Whereas some will describe Kassandora’s tactics as honour-less or callous, there is a beauty in them. I think I am I am the person most experienced with Kassandora, maybe only Arascus knows her better at this point than me. Kassandora’s greatest strength is in her will. Her will that provides her with endless energy and focus. Her will that lets her focus on a problem endlessly. Most of all, her will to sacrifice.

  Normal minds have be pushed past the edge of sanity before they sider fighting with their all. Eveher members of the White Pantheuilty of this behaviour, it is not shameful after all. There is great pride in being able to hold back from plete annihition, after all, only ered rats fight ignorant of their wounds. Kassandora rule the world, and she is still able to put herself in the mi of a ered rat.

  The rules are simply different. Whereas we fight to safeguard and protect, Kassandora fights to achieve victory. There is no cost she won’t pay, whereas we’re busy defending our pieces, Kassandora has no piece she is not willing to sacrifice. Great generals sent off on suicide missions, Divines unched deep behind enemy lines without support, entire legions which serve as nothing but bait for our forces. It took us aire four decades of bat before we realised that trying to predict her moves was futile. There is nothing she will not do, there is no taboo she won’t break, no city is important enough, no price is high enough. In the name of victory, she will give it her all.

  I sometimes question if it is my fault, still from the times of a Sythia. Was there something I could have doo ground her? Could I have stopped this monster from being born? Or is the aspect of war simply so overwhelming that she would bee this no matter what happened? I don’t know. I wonder if she has these questions too. Knowing her, she most likely says these are worthless questions that don’t need answers.

  - Excerpt from “Memories of my Great War”, written by Goddess Alsaria, of Light, kept within the White Pantheon’s Closed Library.

  Kassandora walked around the table to sit opposite Essa in that room carved, rown, within Iniri’s tree. All wood, from the table to the chairs to the hinges on the door. The Goddess of Magic was a miserable little creature. She sat, legs pulled close to her chest, arms ed around them, head hidden in her knees, even her blue battledress was a sorry sight, torn where Fer had smashed into her when the woman’s staff, and dirtied from when she nded on the ground. Kassandora looked to her sister, interrogations always weer with two. The Goddess of Beasthood sat there, fag Essa and looked to Kassandora.

  Golden eyes met scarlet owo nods of silent agreement came from one another. “Very well Essa.” Fer came in with a hard tone. So she’d take that part. Then Kassandora was supposed to be the benevolent one.

  “We have one question.” Kassandora said as she leaned in. Essa merely shook on her seat. “I will not question you about Arcadia nor yes.” There was o do that in the first pce. The state of Arcadia as it was right now didn’t have to be questioned, it was something only to accept. “Nor do I want you to break your honour and spill Fortia’s battlepns to me.” That wasn’t importaher, no pns would save Fortia’s forces as they stood now. But saying that first made her seem uanding and respectful. “But I.” Kassandora took a pause, theended an arm out to remind Essa who was sittio her. “We would like to know why Anassa saved you.”

  Essa merely shivered and shook her head. Fer growled from her side. “Ana’s not here to protect you anymore.”

  And Essa only retreated bato her shell. Head behind her kearful blue eyes dang between monit Fer and Kassandora. She shook her head. Kassandora leaned forwards and motioned for Fer to get away. This required a more roundabout method, Essa’s defeat had utterly broken her. Frankly, it was disgusting, the moment Kassandora had been put into that cell on Olympiada was the moment she started pnning. Now the woman in front of her wasn’t even in s, and she was like this. If it was Fortia or Maisara or Alsaria, Kassandora would assume they were faking it. “Why did you keep Anassa alive?”

  And Essa said nothing. Sometimes going slow was the right move, but sometimes a stubborn horse simply needed a sp on the rear to get moving. “Essa.” Kassandora said, she made sure she wasn’t imposing, instead simply speaking ftly. “We won’t kill you, we’re not even going to pretend we’re going to kill.” She leaned bad crossed her arms. “You heard us promise to Anassa we won’t, so you must be aware you’re safe from being scripted to Neneria’s Legion.”

