As Dylan puts Nolan down for bed, I observe something via the barrier on the entire region. Robin and Rose have probably already noticed it but I'm sure they'll let me handle things if they know I want to. They know I've figured out how to track visitors to the region through the barrier.

  The thing I'm observing is something I become aware of earlier, but the other magi haven't acted yet. It wouldn't surprised me if they're actually waiting to see if I do something. The gods may have created signs to affect my subconscious so that I'd consider going to the mines the last two days. Signs to ensure I'm powerful enough to deal with this. If I'm right, that increase to my mana will be useful if I take action.

  I probably have a little bit more time before I need to do anything before my parents take action, so I finish writing up today's journal entry. My trip into the upper section of the mines was quite productive and I'm pleased with the materials I acquired. Many water- and ice-based materials, and I made sure to collect some of the flora, fungi, and wood from Floor 30 of the upper section. A short trip down to Floor 30 of the lower section allowed me to do the same there. The two sections were remarkably similar in nature, just with a difference of elements.

  Overall, the last two days have been productive in a good way. And it seems the timing was fortunate for me as well as my stats have increased immensely.

  I downed a few mana potions after returning from the mines in order to ensure I'm topped up. If I hadn't, I'd be drinking some before going out to deal with the issue. After noting down the new numbers in my journal, I close my Status.

  Dylan joins me as I continue updating my journal. He sits on the opposite side of my desk, lounging comfortably in the cushioned chair.

  "Done?" Dylan asks as I set my pen down and close the book.

  "With that," I tell him. "But I was planning on talking to you before we head to bed related to us, but there's something else as well. Something occurred earlier which made me decide to reveal more of my life that I've concealed to you."

  "What's that?" He frowns a little.

  "Not here," I stand. "Get your boots on."

  We both pull our boots on and once we do, I put a hand on Dylan's shoulder and [Teleport] us to a cliff at the eastern shore of the region. The sun has already descended, the ocean now reflecting the moonlight and stars. Roughly one hundred ships approach us, nearly half a mile out. Each ship is immense in size, capable of carrying a large number of passengers.

  "What's that?" Dylan asks.

  "Invaders," Robin answers as he and Rose appear beside us. "So you are going to deal with it, then?"

  That's confirmation they were waiting to see if I would.

  "Yeah," I answer. "Figured you two might be waiting to see if I do something about it tonight. Based on the design… yeah. Those are ships from the Goldelm Kingdom."

  "The Goldelm?" Dylan's mind fills with shock and fear as he tenses up. "Soldiers? But why are they coming here? We ain't got anything to do with the war, other than bein' a part of Silveroak! We're so far away from it!"

  "That's the point," I say. "They've been failing to conquer us for seven and a half years now. We're mere weeks away from the last time anyone comes or goes from here. Their plan likely includes using magic to carve out a hiding place in the cliffs tonight, then hiding out here for a few weeks. Just until the last of the trips are made. Then, as winter comes, they'll take over the region. No one outside of it will know. They probably spent months traveling out far enough that they wouldn't get noticed by our patrols."

  The Goldelm Kingdom has enough resources to support that. With their fastest magic-powered ships, my estimates put it at a six-month trip.

  "With a stronghold here," I continue. "They'll force their way through the mountains come spring. An attack where there are virtually no soldiers. Silveroak would struggle to respond to that and many towns and cities would be lost. If we try to divert soldiers from the frontlines to deal with things here, it'll weaken our defenses."

  "A two-pronged attack," Robin says. "Designed to destroy the Silveroak Kingdom and allow them to take over and add our resources to their own. And the only way to for our side to deal with the troops on this end in a quick manner would be to destroy the very towns and cities they want to rescue. Without that, it would turn into long, drawn-out sieges. Ones where the citizens would likely still suffer and many would die."

  "By my estimates," I say. "It would probably take only three months after the attack begins in spring before Christopher surrenders. At least, it would be if we weren't here. The Goldelm Kingdom doesn't realize they're facing off against us, and it definitely explains why Christopher never seemed concerned about shielding the Mistwood from potential invaders from the see."

