“Congratulations on another successful hunt, Ms. Làzhú.” The bloated tub of flesh that was the president of the Hunters Guild wheezed through his oxygen mask, even though his office had the most advanced life support systems.


    “Thank you, Mr. President, but I''m surprised you called me in personally.”


    Làzhú had been an active hunter for almost a year and, apart from changing the wastes into a massive series of dams that generated enough power for the entire continent, a project that she had completed almost entirely by herself, relying on the scientists she hired to help with power generation.


    She also planned to build dams in the other Superclusters but that would come later.


    She had also killed almost every bandit in Pavo–Indus and had established herself as a key player in the politics of the world of Pech, something she could have never imagined before she died but it was all possible thanks to her Angel and His will.


    She had aged a little as well, with her hair growing a little longer and wrinkles forming on her face, something she attributed to all the worrying she did.


    Unlike in her earlier days, she now proudly and openly wore her armour which stood out in the moody atmosphere of the president’s office.


    “It is only natural to thank the hunter after she rids the forest of wolves, no?” Every word that President Zyu uttered was hard fought as his tight but luxurious clothes further restricted the movements of his chest.


    “Fair enough.” Làzhú nodded while crossing her arms and leaning back, sighing deeply as she closed her eyes momentarily.


    “I imagine you are quite tired.” Zyu chuckled.


    “My body was made to never feel fatigued but the heart and mind were not so fortunate.”


    “Hehe, if only one of those Angels you speak of could come down here and fix everything for us.” Zyu lazily laughed.


    “Then our suffering would lose meaning—also, you should come down to the Dam for prayer one of these days.” Làzhú warmly invited.


    “I’ve never been very religious. Even with beings like you around, I chose to believe that we, even the divine, are a product of an unimaginable number of coincidences.” Zyu giggled making Làzhú shake her head.


    “Oh, well. You can laze around some more if you like. I have some paperwork to do.” Làzhú stood up.


    “Of course, don’t let me hold your time but, before you go, I must warn you. The guilds that remained have their sights set on you and yours. Keep an eye out.”


    “Huh… and to think that you yourself once tried to have me killed. Now you are freely giving me words that may save many lives.” Làzhú smirked as she walked up to the doors which led to an elevator.


    “What can I say? You’re starting to rub off on me and besides, it is a small thanks for all the work you did in helping us hunters diversify our work.”


    Làzhú’s smile warmed at his words as she entered the elevator, eventually making her way onto the streets of Abell which was now brighter thanks to the increased access to electricity which was now more affordable for ordinary people.


    And while a lot may have changed, some things changed the same.


    Làzhú was only able to bring about absolute change in the lands surrounding the Dam but places like Abell were a lot trickier in that, even if she preached words of peace and faith, not everyone would accept them with others flat out rejecting them.


    That’s why, even though they initially antagonized her, Làzhú kept the key leaders in Abell alive.


    It would be up to them to lead their people down the right path.


    Doing this reduced the chances for conflict and bloodshed but even though she had gone out of her way to do all of that, there were still some who marched heedlessly towards violence.


    She left the city, entering the now orderly outskirts which were bustling with activity.


    The rusted makeshift structures and tent had been replaced by proper buildings and roads.


    The main road led all the way to the Dam and it was the one she walked, passing by the masses who greeted her as they stepped aside.


    Làzhú waved back at them and even offered advice and words of prayer to those who asked.


    The air was still heavily polluted so everyone still had to wear masks but they were more readily available now, so everyone had clean ones and oxygen was at a good price.


    Làzhú left the outskirts and walked along the road, through the now almost empty wastes.


    Most of the metallic and reusable scrap had been taken to recycling plants while the junk was thrown into the pit which Làzhú had created all that time ago.


    Patrolling this vast expanse were the now repurposed hunters who now acted as a private military organization that fought against crime and corruption.


    This organization was split among the preexisting hunting parties who, unfortunately, fought among each other quite often.


    The best remedy for this was keeping them on the field for as long as possible although it seemed as though one of the parties was not content with their new role and was now coming for Làzhú who let out a sweet yawn as she arrived at the wall of the third of three Dams.


    It was just as big as first and had its own little outskirts at its feet.


    Làzhú entered the Dam via gigantic steel doors.


    She was greeted inside by Sentries, men and women who had dedicated their lives to Kiln, Nozh and the people of the Dam.


    They were clad in bleached white tactical and carried rifles among other weapons.