  Essa merely looked up as Kassandora kept on going. “But we’re not the Pantheon, we don’t have a stubborn Alsaria. Arascus will decide what to do with you.” Kassandora met the woman’s sad blue eyes. “Out of all of us, who do you think has the most influen him? Do you think Anassa’s request will outweigh Fer’s and my advice?” And Essa squeezed her kight. Kassandora kept going. “Essa, you know me. You know Fer. You know reat War reputations. You know what we were like before that too. You’re now at a crossroads.”

  Kassandora spread her arms out. “On one side, you have us and Anassa. You’ll be a risoner, but you’ll be treated well. We won’t torture you, we won’t even touch a hair on your head. We’re not going to ask for the impossible, but we want answers only you give us. That is all, only words, words are wind after all, they blow away in the breeze.” She delicately patted the table with an open palm, as if she etting a dog. And theher hand made a fist that smmed down on the wood. “Oher. When Arascus es here, me and Fer will make sure that you’ll wish Anassa let you die.”

  Essa shivered as Kassandora held her gaze. “So now you speak. We all know Anassa here, she is not untouchable Olephia. She is not useful like me. She ’t be ignored like Fer. Give me one reason as to why Anassa would stay alive.” Essa sighed.

  “I…” She sighed. That was good, they had gotten a word out of her. She made ion, she simply let Essa brew there in silence. Fer did too, interrogations with Fer always went smoothly, she knew how to work the mind. “It’s…”

  “Did Alsaria want to kill Anassa?” Fer asked.

  “Last night, Neneria went to Olympiada. We’ll have Alsaria’s writings, I’m not in a mood to check.” Kassandora said. Essa’s eyes widened for a moment.

  “You got her to Olympiada?” She asked. Kassandora leaned bad spread her arms out to either side. She never sidered herself too boastful, but sometimes, there was reason to take pride.

  “Do you doubt me?” Essa shook her head.

  “So we’ve lost.” She said.

  “You lost.” Kassandora corrected her. “We’ve won.” But the fact she respoo that was a tell. She still had hope the White Pantheon would save her. “We’ve also breached into Drayim.” Essa shrugged.

  “One of Maisara’s” She said. Fer’s quizzical look she shot at Kassandora said it all.

  “Do you know what is underh Drayim?” Kassandora asked. Essa merely looked from her to Fer, and back again.

  “Am I supposed to?” The Goddess of Magic replied with her owion, arms spread out. “I’m Pantheon, but I’m…” She fell quiet. “I don’t… I leave it to them.” Kassandora sighed.

  “Underh Drayim is the Divine Armoury. The on Divines are kept there. Asna, Labrys, that lot.” Essa’s legs dropped from chair as she sat there, thhly stunned.

  “You’ve found them?” She asked. Fer chuckled as she put her elbow oable and leaned her head against her arm.

  “It’s fantastic that I don’t smell falsehood from you.” Fer said. “You really didn’t know?”

  Essa once again shook her head, blue eyes prang nervously betweewo Goddesses she was fag. “I really didn’t. I promise.”

  “But you know what they will mean for the Pantheon.” Kassandora said, now Essa was talking. Now they were getting somewhere. Finally. “The ons tip the scales in our favour when it es to deities fielded. And your capture tips the scales further because Arcadia is now going to flounder. We’ve won. A year from now, the White Pantheon will .” She spelled it out further. “Not like now, where it’s a floundering corpse without Atis, Leona or Alsaria, or the three that turo us. A formal dissolution, there will be no White Pantheon. It will merely be an alliaween Fortia and Maisara, maybe Zerus and Sceo, or Theosius will be dragged into it, but there it’s over.” She took a pause to let the words take their desired effe the Goddess of Magic. “So you will not be rescued Essa, you will not be saved Essa, you will not be traded in some prisoner exge Essa, even if they captured one of us orthy enough to be traded for you.”

  Essa sat there, listening to the words with a bnk expression. Kassandora wished she khis Divier, but Essa had been one of the few who rarely came for advice when she was still trapped in that prison cell. It wasn’t like Helenna, who would hop in every few years to vent about the local gossip.