  Because he knew about my parents being here, I'm sure of it. That's the best explanation I can come up with for why the region is treated differently from others.

  "Who?"

  "His Majesty," I answer. "I'm one of the few people on a first-name basis with him. You earn that as the most powerful Archmage in the employ of the kingdom's military."

  "Military?" Dylan frowns as confusion fills his mind. "Didn't you say you were an adventurer?"

  "A lie," I answer. "I didn't want people to know I was a soldier. A thirteen-year-old isn't experienced enough to know all the options. The only one I really saw for getting away from my adoptive family was the military so I joined it despite not wanting to. But I did do a lot of adventuring work and am friends with the Master Adventurer, the head of the association."

  Dylan is quiet as he thinks about that.

  "Being an adventurer is more my style," I tell him. "But by the time I realized I could be one, I felt stuck in the military. At the same time, I did travel around a lot," I snort. "It annoyed the General, actually. I'd get distracted by rumors of a magic, a magic device, or a food from another kingdom and vanish for a few days to a week to look into it. Sometimes longer, such as when I encountered the merfolk.

  "But like I said," I tell him. "I didn't want you guys to know I'm a former soldier. Technically, a deserter, but Christopher already knows where I am. He even issued an order to leave me be, which is why no one who does know where I'm at has attempted to bring me back."

  I give my parents an amused look.

  "While I don't know the actual reasons," I say. "The fact that he reissued the order after hearing the last name I was going by tells me you two might be responsible, to some degree."

  "We have an agreement with the kingdom," Rose tells me. "Known only to a select few. They're aware that there are ancient mages living here, and what our names our. As long as they leave us be and don't attempt to involve us in their politics, we'll leave them be. We'll also ensure this region is protected from unwanted influence."

  The kingdom wouldn't exactly have a choice in the matter. These two have lived here longer than the kingdom has existed. Since before the previous kingdom here existed. While they might be younger than Aluci and Luminraik, they're apparently not that much younger. They were born more than six thousand years ago.

  Making them literally the oldest people I've ever heard of. And the most powerful by leagues. Either one of them could wipe out a gold-level kingdom on their own after breakfast and be back in time for a mid-morning snack.

  Then take out another gold-level kingdom before lunch.

  Without using recovery items.

  "He's probably assumed you've become apprenticed to us," Robin says.

  "Probably," I shrug. "It's not uncommon for mages to take on the last names of people they're the heir to, even if not by blood. The System can recognize it the same as adoption."

  "Didn't you go by it before meeting them?" Dylan asks.

  "Yeah," I answer. "As it turns out, they're my parents. That's not important right now, though. What's important is you knowing who I am and who I used to be. During my time in the military, I killed a lot of people. Wiped out quite a few places. Not just things like the goblin village I told you about – and yes, that really did happen – but enemy camps. A few forts. There were times I did use my mind magics to delve into people's minds and extract information. Even puppeted some of our enemies to trick others.

  "I'm a terrifying force," I tell him before looking back out to sea, to the ships slowly approaching. They won't have noticed us thanks to an illusion my parents created in front of us. "By my twentieth birthday, I was regarded as the most powerful mage in the kingdom. As I grew stronger, there were rumors that I could end the war entirely on my own.

  "And they were right," I admit. "I could. The thing is… I'm a magus through and through. Was since even before I joined the war. I didn't want to become a soldier. I wanted to explore my own interests, to study and develop magic, to eat a variety of foods.

  "But I didn't know there were other options available," I shake my head. "My superiors in the military knew that I was a magus, that the only reason I was there was because I didn't know any other options. Then because I felt trapped, like I couldn't leave. That doing so would be turning my back on what I was and what I had been doing. That it could cost lives."

  I let out a bitter laugh.