    These soldiers all greeted Làzhú as she made her way to the first Dam where she passed by Lukav’s bar.


    He had moved to the Dam after seeing just how prosperous and peaceful Làzhú’s city was becoming.


    After establishing the Sentries, she began letting people in and they joined her in building the city into what it became.


    She also established Kilnism which spread across the continent over the year that followed.


    She deemed it a necessity if the people of Pech were to change the way they thought about things.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Kilnism was about a divine longing, faith and hope.


    It promoted peaceful coexistence among all things and joint prayer in awaiting the day of His awakening.


    This was the perfect counter to the suffocating, selfish atmosphere that had fuelled the machines of cruelty for so long.


    And so, the people of the Dams were asked to join the faithful in prayer if they so pleased.


    This birthed community and order.


    After catching up with Lukav, Làzhú made her way to Nederig’s home to find that the two boys she’d saved all that time ago had grown quite a bit beneath the loving gaze of their mother who urged that they greet their saviour.


    Làzhú greeted back before politely entering Nederig’s office which was at the back of the house.


    The thick stone walls muffled the sounds of the Dam, allowing the two to speak clearly.


    Làzhú told him, as he had become her confidant, about Zyu’s warning and he concurred that some old and disgruntled hunters were mobilizing arms and people in their attempts to undo Làzhú’s hard work.


    “They are unreasonable. Not only are they outnumbered, we hold a superior defensive position and are better armed. My guess is that whatever they do here will be a distraction. There might be something more devious at play than any sort of outright combat.” Where once fear took root, Nederig’s eyes now burnt with determination.


    Being an older man, he had experienced the horrors of the world of Pech and, like Làzhú, yearned for change.


    This was exactly why she chose him to her right hand.


    He wasn’t the strongest or brightest of the Sentries, he simply shared her vision for a better world.


    Nederig detailed the movements of the rogue hunters and pointed out that they were using ancient, unstable tunnels to mobilize.


    However, unlike the Sentries of the Dams, who had been trained by one who had studied under the Angels, the hunters were a hodgepodge of skilled killers who fought for profit, little better than the bandits they once fought to defeat.


    In the weeks that followed, these rogue elements launched various futile attacks at the Dams but it became clear in time that they had made plans beyond even the Pavo–Indus Supercluster.


    According to intel from a few captured elite hunters, they had managed to deceive and convince the other Superclusters that Làzhú was a threat that needed to be eliminated.


    Three of the four neighbouring Superclusters, which were on the three other continents, chose to remain neutral, even with their doubts, stating that they stood to gain more through good will and cooperation rather than conquest, which they’d barely be able to afford either way.


    The Horologium Supercluster to the Near East, however, sought to expand and take both Làzhú’s hard-laboured fruits along with the minerals of the Pavo-Indus.


    So, they declared war, mobilizing a force of five million men who would cross the death-mired seas of Pech to invade Pavi-Indus.


    In response, Làzhú called all of the leaders in her home Supercluster and had them agree to form a unified front under a banner they could all raise.


    That of Pavo-Indus itself.


    And, while most were on board with this, there were mixed reactions to the fact that Làzhú wanted the highest level of control over the defensive effort.


    Some of the leaders thought this would give her far more power than she already had.


    It was eventually put to a vote and the majority was in favour of having her be the supreme general of the defensive forces.


    Làzhú immediately got to training and arming twenty million men and women using her singular vision and advanced technologies.


    Electricity, food, and water, while still at a price, were no longer things to worry about under her authority meaning the soldiers could all focus on their training which, while nightmarish, was nowhere near what she had experienced in the seventh dimension.


    Kilnism also spread across the population with many great alters being built of simple, cleansed stone.


    These alters were of spheres which aimed to depict Kiln’s wholeness and all he encompassed, which was everything.


    Armed with faith and steel, the defenders met the invaders along the coast where they engaged in combat.


    Làzhú, on occasion, joined her men on the front lines, obliterating entire fleets at her time with her hammer which earned the name “The Fist of God”.


    Two years of bloodshed would follow and while the natives of Pavo-Indus lost two million of their own, almost all of the invaders were killed, cementing the continent as the victor but it wouldn’t be over until the Horologium paid for their actions.


    After consulting the other leaders who, at this point, had formed a senate that ruled beneath her, she decided to give the invaders a taste of their own medicine all while ensuring all who served beneath her prospered.


    While she mobilized a separate force of ten million, she built schools, hospitals, and more dams and oversaw the fair trade of goods all while praising the Angel who had saved her all that time ago.


