Bilicus is running at top speed trying to get away from Braverte. Having been here before he knows the way out. As he turns the corner he instinctively stops out of shock. The whole corridor is filled with dead bodies. The walls are covered in blood, and even the ceiling has marks of death on it. From the side of his eye, Bilicus sees Braverte running towards him and that snaps him out of it. He continues running down the hallway.

As he runs, Bilicus steps over several corpses and thinks to himself that this is insane. Perhaps a Palindra escaped and went on a rampage but they have so many failsafes and security that this could never have happened. Plus all the Palindra that arrive here have been so sedated they are basically in a coma and kept in that state perpetually. Bilicus then turns the next corner and what he sees in front of him makes him lose his balance as he slips and falls on his ass. 

Diwena stands motionless in the hallway breathing heavily. Diwena is covered from head to toe in the blood and intestines of the scientists who had the misfortune of crossing his path. Bilicus slipping and falling catches his attention enough for him to turn his head and look directly at him. Bilicus is on the ground as it feels as if the devil himself has appeared to take him.

Diwena’s gaze and presence are enough to make Bilicus shudder in fear as he crawls backward. It’s then that Braverte turns the corner as well and sees Bilicus on the ground and a blood-covered Diwena. Braverte saw the corpses of the Palindra so he knows that this Palindra took revenge for his fallen brethren. But given the state the Palindra is in, and the things it must have seen, Braverte reasons that it must be in a state of rage and unable to comprehend reason.

“Mirtha Quinthar? (Have you finished your revenge?)”

The sudden sounds of his mother tongue bring the light back into Diwena’s eyes. Diwena looks around him and sees the bloody hallway and the remnants of many a scientist on his blade. He then looks at Bilicus on the ground.

“Vuthal (Who else is responsible for this?)”

Bilicus still shaken up doesn’t answer. He keeps looking at Diwena in fear. He does know that the question was directed at him and that if he doesn’t answer it might anger him.

“What?”

Diwena starts walking towards Bilicus.

“Who else kill my people?”

Bilicus without a second thought answers.

“Sachem!”

Diwena tightens his grip on his sword and is ready to strike Bilicus down. Braverte seeing this has to prevent it from happening.

“Vandhi! (Please don’t kill him.)”

Diwena looks at Braverte and then back down at Bilicus and continues walking. He walks past Braverte dragging his sword on the ground. Braverte knows that Diwena is about to head to where Sachem is.

“Please be careful, there’s something off about Sachem.”

Diwena doesn’t stop nor does he reply. He keeps walking and making his way to Demo and My-Ty’s fight leaving Bilicus and Braverte alone. Braverte in one smooth gliding-like motion closes the distance between him and Bilicus. Bilicus tries to get up before Braverte reaches him but he is too late. Braverte cuts both Bilicus’ hands off. Grabs him by the and slams him into the wall. He then uses Higher Reasoning to chain Bilicus to the wall.

Bilicus screams in pain at the loss of his hands. But Braverte is unbothered by his screams as he looks at Bilicus with disgust. After Bilicus is done screaming Braverte summons a set of blades on a table like a surgeon getting ready to operate.

“You’re going to pay for what you did.”

“You really think killing me ends this? This is just the beginning. I was nothing more than a pawn in this. Even Sachem is nothing more than a tool. I had no CHOICE.”

“You had no choice? Explain yourself.”

“They took my family.”

“You have a family?”

“I have a son, a daughter, and a wife. To make sure I knew who I was dealing with they did unspeakable things to my wife right in front of me. Have you ever heard someone you love scream in pain and wish for death and all you can do is cry? I had to sit there, forced to watch them take advantage of my wife. And when they were done they cut off her fingers and stuffed them in my mouth. They told me if I don’t do what they tell me, something even worse will happen to my daughter and son.”

Braverte is at a loss for words. That kind of psychological and physical torture is insane. He has only heard of similar cases when dealing with one specific group.

“Chayil.”

“THOSE BASTARDS!!! They took everything from me. Now every month they send me pictures of my wife hung up on the wall like some sick trophy. And if I ever dare to object or fail a mission, they send me parts of her body. Braverte, I had no choice.”

“Do you know where they are keeping them?”

“I know that they separated my kids and my wife. In the beginning my kids were allowed to write me letters, so I would get a letter from each of them once a month as well. They told me that their mother was taken away. And that they were in some place surrounded by other kids whose parents were like me. With every letter they sent, it was clear that their minds were being brainwashed. They started asking me why I betrayed their God. And that it was my fault that their mother was where she was. And then their letters stopped.”

“What did they make you do?”

“They put me here at this school and used their connections to make me vice principal. They told me to distribute drugs to kids. But when I saw what those drugs did to these kids I used my knowledge to make a safer version of the drug. One that delivered the same results but without the addiction. It was a better drug, but I went against orders. My wife lost her leg for that.”

“Why make you sell drugs?”

“I don’t know. But when they realized that my version of the drugs was better they gave me a new formula to use. This formula included an element not of this universe. They made me do several experiments to get the formula right. But once I did, I realized that these drugs are designed to take over someone’s mind.”

“So Chayil wanted zombie soldiers.”

“And now that you’ve done all this. What do you think they’ll do?”

Braverte looks down to the ground knowing that Chayil is a dangerous organization.

Chapter 72 fin