  Fer took the initiative. “So now you uand where you sit.” She chuckled. “And I think you know that you want to keep us happy.” Her smile bared teeth. “Why did you not kill Anassa back then?” Essa sighed as she leaned back.

  “And if I answer wrong?” She said. Fer’s ears jumped up and down.

  “Anassa wouldn’t have e to save you if you used her to indulge your sadism.” She she air. “And you don’t smell like the type either.” Essa gripped her locks of dark hair.

  “I…” She begaopped. “There…” She shook her head. “I don’t know where to begin.”

  “Essa.” Kassandora said. “We’re not children here. Why is Anassa still alive, and why did she save you?”

  “Anassa…” Essa began. “Sorcery as a whole, it’s a part of magic, different, but not.”

  Fer chuckled at that. “That’s not what Ana says.”

  “It’s like drawing and writing.” Kassandora leaned back. Looks like the Goddess of Magic had found some fire within her, although most of them did when they were discussing their respective demesnes. “Different, but fually the same thing, merely making marks on paper.”

  “Whie’s sorcery?” Fer asked. Kassandora let the stupid question stand, Fer was only easing Essa’s tongue, gettialking for the sake of talking.

  “I…” Essa eyebrows narrowed downwards. “It’s a metaphor, it’s not supposed to be directly applicable.”

  “Sorcery is drawing.” Fer said with total resolve.

  Essa merely shrugged. “So it is. I… it’s… Anassa is-was the st sorcerer, I ’t just castrate aire branagic just because she’s… Well… I think you uand.” Kassandora here was nothing to uand, Essa was simply not strong enough to sacrifiething in the name of total victory. That’s what it was. If Kassandora was in Essa’s position, Anassa would be dead a hundred, a thousand times over.

  “That’s it?” Fer asked and crossed her arms. “Why did Anassa save you then? Why keep her imprisoned like that?”

  “I kept her as fortable as possible! I…” Essa trailed off again. And they had been so close. “It was Fortia’s and Alsaria’s mahey said for her to ake a breath of fresh air again!” She was shouting at this point. Definitely a oint. “Do you know how much I begged for her to be kept alive!?” Kassandora could only imagine, Alsaria needed a good amount of begging to fill her stomach before she was full.

  “Why did you beg?” Kassandora asked as gently as she could.

  “Because…” Essa’s voice trailed off. Tears started to stream from her eyes. “I…” She colpsed onto the table. “Please… ell anyone.” Fer looked to Kassandora, Kassandora to Fer. They both o each other.

  “We won’t.” Kassandora said. “I gave my word to Kavaa. I give it to you.”

  “I swear on the pack.” Fer said, she cpped her hand on her chest. “And I will make sure Kassie keeps her promise.” Kassandora tained her smile. Her word was worth about as much as Fer’s, which meant that the promise would be broken the moment the situation dema.

  “So? Why did she save you?”

  “She…” Essa colpsed oable. “You love her, right?”

  Kassandora and Fer both replied at the same time. “We’re family.” And “We’re sisters.”

  “She was m-my-my apprentice back then. Wor-Worldbreak-king.” Essa said through her ugly tears. She wiped away those blue eyes. “I… don’t want anything to happen to her… she… she was the best. Bet-better than anyone. Ever. Be-better than me.” Kassandora had little to say about that. It was unheard of, but somehow, she had expected something like that. Never done before, a Diviaking a Divine as an apprentice. But she could imagi… but could she? Who would Anassa submit to as a mere apprehe only reason Arascus managed what he did was because he made them family. No. Something did not add up.

  “You made her an appreo you?” Kassandora asked, stunned. “Anassa? Anassa, of all people, you made an apprentice?”

  “No-n-no.” Essa said through tears and sniffles. “Before she was Anassa. But please… don’t… I’m gd she has a home now.”

  “Her home is with us.” Fer said. “But what do you mean before?”

  “Be-be-because I-I made Anassa.” Kassandora felt her arms fall loose by her sides as she sat there. If the chair didn’t have a back, she would have fallen off it.

  “Excuse me?” It was all the sounds her throat mao utter. Essa burst into tears and colpsed oable. Somehow, she mao croak out the words through her sobs.

  “Anassa is not a Divine. I made her.”