{Part Two: Blackened Sun} Chapter Seventeen: Subjects of Monstrosity II

                                    

                                          
When the moon draws to an end, You rise from your bed and prepare for the day ahead. Seraphine speaks to You along the way.
Seraphine: This is the day of truth then... Will Evenor be waiting for us at the end of this journey?
You shake your head and say that You somehow doubt she will be there.
Seraphine: I don't think she'll be there either, as much as I hate to admit it... But I suppose being optimistic never hurt anyone. 
You say that You are afraid You will find something much darker than You could have ever expected in the fortress You are set to travel to.
Seraphine: If Evenor has been there, then I feel like that's a given. Death and destruction seem to follow her everywhere she goes... There have only ever been a few exceptions to that rule, and even so, I don't know if you count. 
You confess that You do not know either, but You are choosing to not ask any questions on the matter either.
Seraphine: We'll find her sooner or later even if she's not at the fortress we're targeting today... She can't hide from the world forever, not as long as we have something to say about it. 
You walk upstairs to the cardinals' room from there, and You find the Ashen Wolves gathered inside. You ask if the preparations for the upcoming battle are continuing apace.
Ernst: As a matter of fact, yes. We should be ready to leave within the hour... Though I'm a bit afraid of what we'll end up finding there.
Gabriel: I am too. After hearing about Evenor's past actions from Cyrus and Druilla... I can't seem to shake the fear that we're going to end up finding something we wish we never did.
Magnus: Fearing that we're going to find something tragic won't help our situation. We need to get out there and see what she's been up to.
Taiyin: I wish I could agree with you, but I'm too nervous about what Evenor tends to leave in her wake to be so confident... I guess that's just how it goes.
Saias: If Evenor was there recently, then this fort might have a clue that could point us in the right direction to track her down.
Tsubasa: At the same time, I doubt she would have gotten away with hiding constantly for the last five years if she left behind easy clues for people to follow to find her.
Ansel: We won't know for certain until we go and investigate for ourselves. We should take this beast by the horns and find a way to work with it.
Grey: Are Cyrus and Druilla planning on joining us for this? We could certainly use the extra help from people who used to be on the inside.
Eli: They will be coming. Hopefully, they'll be able to convince at least a few of the enemy soldiers to abandon their posts and stop fighting against us.
Quinn: The more soldiers we can get on our side–whether they're fighting with us directly or just abandoning the enemy faction–the better off we'll be in the long run.
Eli: I fear for what we will find at the end of this battle, but fear cannot hold us back forever. We must set out and end this as soon as possible. 
Magnus: We can't forget that this is going to bring us one step closer to an alliance with the Kingdom as well.
Grey: You're right. The sooner we can clean up everyone who's hiding out in this strange fort, the sooner we can get Magnolia's help. 
Ernst: And her help is something we desperately need... Though I somehow doubt those in the fort will be willing to let us claim it so easily.
Saias: Then we had best be ready to put up a good fight. Even if Evenor isn't there, this won't be an easy battle.