    A year of preparation passed and while the leaders of Horologium begged for a peaceful resolution as they surrendered, Làzhú knew that the old world and its ways wouldn’t be undone so easily.


    It needed to be cleansed with holy fire.


    That said, she allowed civilians to evacuate and any clusters that were open to her rule were to be spared.


    The day eventually came and when the forces of Pavo-Indus made landfall, they washed over the foreign lands with an unprecedented efficiency.


    Military bases were eradicated if not taken over completely, clusters were seized and those that resisted were destroyed, burying any of the wretched who survived beneath tons of rubble.


    The capital was eventually taken and the Supercluster was claimed by the people of Pavo-Indus.


    Since it was they who fought so hard, Làzhú allowed them to bask in the glory of victory, watching from her office on the first Dam, where it all began.


    More years passed and her influence reached the remaining Superclusters, not through war but faith.


    The two continents under her rule were so prosperous and peaceful that many yearned for what her people had.


    But since she had strict immigration policies, the other Superclusters took to imitating her ways.


    Leading through pragmatism, kindness and faith.


    Kilnism spread across the world and Làzhú was held up in the hearts of her people as a saint.


    This praise continued even as she reached her fiftieth year and as the burden of carrying a fragment of the second most brilliant light began to cause cracks in her once unbreakable form.


    No one saw it happen but, overnight, her perfect body shrunk by several folds and her skin was lined with cracks.


    Her Halo, much to Nozh’s anguish, had splintered under the force of the light of an Angel.


    This caused Làzhú to age at twice the speed of ordinary humans.


    As the once-dark world of Pech lightened, thanks to the countless new refineries that cleaned the air on the surface, Nozh visited Làzhú who had been moved to a Hospital that had been unknowingly built near where she first died.


    Nozh manifested as but a glimpse of her true self, sitting next to Làzhú’s bed as she slept, her every breath weaker than the last.


    [Why did you never call to me?] Nozh winced and this awoke the wizened woman. Her once flawless porcelain skin now darkened with cracks.


    Làzhú’s still golden eyes widened a little as she beheld her Angel.


    The visibly elderly Làzhú warmly smiled and as tears welled in both her eyes and Nozh’s.


    “Why… because I wanted to make you proud.” With little less than a whisper, she replied.


    [No… I should have just done everything myself. I shouldn’t have abandoned any of you in the first place and let things get as bad as they did.] Nozh didn’t know why she was crying so much or why her words were pouring from her heart as if it had been unlidded.


    While fifty years may have passed for Làzhú, it was only a moment for Nozh and even at this moment, she felt a wave of agony.


    Why did she give her a piece of her light?


    Why didn’t she get more humans?


    Why was she crying—


    Nozh gasped as Làzhú softly hushed her.


    “Thinking that deeply about things was never a strength of yours.” Làzhú teased which would have made Nozh smile but she was too busy trying to see if she could save her Chosen.


    “But that… is what got us here. That single-minded vision is what eventually led to my birth, however unfortunate it may have been, to my death which allowed us to meet.”


    More tears fell from the Angel.


    “You never struck me as someone who regrets things for long. You simply use whatever you’re feeling to leap forward, leaving behind and forgetting what you may, but forward you go. And, should I get even the smallest bit close to joining Him in rest, I look forward to cheering you on as you leap on.”


    Nozh messily wiped her tears as Làzhú closed her eyes to sleep.


    The Angel then returned to the seventh dimension where she beheld the wonderful world her Chosen had created.


    Làzhú was right.


    Nozh knew that she was a bit short-sighted but she was determined to see the end of all things with the one she’d chosen and so, in less than an instant, she flew over to Vidente’s campus where she asked the Angel for another Halo.


    She was given another blank halo which she promptly put Làzhú’s soul into, birthing her anew.


    Làzhú gasped and immediately broke into tears as she was saved from death yet again.


    “Why?” The woman whimpered; her body returned to its perfect state although a few cracks could be seen next to her eyes.


    Nozh puffed her chest and rested her hands on her hips.


    “Because I want to make you proud, dummy and—and we still have a lot of work to do so I''m not letting you go anywhere!”


    All Làzhú could do was smile upon seeing her Angel’s panicked determination.


    Such humanity from a divine being was almost comical.


    So, after wiping her tears, Làzhú stood up and hugged Nozh.


    Each determined to march forward for the sake of the other.