Gate of Dimensions

[Act 2] Chapter 7: Hearts of Iron

In the now vibrant industrial heart of Guinevere, the Empress, the knight-commander, the light elf, the dark elf, and the magician gathered in a dimly lit chamber beneath the Empress's keep. The flickering candlelight cast long shadows on the ancient stone walls. This chamber, once an escape route out of the city, now served as a hidden meeting place, far from the prying ears of the Germans.

The three insiders were still reeling from what the two new arrivals had revealed. The Empress rested on the wall, exhausted from everything. The light elf stood but was shaken, sweating on her traditional clothes. The knight-commander, Vera, took the news the hardest, storming around and occasionally putting her fist to the walls.

"This cannot be true," she said, her voice trembling with anger. "Werner would never do this to us!"

"I heard it from him, the man himself," said Sera, her tone steady but sorrowful. "He plans to leave us for Helga. He says we've been too submissive, and now the wolves are at our door."

Guinevere sank to the cold, hard ground with a heavy sigh, her mind whirling with thoughts. Bela sat beside her, offering what little comfort she could, though her tears flowed freely.

"A secret deal," Guinevere murmured, staring at the floor. "They saved us from the monsters, only to deliver us into the jaws of demons."

"This can't be, my Empress," Bela said, shaking her head. "Werner fought for us. He envisioned helping us, my people, Sera's people. Now, he betrays us? It doesn't make sense. He could be lying to deflect suspicion from his scheme. He has to be."

"That might've been the case a month ago, light elf," Sera replied, her voice low. "But not now. He's chosen his side. He chose his people, just like anyone with common sense would."

"Then why does he show his true colours now, just when his name had become legendary?" Bela asked, a note of disbelief in her voice.

"Because he finally decided to align himself with his people, which includes Helga. His beloved Kaiser made a deal to rid themselves of her kind in their world by sending them here where they could be free to pillage and rape to their heart's content. But hey, isn't it worth it if they never get to see them again? And Werner? The good little boy is jumping at the opportunity for a promotion. We're nothing more than a passion project now."

The room fell silent, the weight of Sera's words sinking in. Everyone present knew the implications of what she was saying, but no one was ready to accept it. The idea that Werner, their trusted ally who promised them so much, could completely turn on them was a blow to their foundation.

Vera clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her rage barely contained. She never thought she'd feel such betrayal as seeing her father among the original conspirators who took the throne from her empress. This was somehow worse. He even tried to court her. Was that all a ruse to keep her on his side? No way she'd mention it to the others, not after gushing over the man with her subordinates back in the Silver Hand headquarters. Simply, her heart was broken.

"Are you telling me," Vera's voice trembled with a mix of disbelief and fury, "that Werner, who fought beside us, who swore to protect us, now stands with them? With . . . Helga? The same bitch who tried get him on the train? The very person who he taught us is the most evil person in the world? After everything we've been through together?"

"Yes," Sera said, her voice unyielding, though her heart felt heavy. "Werner has always been playing a game. And we've lost. There is no loyalty to us, only to his ambition and the powers that made him who he is."

"How can we even believe anything you say? You come here with no evidence, and you expect us to believe it?"

"Do you believe that I came here out of nowhere with the magic girl just to tell you a lie? You've seen everything happening right now with the industry and the mechanisation. It's all part of a plan to hand it over to Helga."