The western road stretched before me, my mechanical legs carrying me back toward Weath. Each step felt heavier than the last. Blood stained all four of my arms; Kolin's blood, dried and flaking off the steel. The memory of his screams echoed in my mind, along with the precise cuts I'd made with my Assembly-crafted blades. I'd become exactly what the villagers feared; I was a true monster who took pleasure in causing pain.

  Mallie's face flashed through my thoughts. Her gap-toothed smile, her determined expression when she drew her bow, her lifeless body on the ground. The grief crashed over me anew, threatening to overwhelm my mechanics and gears.

  I stopped walking. The forest beckoned to my left; it was a path into the Hellzone where I could disappear forever. No more attempts at being human. No more pretending I belonged among them. What was the point? Every time I tried to protect them, to be one of them, it ended in blood and death.

  The morning sun caught my makeshift metal helmet and I reached up to touch it. Such a human gesture, trying to hide my monstrous form. But perhaps Ludwig was right; perhaps these fragments of memory, these echoes of humanity, were nothing but metaphorical gallows. A cruel joke played by the gods as punishment for whatever sins I had committed in a past life.

  Or worse still, maybe I truly was just a monster who had somehow gained the ability to think and reason. My memories of being human could be nothing more than desperate fantasies, a way to cope with my inherent wrongness.

  I looked down at my mechanical hands, flexing the intricate joints. Which was the greater curse? To have once been human and fallen so far, or to have never been human at all? To be a monster trying to be something I was not?

  The road curved ahead, and I knew what waited in Weath: the bodies of those I'd failed. Sarah Goodmak who'd danced with me, Martin and Tomas whom I had freed from Qordos, Moskin who'd defended me to his wife. And Mallie... sweet, fierce Mallie who'd seen past my monstrous exterior to whatever lay beneath.

  I didn't want to face them. Didn't want to see the accusation in Katherin's eyes, the fear that would surely return to the villagers' faces now that they'd seen what I truly was. A creature of violence and death.

  The Hellzone called to me again. It would be so easy to turn aside, to vanish into those cursed lands where I belonged. Where I wouldn't have to pretend anymore.

  I wished so desperately to flee. But something deep inside my very being urged me to return to Weath. I wasn't sure whether it was the fractured human memories that had so far guided me or the sad, pitiful monster who so desperately wanted more. I suppose it didn't matter. If, for nothing else, I had an obligation. To provide closure to Katherin, Antos, Clarik, and all the other villagers. To let them know that I, the monster No Eyes, now sole Defender of Weath, had done my duty and slayed the village's enemies.

  I knew it wasn't enough, but it was all I had.

  I arrived in Weath as the sun climbed towards its peak. The streets were empty, swept clean of the previous night's carnage, though dark stains marked where bodies had fallen. Outside the town hall, blood had soaked deep into the dirt, a permanent reminder of our losses.

  I heard sobs drift through open windows as I passed by. The sound of grief echoed from house to house, a chorus of pain I had failed to prevent. My mechanical feet carried me down the main street, each step feeling like another admission of guilt.

  A group of farmers appeared around the corner, clutching spears and makeshift weapons. Willem led them, his arm bandaged but his grip firm on his staff. They'd formed a patrol in my absence, protecting what remained of their home.

  "No Eyes!" Willem called out, quickening his pace. The others followed, some limping, all bearing cuts and bruises from the fight. "Did you find them? What news?"

  I stopped, my four arms hanging limp at my sides. Kolin's dried blood still caked my joints.

  Dead. All of them.

  A cheer went up from the patrol. Willem's face split into a fierce grin. "Good. I hope you made the bastards suffer."

  "Aye," another farmer spat. "After what they did to little Mallie. To Sarah and the others."

  "Tell us you gave them hell, No Eyes."

  Their hatred rolled off them in waves, their eyes bright with vengeful satisfaction. They crowded closer, eager for details of Kolin's demise. These were some of the same men who had once feared me, who had called me monster. Now they celebrated my capacity for cruelty.

  "You did right by us," Willem said, clapping my shoulder with his good arm. "Those noble shits needed to learn they can't just murder our folk and get away with it."

  The others nodded, muttering agreement. Their approval felt like acid eating through my gears. I had become exactly what they wanted: a weapon, a monster to unleash on their enemies. And the worst part was, they were right. I had made Kolin suffer. I had enjoyed it.

  His screams. Were loud. He begged me to die. I sent through Mind Speech, my whispery, telepathic voice dull, unable to convey the grief and guilt of what I had done.

  I kept him alive until dawn.

