Oddly enough, Athan had to set aside his concerns with her and tackled the important matter at hand. He beckoned everyone to gather round near the outpost, loud clamors from their thuds and as they donned their armors to their bodies to prepare themselves for the upcoming battle.


    While at it, Sylvester came to his side, whispering, "Your Highness, your ghoul armies are on their way here."


    "Very well." Upon nodding, he looked around how most of them get to their formation, lining up to different ranks. "Anything else?"


    "I''m afraid none. We only await what… Lady Mystique had to say at this moment."


    Sylvester peered at Arnold, who crouched as he set up the phone below a pile of stones with magic stones on top of it.


    His hands moved fast, swiftly etching the leafy ground into a trail of ice as he made several magic circles and to a pentagram with occult magic symbols in it. Even then, he scrunched his face in utter concentration, not even the beads of sweat that trickled down against his skin stopped him from it.


    Meanwhile, Athan had never been so impressed with his life, seeing Arnold scribing such complexities of the magic that he knew little to nothing, even with his future memories served no purpose.


    Only then he inferred it had something to do with Mystique, for whatever she had thought of then after giving him instructions.


    The greatest teacher Mystique ever had was Arnold, his father, as one of the great grandmasters in the Dysnomia Empire. No one would teach her better other than him.


    However right now, while it was weird to think how she would teach him a thing or two, knowing who she was in the future better than she was then made sense.


    When it was all set, Arnold stood up, grunting, as he dusted off his hands from what he did. "I think we can start."


    Soon as they gathered in full attendance, Athan nodded that he must commence the ritual.


    In a scrap of paper, he started to enunciate foreign words to his whim, and the circle emitted a dazzling glow. So warm and fuzzy that almost caught Arnold off guard from what he did, but he was too professional to continue and unfazed since.


    Alas, the cast came to an end, and several beaming lights from the stone shot out, intercepting one another like mirror planes. From the middle found Mystique, standing in what seemed a sophisticated bed-chamber with a table full of paper stacked one pile and to another.


    Several noises and murmurs came from the crowd, but wise enough as they left their dissent and obloquy cut short with Arnold around, and a newly found bond between her and the Crown Prince.


    To her side, Ashtra was in crossed arms; despite the chin up, he glared down at the paper she wrote like he assessed the situation for himself.


    Then, she locked her gaze at him, like he knew where he was and deep in his soul, somehow frightened him of what appeared before him. Even if he calmed down that it''s recorded and not in real-time anymore.


    [Your Highness, I highly suggest to retreat Sylvester''s army as they wouldn''t serve any purpose aside from being fodder—]


    They all went into an uproar, but Athan became firm, roaring back "Silence! All of you!" Soon as her voice became inaudible. "May we repeat it, Your Grace?"


    Arnold''s eyes concealed irritation and anger, about to snap in a few moments but he chose not to as he weighed the situation. "...Will do…" With a glow in his fingertip, the screen became small, and a glowing dot came from a long line, moving a tad to the left as to where they had skipped earlier.


    [—Aside from being fodder for Clarice traded several pieces of information about Sylvester''s army to Ustreador.]


    Mystique went on about the few traps and checkpoints only Sylvester and his men knew, which earned a loud gasp at them. With some of them Athan had an idea as he also got to learn about it, he got too impressed with several tactics and strategies she shared with them.


    [—All hope isn''t lost; His Grace and the rest could still put up a fight, but beware of the ''Quetzalcoatl tribe'' amongst the ranks of the battalion.]


    ''So, they have appeared already; that makes sense then.''


    For as far as Athan remembered and his concerns, the feathered serpents have come and matured enough to be cunning. Despite their humane evolution, trails of feathers were found on their head like a headdress, draped to the ground.


    But the frightening power of them had to be their fearsome screams, enough to lose willpower of the enemies and scared witless.


    Arnold squinted his eyes, but even he knew how he glanced at her daughter in awe and swelled with pride.


    Hearing more of her breaking news had them taken her seriously, especially the enemies Ustrador nurtured.


    Though, as much as Athan hated to admit it, they would be at a great disadvantage, ending up with massacre, for he didn''t expect such a thing to happen.


    ''Damn it; I was more than concerned about the ''Malevolent Casket'' in her hands, I never thought she''d go that far…'' he clenched his fist tight as how upset he''d become then.


    He was appalled to hear about Clarice''s ability, fortunately, they could only probe at her as much but only learned about the Western Territory and nothing else.


    [Fret not. Father will be there, so he could set up a mobilized siege weapon in my stead.]


    ''A mobilized siege weapon? A catapult—?''


    She then grabbed a piece of paper, shoving it to them with a specific diagram.


    ''... That''s… not… I guess?''


    Nevertheless, a glimmer of hope flickered in his heart.


    A way to succeed from the plight.


    Arnold, on the other hand, read it word for word, gritting his teeth of what seemed complications from it.


    "My goodness, this is already hard to do..." he mumbled under his breath as he kneaded his temples.


    "Your Grace." Athan looked at him; even though he didn''t know what it was, he faced him with a stern gaze. "Allow me to seek your help in this matter."


    When he was about to kneel, everyone almost gouged their eyes out of their sockets. For the man, they looked up to only asked so rarely when it came to requesting, let alone a sworn enemy.


    However, Arnold stopped him halfway, uttering in clenched teeth. "I know. I know. Don''t embarrass me in front of them already..."


    A lopsided grin Athan had when he noticed his army also came.


    ''Time to move out.''