» A New Frontier

I'm no hero and I'm not made of stone

She had decided that it would be more prudent to keep track of Kaos movements than to ignore the pull of his presence, no matter how much the sight of him irked her. Ignorance and naivety had proven costly in the past, and Erthë had no wish to pay anymore, particularly as the price had turned out the be the lives of her loved ones, her family, her friends and homeland.

In truth however, she had no wish to follow any commands of the self-proclaimed god. Giving the quarreling children and Volterra a wide berth - she had no wish to get further involved in his harem than she already was - the little mare regarded Kaos with quiet loathing before turning her attention to the mist-veiled lands he so graciously had unveiled. The bright eyes were hard as gem-stones as she attempted to see further than the fog actually permitted, but could perceive nothing but hazy outlines of trees from this spot.

In order to find out what dangers these new vistas might bring, there truly was no other choice but to explore, and the fact that it meant doing as the cruel demon said, rankled. It made Erthë feel dragged and shoved, forced and coerced, and it was the most loathsome thing she had experienced. Inclined though she was to sulk and pout and refuse to move a step further however, it would only mean that she consigned herself to ignorance and limited her own options.

Feeling the reluctance swell and writhe within her like oily black tentacles, nauseating and vile beyond words, she awarded the smirking deity with another hateful glare. If he was trying to earn their favor, he was definitely going about it the wrong way. Even if she could have been persuaded to forgive the bloodshed... no Helovian she knew had ever been very inclined to follow orders, especially from someone they disliked. Headstrong they all were, proud and cunning and fiercely independent - and those were all traits Erthë would strive to live up to, come what may.

And most importantly, she was not about to neither forgive nor forget the sins of this demon, no matter what sweet lies he might speak.

A deceiver would always be a deceiver.

Right or wrong, I can hardly tell
I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell

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