  More cheers. More praise. They called me defender, protector, avenger. Each word landed like a hammer blow against whatever remained of my humanity.

  I stood silent as they celebrated around me, my Mind Sight taking in their satisfied expressions, their bloodthirsty grins. These were good men, turned cruel by loss and pain. Just as I was a monster, trying and failing to become more.

  I wanted to cry. I so desperately wished I could.

  The farmers led me into the town hall, their earlier bloodthirsty cheer fading to a respectful quiet as we entered the building. Dust motes danced in shafts of morning light that streamed through the windows. The hall still bore signs of the battle: a broken chair here, a slash in the wall there.

  Antos sat at his usual place behind the large oak table, but he looked diminished. White bandages wrapped around his head, partially covering his face. His left eye had swollen completely shut, the skin around it purple and angry. The sight of his injuries twisted something inside me. Another failure to protect.

  "No Eyes." His voice came out flat, drained of all energy. "How are you doing?"

  Before I could respond, the doors burst open with a bang. Katherin charged in, her hair wild and unkempt. Three village women followed, trying to grab her arms, but she shook them off with surprising strength. Her eyes locked onto me with an intensity that would have made me step back if I'd been human.

  She rushed forward, hands grasping my mechanical frame. Her fingers dug into the metal joints with desperate strength.

  "Did you kill them?" The words burst from her in a breathless rush. "Tell me you killed them all. Tell me you made them suffer for what they did to my baby!"

  I killed them, I sent through Mind Speech. Kolin died last.

  I paused. Unsure if I should tell her the rest, but the desperate wildness in her eyes made me confess.

  He died screaming.

  A laugh erupted from Katherin's throat, a harsh, broken sound that held no joy. She threw her head back and cackled, the sound echoing off the hall's wooden walls. Tears streamed down her face as she laughed, her grip on my frame tightening until her knuckles went white.

  The women who had followed her in approached cautiously. One reached for her arm.

  "Come on, Katherin. You need to rest."

  Katherin's laughter continued, growing more hysterical with each breath. Her eyes met mine, and I saw both savage delight and bottomless grief warring in their depths. The women gently pried her fingers from my frame and led her toward the door, her mad laughter following them out.

  I stood frozen, the echo of her cackles ringing in my ears. That sound would haunt me forever, the sound of a mother's vengeance granted, but her child still forever lost.

  My legs buckled without warning, the mechanical joints seizing up despite their perfect condition. I crashed to my knees, the impact sending vibrations through my metal frame. The farmers jumped back, startled by my sudden collapse.

  This shouldn't have happened. I had checked every gear, every joint after the hunt. Everything was working perfectly. Yet here I was, helpless on the floor as tremors wracked my flesh body within its mechanical shell.

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  A sound emerged from my throat; it was not the usual screech of my cursed voice, but something entirely different. A single, pure note that wavered in the air like a violin string being drawn across too slowly. The sound rose and fell in an otherworldly melody that bore no resemblance to any human music.

  Willem took a step back, his face pale. "What in the world..."

  But Antos leaned forward, his one good eye fixed on me. Recognition dawned on his weathered features as the strange music continued to pour from my throat. The sound carried through the wooden walls, drawing villagers from their homes. They gathered outside, pressing against windows and doorways to listen.

  The alien melody spoke what my cursed voice could not: it sang of grief beyond words, loss beyond measure, shame and guilt and pain all twisted together into a single crystalline note that hung in the air like morning mist.

  One by one, the villagers began to weep. Old Willem's shoulders shook as tears rolled down his cheeks. Antos buried his face in his hands, his body trembling. Outside, I could hear sobs rising to join my inhuman song.

  We mourned together. For Mallie's bright smile now forever dimmed, for Sarah's kindness cut short, for Moskin's quiet strength silenced too soon. We grieved for the peace we had lost, for the innocence shattered, for the monster I had become in my quest for vengeance.

  The strange music continued to pour from my throat as Weath wept as one, united in our shared loss.

  I remained motionless on the floor of the town hall, my mechanical frame still and silent now that the strange melody had faded. The wooden boards beneath me bore dark stains, whether from Kolin's blood on my armor or something older, I couldn't tell.

  Antos gathered those who could still walk in a tight circle near the hall's entrance. His face was grim, the bandage around his shoulder spotted with fresh red.

  "No point dancing around it." Antos's voice carried clearly across the empty hall. "Duke Redflight will come for us. His boy and twenty men rode through Millbrook making a right spectacle about coming here for Mallie's invitation. Won't take much thinking to figure out what happened when they don't return."

