We were on our way again across that rickety dirt road back to the hard-tar one, as to quickly avoid any attention we might have raised due to throwing dubious stuff across a "non military zone" or something.

  And also to go to an inn where to have lunch. And "refurbish the truck" as he said.

  And in the meantime, he told me his truth:

  —Well, no idea how the War started and I haven't, like, looked it up. But whatever the case, the ensuing meatgrinder was a nightmare for everyone. Both did stuff I am not gonna tell you much about for your own good. But... If your village just got executed cleanly by those fuckers to the point you could be raised from the dead? Not for downplaying your loss –is still horrible and I am sorry– but... You got very lucky. Very. Very lucky.—

  He groped the "steering wheel" thing with force, denting it a bit.

  —I... I GOT LUCKY!? H... How can you say that! I didn't get lucky! You don't know what I have been through! I WISH I COULD STILL BE DEAD! TO AT LEAST STILL BE WITH MY FAMIL–

  He interrupted me, raising his voice: —SOULKILL AMMO, girl. Almost ALL their guns were laced with that.—

  Soulki... Oh, yeah, that.

  The property Concordia can infuse on their weapons so their damage and energy is able to also damage your very soul or Echoself.

  Similar to what Echophages do, in a way.

  Which means...

  —If you are here, they didn't use that on you— He remarked with a tired voice. And added: —And... Don't think the Ichorchate was all good and dandy. All souls that could be captured or were drifting around and noticed by them were recycled back into necromatas and golems. I think yours was really young back then, so it might've slipped their 'long light based scanner' as young souls don't have that much of a strong veil imprint—

  I don't know what that "long light based scanner" thing is but I do get the idea. But my point still stands:

  —But... Our Gods wouldn't have needed to do that if Concordians didn't use that Soulkill thing! They are still to blame for that!—

  Fastblade agreed this time, but added: —By messed up that might sound, I can at least understand them. Truth be told, the Ichorchate was stomping their asses really hard before Concordians started to abuse of that garbage.—

  As the truck entered the hard tar road, I couldn't avoid generating a grin on my face. So we were winning but they played dirty!

  —Or, well, they started to stomp Concordia after the Gods decided to lift all restrictions for necromancy to make the armies unkillable. You know it was a really taboo dark art before, right?— He HAD to add that!

  But it made sense. In all of the tale books I read, little to none shun good lights to necromancers and undead related stuff, except for the ones that talked about the War of the Scar.

  I collected what I knew: —So, Concordia was winning until WE started playing dirty with reviving the dead, and when we were gaining ground they responded with that Soulkill thing?—

  Fastblade assented: —Yeah, you nailed it. The war was pretty much that. The one that was losing started to use something previously unthinkable, and that escalated and escalated and escalated...— Now getting a bit more annoyed —...And escalated. That thing the old geezer fired at me back there? That was an End wand. Supposed to be like a super weird artifact from Omegias or something. During the war he just... Handed those like candy and now they are everywhere. That's how bad shit went down back then. (And why! Piece of garbage doesn't even work on Concordians...)—

  I said, collecting my sparse memories of the subject: —I remember that those cursed gifts from Omegias were very rare on the tale books I read, given to dark mages and witches in exchange for, like, their souls or their kids or a lot of sacrifices after some very dark rituals. So the War is why even bandits now have them?—

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  How bad did the War actually got?

  He assented, and then switched to a more calm but nervous tone: —If not for my [NEVERENDING HEARTBEAT], [SOULSYNC HEALING] and my [NOT YET] blessings, I would have kicked the bucket right then and there. And those blessings? Also because of that damned escalation.—

  As he said that after taking a curve, we conveniently passed next to a flat field surrounded by hills that had an enormous crater in the middle.

  —Same as what caused those things.— he said, a bit bluntly, before continuing: —I remember my spear group with our land division being pummeled by dozens of strikes of those things with thousands more of normal ones. Wasn't pretty at all~—

  It was really odd to see the golden ears of grain dancing with the wind below the clear sky as if nothing had happened, with the proof of the contrary just in the middle of them.

  The crater itself was a round depression with something that looked like slag or obsidian at the bottom. The crops descended until touching that apparently cursed dark stuff.

