What drives an orphan to take part in the Inquisition? Nene had asked herself that question several times, especially during childhood. She could have left the monastery to look for her family. She could have pursued a different career, and the Abbess would have helped her as much as possible. She could have been a stablewoman, an artisan, or a street performer. She would have never had to fight, suffer, or kill. In all likelihood she would never have travelled to Dena, met Nila, Adanara, then the Emissary and Oto. She would never have discovered the existence of the Cloud Folk, she would have lived unaware of the ambiguities and inaccuracies of faith. She would not have stained her hands with innocent blood, she would never have risked dying under the weight of a dragon. She would have had a peaceful, mediocre life, and she would have been happy about it.

  On the contrary, she had chosen an uphill existence, one dedicated to fighting the Evil One. Perhaps the ordinary person saw Inquisitors as fanatics and exalted. After all, she had to learn that a pinch of madness was necessary to face the unknown and the horrors of the world. Yet she didn't think she was crazy. She wasn’t doing it for the praise and admiration of the faithful, nor for the glory and honours with which the most distinguished Inquisitors and Knights were remembered.

  Throughout her time at the monastery, Nene had mostly felt uncertainty. Her doubts had never been completely solved by faith as she had always believed, not at all. At that moment, seeing how Arianna was fighting for her salvation against all odds, how the damned were equally, fiercely opposing her, she realised that something had changed at a certain point in her miserable, apathetic existence. Elora had entered her life with the strength of a storm and the sweetness of a hug. As a child, she hadn't been able to explain why, but she finally understood: Elora had given her a reason to act, to oppose the evil in the world, as much as she could. Her naive dream of one day serving her as a Knight had been shattered when Elora had been put under arrest, so she had directed her efforts elsewhere and joined the Inquisition. She had lied to herself for years, convinced that the fight against the Evil One was the right thing, that hers was part of a collective heroic act to protect the people of the Principality, but finally, her emotions were unleashed, crystal clear like that day she saw her Saint behind bars: she wanted to destroy. Her repressed resentment nestled deep in her soul was ready to burst out. The Evil One had to pay for taking Elora away from her!

  Kora's roars gave voice to her feelings. The dragon was exhausted from fighting with the Multitude, who instead continued inexorably to try to grab it. The corpses had enveloped the tree where Arianna was, forming a shield of flesh that had suffocated the flames. Kora's assault was about to fail, despite having given up everything in exchange for the strength to fight.

  Nene inhaled. She was exhausted. She had run, crawled through mud and putrid, and avoided several times the mass of the Multitude that was trying to crush her. She was finally below the Vesper. She felt its warmth, which caused a wound on her head to itch. She was covered in scratches and bruises. The pain made her even more furious. She grabbed the cross, turned it upside-down and raised it into the air.

  ?Arianna!?, she shouted.

  Kora groaned. Her enormous draconic body tumbled to the ground, emaciated and exhausted. With paws and wings, she dragged herself away from the aberration.

  ?Arianna! You damn traitor! Is this what you sold your soul to the Evil One for?! To become a monster?! All of you, you are damned and always will be! There is no salvation for you!?

  The Multitude raised its limbs and rotated. Up there, among the carcasses, above the ruins of the church that protruded from the mass of flesh, she could still glimpse part of the tree trunk. Arianna was buried in her prison, but Nene was sure she was watching her.

  ?You are all damned! You have surrendered to the Evil One! It won!?

  She laughed loudly. Her high-pitched voice gave her chills. Even though she was exaggerating in hopes of provoking the creature, a part of her was genuinely feeling… Good?

  She showed the inverted cross. A flicker of light shone in the ceratonia's cavity. An almost inaudible screech echoed through the cave. More followed, as high-pitched as the cry of a baby, albeit sinister. Hundreds of eyes converged on her. The entire crowd of damned had noticed her and was screaming at her. The faces had their mouths wide open, the bodies without one were kicking wildly. She had their attention.

  ?It won!?, she repeated. ?The Evil One has won! You will suffer forever! Hahaha!?

  The squeals became deeper and hoarse. The weight of the Multitude swung towards her. The central body fell in her direction, and with it all the mass below. The protuberances shook and banged on the ground, leaving deep furrows in the garden, at times even sinking into the underground bed where they had lain in the dark for who knows how long.