  Willem shifted his weight, weathered hands clasped behind his back. "My brother Markan served under the old Duke. Said Barson keeps at least three hundred fighters in his personal army. Many above Level 15." He paused, swallowing hard. "And that's not counting the Kingdom forces he could call on."

  "Kingdom forces?" One of the farmers asked.

  "Aye." Willem nodded slowly. "Way they'll see it, we're in rebellion. Killing a Duke's son? That's treason plain and simple. They'll send troops to help put us down."

  The room fell silent as the implications sank in. I watched through my Mind Sight as shoulders slumped and heads bowed. They all knew what Willem's words meant: Weath stood no chance against such overwhelming force.

  "How many fighters could we muster?" Antos asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.

  "Twenty, maybe thirty if we count the older children." Willem's voice was heavy. "Most are Farmers, Level 12 or below. Clarik, of course. And No Eyes. After today's losses though..." He trailed off, unable to finish.

  We lost our best archer, I sent through Mind Speech, the words tasting bitter even in my thoughts. The memory of Mallie's still form flashed through my mind.

  "We should leave," Clarik stated, his voice cracking. "Pack what we can carry and head north before they arrive."

  "And go where exactly?" Reese sneered from across the room. "Further Vale controls everything from here to the mountains. Where do you think we can hide that the Duke's men won't find us?"

  I watched the fear spread through the gathered villagers like a poison. Their hearts raced, breaths coming faster as panic set in.

  "The Hellzone." Joss's desperate voice cut through the growing chaos. He stood, hands trembling. "They won't follow us in there. No army would dare."

  "There's a reason for that, boy." Willem's weathered face hardened. "You've never been inside. The corrupted beasts, the toxic air, the very ground tries to kill you. It's suicide plain and simple."

  "Better than waiting here to die!" Someone shouted from the back.

  The room erupted into chaos. Voices rose over each other, faces reddened with fear and anger. I could see through Mind Sight as neighbors turned on each other, jabbing fingers and clenched fists punctuating their words.

  "We can't abandon our homes!"

  "My children won't survive in that cursed place!"

  "Rather die fighting than run like cowards!"

  "There's nothing left to fight for!"

  The arguments split the room in two: those wanting to flee facing those determined to make their last stand. I watched as lifelong friends squared off against each other, the threat of violence simmering just beneath the surface.

  "I won't leave the graves of my wife and daughter," Martin's brother growled, hand tight around his pitchfork.

  "Your stubbornness will fill more graves before this is done," Joss shot back.

  I pushed my mechanical frame upright, the servos whirring as I stood. The sound cut through the heated arguments, drawing all eyes to me.

  No. Weath has suffered enough. My Mind Speech reached them all at once, silencing the shouting. No one else. Needs to die. To run. Nor hide.

  Antos turned toward me, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

  Tell Duke that his son came here peacefully. That he spoke with Mallie about her invitation, and that she agreed to give it up.

  I kept my mental voice steady, though the words felt like acid.

  Tell him that I, the monster you found in the Hellzone, went mad. Tell them I killed Mallie, killed the others. As monsters tend to do. Tell him…

  My teeth grit together, feeling furious at the words I was about to mentally speak.

  Tell the Duke that his brave son and his honorable soldiers tried to defend you, but I was too strong, too monstrous.

  The hall fell silent. Through my Mind Sight, I watched understanding spread across their faces. Understanding and horror.

  Tell him Kolin and his men fought valiantly, I continued, but they could not stop my rampage. Tell him I fled into the woods, possibly into the Hellzone. Back to where monsters like me belong.

  "It's… not a bad plan," Antos said. "The Duke would most likely believe such a story."

  "No!" I almost jumped, surprised by Willem's outburst. The old man stepped forward, his weathered face tight with emotion. "We won't let you do this."

  My mechanical frame creaked as I turned to face him. It's the only way.

  "It's not right!" Sarah's mother burst out, tears streaming down her face. "After everything you've done for us, after protecting us, saving us..."

  "You're one of us," Clarik said, his smith's hands clenched into fists. "We don't sacrifice our own."

  Through my Mind Sight, I watched as heads nodded in agreement. These same villagers who had once feared me, who had accused me of murders, who had kept their children away, they now stood united in their defense of me.

  I didn't know what to say.

  I… I am a monster, I sent, the words bitter even in thought-speech. The story will be believable because that's what everyone expects of my kind.

  "There has to be another way," Reese insisted. "We could send word to other villages, gather support-"

  More will die, I cut him off. This is the only way.

  The room fell silent at that, but I could see the stubborn set of their jaws, the determination in their stance. These simple farmers and craftsmen were ready to risk everything rather than let me sacrifice myself.

