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 consider fighting with their all. Even the other members of the White Pantheon are guilty of this behaviour, it is not shameful after all. There is great pride in being able to hold back from complete annihilation, after all, only cornered rats fight ignorant of their wounds. Kassandora can rule the world, and she is still able to put herself in the mindset of a cornered 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 launched deep behind enemy lines without support, entire legions which serve as nothing but bait for our forces. It took us an entire four decades of combat 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 ancient Sythia. Was there something I could have done to ground her? Could I have stopped this monster from being born? Or is the aspect of war simply so overwhelming that she would become 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 Allasaria, of Light, kept within the White Pantheon’s Closed Library.

Kassandora walked around the table to sit opposite Elassa in that room carved, or grown, 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 wrapped 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 landed on the ground. Kassandora looked to her sister, interrogations always went better with two. The Goddess of Beasthood sat there, facing Elassa and looked to Kassandora.

Golden eyes met scarlet ones, two nods of silent agreement came from one another. “Very well Elassa.” 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. Elassa merely shook on her seat. “I will not question you about Arcadia nor your mages.” There was no need to do that in the first place. 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 battleplans to me.” That wasn’t important either, no plans would save Fortia’s forces as they stood now. But saying that first made her seem understanding and respectful. “But I.” Kassandora took a pause, then extended an arm out to remind Elassa who was sitting next to her. “We would like to know why Anassa saved you.”

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

And Elassa only retreated back into her shell. Head behind her knees, tearful blue eyes dancing between monitoring Fer and Kassandora. She shook her head. Kassandora leaned forwards and motioned for Fer to get away. This required a more roundabout method, Elassa’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 planning. Now the woman in front of her wasn’t even in chains, and she was like this. If it was Fortia or Maisara or Allasaria, Kassandora would assume they were faking it. “Why did you keep Anassa alive?”

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

Elassa merely looked up as Kassandora kept on going. “But we’re not the Pantheon, we don’t have a stubborn Allasaria. 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 influence on him? Do you think Anassa’s request will outweigh Fer’s and my advice?” And Elassa squeezed her knees tight. Kassandora kept going. “Elassa, you know me. You know Fer. You know our Great 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 war prisoner, 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 can 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 was petting a dog. And then her other hand made a fist that slammed down on the wood. “On the other. When Arascus comes here, me and Fer will make sure that you’ll wish Anassa let you die.”

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

“I…” She sighed. That was good, they had gotten a word out of her. She made no reaction, she simply let Elassa brew there in silence. Fer did too, interrogations with Fer always went smoothly, she knew how to work the mind. “It’s…”

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

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

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

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

“So we’ve lost.” She said.

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

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

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

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

“Underneath Drayim is the Divine Armoury. The Weapon Divines are kept there. Aslana, Labrys, that lot.” Elassa’s legs dropped from chair as she sat there, thoroughly stunned.

“You’ve found them?” She asked. Fer chuckled as she put her elbow on the table 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?”

Elassa once again shook her head, blue eyes prancing nervously between the two Goddesses she was facing. “I really didn’t. I promise.”

“But you know what they will mean for the Pantheon.” Kassandora said, now Elassa was talking. Now they were getting somewhere. Finally. “The Weapons tip the scales in our favour when it comes 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 not exist.” She spelled it out further. “Not like now, where it’s a floundering corpse without Atis, Leona or Allasaria, or the three that turned to us. A formal dissolution, there will be no White Pantheon. It will merely be an alliance between 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 effect on the Goddess of Magic. “So you will not be rescued Elassa, you will not be saved Elassa, you will not be traded in some prisoner exchange Elassa, even if they captured one of us who was worthy enough to be traded for you.”

Elassa sat there, listening to the words with a blank expression. Kassandora wished she knew this Divine better, but Elassa 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 understand 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?” Elassa sighed as she leaned back.

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

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

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

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

“Anassa…” Elassa 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 fundamentally the same thing, merely making marks on paper.”

“Which one’s sorcery?” Fer asked. Kassandora let the stupid question stand, Fer was only easing Elassa’s tongue, getting her talking for the sake of talking.

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

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

Elassa merely shrugged. “So it is. I… it’s… Anassa is-was the last sorcerer, I can’t just castrate an entire branch of magic just because she’s… Well… I think you understand.” Kassandora nodded. There was nothing to understand, Elassa was simply not strong enough to sacrifice something in the name of total victory. That’s what it was. If Kassandora was in Elassa’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 comfortable as possible! I…” Elassa trailed off again. And they had been so close. “It was Fortia’s and Allasaria’s mandate, they said for her to never take a breath of fresh air again!” She was shouting at this point. Definitely a weak point. “Do you know how much I begged for her to be kept alive!?” Kassandora could only imagine, Allasaria 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…” Elassa’s voice trailed off. Tears started to stream from her eyes. “I…” She collapsed onto the table. “Please… never tell anyone.” Fer looked to Kassandora, Kassandora to Fer. They both nodded to 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 clapped her hand on her chest. “And I will make sure Kassie keeps her promise.” Kassandora contained her smile. Her word was worth about as much as Fer’s, which meant that the promise would be broken the moment the situation demanded it.

“So? Why did she save you?”

“She…” Elassa collapsed on the table. “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.” Elassa 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 Divine taking a Divine as an apprentice. But she could imagine it… but could she? Who would Anassa submit to as a mere apprentice. The only reason Arascus managed what he did was because he made them family. No. Something did not add up.

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

“No-n-no.” Elassa said through tears and sniffles. “Before she was Anassa. But please… don’t… I’m glad 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 managed to utter. Elassa burst into tears and collapsed on the table. Somehow, she managed to croak out the words through her sobs.

“Anassa is not a Divine. I made her.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep