The story of the angels and demons, first members of their factions, finished on a note so sour that even the greatest storyteller could not embellish it.

  This was a tragedy with no clear conclusion. It had no lesson to teach and only served as an anchor for Orion's existence.

  But Alyssia and Alaric battled through each obstacle, survived the hardest trials, and protected what was important to them until the bitter end.

  That original fate came crumbling down the day their descendant inadvertently traveled through time and brought with him the knowledge of the future.

  While this helped greatly, one rule needed to be followed perfectly, or their struggle would be in vain.

  They needed to respect the order of events and avoid branching out too far from the path written for them.

  This was definitely beyond an easy task.

  As something even the Remnant of 'Fate' and 'Destiny' couldn't easily influence, the challenge ahead could be considered an impossible one.

  Breaking the chains of fate and saving their future.

  If not for them, they would do it for their family. For their future child.

  So, Alaric moved. Desperation never encroached on his heart as he carefully planned his every move.

  On the other side, Alyssia prepared herself for the incoming invasion.

  Both began to see themselves as part of a chessboard.

  'The King and the Queen.'

  They were the most important members of the orphan settlement.

  While Alaric was slowly developing his interest in the energy swirling in his core, his companion was perfecting her control over the light element she unleashed from her future self.

  They had founded their family a few years before the actual date, but that seemed to affect little about their surroundings.

  And, as foretold, they were the first to show the signs of mutations.

  Wings, horns, and a tail for Alaric, and wings and a bright starry halo for Alyssia.

  Slowly, after that point, everyone began to change.

  As expected, signs of strife rippled across the orphans, who tried to ostracize each other.

  That's when Alaric moved.

  The strongest piece of the chessboard, the 'Black King', launched his strategy.

  —

  Both expected it to play like this, as the oldest of both factions played the cards in their hands for their own profits.

  Corruption, as Orion and Alyssia had observed, truly continued to devour their hearts as time passed.

  In front of everyone, on the main square, Alaric dragged each of them.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Directly where the 'White Queen' waited patiently, radiating an expression far beyond familiar.

  With a stern look and a frowning expression, she watched as a line of confused men and women began to shout at Alaric and glare at her.

  That pitiful attempt at riling up the crowd failed majestically as Alaric twisted the arm of one of the main perpetrators of the mess they were in.

  Releasing his arm, Alaric explained to the people what the situation was.

  "These adults, who are unscrupulously working in the shadows behind me and Alyssia's backs, are forcing their ideals of conflicts upon you."

  "Answer this for me?"

  He leaned next to a kneeling angel woman and placed his hand on her head, lifting her with the strength of his grip.

  As she groaned, her eyes drifted toward him, filled with terror.

  "Haven't we had enough with one carnage?"

  A long silence rippled through the air as memories of death and blood surfaced in everyone's mind.

  It wasn't too late to act. The minds of the orphans weren't entirely scrambled by the corruption yet, which let this display of power exert its full potency.

  "Do you need another bloodbath? Do you need to kill the children of many to get satisfied? For what reason, pray tell?"

  The sarcasm was evident in his voice. No one wanted to see their children lying lifelessly in front of them.

  "You are an angel, Silphya. If you want war so much, I can kill your son right now."

  "No! Please!"

  The angel named Silphya began to thrash around with great effort, but she failed to even cause discomfort to Alaric.

  "It's easy to tell others to die or accuse others of unethical acts when you yourself cannot uphold those same values."

  "What a shame!"

  He shrugged and released her head, forcing her to slump on the ground with tears trickling down her face.

  At that point, Alyssia walked toward Alaric, her arms opened wide to the side.

  "This is the reason for our struggle."

  She powerfully slammed her hands together, releasing a wave of purifying light magic around her that covered each adult.

  "W-What?"

  "What are you doing to us?!"

  "Are you seriously going to kill us?"

  Alaric chuckled and glared at him.

