ok first off, your reply to my first review blew me away. Thankyou for taking so much time to reply to me my questions and complaints! I kinda feel bad other reviewers couldnt see it since you really went into so much detail!

Plus your reply cured me of my heartbreak haha. I can confirm I've successfully read about halviore without hating him, and my fondness has returned for leika bless him, even though he takes on a different role here and isn't as approachable of course.

sharle... I just love him. I don;t know why he just kind of reminds me of a child, waiting to be led. plus why do i get the feeling if he was in a happy relationship he'd be super cuddly and affectionate and not just all intense. like, for some reason my favourite things are seeing hints of him being cute. blushing, being nice to laene etc.

leading on from that, the julan/laene interaction I loved.! I was so happy you kinda continued their little thing, cause its such a subtle side thing but Ive loved it from the start, and I was scared he was going to ignore her and I would have been mad. but aww this is a good thing, hope to see it continue a bit more, I think Sharle needs others he can confide/or relax a bit with.

Also bondo... that was unexpected. I knew it'd be one or two peeps that get the cut, but not bondo! And not like this!

Also also super impressed with the battle scene. I could visualise it in my head like an awesome lord of the rings battle. the fact you had so many different elements to it was so effective and amazing storytelling.

anyway, aah, not sure Im looking forward to the next chapter. The aftermath of the battle! I always hate those scenes. bring on the deaths.

Wow... Well, it's a war, so people die. I was bracing myself for characters we got invested in to be injured or killed but I was still really nervous. I'm glad Sharle saved Laene, because they did establish a rather significant relationship at the beginning. It was upsetting when Laene was angry with Sharle for taking Vhan away from them but I'm glad it didn't actually put them at odds with each other in the end. Sharle's been very focused on Vhan, but he's not ungrateful that he wouldn't remember her kindness.
And damn it Aiber. That was why Nemare was sent back. But now that you're mentioning the other casualties, I'm getting a bad feeling that he might not be okay. There's nothing mentioned about him in this chapter so...
I'm sure Vhan was experiencing a wide range of emotions, but no way would he consciously think about them during a battle. It must've been a terrible feeling when he killed Evarien. That part was really sad to me. The thought of people dying with their last thoughts being bitter or feeling betrayed is tragic. Vhan must've known what he was thinking when he died and that must be a horrible weight on him. That's why the last part of the chapter with Caileb was so important. Vhan doesn't want unnecessary deaths and I hope some of the angels can understand.
Ack I'm scared to know who's okay and who's not. See you soon!

Great chapter, thank you. I think there's a good balance of action and quieter moments. As you say there's no need to speak about Vhans feelings here, I can imagine them very well.

*a quick joke comment: This is the third time that I have almost typed "Sharle" as my name instead of Shela. hehe I swear, I'm attached*

Wow. quite a battle, and definitely not one without much pain. I love how you brought Caileb back in the end, as the person who showed the one kindness to the angels in response to the words of Vhan. that was a nice touch. Hopefully, that comes back in the end.

The Sharle/Laene moment was a good point of closure, I think. He is aware of what she did for him when he was still Julan, and this - in addition to the feelings of his King - alowed him to extend the olive branch back. Nice.

To me, Vhan is not emotionless in this battle. I can sense it hiding under his skin, because in battle you need to focus on battle. If he were to let himself get as bogged down as he did the night before, he never would have made it through the fight, adn killed many of his felow brethren. But he did it. Battle 1 is done. ut the war is far from over, and I wonder what is in store for the next skirmish.

As well as the losses. oh my. I imagine it will be quite extravagant. I can only hope not, but they knew what they were facing. there will be much grief ahead. And one of the better not be Halviore! I just now thought of that! He better have survived this! I don't know what Sharle would do if his father was a casualty of this war.

*sigh* I guess we must wait for the first aftermath. Hopefully, they can pull through... Somewhat dreadedly (but happily) looking forward to more. :)

You're right. That was not a return to Sharle. That was an attempt to escape once again from everything that lays in front of him. Not matter which side's losses, Vhan will hurt for the people that are killed in the war to come. And knowing that there is nothing he can do about it, but hope to prevent more than is *shudder* necessary *shudder* to stop his sister's tirade; I do not blame him for once again falling into arms that have allowed him solace in such hard times. But even Sharle knows that this is not something he can run from. And as he once brought the memories back to his King so that he remembers who he is, so too will he deny what is a hopeless struggle to shy from the truth that is to come. No one will come out of this war without pain - Vhan most of all. And I am even less sure about any of their future sanity. I can only hope they will prevail and live on towards a greater future.

If it hasn't already been assumed before, I will be rereading this tale as well once it's done. Hard though it is, it is a tale that is be worth reliving...I hope anyway, since I don't know how it will end. And I, and Sharle, can only take so much.

:)

Urgh no sharle develop some self respect, it's just too much now.

As the day looms closer, everyone is riding on high emotions and strain. Vhan seems to be barely making it through each day, but I think he will return to Sharle at least once more before the final battle. I don't think he'll be able to make it through otherwise.

