"It is said, that it is better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all. I… feel differently. Regret can consume a man so deeply that it can blacken his heart and swallow his soul. For so long, we have been fighting. Many battles, many wars. I lost….. only one."

Nikolai poked the fire in front of him as a house surrounded him. Peculiar. Familiar.

"We have seen impossible things, cheated death countless times. I can no longer deny the possibility of an unseen power. A guiding hand, helping us to fulfill our destiny."

The house disappeared as the forest retook its place.

"My path is chosen. Our fate is sealed. But the innocent… the children... those untainted by darkness and chaos… they can find a better tomorrow."