  Nene looked up and was dazzled. The Vesper shone above her with its unnatural light. She had no idea what the Evil One's plan was. It was so foolish to trust her worst enemy. She turned and ran. The Multitude rushed forward. Its size was such that, despite its slow, awkward and creeping movements, it was getting closer. Nene sped up even more until she couldn't hear anything but her own gasping breath. Her temples throbbed, her exhausted and battered body begged for mercy. She wanted to throw herself on the ground, stop fighting, let go of everything…

  Her shadow on the grassy ground suddenly became enormous. She turned just in time to watch.

  The Vesper fell from its rocky vault.

  The star that illuminated the cave was thrown downwards at high speed. The Multitude was directly below it, and would soon be struck. The shadows of the cave bent as quickly as their light source fell. Then, in an instant, it was night.

  The Vesper missed Arianna's tree by a hair's breadth. Its cold light disappeared within the mass of the damned. It cut a deep, sizzling hole through their flesh, emitting smoke and an acrid smell. The damned cried out in pain as they were charred by their false sun.

  Left in the dark, Nene couldn’t tell if it was over. She sharpened her eyes. She saw the Vesper sinking deeper and deeper into the Multitude, which however did not seem at all about to collapse. The star penetrated so far into the abomination's body that it illuminated it from within, making it appear transparent. A chaos of bodies and rubble stirred beneath the surface, as if in a spectacle of shades. There were people, animals and other things fumbling around in there, trying to escape the heat and pushing outward. The Multitude tore in some spots, pouring fluids onto the earth as if afflicted by sores that suddenly began to purge.

  Yet it continued to crawl, inexorable.

  Had she failed? Was the Evil One itself unable to stop its own creation? The idea that Arianna had become something even more powerful than her master was terrifying and would have made any member of the Church despair.

  Then she saw it.

  A small black body, deep within the chaos.

  Similar to the phenomenon she had witnessed on the surface, that thing was not simply blocking out the light, it was absorbing it. It was so dark, so pitch black that it could be distinguished from the shadows of the carcasses, made semi-transparent by the Vesper. Yet not even the light of the Evil One's star could penetrate that little dark thing.

  Nene unsheathed her dagger. The Evil One had done its part. It had hit the Multitude hard and had shown her where Arianna's damned heart was. It was up to her to end it.

  She ran at the horror, which was throwing random blows in panic. The screams of the damned were more distinguishable, human voices praying and sounds of various animals. She tried to ignore them, not to falter and not to be overwhelmed by fear.

  The heart was approaching the surface of the Multitude. It shunned the heat of the Vesper, and Arianna's attendants would have done anything to protect the soul of their Saint, whose power, altruism and perhaps foolishness they had abused for a whole century.

  She lunged forward with her arm outstretched. The heart was behind what appeared to be the remains of a man's body. His gaunt, eyeless face twitched and screamed, and nearly made her hesitate.

  She pierced through him.

  The blade of the silver dagger easily penetrated the damned man's flesh. Nene immediately felt intense heat together with vile juices pouring onto her hand. The heart was still far from her weapon, so she tried to push deeper. Her arm received kicks, bites and scratches from the damned who tried to push her away. The portion of the Multitude to which she was holding rose. With one sudden movement, it flung her away. She was lifted off the ground, confused. The impact on the ground took her breath away. She rolled onto her side and found herself staring at the grass. She tried to get back on her feet, but her muscles gave up. Her body refused to continue. She collapsed on the meadow, enveloped in darkness, by the spectacle of lights and shadows offered by the struggle between the Multitude and the Vesper, and sighed.

  Her mind went completely blank for a moment. What was she supposed to do? Should she give up? Or get up and try again? That moment of quiet felt so pleasant that for a moment she forgot about the pain. Time seemed to slow down, and she felt at peace. She didn't want to give up, but she didn't know how to fight anymore. If a dragon, the Evil One, a star and the silver of the Church weren't enough to take down Arianna, what could?

  Maybe someone even crazier than her?

  An unusually humane scream awoke her from her daze. She sat down and immediately regretted it, as her back was in pain from the impact. Nene turned towards the monster and saw Bugra. The man was one step away from her, facing the Multitude, bare-handed and breathing heavily. Despite the darkness, she could make out his bulky shape, slightly curved, barely holding up.

  The nomad took a step forward and, with a delirious cry, slammed his fist into the aberration. His arm followed the gash Nene had opened. He screamed again and sank into the bowels up to his shoulders.

