Parallel Memory

Chapter 746: The Hand Behind the Shadow

Smoke covered the eastern horizon.

By the time we reached the outskirts of the first border settlement, the sun had already begun to disappear behind the mountains.

The town below looked nothing like the peaceful villages we had passed earlier.

Several buildings had been damaged.

A section of the outer wall had collapsed.

Soldiers moved through the streets carrying injured comrades toward the temporary medical tents while civilians gathered near the center of the settlement, frightened and confused.

But something was strange.

There were no devils in sight.

Mia raised her hand.

The soldiers behind her stopped.

"Hold."

Everyone froze.

Lilith stared toward the ruined gate.

"They were here."

I nodded.

"The question is where they went."

A scout hurried toward us.

"Lady Mia!"

"Report."

"The devils attacked less than an hour ago."

"Where?"

"Everywhere."

Mia frowned.

"Everywhere?"

The scout nodded.

"They struck the eastern wall first. Then another group appeared near the southern road. A third group attacked the military barracks."

Lilith’s expression became troubled.

"How many?"

"Not many."

That answer caught my attention.

"Not many?"

The scout shook his head.

"Perhaps a few hundred at most."

Mia looked toward the damaged wall.

"For a force that size, they caused too much destruction."

I understood what she meant.

A few hundred devils shouldn’t have been capable of overwhelming a fortified settlement so quickly.

Unless they weren’t trying to overwhelm it.

"They were testing the defenses," I said.

Lilith looked at me.

"Or creating panic."

I nodded.

A soldier approached.

"Lady Mia, we captured one."

Mia immediately turned.

"Alive?"

"Yes."

"Bring him."

Two soldiers dragged a wounded devil forward.

The creature’s armor was broken, and one of its horns had been cracked during the battle. It glared at the humans surrounding it.

Then its eyes fell upon Lilith.

Its expression changed.

"Queen..."

Lilith stepped forward.

"Who sent you?"

The devil remained silent.

"Answer me."

He looked away.

"I don’t recognize your authority."

Lilith’s expression hardened.

"You followed Aamon."

The devil’s eyes flickered.

That was enough.

Lilith continued.

"You don’t have to recognize me. But I know what you’re doing."

The devil laughed weakly.

"You know nothing."

"We’re not trying to conquer these towns."

His smile disappeared.

Lilith leaned closer.

"You’re trying to provoke them."

The devil stared at her.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then he laughed again.

"You think you’ve figured everything out?"

Lilith’s eyes narrowed.

"Who is helping you?"

The devil said nothing.

"Who is giving you information?"

Still nothing.

I watched him carefully.

There was something wrong.

His mana wasn’t behaving normally.

It was unstable.

Not because of his injuries.

Something else was interfering with it.

I took one step forward.

The devil suddenly looked toward me.

His eyes widened.

For an instant, I saw fear.

Not because of my appearance.

Because he sensed something.

I immediately suppressed my mana.

The devil blinked.

"What..."

Lilith noticed.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

The devil looked between us.

Then he laughed.

"Interesting."

Mia frowned.

"What?"

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he suddenly bit down.

I reacted immediately.

Shadow surged from beneath my feet.

I appeared beside him and forced his jaw open before he could swallow whatever was hidden inside his mouth.

A small black crystal fell onto the ground.

The moment it touched the soil, dark energy erupted.

Everyone stepped back.

The crystal dissolved.

I stared at it.

Lilith looked horrified.

"What was that?"

"A communication crystal," I said.

Mia crouched beside it.

"Can it be traced?"

"Not anymore."

The devil laughed.

"You’ll never find him."

Mia looked at him.

"Him?"

The devil froze.

He had revealed too much.

Lilith immediately stepped forward.

"Who?"

The devil remained silent.

I looked toward the ruined town.

Then toward the surrounding mountains.

Something finally clicked.

The attacks weren’t random.

They were being coordinated.

And someone was feeding the rebels information.

But where was that information coming from?

The human side.

Or the devil side?

Perhaps both.

**********************************************************

We moved deeper into the settlement.

The captured devil was taken away for questioning.

Lilith walked beside me.

"You knew."

I glanced at her.

"Knew what?"

"That something was wrong with him."

"I suspected."

"You stopped him before he could destroy the crystal."

"That was luck."

She gave me an unimpressed look.

"You expect me to believe that?"

Mia glanced back.

"What are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing," I replied.

Lilith smiled.

"He’s being modest."

Mia narrowed her eyes.

"I’ve noticed."

I ignored both of them.

My attention remained on the town.

People were frightened.

Some had lost homes.

Some had lost family members.