  "It took me too long to realize the truth," I say. "That I could just… leave. They wouldn't do anything because they knew I was a magus. They knew my solution to when I couldn't bother fucking about with doing things the right way. They gave me far more leeway as a soldier than they ordinarily would in order to avoid pushing me to the breaking point. To avoid me nearing the edge of quitting.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "If they made me snap," I say. "They'd lose me. If they tried to push me to return after quitting, they knew it wouldn't end well. So they gave me a lot of slack. A lot of leeway. And it kept me there."

  "That's… awful," he says. "So you were a child soldier?"

  "Yeah," I look down at my hands for a moment before I turn my gaze back to the ocean. "A child soldier, and the best of them. My presence on the battlefield became synonymous with destruction. When it came to clearing an area of monsters, or scouting, I became known for my abilities. Archmages are truly talented beings, after all. And I wasn't just an Archmage but a magus. I've killed tens of thousands of enemy soldiers. People."

  I can tell it makes Dylan a little uncomfortable, but not by an extreme amount.

  "They took advantage of you as a child," he says. "I can't blame you for that. And you left, too. You traveled all the way down here without turning back. Something must have changed, to push you away."

  "I realized I did have options," I tell him. "Starting on my fourteenth birthday, Zolbiatz showed up and offered me a present. Every year, right when I woke. He was there in my tent or room with an offer of a gift. I always asked for information about places I hadn't been to that had something I'd enjoy. Foods, magics, magic tools, the like. Those usually resulted in me visiting three to four places throughout the year, either from the direct information he gave me or from information I acquired while traveling because of what he told me.

  "This year was different," I say. "When he asked me, I was already stressed. I just wanted the war to be over with so I could get to relaxing and just… have a calmer, slower life. Like here. And that was when I realized what he was doing… he was offering a way out. He knew I wouldn't see it without prompting, so he made the offer every year in the hopes that I'd realize I could use a god's gift to have that life."

  If I did it on my own, I'd still have paranoia that I'd be forced back into it. If I god granted me a calmer life as a gift, however, that fear would be alleviated because I know the gods don't do half-measures.

  "Zolbiatz?" Dylan asks. "The godking? He… talks with you?"

  "He talks with many mortals," Robin tells him. "The gods mostly speak and make appearances before their blessed, but they also communicate with ordinary people as well at times."

  "Yeah," I nod. "And I'm guessing the reason the gods cared about me was because of my circumstances. Because of who my parents were, who I was, and the situation I was in. And this year, I asked him for a way out. I still didn't see one, but I knew he'd be able to provide it."

  "How did that work?" Dylan asks. "Couldn't ya have just… left? What makes asking a god anything different?"

  "I asked him for a way to live a calmer life," I say. "Somewhere I could be without the war. He made me an offer – that he'd send me to Mistwood, to the land my parents were from. In exchange, he'd completely reset all of my Skills. It would force me to slow down a bit and help with resisting the urge to return to duty. The feelings of guilt over abandoning the front lines."

  "Oh."

  "Yeah," I nod. "Thanks to my knowledge and skill in magic, I was able to regain a decent amount of Skill Levels quickly. But even after pushing myself from time to time, such as today and yesterday, I'm still not even half as powerful as I was when I asked for help."

  Though a few more push sessions in the mine might bring me there. Those honestly provide a source of Skill Experience I never had before, especially with how large they are. How deep they go and how backed-up on mana they are really changes things.

  "That's why you're paranoid about an attack," he realizes. "You ain't referring to monster attacks when you're making sure everything is fine. You're paranoid about enemy attacks."

  It's also why I sometimes lose myself when grinding in the mines and end up pushing things further than I should. I feel a need to make sure I'm strong enough to handle anything which comes my way.

  "Post-traumatic stress disorder," Rose says. "Induced by spending years on the battlefield and dealing with attacks and assassinations. It can take a long time to recover from, depending on the severity. If it's ever recovered from."

  "I've lost friends," I say. "Comrades. People who were like family to me. I've witnessed death that I couldn't avoid. I've suffered from attacks against me. Only being a fae has prevented me from bearing physical scars without extreme holy magics."

  "A what?"

