Chapter 491: The Witch and the Wounded Star (1)
The atmosphere of war was truly one of a kind.
It resembled an ordeal .. one that only a select group of humans experienced each time.
Some unfortunate souls were dragged into it more than once, while others had enough luck to escape unscathed every time.
The War of Shadows was still in its infancy. Many had yet to grasp the scale of darkness it would cast.
At least... not yet.
From the Empire’s side,
the main forces had finally arrived, planting their feet on enemy soil—Ultras Continent.
A force of 70,000 warriors ..an army composed of the finest and fiercest.
An army like that spread across vast land, its spirit blazing high... fueled by people desperate to bring glory to their homeland.
But many of them were nothing more than naïve amateurs, lured by dreams and ambitions that made them believe war was a simple affair.
It was only a matter of time before they crashed headfirst into bitter reality... sooner or later.
Amid the Empire’s encampments,
seated atop a tree stump with a small campfire flickering in front of him, Frey often caught glimpses of such soldiers.
People who would likely die without anyone ever knowing they existed.
But he didn’t care much. There were very few souls he genuinely wished to see survive.
This was one of the rare moments Frey spent alone since returning to camp.
Most of the time, he remained close to the upper command, discussing his role in the war .. especially now that he occupied the vanguard position.
It wasn’t uncommon to find Ghost, Snow, or even Phoenix around him. And when he returned to his tent, which served as his personal quarters, he usually spent time with Sansa ..who rarely left due to her demonic form.
All of that made his solitude feel both rare and cherished.
Frey had always lived alone .. dependent on no one, immersed in isolation.
And in such moments, he often drifted deep into thought, reviewing himself again and again, trying to reach the ideal version of who he should be.
Seated there by the modest campfire,
Lord Starlight looked like a seasoned warrior who had lost his way in endless battles.
No one dared approach him. Many eyes were fixed on him, but only a few had the courage to take the first step.
Yet that didn’t apply to the old woman who approached from behind ..her steps light and almost inaudible.
But of course, Frey noticed her. There was no way she could slip past his senses.
"Forgive the intrusion, Lord Starlight... Tell me, would you mind if an old lady joined you?"
Staring at her and listening to her request, Frey naturally recognized her.
An elderly woman who looked to be in her seventies. Her face bore the marks of time .. deep wrinkles but her platinum-blonde hair tied in a ponytail and her unique military outfit made her stand out.
Frey guessed her black uniform dated back to a very old era ...signaling that she’d been on the battlefield for quite some time.
The brutal scar cutting across the right side of her face was proof enough.
With a soft smile, Frey made room for her and said:
"Unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to say no to you."
Hearing his words, the old woman chuckled and sat down beside him.
"Are you perhaps shy because of the age gap between us? How polite of you, Lord Starlight."
"Frey is enough," he cut in calmly.
She nodded.
"Then call me by my name too .. it’s Zenith."
Frey nodded in agreement.
The woman before him was one of the Eight .. those who remained with him until the very end. One of the few who chose to face death by his side.
"So, Zenith... tell me. What brings you here to share my fire?"
Frey asked, seizing the opportunity to learn more about her. He had already decided to study those Eight more deeply ..to understand the pieces he held in his hands.
Her coming to him alone had saved him the trouble.
Zenith sat silently for a moment, gazing into the fire, before she pulled out a fine cigar from her military coat.
"To be honest... I came to see what kind of person you are."
Upon hearing her answer, Frey smiled faintly .. he had already guessed it.
"I assume your head is already full of ideas."
Zenith didn’t deny it.
"Of course. You’re unlike anyone else. Not even your father... Abraham Starlight."
As soon as she uttered that name, Frey found himself interrupting.
"Did you know my father?"
"That’s right," she replied.
"Impressive," Frey said sincerely, giving her his honest praise.
A faint glow lit up his eyes ... he had already guessed the level of power this old woman possessed.
Her aura was at least SS-.
Her strength was not something to take lightly.
And Zenith hadn’t bothered to hide it from the start.
"At times, you feel like a radiant star sent to revive an age of miracles...
At others, you seem like a wounded beast thirsting to spill as much blood as possible on the battlefield.
Sometimes, I even sense a strange hunger for death within you... a hunger that makes you want to kill others .. and eventually, yourself."
Hearing Zenith’s strange assessment, Frey let out a dry laugh.
"You’ve got the strangest ideas about me, Zenith... but some of what you said is true."
Frey offered a vague reply, leaving her to wonder which part she had gotten right.
But Zenith didn’t seem bothered.
With a light snap of her fingers, a small spark of blue electricity danced in her hand, softly illuminating her worn face.
"My name is Zenith. Just Zenith. I have no title, no one to claim me, Lord Frey... I’m a woman who’s already lost everything. Everyone dear to me is dead, and all I have left is emptiness."
"They all died... while I somehow survived through all these long years. To be honest, I no longer know why I even keep fighting."
Gently extinguishing the spark, Zenith turned her gaze back to Frey.
"Lord Frey, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve chosen to fight this war at your side so willingly.
Let me be clear .. I don’t have a reason. I have nothing left to lose. And that’s what makes me useful to you."
"An SS- class witch, with no ambition, no desires... just an empty vessel looking for a fitting end."
With a cold smile, she stared at Frey.
For some reason... his gaze had locked onto the gruesome scar carved across her face.
"And for that reason, I feel like I might find what I’m looking for by following you into this war... Lord Frey."
Zenith ..
A witch who left nothing behind but corpses.
A soldier who had spent most of her life drifting from one battlefield to another, appearing when war broke out, disappearing quietly once it ended.
You could sometimes find her wandering through the alleys of the capital, or through the larger cities ... sometimes even the smallest villages ... drifting without purpose.
She rejected people. She had already lost too many.
In Frey’s eyes, she looked like a woman carrying the weight of all those dead souls, continuing to live in their place.
Maybe all she really wanted was to die.
To die in a way that would make those who’d gone before her proud of the way she ended.
That was why she chose to follow him .. because death always followed Lord Starlight wherever he went.
Understanding all of this, Frey... in some way, saw himself in the old woman sitting beside him.
She was just like him .. burdened by the weight of lives that were lost for their sake.
She had lost her right to die a long time ago. Now all that remained was a worn-out body searching for the right place to fall.