(adsfjsjdhf when u realize that you only have 9 more planned chapters left & need to actually figure out plot :p)

Katherine rolled her shoulder as she prepared to carry out another bunch of jabs at the lifeless dummy before her. She wasn't terrible with a sword, but she had to get better if she wanted her brother back. It didn't matter that she was aching in multiple areas, bruises from sparing with other soldiers slowly fading, now. Stab. Stab. Slash. Falling into the movements was almost like a second nature, now. Herself and other recruits had been training for at least two weeks now, and many were starting to show improvement. Stab. Stab. Slash. Most of the recruits had been simple farmers and villagers, but after the attack on the temple, waves of people had come flooding in to offer their services. Slowly, an army was assembling. Stab. Stab. Slash. Seeing them get better had only made her more determined to get better. She was an example. If she trained rigorously, day after day, other recruits would follow in her footsteps. Stab. Stab. Slash. Deep breaths, Katherine. You can do this.

"Katherine!" Looking up from her training dummy, Katherine watched as Jordan jogged up to her. Sheathing her sword, she wiped her forehead, grimacing slightly as her arm ached at the movement. "Hey." He said, giving her a small smile. Smiling back at him, Katherine let herself relax for a moment.

"What's happened?" Katherine asked, tilting her head, eyes darting up and down Jordan. On the outside, he seemed calm, but she could almost feel the tension radiating off of him. Letting out a quiet laugh, one of Jordan's hands came up to rub at the back of his neck while he gave her an almost embarrassed look.

"I didn't think I seemed that worried." Muttering, Jordan shook his head. "We need you in Ianite's office." Nodding, Katherine unclipped the sheathed sword from her belt, tossing it beside the training dummy. The two of them briskly walked down the hallways, most people taking one look at the two of them and darting out of the way as quickly as possible. Jordan didn't even knock on the doors, instead pushing them open, allowing Katherine to slip inside before he did. There was a mess of papers on Ianite's desk, ranging from small scribbles to large stacks of paper. Another large desk had been brought in, and it was currently pushed up against Ianite's desk, displaying a map.

"My Lady." Katherine said, briefly bowing her head at the goddess, who merely gave her a tired smile in return. She gave a small wave to Martha, who gave her a much more cheerful smile, giving her a jaunty wave back.

"Katherine," She replied, one hand rubbing her forehead. "I am sure that you are aware of Dianite's army, yes?" Nodding slightly, Katherine bit her lip, a slight frown on her face. What did Ianite need? "Good. Now, I know that this might be somewhat troubling to you, so please, feel free to leave any time you feel it necessary."

"What's this all about, my lady?" Katherine asked, just wanting whatever it was to be over as soon as possible.

"This... man? Is Dianite's top general." Ianite waved her hand, an image appearing beside her, life size. Katherine's hands balled into fists as soon as the image appeared. She knew who this was. The bastard who had hurt her and her brother, the asshole who could be currently hurting her brother even more than the first time. The man made of flames and ash. "He will be one of our main foes in this war, and we need to know everything we can about him. Since you do have... previous experiences," Katherine winced slightly, "I thought that maybe you may know somethings about..."

"Furia." Katherine said through gritted teeth. Jordan placed a hand on her shoulder, not to pull her away, but merely as an anchor to the real world. To keep her from drifting into her thoughts too much. Breathing in, Katherine let out a shaky breath. It was alright. She could do this. "He's the man who killed my parents."

-

Tom swallowed as he walked slowly beside Furia, eyes scanning over the hundreds of soldiers, all training with both swords and shields. They were watching over the soldiers training. Well, Furia was. Tom was supposed to be there to make these soldiers take the matter seriously. He was even wearing the full Champion armour, the helmet resting under his arm so he could actually breath. They were technically in war with Ianite, now. Biting his lip, Tom watched helplessly as Furia shouted at the troops, mostly mocking the troops' poor swordsmanship.

"Do you have to do that?" Tom asked, hoping that this wouldn't upset the fiery being. He hated watching the soldiers train. It reminded him too much of his own training. Lus, these soldiers were mostly just kids, slightly younger than he was. They shouldn't be training. They should be living their lives as average citizens. Furia scoffed, a sneer forming on his face. At this point, he was sneering so much Tom was sure that the look would be permanently stuck on his face.

"Psh. Of course I have to. They need to man up and take it." Furia let out a huff of laughter, looking over to Tom. "You really need to learn about being more like Dianite's champion, lover boy." Tom tensed, both at the remark and at the nickname. Where had he gotten that one from?

"W-What do you mean?" Tom asked, his gut turning cold. His hands started to shake slightly. No. Furia couldn't know about that. How could he have even known about that? Furia let out a chuckle at Tom's obvious distress.

"Oh, what? You thought I wouldn't know about your precious Ianitee girlfriend?" Furia asked mockingly, the fire between the ashes that made him glowing brighter with each passing second. Tom had known Furia long enough to know that this was a sign of joy, of pure glee, taken from Tom's terror. "You're lucky I can't go find her. Now that I have her brother, I've realized that I want the full set." Tom's mouth went dry, and eh realized that his fear was actually showing on his face. Trying to compose himself, he replied.

"Please. She's done nothing to you." He whispered, trying to not catch the attention of any soldiers. They didn't need to know this sort of thing. Furia just laughed and shook his head, continuing to walk, gazing back over the soldiers. Tom meekly followed Furia along his route, not saying anymore.