  —Gives me chills knowing and seeing how... Fast (hehe) this entire continent... Planet -same thing!- recovered from that apocalipsis.— He added as we left that strange visual behind to see uninterrupted grain fields instead.

  Wait

  —What's an "Apocalipsis"?— I had to ask. What with that word?

  —...Ohhh, ehh– Is like... A War between Hell and the forces of God...s that destroys and cleanses the planet of all what is bad on it! Ehhhh– So... Some saying from Caliderai, yes!—

  —...Sounds like those Hell Invasions that happened in the past where the Gods picked their chosen ones to fight them back. But even as epic as they appeared... Was the war REALLY that bad?— I said, after that made me click some memories of my old literature.

  He just looked at the distance, and chuckled a bi–no, he laughed! As if he had realized something: —Yeah, som–I mean it WAS that. The apocalipsis thing, I mean. Just a name for those Hell versus Gods thing. But... That was REALLY tame compared to that fucking War of the Scar. What gave me this~ (Hubiera preferido el de la Biblia la verdad)— As he tapped his gun calf, making some metallic noises.

  He then relaxed a bit, returning to his annoying "I don't care" way of talking: —To think it ended like, what, 7 years ago? Feels so odd! Like– One would expect that there would be, like, a bunch of very small groups fighting over scraps in a wasteland after like CENTURIES after all that but... Nope! 7 years after that armistice and things are... Normal. So eerily normal...—

  —What's an "Armistice"?— I also asked. Weird that Lithician had a word for that but not for the ground this vehicle was moving over.

  Fastblade looked at me. Like, he was... surprised? And shouldn't you look to the r–

  —You strike me as the Bookworm type, so... Huh, I guess they even omitted that detail—

  He put his eyes on the road again to take some curves that now braced the foothill of a mountain

  —An Armistice is when 2 countries stop fighting for a bit as they do peacetalks. Hopefully—

  —So, like, stopping the war?— I inquired.

  —...Kinda? But... Both are still at war. The armistice was just to avoid blowing up the continent.—

  —WHAT?—

  —Yeah, so, they eventually reached a point where each could destroy the for good, so, to avoid, well, THAT, they agreed on that armistice thing. The Ichorchate didn't spare Concordia out of mercy, cab–kiddo. They did it because if they didn't, Concordia would have brought them to what was left of Hell with them.—

  ...So...

  The War isn't really over over yet. Like...

  —Kinda like those "time-outs" or "pauses" sometimes Gladiators asked when too tired?—

  Fastblade assented.

  ...Well, kinda dumb to have trusted Senecé at all regarding that.

  Still, I can't help but feel that I could at least have trusted with her teachings. Did she taught me something important?

  ...

  Whatever. Shouldn't be trusting anything from her at all. This at least confirms it.

  Fastblade then continued: —And look what that little pause brought. Roads work, crops grow, we talk... And however much life sucked under... Who was she called? Seneca? Whatever. She is behind. You still have a whole life ahead from now on thanks to that "no Soulkill" mercy and thanks to her, by fucked up that it sounds. If you want, I can leave you in the inn we are gonna go. They always need waitresses, the pay isn't horrible, they offer rooms that suck but are cheap, and you are cute in your own way, so you'll get good tips.—

  ...

  I wanted to bite and punch him. What do you mean "On my own way", huh? But, he is right. My very soul could have been snuffed, and Senecé might have not been the nicest, but because of her I now got another chance at life. –THAT WAS REMOVED BY CONCORDIANS AT FIRST, MIND YOU– I clarified him. AND STOP CHUCKLING WITH THAT! AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!! WHY. IS. YOUR. SKIN. SO. HARD! It hurts a lot to punch him! Had to stop for the bruises on my knuckles, auch!

  ...

  But.

  That wand. Senecé.

  By much that I punched him, I... Don't really... Hate him.

  I am thankful that he took care of me back there. Or at all.

  And that wand put him out of commission so quickly.

  And they are now common in the hands of criminals because of the desperation... Or carelessness? of Omegias himself.

  I would say that it was because Concordia pushed the Gods to hand more of their powers to mortals. I mean, he said they stopped because otherwise Velthir would have been completely destroyed.

  ...

  But he said that thing doesn't work on Concordians.

  ...

  So, why Omegias did it?