The Hollow Tower located in the palace gardens was the cornerstone on which the history of all Eirinn rested.

According to legend, it existed since the ages of the Old Gods, long before the very existance of the same Faria.

Its external structure already left one speechless, so perfectly round and smooth, made of a strange white stone that at night, illuminated by the light of the moons, shone like a diamond.

There were no doors or windows, and although it had no roof, its walls were too smooth to climb. But what few knew was that this was only a small part of the building, whose heart was actually located tens of meters underground, in a large chamber with a perfectly hemispherical shape.

Here, suspended without cables or supports, was a sort of large metal construction similar to the tip of a spear that continuously released waves of light.

From the main balcony of the building, Victor enjoyed the view of the glow coming from the hole at the top of the tower that seemed to go in unison with the one produced by his ring.

"You've slept long enough. The time has come to wake up. So now unleash your might, Spear of Gaia!"

As if it had responded to his invocation, the stone rapidly increased the power of its splendor, which became stronger and stronger until it transformed into a very powerful beam of light that rose towards the sky, breaking the clouds.



Above the sky, the great metal eagle continued its eternal and silent flight through the stellar ocean, observing everything that happened on the world below.

The beam of light generated by the spear hit its great all-seeing eye, being reflected and redirected towards the surface like a ray of sunlight deflected by a mirror.

A few seconds later, preceded by a kind of short whistle, the light hit the ground a few miles away from the Free State army camp.

"What's that?" Septimus barely had time to say.

Suddenly the night became day, and from one moment to the next an area the size of an entire neighborhood of a large city simply disappeared into thin air, engulfed by a sea of fire.

The shock wave was powerful to the point that it blew away not only the tents, but even the logs of the camp's palisade, and those poor unfortunates who did not have time to look away immediately found themselves blinded, with their eyes burning.

The amazement combined with terror that appeared on the faces of Daemon and the others was equaled only by Victor's angry disappointment.

"Are you still alive? So what the court magician said is true. No matter. Now you know what I'm capable of. So now come to Faria if you want to die so badly. It will be a pleasure for me to see you and your army fall to dust."

Having said this, the image of Victor disappeared, leaving behind only the now extinct eye.

Scalia almost put her sword at the messenger's throat, but he seemed as surprised as they were by the turn events had taken.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"I... I didn't know anything about it, I swear! I didn't even know that his Excellency had been killed. He was the commander of the Ducal Guards who assigned me this task."

It was the first time that Daemon was left speechless, but on the other hand something like that went far beyond what anyone believed a spell could do, assuming it was magic at all.

"What on earth was that?"

"It was the Spear of Gaia...» said the General while staring at the head of his old friend half sunk in the mud "I never imagined that Victor could go this far.... If only I had been there..."

"I've never seen anything like this." said Adrian "No manual or grimoire I have consulted in my life has ever mentioned a spell capable of doing this."

"It wasn't a spell."

Everyone turned towards the direction from which that voice had come.

"Lady Valera, do you know what that is?" Septimus asked

"There is only one thing in this world capable of unleashing such power." said the bishop darkly. "A Relic."

"A what!?" Daemon repeated

"Remnants of a dark and ancient past, dating back to the origin of all things. An era in which humanity was prey to the whims and wickedness of false and lying gods."

A more formal and courtly way of defining the Ancient Gods, typical of the Circle.

"When Gaia in her infinite wisdom freed Erthea from their influence, they disappeared and left behind tools full of power that defied mortal knowledge."

"Since then the Circle has made the search for and destruction of the Relics one of its most important tasks." said Isabela "It's the main reason why the Temple Guards were created."

"Great work, congratulations!" Scalia blurted out. "You didn't even realize that one of those devilry things was right under your nose!"

"The Montgomery Family reported the existence of the Spear of Gaia centuries ago." Sylvie said again. "And as much as it pains me to say it, it appears that its use was determinant in defeating the Dark Lord. Since the Spear was too large to be transported, and that it had helped save our world anyway, at the end of the war the Circle allowed Reginald Montgomery to keep it with him, on the condition that he hand over the instrument he needed to control it."

"So how do you explain what we just saw?" Adrian asked. "It seems clear to me that Victor is more than capable of using it."

"There probably was a second control tool." Isabela surmised. "They must have kept it secret so they could use the spear again in case of emergency."

"In this case I am forced to agree with Scalia. You were far too naive."

"And now that thing is in the hands of a madman who won't think twice about turning this country into an immense desert just to chase us out of here!" Septimus shouted

"There's no use getting angry with Lady Valera, she's not to blame."

"... Daemon...!?"

"The important thing now is to think of a way to stop Victor. Call the War Council."



Everyone had seen what had just happened, but it was only when the explorers returned to report what they had seen that the true extent of that event became clear.

Ash, flames and death. This was all that remained of an area almost half the size of the Castle. Nothing or anyone had been saved; trees, fields, and even a small group of houses with all their inhabitants had been literally pulverized.

In these cases it was impossible not to be overcome by fear, no matter how many battles and horrors one had already been through. And the fact that even Daemon didn't know what to think served to make it clear what the state of mind of all his companions must be.

The opinion that was most popular was naturally the most obvious and rational one of all.

"We have to leave now!" said Jack, speaking for the great majority of his colleagues.

"I agree." said Natuli "That bright thing could swoop down on us at any moment and sweep us away."

Lefde, also present, asked to speak.

"If I may, I don't think we should worry about it right now. His Excellency Berthold told me about this weapon at the time. He even showed it to me. Its destructive power is certainly enormous, but it has not been awakened for almost five hundred years. This means that it will take time before its power is enough to allow Victor to use it to its fullest."