  Then, he put his foot against the thing and started pulling. The damned screamed and stamped their legs, while Bugra slowly managed to free himself from their grip of emaciated limbs. With a final tug, he was free, but not empty-handed.

  In his hand, still pulsating, connected to veins, viscera and more disgusting flesh, Arianna's black heart was beating.

  Bugra stretched out his free hand towards Nene: he needed the dagger. Nene, with the last of her strength, reached out to him and offered the weapon. The hunter, instead of picking it up, grabbed her arm. With mighty force, he pulled her towards him, forcing her to her feet. Nene found herself an inch from her heart, so dark that it was difficult to see anywhere near her.

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  ?Do it!?, Bugra shouted.

  Nene held her breath. She grabbed the heart with her left hand. It was deadly cold, slimy and moving spasmodically, almost as if a swarm of small creatures were stirring beneath its surface. Just touching it made her feel sick. Despite one of the most violent reactions to damnation she had ever felt, she wasn’t allowed to hesitate.

  She held the dagger and stabbed the damned thing.

  Silence. The damned fell quiet. The Multitude did not move. Arianna's heart throbbed and trembled for some time, but finally stopped beating. The heads of the damned turned towards the dying heart, their hope shattered. Others rolled their eyes upward as they waited for the end.

  A rumble announced the first collapse. One of the Multitude's protuberances fell to the ground. Some of the carcasses that composed it detached from the mass and tumbled into the incinerated field. The other limbs of the abomination followed one after the other. The central part of its body, which towered above the others, tilted to one side. The damned who had put out the flames fell and the tree, or what was left of it, charred, crashed to the ground with a roar.

  The light of the Vesper dazzled Nene, now accustomed to the darkness. The star found a way through the Multitude and emerged. It floated upward and resumed its original position on the cave roof.

  ?Done?, Bugra sighed.

  Nene looked at her companion. His face was livid and he was breathing hard, yet he was smiling. His eyes were full of joy, the happiness of a man achieving his life's purpose, and putting an end to the nightmare that had tormented him since he was a child.

  ?Done?, she repeated.

  The wall of rotting bodies in front of them stopped shaking. The carcasses collapsed lifelessly on top of each other. The heart still lay in Nene's hands. Not a drop of blood escaped from that small shrivelled organ, the soul contained within it finally free to reach the presence of God, after a hundred years of damnation. She rested it on the ground delicately, as if it were the Saint herself. Bugra sat down on the ground. He was out of breath and holding his side with a hand. He coughed weakly, which caused him pain, and he grimaced.

  ?We won?, he gloated in a hoarse voice. ?They will sing songs about us?

  Nene ran up and looked at him: he must have had some broken ribs, and he was bleeding from his head. He needed help as soon as possible, and she certainly wasn't the best suited around.

  ?Oh no?, she babbled in fear. ?No, no, no… Nila. We need Nila?

  ?I'm not going to die, Inquisitor?, he chuckled weakly. ?Not today. I must celebrate our victory first?

  ?Nila! Nila!?, she shouted.

  ?Nene!?, her voice rang out in the distance.

  ?Will you have a drink with me, Inquisitor? I always have some spare booze for friends?

  ?Of course, we'll drink together. Don't force yourself, now?

  ?Are the others safe??

  ?I think so. I lost sight of Kora, though...?

  ?Tuatha… What did she do? It was her, wasn't it? That winged beast?

  ?I'm sure she'll be fine?, she smiled, holding back tears. ?Once I saw her get hit on the head and get up as if nothing had happened?

  Bugra laughed. He bent over even more. Nene watched helplessly, praying that Nila would hurry.

  ?Nene!?

  ?We're here!?, she replied. ?Help! Bugra is injured!?

  ?We couldn’t save her mother in the end?, the nomad whispered. ?Poor little girl…?

  Nila came running, followed by Maria. She rushed towards Bugra who smiled at her, showing his teeth tainted with blood.

  ?Help him!?

  ?I will. It's not as serious as it looks?

  ?Oh, good?, the man said. ?I would feel like an idiot to die just now?

  ?Okay, y-you need to lie down. Nene, can you help me??

  ?Yes, sure?

  Together they grabbed the giant by the arms and helped him lie on the ground. His breathing was laboured for a moment, but then he relaxed.

  ?Don't worry, I have everything I need?, Nila explained, reaching into her bag. ?Nene, how are you? Come here, let me see you…?

