The beginning

Zander smiled down at the girl. "I never believed what my daddy told me. He told me that the city would be the safest place to live. And now look at it?" He motioned towards the ruined buildings just as one weathered structure collapsed, as if confirming his point.

"That would be very nice, sir," Cala agreed. "The lake behind the house is dried up mostly."
She looked around her. She wondered if she should feel nervous or afraid instead of apathetic.

Anna smirked. "My daddy showed me a trick," she said in a taunting way. She took her helmet off and hit the man square in the ankle with it and ran away laughing.

Zander cursed and held his ankle. "You little brat! You're lucky I don't shoot humans!" He rubbed the pain in his akle and clenched his teeth. We need more men to watch these borders...

"Ah, yes. That used to be a magnificent little lake. Fishing, fauna, oh, the bird calls." Soren felt bad for a lot of the humans; they had missed one of the greatest aspects of the Earth before the war. "It's a pity the pollution from the city affects the wildlife here." Sure, plenty of grass and trees grew, along with stray dogs and other animals. But a lot of the creatures and plants Soren remembered were destroyed, either by the war, pollution, or eaten by humans and demons alike.

Kallias stopped one of the men on duty outside of the safe camp. He presented his ambassador's card and papers. "I need to speak to someone in charge. I'm in a hurry and there are important matters I need to see to, so please make it as quick as possible."

"There are many things I remember," Cala replied. "I wonder why humans are still so slow to stop and observe."

"Does head of the civilian military work as being in charge?" He limped embarrassingly over to the man talking to his soldier. He took a momentary glance at the papers and looked back up. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah, Cala. Still young at heart." He motioned around him as they walked. "They're blinded by their struggle to survive. These are difficult times for everyone, including the humans." He looked towards the crippled city. "One thing we can be content with; those hideous concrete monoliths are no longer corrupting them."

Cala looked towards the city and remembered when she'd lived in one herself. It was so long ago, she couldn't remember if they were good time or bad times. "Sir, have you ever heard of Athen?" she asked, changing the subject.

"That works nicely." Kallias thanked the other man.
"I have immigration papers here for a doctor transferring to this town. The safe camp to the north was attacked and destroyed by bandits and they're relocating survivors." Kallias handed him the stamped papers. "Because of looting and fires, the name and age of the doctor weren't available to me, but they'll have their papers when they arrive tonight.
'Second, we need to commission a boy named Ezekiel Rowe to fix the broken carriages for transporting the wounded. We were told he'd be best for it."

Soren nodded, his face grim. "I had originally thought of him as a mere myth. He was said to have been created out of heartbreak, and would forever exact his revenge on the mortal - and immortal- world if he is to be summoned." He looked back to Cala. "This goes to show that even myths can become truth."

Zander looked down at the papers. "Surprising that the bandits don't turn into demons themselves...filthy men." He spat quietly. "The doctor will be handy if he's healthy and willing enough to work here. We need all the men we can get, and men that know what they're doing is even better. Now as for Ezekiel..." He scratched his head. "Yeah, he can help. He's pretty good at things like that." He scratched his chin and looked at the man. "How many survivors?"

"Thank you." Ezekiel nodded to the man as he handed him the locket he'd purchased. He lightly held onto it, looking it over a moment before putting it in his pocket, exhaling loudly while walking past that stand and to another one.

"There were 12 survivors, mainly children and young women. The children were put in a safe camp across the river, but recent events have made it unsafe to move anymore people near the city." Kallias bowed. "I have to make a hasty departure, but I'll return soon to see if Ezekiel is willing to help."

"Do you believe the stories, sir?" she asked quietly, looking down.

Zander nodded. "I'll see if I can find him then." He folded the documents and put them in his pocket.

Soren thought for a second. "The stories we read as fiction can sometimes be derived from fact. Over time, the fiction that is fact reveals itself. I was skeptical at first, but now..." He sighed. "There's no room for skepticism in the face of fact."

"I see. Thank you for answering me, sir," Cala said quietly. I'm still skeptical. If that story is true, his friend is long dead. Why is he still killing?

Soren noticed the hesitation in her features. "Cala, have you ever experienced the intensity of true love?"

"I have never, sir," she answered, looking ahead. "Is that why I don't understand?"

Soren laughed softly. "Yes and no, Cala. When a human falls in love, it's the most powerful emotion. It can build strength, heal, even incite wars." He kicked a rusty soda can out of the small path in front of them. "When Athen lost the one individual he so dearly loved, nothing else mattered to him. His world was annihilated."

"Have you ever been in love, sir?" Cala leaned to see his face when she asked. "You seem very knowledgeable on the subject."

Ezekiel walked past more stands with a blank expression, stopping himself once he found nothing of interest. He looked left and right, trying to decide where he wanted to be. Sitting here and spending more money seemed like a relatively bad idea, and going back to the camp would have been pontless. He closed his eyes, thinking.

Soren smiled. "I have experienced it once. However, it was short lived. With humans it it much stronger. When they experience love, they have little way of controlling the emotions. We have more control. Demons, however..." He looked grim. "They cannot control their baser instincts. Some demons used to be human, as you know. Sadly...they sometimes transform due to heartbreak, and find it very difficult to regain control of themselves."