  "A fae," I answer. "A type of person, sort of like the beastkin and elves I've told you about. Our bodies are partially magic, and I don't seem to build muscle very well. It's why I'm still slim without being toned even after all of the work and traveling I do around the area. My body is more willing to be reshaped if I want it to, too. That lets me shapeshift for cheaper."

  Dylan likes it when I'm in a wolfkin form, though I don't take it on too often. It's a bit weird to be the only one and I don't want to ask him to let me shift him over as well. That would feel like putting pressure on him.

  "Like I said," I say. "Being a part of the war is something I want to put behind me. I don't want to be a soldier anymore. I just want to live a calmer, more relaxing life."

  I let Dylan think about that for a few moments, then I look at him again.

  "I hope you understand why I've kept this a secret," I tell him. "Even if it's a rather major thing."

  "I do," he hesitates for a moment. "Yeah, I understand it. That's not the you I know, and the one I know feels like the real you."

  That's full honesty from him. I can feel it in his mind.

  "Hearing and seeing can be two different things," I look out to sea. "Robin, would you mind removing the illusion? I want them to see us before I do anything."

  "Done," Robin says a moment later.

  "You… want them to see us?" Dylan asks as I enhance my vision and hearing with magic so that I can better appraise the ships.

  The spell also sort of lets me see through their ships, allowing me for a better appraisal of their numbers. It's hard to tell exact counts if I can't see inside, to where most of their passengers are.

  "One hundred ships," I say. "Each with two thousand soldiers and ten mages. That's two hundred thousand soldiers and one thousand mages. This is an elite force meant to be able to completely disrupt us. Most of the powerful mages are members of nobility. Judging by the gear I can see, all of the mages within view are definitely nobility. There are also magic knights, most of whom are no doubt nobility."

  Magic knights are also mages, much like how Dylan and Thomas use magic for hunting and using a bow. A mage is simply a proper spellcaster, it doesn't require using only spells. They can use their magic to enhance fighting with weapons, or in the forge, or something else.

  Only a nation as large and expansive as a silver-rank or gold-rank kingdom could field such a force. Only those confident in victory would send this many nobles out to battle, too.

  "That's… not good, is it?" Dylan asks. "Can you three do anything about it?"

  "In other words," I ignore his question for now. "A significant amount of their nobility has come here. Probably at least ten thousand members of it. This is also no doubt their most powerful force. I recognize eight different Archmages. Oh, they spotted us."

  What they see are two mages and two shirtless young men watching them. From what I'm hearing, they're certain they can keep us from getting a message out even at this distance.

  I hold my right hand out in front of me.

  "Zihazak," I say, a touch of magic in my voice. "Awaken."

  A tattoo akin to Aluci's pelt forms on the back of my arm. Deep blue with a starry pattern, though shaped like a pair of feathery wings. They flap once and emerge from my arm. As they do, a body does as well, a hawk-like creature whose entire body is coated in feathers similar to his wings. His talons and beak are golden in color while his eyes are silver.

  Simply seeing the starry bird appears sends many of those on the ships into panic. At least, the ones whose sight is enhanced right now. He's a unique bird and all of our enemies know what he means.

  Who his creator is.

  "Aluci?" Dylan asks.

  "Manifested magic will," Robin says, impressed.

  "A manifestation of his mana," Rose explains as I drink a little bit of mana potion. "And his magic. It takes an immense amount of magical skill to create one. Once it's created, the creator can summon it at any time. Doing so requires having at least ten times as much MP as it requires to summon, and the required amount is based on the type. The caster can tailor that so their summon is the type they wish it to be, but they need to possess the powers involved. That looks like a mixture of mind, space, and time magics. Maybe a touch of force?"

  "Just a touch," I confirm. "But yeah. This is Zihazak, my summon. He takes 25,000 MP to summon."

  "25,000…" Dylan begins. "Wait. That means you have two hundred fifty thousand MP?"

  "After today's trip into the mines, yes," I answer. "And as I said, I'm not even halfway to being as powerful as I was before Zolbiatz reset my Skills."

