Rowan swept his Spatial sight and saw a large gap that had been opened by a mountain by the west, it had left a small valley where only a few thousand could pass through.

Rowan accessed his chances of making it through safely, and it was fairly manageable, only about seven of the creatures in that valley were equal to the wolf, and anything below that was not his concern. He finally concluded that he could go through that route, and he would escape most of the army, as he cleared his way to freedom.

Setting his sights towards that passage, he began analyzing the foes he would face as he waits for his Aether to recover until its maximum amount.

Knowing it would take at least five minutes for that to happen because he had spent it all using Spatial sight, his mind could not help but wander.

Everyone in that town was dead, they might not know it yet. Even if they tried to escape now, how far could they really run before the entire world was overrun?

Why is he thinking of something that I had no control over? He was still a Legendary Dominator, no matter how he tried to push his abilities, there were things beyond his reach for the moment.

Flashes of the screams he heard back inside the Nexus came to him, his perfect memory served as a white canvas for all the screams and pain and desperation to paint themselves in glaring red. So much red, he felt like he was about to drown.

He forced it away, placing his gaze on the valley, checking each creature and trying to formulate every move he was going to be making.

But, they returned once more, the memories, a flood of them. Rowan knelt down on the ground and he screamed.

Inside the Nexus, your actions were somewhat justified. Your will was being twisted, and you could never know where your emotions emerged from. Was your love and concern being forced into you? Were the gratitude of the people you met only manufactured? Where did your humanity end and the beast began? That snarling thing whose only concern was to survive?

It was the correct thing for you to escape that hell. But, if you run from those people you can protect, you will never stop running. You would always give excuses about your actions, about the tribulations you face, you would be so wrapped up in yourself you forget the oath you swore not so long ago…

That you were going to live…

During his three hours of running, he had found himself in a small meadow, and his screams had disturbed hundreds of butterflies that were relaxing from the heat of the day.

They erupted all around him in a host of flashing colors and iridescent lines that made everything around him fade into a mystical haze.

Rowan glanced at the beauty surrounding him, their lives were so short. Gone in a blink of an eye, but could it be said that they never really lived?

What gave the lives of the butterfly meaning? Their beauty would likely go unnoticed, and their lives would pass away without stirring a single leaf in the timeline of the universe.

Yet, was their existence meaningless?

What was the criteria for judging a life well spent? How would he judge his life?

It did not take a long while for Rowan to make a decision.

He was not afraid of death. He was not afraid of pain, nor despair, or anger, sorrow…

He was not afraid of any of that, he had sampled each of those in his life and they had not broken him.

What he was afraid of was a life not well lived. In his last life he was in a void, just waiting for death, and he would rather not fall into that state again.

Look at this horde, they all carry a part of you. Your enemies have controlled your life and your death. They have taken and taken and taken…

How much more will you allow them to rip from you? Play it smart, do it right! Kill them all. Don’t allow this curse take whatever it wants from you.

Don’t let it take the last of your heart…

Think carefully Rowan, you have all the tools you need to fight, it would not be easy, and you may die, but you can fight!!!

“I am such a fool.” Rowan sighed.

He did not make a much conscious choice to turn back, his body was already doing that for him.

The speed of his return was faster than when he left, and once more he crossed through the devastated town he battled the wolf in less than three hours before. It took another five minutes for him to reach the gate of the second town.

As he neared, he could see a flurry of activities going around, as people began to pack their things and arrange them for transport, but they were going about it too slowly.

He saw signs of battle, as the bodies of hundreds of wolves with a weird turtle shell on their backs were scattered around the fences, and some of them had even made their way inside the town.

However, he did not see any dead bodies of people.

Judging by their speed, they would only be fully prepared in three days. Rowan needed them to be gone from this place tonight.

His void hearts constricted in pain, as he heard the merry laughter of children drifting in the wind.

Live life Rowan. It is not always a bed of roses, sometimes it’s a fight to the death protecting the things you love. Preserving the innocence you have left.

Fight for that, Rowan. Do not give up hope on what is left of your heart. There is such beauty here, that is you miss it, you may never see it again in a thousand lifetimes.

Rowan slowed down and raised his hands and the men on the guard tower by the gate spotted him, they raised the alarm and sounds of hurried organization started inside.

Well, he was here now.

Rowan waited in front of the gate for whatever community inside to bring forth their spokespersons or people in charge. He could not waste his time trying to sort through all the intricacies of management, he would rather leave it to those more familiar with the tasks.

It did not take long for the gate to open, and a familiar face came through — Yurlov, accompanied by three other people. Two men and a woman. The two men were older, probably in their sixties or early seventies, but they moved well with an agility belying their age.

Rowan saw that they were Legendary Dominators, the last one surprised him, she was clearly young, maybe in her twenties, wearing a blue and white frilly gown, she had a big book in her arms with a pen tucked by the side of her ears. She pushed back her hair that the breeze blew in her face, her hair was light blue like the sky.

It was not her age or beauty that surprised him, it was her strength, for she was an Incarnation State Dominator.

Yurlov walked ahead and bowed towards him, “My lord, you’re welcomed, we were about heading back to Agrib after the sound of the battle ended, and we waited for your arrival. I am sorry, we should have returned to you earlier, but there was another smaller beast attack at the west of town, and we just managed clearing that one out a few moments ago.”

“It is alright, there was no reason for you to return for me … Agib?” Rowan said.

“What? Oh… That is the processing facilities that were destroyed by the swarm of creatures. It was where you rescued us from. ” Yurlov paused, by now the remaining three people had reached him and except for the woman, the two men bowed to him, but her eyes were looking at him with stark fascination.