And the worst part was that the devils hadn’t even stayed long enough to occupy the town.

They had simply attacked and disappeared.

Fear was the weapon.

Not conquest.

A few minutes later, we reached the central square.

A group of soldiers had gathered around a wounded commander.

He looked exhausted.

"Lady Mia."

"What happened?"

"They came from the eastern forest."

"How many?"

"Maybe two hundred."

"And they retreated?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The commander shook his head.

"We don’t know."

I looked toward the forest.

Something bothered me.

"They wanted you to see them."

The commander stared at me.

"What?"

"If they wanted to destroy the town, they would have stayed."

Mia understood.

"They wanted survivors."

I nodded.

"Survivors who would spread the story."

Lilith’s face became pale.

"Then the goal is fear."

"And anger."

Mia looked around.

"If humans believe Lilith can’t control her kingdom, the treaty collapses."

Lilith clenched her fists.

"They’re using my name to destroy the peace."

"Yes."

She looked toward the damaged town.

For the first time, I saw genuine helplessness in her expression.

"What am I supposed to do?"

I looked at her.

"Take responsibility."

She stared at me.

"For an attack I didn’t order?"

"Not responsibility for the attack."

I pointed toward the wounded soldiers.

"For stopping it."

Lilith was silent.

Then she understood.

"If I stop them..."

"Then humans see you fighting for peace."

"And the rebels lose their reason to continue."

"Exactly."

Mia nodded.

"Then we find them."

Lilith looked toward the forest.

"I know where they’ll go."

I followed her gaze.

"Where?"

"There’s an old fortress beyond those mountains."

Mia immediately looked at her.

"Why didn’t you mention it?"

"Because I didn’t know if they were using it."

She paused.

"But if they are coordinating attacks, it’s the most likely place."

Mia turned toward the soldiers.

"Prepare."

The soldiers immediately began moving.

I stayed where I was.

Something didn’t feel right.

An old fortress was almost too convenient.

Someone wanted us to find it.

The question was why.

*************************************************

We entered the forest shortly before midnight.

The moon was hidden behind clouds.

The soldiers moved carefully.

Lilith led from the front.

Mia stayed beside her.

I remained slightly behind.

The deeper we went, the quieter the forest became.

No insects.

No animals.

Nothing.

I stopped.

Mia noticed.

"What?"

I held up my hand.

Everyone froze.

Lilith turned.

"What is it?"

I closed my eyes.

Mana.

Faint.

Dark.

But not devil mana.

Human.

My eyes opened.

"There are people ahead."

Mia’s expression changed.

"How many?"

"About twenty."

Lilith frowned.

"Humans?"

I nodded.

That shouldn’t have been possible.

Unless...

"Stay here."

Mia immediately shook her head.

"No."

"I’ll investigate."

"You’re not going alone."

I looked at her.

She crossed her arms.

"Don’t even try."

Lilith almost smiled.

"I agree with her."

I sighed.

"Fine."

We moved forward.

Eventually, we saw lights through the trees.

A small camp.

Human soldiers.

Not border troops.

Their armor bore no official insignia.

Mia’s expression became cold.

"Who are they?"

Before anyone could answer, one of the soldiers stepped forward.

"Who’s there?"

Mia revealed herself.

"Human forces."

The man immediately raised his weapon.

"Identify yourselves."

"You first."

The man hesitated.

That was enough.

Mia looked at me.

"Something’s wrong."

Then a second group emerged behind them.

Devils.

The forest erupted into chaos.

**************************************************

The battle was short.

The human soldiers weren’t expecting us.

Neither were the devils.

Mia moved first.

Ice spread across the ground, forcing several enemies backward.

Lilith followed.

Her demonic power erupted.

The devils froze.

"Queen!"

One dropped his weapon immediately.

Another attacked her.

Lilith blocked the strike.

"You betrayed your kingdom."

The devil snarled.

"You betrayed Aamon!"

Lilith’s eyes hardened.

"Aamon is dead."

"And his will lives!"

Lilith struck him down.

Not killing him.

Just enough to incapacitate him.

The remaining devils fled.

The humans attempted to do the same.

I moved.

Shadow wrapped around my feet.

I appeared in front of them.

They stopped.

One raised his sword.

"Stay back!"

I looked at him.

"Who are you working for?"

He said nothing.

I released a tiny amount of Dark Energy.

Just enough.

His face went pale.

Mia looked toward me.

I immediately suppressed it.

The man’s expression changed.

"You..."

He recognized something.

Not me.

My power.

He had seen reports.

Or perhaps someone had told him.

I couldn’t allow that.

I stepped backward.