  ?He needs you more than I do?, Nene replied. ?I can still stand, see??

  ?That's not what I meant!?

  Nila's voice was full of resentment. That was her way of reacting when she was worried about her. Nene felt guilty and knelt next to her, facing Bugra.

  ?I'm sorry. But I'm fine. I mean it. Just a few scratches. I can wait?

  ?You are... you are...?

  Nene bowed her head, ready to receive a memorable lecture. She had acted recklessly. Nila was worried and did not share Bugra's enthusiasm about their victory.

  ?You're alive?, Nila cried. ?I-I feared that…?

  Nene caressed her back, while Nila, through tears, collected splints and bandages from her travel bag. Bugra, lying in the grass, peered towards them.

  ?Do you need some time alone? Should I leave??, he joked.

  ?Stop, you idiot?, Nene smiled. ?You've acted crazy enough for today?

  ?For the rest of my life. Haha!?

  A small hand grabbed Nene by the cape. Maria stared shyly at her, her head sunk into her shoulders. Behind her, she saw the fawn Ifeo watching over her from afar, together with the crow Guaz.

  ?Yes??, she asked.

  ?Mydame...?, the little girl hesitated. ?Is mine mother hither??

  Nene’s heart skipped a beat. She exchanged a look with Bugra, who bit his lip. She sighed and got back to her feet.

  ?Let's go to her?, she said and offered a hand to Maria.

  ?Wait, y-you're hurt?, Nila protested.

  ?I can do it?, she replied. ?I also have to find Kora. Is your sister okay??

  ?Yes, Ada is... shocked, but n-nothing more?

  ?I'll be back soon, okay??

  Nila nodded and went back tending to Bugra. He was more in need of attention than Nene was. Furthermore, she was eager to look for Kora, to make sure of her condition.

  ?Come?

  Maria grabbed her hand, ignoring the stale bile coating it. Nene looked at the Vesper to try to orient herself, to find the way to where Arianna's tree had fallen, beyond the pile of corpses fused together that had made up the Multitude. The stench was atrocious, but she almost didn't notice it anymore. The meadow insects were swarming the incinerated field already and claiming the flesh of the damned. They went around a large bump of the monster by coasting it to the right, away from where Nila and Bugra were. Soon they reached a part of the garden that was somewhat intact. The rubble of the ancient church had rolled onto it, parts of which had been smashed and separated by the blob of bodies that were finally, definitively dead. There, among the rubble, they found what remained of the foliage of the ceratonia, mostly charred by the flames. The trunk lay on the ground, obliquely. They made their way through the boulders and bodies. Maria avoided looking down, her eyes fixed on the tree, on the cavity where her mother had hidden.

  The light of the Vesper, overlooking the crack, perfectly illuminated the inside of the tree. To her surprise, Nene found the Saint in a better state than she had left her in. Arianna was huddled inside the tree. Her legs missing below the knees, fused with the bark of the ceratonia. She was pale and feeble, but no longer bluish and covered in sores and pus. She looked like an ordinary, minute old lady who had passed away peacefully. Short locks of golden hair had resurfaced on her head. She lay blissfully in her wooden tomb, with her hands joined in prayer, a shy smile painted on her relaxed face, her eyelids gently closed for eternity.

  ?Mother??, Maria said. ?Mother! Mother!? she raised her voice.

  The little girl slipped out of Nene's grasp and leaned into the hollow of the trunk. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out and touched Arianna's shoulder. Feeling her cold body, Maria began to tremble.

  ?Mother…?, she whimpered. ?Inquisitor, is mine mother sleeping? Mayhaps a spell was cast over her??

  ?No?, Nene replied. ?I'm sorry. I... I couldn't...?

  Maria's lips trembled. She looked at Arianna once more and finally moved away from the tree.

  ?Mommy…?

  The little girl hugged Nene tight and hid under her cloak. She pressed her face against her and sobbed. Nene caressed her head. She held back tears and didn't say a word, knowing that nothing could help comfort Maria at that moment. After several minutes of sobs and silence, Maria finally loosened her grip. She cleaned her face and looked towards the tree again.

  ?Her soul, hast thou saved it??

  ?Yes?, Nene replied. ?She is with God now?

  The little girl nodded, still shocked. She moved a step back and took a breath.

  ?Mydame, may thou leave me with mine mother for a while??, she implored.