"In this case I suggest once again that we use this advantage while we can to get away." Jack reiterated

"What are you, a horse or a rabbit?" Scalia said. "Should we leave after all the sacrifices we made to get here?"

"Can you tell me how we're supposed to fight that thing?"

Daemon turned to the General: "How exactly does this weapon work?"

"I couldn't answer you exactly, because in reality no one really knows how that luminous ray, once it rises towards the sky, descends back towards the earth. What I know, however, is that to use it you need the family ring. Anyone who possesses it can control the weapon with the force of thought alone, regardless of whether the user is a sorcerer or not."

"So if we managed to get hold of the ring Victor wouldn't be able to use it." Adrian said

"Or we could send in a saboteur team and try to destroy it." Oldrick suggested. "If it really is a magical stone, it will certainly be fragile."

"Victor is silly, but not to that extent." Daemon replied. "He will certainly have already increased the surveillance around the weapon and himself tenfold, especially after discovering how easily Thecla managed to enter the building. Whoever goes in there he probably wouldn't come back alive."

"And there's another problem." Lefde said. "The Hollow Tower is too high and too narrow for anyone to climb down. The only way to reach the room where the spear is located is to enter the temple of Gaia in the palace gardens, which however I imagine will certainly be guarded."

"Are there no other entrances?"

"I once heard of a second door in the amphitheater, but as far as I know no one has ever managed to open it."

It seemed like a situation with no way out, but it was in moments like these that Daemon had shown that he was able to give his best.

With the look of someone who is already starting to mull over a plan he turned to Sylvie: "You are the expert on relics. How long does it usually take for one of those artifacts to awaken its full power?"

"It depends a lot on how long it was inactive or on its condition. But it's likely that Gaia's Spear will be restored to its full power within three days at the latest."

"Daemon!" Richard said, pounding the table with his fists. "You're really not thinking about moving on!?"

"Be reasonable. Three days are not enough to leave Eirinn. And even if we retreated, Victor would do target practice to try and wipe us out. What would we do if one of those rays were to hit some village, or even worse, a city? Do you really want to leave something like that in the hands of someone who have demonstrated that he's ready to use it?"

Such a prospect was enough to inspire even greater terror; imagining Victor still in command of Eirinn was already difficult to accept, but knowing that he was in possession of such a powerful weapon was enough to make one's veins tremble.

"On the other hand." Adrian smiled. "Three days is exactly what it takes to reach Faria, right?"

"But how are we going to get any closer without that damned Relic blowing us away?" Scalia asked

"From the way he spoke, he seemed certain that this attack would destroy us." said Septimus. "Doesn't this mean that the weapon is not as reliable and accurate as he expected?"

"Probably the same principle applies as with any thrown weapon." Natuli surmised. "The further away the target, the more difficult it is to hit it accurately."

Daemon then turned back to Lefde: "What can you tell us about it?"

"According to legend, when the Dark Lord attempted to conquer Faria, none of his soldiers could get within two miles of the city walls."

Septimus lowered his gaze: "It's much more than the distance from which our cannons can fire."

"And does anyone know how often that weapon is capable of firing, once at full power?"

"Such a large stone will certainly take time to channel and release the energy necessary for such a spell." Sylvie said. "Maybe fifteen minutes."

"What are you thinking about, Commander?" Athreia asked

The boy then called everyone's attention to the map of Faria and its outskirts.

«Scouts have reported that this spell can wipe out everything within a half-mile radius of the impact point.

This means that if we got within half a mile of the walls Victor couldn't use the Spear against us without risking pulverizing his own city too."

"If we marched at night, taking these two paths that pass through the forest, we might be able to get close to the city undetected." said Septimus. "But the forest stops less than two miles from the wall, and there's nothing beyond that to give us cover."

"So, it's about walking almost a mile and a half with the damn thing pointed at us." Jack muttered. "I find it very hard to travel all that way in just fifteen minutes."

"Not to mention that if the story about the closer we are, the more likely he is to hit us is true," said Richard, "even if by some miracle the first shot missed, I doubt he would miss the second."

"This attack is looking more and more like suicide to me." Natuli said

"Damn!" Scalia fist-bumped. "If only we could put that infernal device out of action! Is there really no way to get to it?"

"Maybe yes!" Isabela suddenly exclaimed

"What do you mean?" Oldrick asked

"Every spell leaves behind a magical residue that lingers in the air long after its use, right?"

"Who did you take us for?" Adrian said. "These are the basis of all schools of magic."

"And it is well known that the more powerful a spell, the more dangerous the residue it leaves behind, because it can generate a toxic miasma. For this reason, sorcerers prefer to use the most powerful spells outdoors, or alternatively in rooms where it is possible to easily disperse the miasma outside."

Everyone at that point had enlightenment.

"Of course!" Oldrick said. "I once saw the Hollow Tower. It's big, but not so big that it can singlehandedly disperse the miasma generated by a spell of that power!"

"So that door in the amphitheater that General Lefde talked about..." said Septimus

"It's probably a ventilation point to disperse the miasma, and it probably opens every time the Spear is used." Daemon smiled. "Excellent thought, Isabela. Now we know how to gain access to the Relic to attempt to destroy it."

"It's just a shame that that thing needs to be activated to get to it." Adrian said. "And I personally don't want to find myself in its line of fire."

It was a situation with no apparent way out. There was no way to think of assaulting Faria without first destroying Gaia's Spear, but the Spear itself was effectively unattainable unless Victor was persuaded to use it.

"Maybe I have an idea."