied. His tone contained unbounded confidence.

"We don't have any longer than a year before the demons arrive. If by then, nothing happens, we will go extinct from this planet. All of the orcs that have survived will die, and we will be nothing but rotting corpses and bones."

Silence once again descended on the room as Omolug quietly stared at Silug.

"...What if I betray you?"

The mood became very tense as a result of his words.

For the next moment, the two figures continued staring at each other without saying anything. They seemed to be gaging each other.

"So be it."

Silug's response didn't come long after that.

He then stepped forward and pressed both hands against the thick metal bars.

"What difference will one year make with now? So what if you betray me? I will die regardless of choices, if so, I will gladly gamble on this choice."

Cre...aaak

Pulling the bars apart with his arms, Silug's muscles began to bulge and a creaking sound echoed out.

It didn't take long for the bars to bend to the side, allowing Silug to step forward.

He arrived before Omgolung in no time.

Taking a deep breath, he knelt down on one knee and extended his hand.

"...Will you join my hand and help me avert this calamity and help our people live, or will you allow our people to die knowing that you could've helped?"

***

"The situation looks quite grim."

I stood atop a hill to overlook our surroundings when I heard Ava's voice coming from beside me.

With her hand extended, a bird gently paused on her arm.

Ava closed her eyes for a brief moment before reopening them and looking at me.

"The situation does not look good. Most of the land has already been overtaken by the demons. There doesn't seem to be any orcs in the vicinity."

"Is that so?"

I turned to look at Angelica.

"Do you feel anything?"

"Let me check."

Just like Ava did a moment ago, Angelica closed her eyes.

It didn't take long for her to open her eyes again.

"We shouldn't be too far off from Silug. I might be able to communicate with him if we get closer."

"Alright."

Angelica's words were enough to make me understand what our next courses of action were.

I stepped forward and fell down the cliff we were on.

There was no time to waste.

***

A whole different, far grander castle rose atop a little rocky cliff from the one where Silug lived. It was much larger and more impressive. Thin, long bridges that hung precariously in the air connected the castle's gates to a nearby mountain, with an endless abyss beneath.

Another meeting was taking place.

"How long will it take for your forces to reach the orcen stronghold, Azeroth."

A deep, and sinister voice resounded inside a large majestic hall.

Lined up in front of a large golden throne were several figures who knelt on the ground on one knee.

"...It will take no longer than a month."

Marquis Azeroth replied in a detached tone.

"Give me your orders and I will take the chance to eliminate the orcs."

"Mhh..."

The demon sat on the throne fell into deep thought.

"No, we will hold on from attacking for now."

They eventually shook their head.

"I've received orders from the higher demons that reinforcements will be coming soon. Big plans are ahead of this planet, and our time in this place is almost up."

"I understand."

Marquis Azeroth lowered his head and no longer pressed.

Secretly, he was unsatisfied.

They appeared to still be quite apprehensive about putting an end to the conflict despite being so close to victory. He was incredibly irritated by this, but as a marquis-ranked demon, he was powerless to say anything.

He may have been the strongest in the past, but this was no longer the case.

"Hm?"

Azeroth's head suddenly snapped in a certain direction as he felt something at that same instant. Something extremely familiar to him.

It didn't take long for his formerly serene visage, at least on the outside, to twist viciously as his jaws tightened hard.

'...You're finally here.'

The thief.

He was back!