  "That's a pathetic guess. If we wanted to kill you, we wouldn't execute you in a public place. There are children here."

  His face turned sinister as his mighty demon wings overshadowed the space in front of him, creating an abyss darker than the darkest night.

  "No. We're removing the source of your delusions."

  "For our people, we won't stoop so low as to blame you alone for this."

  Alyssia added, causing the people to see Alaric in a better light. They knew how his character truly was, but he was still a formidable person when he wanted to be.

  The pawns were all in their places.

  As the demons and angels began to choke on a dark goo coming out of their mouths, the people began to realize what was happening.

  "Corruption!"

  A young woman, who had been personally saved by Noah right before his disappearance, pointed out from the second row of witnesses.

  "Really?!"

  Dark sludge began to ooze from the adults' noses as they threw up the dark liquid.

  Disgusted, Alaric glared at this scene. He learned to contain his hatred and used it as fuel to work toward a better future.

  'It's not their fault. All of this is Miasma's.'

  This only thought kept him from spiraling into the tower of madness and causing unwanted casualties that could've been avoided.

  With Alyssia, his wife and only support, he made every choice with her in mind.

  The unruly Alaric, who acted selfishly and haphazardly, had molded himself into a dependable chess piece to turn 'Fate' around.

  "Witness this, and learn about the truth behind your recent actions."

  "Are you victims of the corruption? Or have you still the will to fight back?"

  Silence.

  "Noah is no more."

  That simple sentence made the villagers look at the ground in shame.

  "Who better than ourselves can prevent tragedies from happening?"

  "When all we need is to walk the same path we did, why should we bring conflict between each other?"

  Alyssia stopped her magic and observed the surrounding adults stare in astonishment at the disintegrating dark purple goo.

  Her eyes drifted to the left, then the right. Observing her frightened people, she continued while waving her arms during her speech.

  "Angel, demon; are we different in essence?"

  This caught their attention instantly. The cause of this entire chasm was their changes.

  "We came from a broken world. We survived and pushed forward, even despite everything!"

  "Yes, Noah is gone! But are we alone?"

  "Has his wish left us?"

  Emotions began to swell up in some villagers' hearts.

  "Why should we care what we are?"

  "Aren't we family? People who stand up for each other in times of need?"

  "If Noah were here, what would you say to him the instant his eyes lay on a flaming village?"

  Her words echoed deeply into everyone's heart. Even the adults that were bewildered on the ground couldn't help but open their eyes wide, realizing the mistake they were about to make.

  "The seed of discord has no place in our hearts."

  A warm, radiant smile, capable of healing the deepest wound in someone's soul, caught the others off-guard.

  "We are one. We support each other. Our differences make us strong!"

  "What an angel can't do, a demon can. Are you blinded by your own interest to the point of destroying everything around you?"

  "Or will you use those same interests to create and expand?"

  The 'Radiant Priestess' came to be earlier than previously, but for the residents of the village, she was a kind-hearted, devoted leader.

  Alaric smiled and stepped away, nodding proudly. This achievement wasn't his alone, and he felt even better about it.

  After this point, the residents asked for purification by themselves.

  Not a single person hesitated or had second-guesses.

  Free from the corruption, the fate of the angels and demons became less tragic. But, as written in the book relating to other events, this was only the first step.

  The next on the list was the invasion of a foreign force.

  While Alyssia refused to elaborate where it came from and who it was to Orion, she bound her time in preparation.

  The details of the invasion: the place, the time, the many sacrifices, the enemy...

  There was endless information that she had to carefully analyze to prepare the chessboard.

  With the black and white pieces on the same side, she had to visualize an invisible opponent to simulate everything.

  Ultimately, she made her choice.

  —

  A few years later, the invaders stepped foot on Eogis, ready to burn everything to the ground and steal the land for themselves.

  The name of the invaders?

  As Alyssia and Alaric observed from atop a hill, the beach being trampled by barbarians lay in plain sight.

  "Here they come."

  "The Menorians."