"Then we made a mistake. We got complacent, thinking we were winning."
Duwend's words were filled with sadness, his eyes hinting at regrets that would burden him until his last.
"Just when we thought we could relax for a bit, the Demon King attacked us together with his army and the traitors who aligned themselves with Lucile," he added, his voice trembling with the weight of the memory.
After that, Duwend's tone was filled with contempt, his aura seeping with heavy rage. He then said, "Some of those pieces, claiming they were of Lucile, are... were my friends, pieces like me."
Yet when all was said, it was noticeable that Duwend's solidarity from the betrayal outweighed the anger in his heart.
"That battle killed many. I barely remember how it went, but many on our side perished and disappeared that day."
Duwend paused and, with a heavy sigh, continued, "But the tipping point of our defeat was actually the Demon King's army that just showed up out of nowhere."
As if experiencing the battle again, Duwend couldn't hide the pain he felt back then. He clenched his teeth before continuing his story.
"I… we, At that time, we didn't know what to call them. But now, those armies are scattered and are called monsters."
Naell had kind of guessed it before Duwend's revelation, but it was good news as none of the books he read so far mentioned where monsters came from.
So Naell had to ask, "Are there books that mention this information?"
Duwend was surprised by the question. He brooded over it before replying, "There ought to be, but you see, even when we spread it a thousand years ago, few were interested."
Naell could only nod. Entima, who had been silent until now, then spoke, "You might not know this, but some kingdoms even withheld that information as other races began discriminating against the beast folk because they resemble monsters a lot."
Naell then remembered reading about a mighty kingdom that was once ruled by demi-humans. Thinking about it now, he couldn't help but suspect that their extinction was related to the monsters' appearance.
'Or they might have also been discriminated against to the point of extinction,' he thought sadly.
Reflecting on these thoughts, Naell turned his attention back to the conversation. Duwend agreed and further added that knowing the date of the birth of monsters was not important. "So long as we don't know how they are created, it's not that useful information."
Entima and Owly agreed, but for Naell, it was vital information as it could perhaps explain the events that happened eons ago. Although he wanted to share his theory, he opted not to and let Duwend finish his story.
Duwend then touched his upper torso before continuing, "I too barely lived and was unconscious for years."
The trio knew, even without Duwend telling them, as the scars visible from his neck were a testament to a deep, life-threatening wound.
"Upon waking up, that's when Ignis told me that I was the only one left from the original pieces who didn't side with the Demon King."
Grief and disappointment were etched onto the old dwarf's face. The mixed emotions were justifiable as Duwend did not only lose friends to death but also lost living ones to betrayal.
The story went on with Duwend having to retreat from battle as his injuries were too serious.
"It took me a long time to recover, and all those years, the battle with the Demon King raged on. With the help of Ignis finally joining the battle, they were able to push back the monsters."
As Duwend was not in the battle itself, his information was clearly not as precise as before. However, Naell was still keen on listening.
"Many changes occurred at that point in time. My establishment of this Empire back then was simply a barricade to stop monsters from further attacking my kin."
Duwend then mentioned how the death of the kings left many races in turmoil. It was especially the case for the elves and the dwarves.
"Elves especially, as many of their kin went to battle against the Sea and the demon King," said Entima.
"Isn't it because the king was also an elf, HOOT?" asked Owly.
Duwend, in response, smiled and nodded. He then added, "Yes, the king of the land was of elven descent, but he was loved by all land creatures, even the humans back then."
He then looked at Naell before continuing, "The western continent especially, as it was the home of the celestials and the place where the king of wind and earth often met."
Naell then remembered how the royal blood of Taglagas was gifted with special abilities. He thought that it was perhaps not merely a gift of the celestials but because they were descendants of the wind and land king. Owly then spoke about how Athena, her mother, would often describe the King of Wind as she knew her. "My mom said she was an angel."
Duwend chuckled and replied, "She was no angel; however, she was a pretty strong mage who could cause hurricanes. Her ability to fly was because of Pegasus, who at that time was her loyal beast companion."
"Was she a human?" further asked Naell.
"She was, and like me, was gifted with immortality as well. You see, we might become immortal, but at the end of the day, the only death we can avoid is related to disease and age. A fatal wound will still kill us."