Lilith moved forward.

"Answer."

The man looked at her.

Then lowered his weapon.

"We were paid."

"By whom?"

"I don’t know."

"Who delivered the orders?"

"A human."

"Name."

"I never saw his face."

Mia stepped closer.

"Then what did he give you?"

The soldier hesitated.

"A letter."

"Where is it?"

He pointed toward the camp.

We searched the area.

Eventually, we found a sealed document.

Mia opened it.

Her expression changed.

"What?"

She handed it to me.

I read it.

There were instructions.

Locations.

Timings.

Military movements.

Everything the devil rebels needed to attack the towns.

And every piece of information had come from the human side.

Lilith stared at the letter.

"They’ve been helping them."

Mia shook her head.

"Not necessarily the Church."

"Then who?"

I folded the letter.

"Someone who wants the treaty to fail."

Lilith looked at me.

"Can we prove it?"

"Not yet."

Mia nodded.

"Then we keep this quiet."

The human soldiers looked confused.

"Lady Mia?"

She turned toward them.

"You saw nothing."

They immediately understood.

"Yes."

Lilith looked toward me.

"You saved us again."

I shook my head.

"No."

She frowned.

"What?"

I looked toward the captured rebels.

"You did."

She stared at me.

"You were the one who stopped them."

"I only helped."

"You used your power."

I lowered my voice.

"If they learn what I can actually do, everything changes."

She understood.

Mia looked at me.

"You don’t want them to know."

"No."

She nodded.

"Then Lilith gets the credit."

Lilith looked surprised.

"Mia..."

Mia smiled.

"You’re the queen."

She turned toward the captured rebels.

"Let everyone believe you stopped this attack."

Lilith hesitated.

Then slowly nodded.

"I understand."

***********************************************************************

By dawn, the border settlement had begun to calm.

The rebel faction had been stopped.

The human collaborators had been captured.

And the immediate attack was over.

But the larger problem remained.

Someone had deliberately supplied information to the devil rebels.

Someone within the human domain.

Someone who wanted the treaty destroyed.

When we returned to the settlement, word spread quickly.

The Devil Queen had fought against the rebels.

She had protected the humans.

She had stopped the attack.

People began looking at Lilith differently.

Not with complete trust.

Not yet.

But with uncertainty.

And uncertainty was better than hatred.

Lilith stood among the wounded soldiers.

She spoke to them.

She thanked them.

She promised that their losses would not be forgotten.

I watched from a distance.

Mia stood beside me.

"You know," she said quietly, "you really are terrible at taking credit."

"I don’t want it."

"I know."

She looked toward Lilith.

"She deserves this moment."

I nodded.

But my thoughts remained elsewhere.

The letter was still hidden beneath my clothes.

The evidence was real.

Someone inside the human domain was helping the very devils they claimed to hate.

And if that person continued...

the treaty wouldn’t survive.

********************************************************

Far away from the border, behind the walls of the Church’s protected sanctuary, another story was unfolding.

The sanctuary was beautiful.

Too beautiful.

White stone.

Quiet gardens.

Tall windows.

Rooms filled with sunlight.

It should have felt peaceful.

Instead, Ameilia felt trapped.

She stood beside a window overlooking the enclosed courtyard.

She had been kept there ever since the Church had decided that the Saintess needed protection.

Protection.

That was the word they used.

Every time she asked to leave, the answer was the same.

"You are too valuable."

Every time she asked to attend a council meeting:

"Your presence is unnecessary."

Every time she asked about Zero:

"You must focus on your recovery."

At first, Ameilia had accepted it.

She understood why they were worried.

She was the Saintess.

The Church had protected her since she was young.

But days became weeks.

And the outside world continued moving without her.

She heard about the treaty through servants.

She heard about the political arguments.

She heard that Lilith had entered the human capital.

And now she had heard about the border attack.

But she wasn’t allowed to go.

She wasn’t allowed to help.

She wasn’t even allowed to speak directly to the people making decisions.

She pressed her hand against the window.

"Zero..."

Her voice was barely audible.

She wondered where he was.

Whether he was safe.

Whether Mia was with him.

The thought made her chest tighten.

She smiled sadly.

"Of course she is."

Outside, the Church guards stood at the entrance.

They weren’t there to protect her from enemies.

They were there to make sure she didn’t leave.

Ameilia slowly sat down.

The Saintess of the Church.

A symbol revered by millions.

A person powerful enough to change battles.

And yet, inside this beautiful sanctuary, she had never felt more alone.

She looked toward the locked doors.

For the first time, she wondered whether the Church was protecting its Saintess...

or protecting itself from her.