  Zihazak lets out a chirp as the Archmages and other mages begin casting defensive magics. Then, my summon soars forward at a speed which shocks Dylan. In moments, the bird has passed straight through the barriers and grabbed the crest of the Archmage General on the lead ship.

  Or more accurately, he steals the man's robe, which has his crest on the back of it. That's the most powerful non-magus mage of the Goldelm Kingdom and the leader of their magic forces. Zihazak soars off with his robe, heading north.

  "The war ends now," my tone is dark. "When Zihazak delivers the robe to the Goldelm King, the arrogant old fuck will realize that his forces here have been defeated."

  "Defeated?" Dylan asks.

  "Of course," I say. "You can see the shimmer of their barriers, can't you? They're in a panic because they recognized Zihazak. They know that the Magus of Falling Stars is here."

  "The… what?" Dylan asks a moment before seeing my spell.

  He sharply sucks in his breath in shock at the sheer size and scale of the attack. One hundred [Meteor]s, each over three hundred feet in diameter, their surfaces uneven and flaming. Slightly molten, too.

  An object's fall is quick regardless of height in moments, they're crashing through the barriers. Woefully inadequate barriers. The spells the ships' mages cast to try and deflect or break them fail to even create a dent on them.

  Then my [Meteor]s strike the ships. One meteor per ship. The sheer amount of weight behind them destroys the ships in an instant, the impacts shattering the parts they don't directly hit. Their flames set fire to the wood past the edges of where it simply disintegrates the wood, the heat rapidly evaporating the water. With the speed of the evaporation, steam explosions ring out, filling the air with a dense cloud of steam.

  Our vision is obscured for a moment but Robin gestures with his right hand and the steam quickly thins out. As it does, the wreckage comes into view. Almost nothing remains, most of the ships simply disintegrated from the shockwave, heat, and steam explosions.

  No one remains, not even bodies in the water.

  "And now," I look at Dylan. "I've taken another twenty-one thousand lives – probably more, since there were likely craftsmen on those ships. A significant amount of them were nobility, and it will take the gold-level kingdom they were from more than a hundred years to recover from that. Likely longer, even if they try to start pumping out babies tomorrow. That was roughly half of their entire nobility still alive, and most of their powerful ones.

  Dylan sucks in a breath in shock, and I look at him again.

  "And I didn't do this to end the war," I tell him. "I did it to make sure my new home stays out of it. To make sure I don't lose the people I care about here.

  "I told you I wanted to talk with you tonight," I tell him. "It was to ask you about marriage. I never planned on bringing this up to you. Ever. To leave it sealed in the past and forgotten. Even when I noticed the ships, I was originally going to handle it without telling you. But then I realized I felt guilty for hiding this part of me from you."

  All of this would have been factored into the vision, so it's possible that I'm wrong about one of the boys being Nolan. That's a risk I'm willing to accept.

  I can be happy with that part of my past hidden, but do I want to raise a kid while his father doesn't even know my real history? No, I don't. Letting Dylan know is a risk that could push him away from me but it's one I decided is necessary to take. If he rejects me after this, I'll just start looking again.

  "So knowing this," I say. "And seeing what I can do… do you still want to be with me?"

  Dylan is quiet for only a few moments. There's some nervousness, but also resolve. Acceptance.

  "Yeah," he answers. "I do want to be with ya, Rowan. As ya said, you want to get away from that life. And they were here to invade us. It's… probably better that they're dead, right? They'd probably not bother with our traditions, anyway."

  I can tell that he's actually bothered by that last part. And he's sincere about thinking that it's better for us the invading soldiers are dead. It bothers him a little to have seen it, but he's probably accepting that it was a necessary action to protect us and the kingdom.

  "And yes," he turns me so my full body is facing him instead of just my face. "I want to marry ya, Ro."

  Dylan gives me a kiss, which I return as we hug. I couldn't be any happier right now. Dylan really is an amazing guy and he's accepting of my past and that I'm not that guy anymore.

  "So, uh…" I say when our kiss comes to an end. "How does marriage work out here in Mistwood?"