Year 35

Despite your best efforts, stirring up more dissent in Delerg seems to be a losing battle. It's not just the Empire though; it's the people here in general. Most of them are content on being dominated. Funny how in the "birthplace" of the shadows, that rebellion would be less here.

The best you've been able to do is organize small groups of society's misfits, lowlifes and outright psychopaths and they're just doing it for the shits and giggles for the most part, but whatever works at this point.

You and Talia have been very careful about not giving the impression of any shadow activity in the area and that's a good thing because lately the Empire has been throwing its weight around once more. Almost as if it's gotten a second wind.

And it has.

There were always rumors, but you never paid too much attention most of the time mainly because you had so much else going on in your life, but when the announcement of the Empire's new eternals came about, you had no choice but to pay attention especially since there was a lot more of them, hundreds actually.

The first place they sent them was to Rask. Not surprising considering the Empire lost the territory. What wasn't expected is that the Empire didn't just send them to conquer the place. They sent them to destroy it. Town after town was completely obliterated by these new eternals and the people no matter how united couldn't stop them. Some tried to pledge their allegiance to the Empire again, but they were killed like everyone else. Not since the days of Kane had Rask experienced such brutality on a wide scale.

After most of the towns had been laid to waste, Fort Defiance was next. In fact this was the main objective in the first place. The rest of it? Just in the way and served to test the viciousness of the new eternals. Perhaps even to scare the remaining shadows still huddled up in that run down fort. "Defiance" was a reminder of an old wound. A loss. A humiliation. The Empire didn't just lose a fort, or even a whole province; they lost it because of the shadows, the ones who caused all this in the first place. They had to be eliminated once and for all.

You heard that the siege didn't even last three days and Fort Defiance was destroyed along with all the remaining shadows inside. Cyrus himself was found dead with another male shadow (Who you presume was probably Draven) in an embrace. Apparently they had poisoned themselves rather than give the satisfaction to the Empire of killing them.

Talia gets a little sad when she hears the news. While she left due to her feelings for you and Cyrus' incompetence, she was there for five years and still considered them all her brothers and sisters. A loss of any of Dendrin's faithful is a loss to all who revere him.

While you aren't exactly broken up about it, you certainly aren't jumping for joy. Now that the Empire has satisfied its blood revenge on what they believed to be the last of the shadows, they're going to unleash these new eternals on the rest of their provinces in full force too. They've already started deploying them in the Quala and Arat province. Delerg can't be far behind.

"While I hate to always be the cynic. Things are looking really damn bleak right about now Talia."
"They've been bad before and we've still pulled through. Dendrin will preserve us and the Empire will fall."
"Yeah…well…"
"Oh come on now my love, don't tell me you're starting to lose your faith again."

It's always so charmingly naïve of Talia to believe that you're not just faking everything. Still, even while faking it, you can't help but be a "doubter" sometimes.

"Well no…but we're the last two shadows left Talia. I mean, sure Cyrus was obviously a bad leader and all that, but above all else he was a devoted worshipper of Dendrin along with all the rest. I have to question why Dendrin isn't doing something more direct to help his own followers now more than ever."
"Cyrus' actions had obviously offended Dendrin, and he was punished along with all those that followed him. True, I weep for their passing, but they strayed from the teachings. They were no longer fighting the Empire or trying to carry out Dendrin's will and as a result Rask was ravaged. We on the other hand were smart enough to leave and carry on the fight. For years now we've successfully hid ourselves right under the noses of the Empire. I know we're careful, but we're not that lucky. Dendrin has obviously clouded the Empire's collective mindset from believing there are shadows here in Delerg. Your magic is back completely. I'd say Dendrin is looking out for only those that are worthy. When the Empire does finally fall, it will be a new era and it only takes two…"

Talia takes your hand and looks into your eyes.

"…to recreate the shadows stronger than ever."

While you're glad Talia's confidence in victory is so certain, you're not convinced as usual. Even if Dendrin is helping you both out on some small level like Talia believes he is, he's going to have to do a hell of a lot more. In the meantime you're going to prepare yourself for the inevitable new eternal invasion. You begin setting up traps in and around the temple though you imagine the day when they actually get used is probably going to be the day you're making your last stand.