  ?Of course. I'll go look for Kora, then. You... wait here for me, okay??

  ?I shall collect some flowers for her, then I shall return to mydame Nila. Worry not about me?

  ?Fine?

  The girl began to search the surrounding area. She bent in front of a daisy and tore it off, then looked for more flowers. Nene took a few steps away and then checked on Maria. Was it wise to leave her like that? She certainly couldn't deny her the chance to say goodbye to her mother in the way she deemed most appropriate. She also had to find Kora as soon as possible. She climbed onto some remains of walls. To her left lay most of the carcasses of the Multitude, along with the bell tower. From up there she looked again at Maria, absorbed in assembling a bouquet for Arianna. With her heart throbbing, she turned and kept walking.

  The stench was terrible, the buzzing of the flies increasingly intense. Nene was fairly certain that Kora had been struck down on about the opposite side of the aberration from where she and Bugra had dealt the finishing blow. She walked for a couple of minutes, circumnavigating the monster's immense body, but she couldn't find her.

  ?Kora!? she called, in vain.

  She feared the worst. It shouldn't have been difficult to find a dragon that size. She continued to explore the Multitude's surroundings and finally came almost to the side of the ridge. She had gone all the way around the creature. She saw Adanara, sitting at the edge of the ashen field. Her hat was left on the ground, and she was looking at what had been Arianna in disbelief.

  Nene was about to go to her and ask for help when she noticed drag marks on the ground. Fragments of the Multitude, parts of human and animal corpses, had been scattered among the ashes, the remnants of tendrils and rafflesia, and the earth torn apart. She followed the trail, far into the distance, to the edge of the crater, where was one of the creature's main limbs. Only something with immense strength could tear and drag a mass of bodies of that size. She walked towards it as fast as her exhausted legs would carry her. The lump had been torn apart by bites and claws. The marks of jaws were evident on the unfortunate damned on the surface, torn to pieces, ripped and punctured without hesitation. She walked around that mess and finally saw her.

  Kora was standing in front of the pile of damned. It was the usual Kora, humanoid, without wings. Her clothes were completely gone, and she was covered in blood and dark bile. She was staring intently at the corpses, motionless.

  Her transformation was due to the Evil One. Kora herself had explained that ascension, the process by which the Wardens of the Cloud Folk transformed into dragons, was gradual. It would probably have taken her years, if not decades, to take on features similar to those of her master. Nene held the cross.

  ?Kora??, she called fearfully.

  Kora didn't move a muscle, she didn't even seem to hear her. Nene took a step forward. One of the shaman's ears turned in her direction.

  ?Kora, can you hear me??, she asked again.

  ?I won't hurt you?, the shaman said.

  ?Are you... hurt??

  ?I am not?

  ?And... the dragon??

  ?It let me go?, she explained. ?The spirit of whispers is gone. I don't understand...?

  Nene breathed a sigh of relief. The idea that the Evil One had kept its word seemed absurd, yet Kora, who had given up her soul to assume her draconic form, was in front of her, safe and sound. The Archangel's protection did not react, so Nene found the courage to approach her. Looking at her more closely, she was trembling. Nene ignored her sense of modesty and looked her up and down, but saw no notable wound.

  Her eyes, however, were staring at a specific point.

  ?The bird left the nest too early...?

  She followed her gaze and saw it. Among the bodies of that piece of Multitude, there was one rather well-preserved. Unlike the others, it was almost completely intact, despite one of its arms and part of its chest having merged with the rest of the monstrosity. It was small, about as big as Nene. The typical features of the Cloud Folk could still be distinguished. His face was contorted from crying and would remain that way forever.

  ?That's…?

  Kora nodded. Silent tears ran down her face. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes.

  ?It was me?, she sobbed. ?It's my fault...?

  ?You… you… fought with all your strength…?

  ?I should have become Moka's disciple, not him. If I had listened to the elders, followed the rules... He would never have come here?

  Nene sighed. She fell silent. She had already said too much. She reluctantly approached the rotting mass, knelt before what remained of little Tera and brought her hands together.

  ?What are you doing??, Kora asked.

  ?I’m praying. We do that to... try to feel better when we lose someone dear to us?

  The shaman stood next to her. She reached out a hand towards the son she didn't even call such, but she didn't dare touch him. She knelt imitating Nene and begged her through tears.

  ?Teach me?