  My chest ached with an emotion I couldn't name. After what seemed like tens of thousands of years sleeping beneath the earth, after waking with no memory of who or what I was, I had finally found belonging. These humans had accepted me, monster or not.

  And because of that acceptance, I knew I had to leave.

  Your children need their parents, I sent gently. Your fields need tending. Your village needs to heal. It needs to survive.

  "And what about what you need?" Willem demanded.

  I turned my eyeless face toward him. What I need. Is to know you're safe. All of you. That's enough.

  The truth of those words resonated through me. Whatever I had been before (human, monster, or something else entirely) this was who I was now. A protector. And sometimes protection meant sacrifice.

  I am the Defender of Weath, I told them. Please. Let me do my job.

  The hall grew quiet, the weight of my decision settling over the gathered villagers. Some turned away, unable to meet my eyeless gaze. Others muttered curses at the unfairness of it all. Through my Mind Sight, I watched tears stream down weather-worn faces.

  Antos stepped forward, his bandaged shoulder stiff. "You understand what this means? You'll be hunted. Every soldier, every adventurer in the region will be looking for you."

  Yes. I kept my Mind Speech steady. I'll head deep into the Hellzone. The Duke's men won't follow.

  "That's a death sentence!" Willem's voice cracked with emotion. "There are hundreds of monsters in there, worse than that Snapper Dragon. Each one stronger than the last. The deeper you go, the more dangerous they become."

  I remembered the Snapper Dragon's savage intelligence, how it had evolved from simple kills to complex hunting strategies. If that was just at the edge of the Hellzone...

  "There might be another way." Antos's words cut through my dark thoughts. "There's a place you can go where even Duke Redflight's influence can't reach."

  The mayor's weathered face held an odd expression; part hope, part calculation.

  "The War Academy," he said.

  The words hit me like a physical blow. The very place Mallie had dreamed of attending. Where she would never now step foot.

  "Think about it," Antos continued. "The Academy answers to no kingdom, no noble. Only the might of Kaldos, God of War and Change, rules there. Duke Redflight couldn't touch you once you're accepted."

  The Academy. Doesn't accept monsters, I sent, the words bitter even in thought-speech.

  "Ah, but they do! They accept anyone who shows sufficient skill, regardless of who they are," Antos countered. "You're Level 11 now. You killed a Snapper Dragon. You stood up to over a dozen trained soldiers and have abilities no one's ever seen before.

  "Trust me, No Eyes. You are exactly what the War Academy looks for in a student."

  I stood silent, my mechanical frame creaking slightly as I processed his words. The Academy had been Mallie's dream, her chance to become something greater. The thought of taking her place there felt like a betrayal.

  Antos reached into his sleeve and pulled out a folded piece of parchment, its edges worn but the red wax seal still intact. My Mind Sight recognized it immediately: Mallie's War Academy invitation.

  No. I stepped back, my mechanical frame whirring in protest. That belongs to her.

  "Not anymore." Antos's voice was gentle but firm as he pressed the invitation into my steel hand. "You're the only one who deserves this now."

  I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. I can't. This was her dream. Her future.

  "And she'd want you to take it!" Antos's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "You think Mallie would want this thing gathering dust in some drawer? Or worse, handed over to that bastard Kolin's family?"

  "He's right!" Willem called out. "Our girl would kick your metal arse if she knew you were refusing this."

  More voices joined in, filling the hall with their certainty.

  "Take it!"

  "Make her proud!"

  "Show them what Weath's defender can do!"

  I looked down at the invitation in my hand, the parchment so delicate against my steel fingers. The seal bore the image of crossed swords beneath a bull's head: the mark of Kaldos himself.

  She worked so hard for this, I sent, my Mind Speech barely a whisper.

  "And you worked just as hard protecting us," Clarik said. "Teaching her. Fighting alongside her."

  I traced the edge of the seal with one metal finger. Memories flooded through me, of Mallie's determined face as she practiced archery, her proud grin when she made a difficult shot, her fierce joy during the dragon hunt. She had burned so bright, so full of dreams and potential.

  "Take it," Antos said again. "Honor her memory by becoming what she wanted to become: a warrior worthy of legend."

  The villagers' voices rose in agreement, their conviction washing over me in waves. Through my Mind Sight, I saw their faces, all of them tear-stained but resolute, grieving but determined. They truly believed I deserved this.

  I looked down at the invitation one last time, then carefully tucked it into a compartment in my chest plate. Very well. I will go. For Mallie.

  A cheer went up from the gathered villagers, their voices echoing off the wooden walls.

  "That's our defender," Willem said gruffly, wiping at his eyes.