The talk with Leika was kind of painful, because I feel Vhan got nothing out of what Leika said. And knowing on our side that he speaks from experience, that does not spell good things for the future. I actually hand't even thought about Vhan giving Sharle his heart back after the battle was won. And I forgot - is there a way to do that other than death and dimension-change? Cause I don't think the White City is in another dimension. Or does he mean to send Sharle back to the Shadow Dimension after this is all done?

There is so much riding on this fight, and I don't imagine it will be pretty. But I'm looking forward to it anyway. :)

Vhan just oh-so-subtly calling out Hal for turning the plains into rock xD
So a plan based around depriving oxygen. A while ago, I found myself wondering if people of this world knew about scientific concepts like this one. I guess that answers my question then.
Ugh, Vhan still believes Sharle was brainwashed to love him because obviously no one in their right mind would love him. At least it's still clear that he cares about Sharle and wants him to be happy and healthy... just not with him. I'm on Leika's side when he says that's not possible for Sharle. It honestly feels like it will kill him. But probably not. Sharle isn't even close to giving up. I think Laene inadvertently spurred him on.
Battle starting in two days? Wow wow wow... I'm excited to see how they'll pull this off. See you!

Haha yeah... that was very impromptu sex but Sharle, being the spontaneous wildcard he is, I can accept that as something that would happen. He just wants to be with Vhan in any way, shape or form right now, and it does help.
I know siblings relationships can range from being best friends to mortal enemies and seems like Vhan and his sister lean towards the latter. Just a little bit lol. They sound like they have never agreed on anything in their entire lives.
Vhan's pretty good at pretending to have it all together to deliver a speech like that. Pretending is the first step. Fake it till you make it, right? He is getting there. He's already more like the person Sharle sees but *sigh, not quite.

lol I can totally see Sharle being perturbed at a change in the layout of this chapter. Though somewhat out of place with the surrounding actions - an interesting and pivotal conversation between Vhan and his sister as they decide the fate of the final battle - I believe it was also something that Vhan needed in order to not break under the strain of straightforwardly confronting his people once again. His ending speech speaks a lot to what the goal of the battle is to be, but he still is not 100% on agreement with even his own words. I will likely not be until the days leading up to that final battle (or maybe the battle itself) where he understands that his choices are made for the betterment of both his people and his OWN future.

Plus, Sharle is just happy to have gotten closer to Vhan again. But the restaint he showed as far as kissing confirms the purpose of the sex. It truly was for Vhan, and not for his own personal fulfillment. he is a bigger man for all that he is doing in the name of the future of magic and Vhan himself. Let's see how he deals when the stakes get raised, as the final battle looms closer :)

Oh Sharle :'( He's so sad, and therefore I am also sad. His interactions with Hal and Leika are so sweet. It's always nice to have loving family to return to for comfort, to have a place to cry a bit and get some reassurance. Leika imparting his wisdom to him is awesome and it's good to know that he and Anstas had a nice life together.
Onward to the White City! What a homecoming this will be for Vhan, I'm sure.

The pain is so very tangible. Talking about it with Halviore may have lightly lifted a burden, but the guilt and the pain that Sharle feels is driving him mad. Is he going to be able to make it through ths sanely? I used to think so, but I am becoming unsure. He is amazingly strong-willed, but even the strong falter, and I am sensing some very large stumbles. Sharle is still Julan - still the mad gdog; will he really be able to make it through this war in his current state?

I suppose we shall see. Will Vhan be able to make it safely inside the Walls of the White City? And what will the discussion had there yield? I look forward to finding out. :)

Jesus. You're one of the fastest writers I know, whose writing is also good. Are you writing full-time, or just quickly?

Good joke. what a knee-slapper lol
It was a strong statement. I'd back a guy who's willing to chop off his OWN FREAKING ARM to prove his point, just sayin'. It is very convenient that limbs can be regrown with the right magic so that makes it slightly less severe, physically speaking. As for psychological impact, Vhan seems unaffected (considering the usual reaction of someone losing a limb). I imagine that there's no worse amputation than the removal of his wings so this was a small pain in comparison. He's also very numbed to a lot of things at the moment. I can understand. I also disconnect when I get stressed and overwhelmed. He definitely scared the hell out of Sharle. And while I feel for Sharle, he really does need to give Vhan some space right now. He's got enough to worry about and Sharle's adding to the pile, despite best intentions.
It seems that Halviore doesn't know much about Sharle and Vhan's relationship? I doubt Sharle had much of a chance to go into detail yet, but now they might have some time to talk.
Man, everything is just so upsetting. I don't even know

Too much. There is too much. I can't compute all that happened in this chapter. So much grief, so much growth, so much pain. From Sharle to Vhan, from Vhan to Halviore. Many words that were spoken, and many more that need to be said. It runs too deep, the bonds between everyone involved. There is little doubt that Vhan will be backed by everyone involved, but the lengths needed to get to that point are too strenuous.

Will Halviore inquire from Sharle about what he experienced upon in his early days with Vhan? That would be a conversation that I think would be interesting. and that is likely the only thing that would keep Sharle away from Vhan. So I'm hoping that's coming, cause I'm curious about what he will say.

Another fantastic read, as expected! Looking forward to much more :)