Months pass and you go through your usual routines of opposing the Empire, then that fateful day comes. A platoon of the new eternals arrive in Sinkhole. They aren't there to destroy it, but they barely act like it. Under the cover of cloak you spy on them for a period of several days, and you see them routinely assaulting people even when there is no real cause for it other than pure sadistic glee. Even their non-eternal commander doesn't have much control over them. Sometimes when he tells them to stop beating someone, they just look at him like he'll be next. Whoever trained these eternals obviously didn't do a good job, it's like they have no discipline what so ever.

That's when you begin to wonder if the Empire hasn't put the last nail in their own coffin. These monsters the Empire has unleashed upon the world are going to cause them more problems than they're going to solve. You can see that even now.

Another month passes and more of them arrive in Delerg. You and Talia engage small bands of them during their patrols, and they aren't slouches in a fight either despite only being teenagers. Naturally when dead eternals start becoming more common, Delerg starts getting the thumbscrews put to it. While all the little villages in Delerg aren't put to the torch a lot of them are. Sinkhole becomes a staging ground for public executions and worse.

Eventually the few that were actually supporting the rebellion are all rounded up and killed. It gets harder and harder to sneak around the swamp ambushing patrols, and you and Talia never seem to get enough rest to recharge up your magic.

And today is the day when all this catches up with you both…

As you withdraw your sword from a dead foe, you hear the sounds of several bows being drawn behind you as well as above you. Fortunately, whoever is in charge has decided to be an overly dramatic fool and doesn't attack immediately. You and Talia stand back to back trying to get a bit of a breather before the next assault.

A young man appears from behind the archers. He's obviously one of the new eternals though he's wearing a captain's rank, which strikes you as a bit odd.

"Give it up shadow scum. Oh yes, we've figured out who you really are now. Should've known a few of you would've been sneaking around somewhere, but that ends now. You've exhausted yourselves and your magic won't help you now. Even if you can outrun the arrows I've got eternals all over the swamp right now waiting for you in all directions." The young captain sneers.
"The Empire getting so desperate they're promoting babies now?" you say.
"The Empire is getting better now that we're around. Our former captain was inferior so he was replaced. Only an eternal is fit to lead other eternals. Of course you two would know nothing about being real eternals having betrayed the Empire after all, but really even if you had stayed loyal, you'd be obsolete now anyway. Time to put an end to your kind in more ways than one."
"You brats talk too much." You say and you and Talia speed yourselves up to run back into the undergrowth and avoid the arrow barrage to come.

You're successful, but you're getting really tired really fast. Even Talia is experiencing fatigue. You need to run to safety to get some temporary relief, but chances are if they know about you being shadows, they'll assume you'll run straight to Dendrin's old temple where there might be a larger group of eternals waiting for you.

You run deeper into the swamp

You don't want to risk heading back to the temple, it's bound to be crawling with new eternals.

"Talia, don't go to the temple! This way!" you exclaim grabbing her arm.
"What? We need to go where Dendrin will protect us the most!"
"He's not helping us now! Let's gnnnt!"

While you were standing around arguing you catch two arrows to the back and then another to your side. You're down and Talia attempts to drag you into cover before cloaking the pair of you. Cloak or not, the arrows continue to be fired in your vicinity, won't be long before more find their mark or worse the rest of the eternal chasing you catch up.

"We need to get out of here and back to the sanctuary now! Can you stand up?" Talia asks.
"Probably, but I'm not going to be going too fast all shot full of arrows, and with this pain I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to upkeep the shadow magic. Look, just go on without me, I'll figure out something."
"I'm not doing that! I already left you once when you needed help, I'm not doing it again!"
"Well this situation isn't looking good, you realize that right?"
"I know."

You and Talia look into each other's eyes and briefly kiss. You had some good times; your only regret is you won't have any more with her.

The arrows stop as more eternals start swarming the vicinity. While one of them is barking orders to find you, Talia decloaks and cleaves his head in starting the battle off. Despite your limited mobility, you manage to throw some of your attackers off their game by fighting low to the ground. A couple of them go down by your hand, but ultimately there are too many of them and you feel a crushing mace blow to your head followed by a blade to your chest.

As your sight begins to fade, you see Talia still giving the eternals a good fight. Hopefully she'll make it back to the sanctuary like she wanted to in the first place.

You won't.